A fitter and more determined Crusaders Reserves team made Ards look very ordinary as they were put to the sword and eliminated from the WKD Intermediate Cup.

The quickness shown by the Crusaders second string on Seaview's 3G pitch had the victory looking secure from very early on, and Ards' sluggishness in midfield made the battle all the easier for their young opponents.

Ards had began with striker Darren Stirling coming in for the injured Darren Fitzgerald, while Dee Irvine replaced James Wright in the middle of the park. There were just four minutes played when Crusaders took the lead after a handball had been called against Darren Nixon. The free kick was played short to the left corner and from there the cross ball picked out Boylan who slotted in from close range.

To their credit Ards hit back soon after as a 12th minute cross from Craig McMillen hit the Crusaders box and Darren Armour squeezed himself in front of the goalkeeper to poke home and equalise. Another chance for Armour followed minutes later when Dickson took possession of a McIlhagga throw and sent the ball quickly up the park for Armour, who unfortunately put his shot wide of goal.

On 16 minutes Crusaders restored their lead when a bad back-pass from Aaron McKee let in Cowan and he made no mistake with his low finish from the right side of goal. Fortunes swung the other way again after that as McIlhagga chased a ball down into the left corner and got a cross over for McMillen. He composed himself to hit a low shot towards goal that had the keeper beaten until it was put over the crossbar by a defender on the line.

Ards keeper Andy McDonald had a fortunate moment on 38 minutes when a free kick from Crusaders' Ryan McCann hit the ground just in front of him and bounced past both man and the near upright. The interval came with Ards still behind and even at only the half-way stage few were doubting that there was a mountain to climb for Tommy Kincaid's men.

James Wright and Stephen Doyle saw action for Ards as the second period began, but it was to no affect as the home side hit a third goal on 57 minutes. Some slack marking at the back for Ards left a number of men open for the ball and when it ran for full-back Scott Collins he took a step inside his marker and dispatched a lovely left-foot shot into the roof of the Ards net.

Without doubt Ards were down, and almost out too, though they did get the score line back in sight with a second goal on 68 minutes. An Ards free kick on the half-way line was put forward by Nixon and when the ball was laid off by Armour, substitute Doyle stepped in to lash home from 18 yards.

Crusaders might have restored their two goal advantage on 72 minutes after a slip by Nixon let in Cowan, but with just the goalkeeper to beat, he sent a shot over the top when under no pressure.

Surprisingly Ards in fact came very close to forcing extra-time with a chance on 86 minutes. A free kick from Wright found it's way into the Crusaders box via McMillen, who hit a high ball over the home defence and found Aaron McKee. With Crues' keeper Niall Murphy a few yards off his line, McKee rightly sensed the opportunity and hit a lob for goal that narrowly bounced past the far upright, and with that went any hopes that Ards would rescue a draw they didn't nearly deserve.

- AMIGO UPDATE

62 goals - £31.00

1 Andy McDonald (c)
8 Paul Dickson	2 Darren Nixon	14 David Cully	3 Kris Pike
5 Jimmy McIlhagga	11 Aaron McKee	6 Dee Irvine	7 Craig McMillen
20 Darren Armour		9 Darren Stirling
Darren Armour 12, Stephen Doyle 68

	12 Stephen Doyle (for Stirling 57), 16 James Wright (for Dickson 57), 17 Mark Picking (for McIlhagga 65), 18 Thomas Gorman
	Ken Gibbons

29th January 2010

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