Belfast Telegraph Championship 1
Bangor 0-1 Ards

It took just one goal to separate Bangor and Ards in Tuesday night's North Down derby, which failed to spark into life despite an early goal.

Ross Arthurs' goal on three minutes was his seventh strike of the season and it made sure the points would go home with Ards. Niall Currie named an unchanged side for his first derby experience on the Ards side of the fence, while Bangor were forced to field 17 year-old debutante Dean Justin in goal, following the weekend sending off of Paul Cairnduff.

The early goal came about through some energetic play from Ards' Mark Picking. He showed a burst of pace to leave his marker trailing on the right flank before cutting in field and laying the ball off to Ryan Berry. His through pass cut the Bangor defence in two leaving Arthurs in the clear and he showed a good touch to poke the ball past the blameless Justin.

A few moments later Gareth Corey maneuvered into the right position to test Justin but his header fell comfortably into the keeper's arms and that was the last clear chance for around twenty minutes or so. Bangor were making no further in-roads either with a Darren Nixon clearance that deflected of striker Andy Morrow's back the nearest they had come to a chance on goal.

On 24 minutes a free kick awarded to Bangor out on the left might have caused trouble in the Ards box, but the decent ball in from Gareth Beattie wasn't attacked by his Bangor team-mates. The home team had better luck a minute from the break when Ben Browne drew a save out of Graeme McKibbin. Browne was well-placed just outside of the Ards box to receive a lay-off from Morrow and tee himself up for a rasping volley that McKibbin was at full stretch to tip over the crossbar.

The second half opened with a near goal for Ards as Ryan Berry's 48th minute corner found the head of defender Gary Spence and he drove the ball against the face of the crossbar. Bangor responded with with a skillful effort from Mark McQuillan, that curled agonisingly away from the Ards goal.

There was still plenty of effort coming from both sides but very little productivity with neither team looking all that clinical around goal. The best example of that was Nathan McConnell's failure to convert in front of goal on 64 minutes. Full-back David Cully had done well to break out of his own half and cut a low ball in from the right side that passed right by McConnell's despairing efforts at the back post.

On 75 minutes another decent opportunity arrived for Ards when James Cully bustled through the Bangor midfield to put a forward pass though for McConnell. The Ards striker was bravely beaten to ball through some quick thinking from Justin, who left his area early to clear the danger. In doing so, that left the Bangor goal unguarded and Mark Picking's speculative return from 35 yards didn't beat the crossbar by much.

Bangor just might have salvaged a point in the 81st minute when keeper McKibbin failed to hold on to the ball but Morrow saw his shot cleared off the goal-line by Spence as Ards held on for the points that would take them up to third spot.

Ards Team 1 Graeme McKibbin (GK), 12 David Cully, 14 James Cully, 4 Gary Spence, 5 Darren Nixon (capt.), 19 Mark Picking, 6 Ryan Berry, 17 Jimmy McIlhagga, 15 Gareth Corey, 9 Nathan McConnell, 10 Ross Arthurs

Substitutes 2 Rab Young, 8 Sammy Devine (for Berry 69), 16 Ciaran Boyd, 21 Adam Arthurs (for Corey 80)

Referee Peter McGrath

22nd November 2011

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