The top of the table clash at Crystal Park ended all square today, meaning Ards still remain in pole position for qualification to the knock-out stage.

A goal apiece and not much else to separate the sides in this game - Ards' fourth in nine days. The side was able to welcome in Kris Pike for his first start of the season and he took the place of Justin McBride on the left side of midfield.

A large travelling support swelled the numbers significantly and those fans saw the first chance of the match fall Ards' way as Ricky Billing delivered a shot on the turn from just outside the 18 yard area that the Banbridge keeper dived to turn away. The stopper was called into action again on 11 minutes quite inadvertently when he had to get across to keep a defender's clearing header out of the net.

On 12 minutes the Banbridge midfield allowed Craig McMillen too much room and his advance through the middle ended with a powerful left-foot shot that rattled the crossbar. After impressing for the first twenty minutes, Ards' play levelled out and Banbridge began to make more of an impression.

On 35 minutes there were shouts from the home players for a penalty kick when Wilson looked to have carelessly tripped an attacker in the area. The referee, somewhat surprisingly, seemed not to be in a giving mood. Then with 38 minutes gone Ards took the lead. A cross from the right came in from Nixon and his namesake Darren Stirling got in front of his marker to head into the bottom corner.

Four minutes from the break a shot from McMillen was well saved by the goalkeeper, having caught a deflection on the way through to goal. Four minutes into the new half and Ards keeper Andy McDonald denied Banbridge a goal, saving quite fortunately with his legs.

The Ards defences were beaten on 54 minutes however when a save from McDonald presented Banbridge with a corner kick. The delivery from the right side found its way to the No.4 who out-jumped Nixon to head in at the back post.

A free kick for Ards on 69 saw McKee find McMillen in the area, but although the winger had done well to shake his marker, he couldn't find the target with his header. Ards had lost Stirling through injury by this stage, while Banbridge continued to significantly step up their game. The 77th minute saw the Ards defence opened up when a quick ball down the middle sent the No.10 through and he stole a yard from Gary Spence before cutting his shot the wrong side of an upright.

The referee ruled out a goal for the home side on 80 minutes for climbing but truthfully the strike wouldn't have been undeserved. Ards had the last good chance of the match in the final minute of normal time and Craig McMillen will be kicking himself for not having converted it. A inch-perfect ball was delivered by Pike from the left after a surging run  right onto the foot of McMillen but he connected badly with it to square the ball across goal rather than into it.

Team	Substitutes
1 Andy McDonald (GK)	12 Glen Bowers
2 Darren Nixon	14 Johnny Roy
3 Johnny Cleary	15 Darren Kincaid
4 Gary Spence	16 Justin McBride (for Stirling 50)
5 James Wilson	17 David Cully
6 Johnny Shaw 63
7 Craig McMillen 90	Referee Philip Walker
8 Kris Pike
9 Darren Stirling	Scorer Darren Stirling 38
10 Aaron McKee
11 Ricky Billing 78

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