ardsfc.co.uk - Ards Football Club

Ards gave Linfield a fair fight at Dixon Park on Tuesday night before eventually going down to a Michael Carvill penalty nine minutes from time.

Despite the obvious difference on paper, Ards contrived to frustrate their visitors time after time, by defending excellently all evening. That despite the injury news before kick-off that ruled out Ards' regular defensive pairing of Darren Nixon and Gary Spence. Into the breach then stepped James Wilson and David Cully, both for their first start of the season, along with Darren Stirling, who replaced Paul McKnight up front.

During the first half the match was all one-way traffic as the Blues surged forward to create a good number of openings. Inside the opening five minutes, Paul Munster had fired a shot straight at Ards keeper Andy McDonald and then ten minutes later Billy Joe Burns put a close range effort over the crossbar.

Goal-scorer Carvill then passed on the chance to put his side in front when he put a shot wide of goal, with only McDonald beat at the end of a free run. On 25 minutes a similar chance fell for Mulgrew, who found himself in the clear facing down McDonald, only to fire right down the middle at the big goalkeeper.

Ards were finding it difficult to get in behind the Linfield defence, with even the pace of Doyle up front providing little dividends. That changed after the break however, when the home side began to get forward and run at the Blue's defence. On 55 minutes Ards had arguably their best chance of the game following a determined run from Craig McMillen on the left side. His ball in found Aaron McKee, who might have thought of shooting, only to lay a pass off for Dee Irvine who took an extra touch he couldn't really afford and the defence got the ball scrambled away.

Similar hesitation would cost Ards again later, when both James Wright and Darren Stirling were guilty of not striking while the iron was hot. Linfield were still being kept at bay by some resolute Ards defending, notably from David Cully, who drew the rath of the Linfield support, although not the referee, for a hefty challenge in the penalty box.

On 74 minutes a Linfield break put Damien Curran through on goal but his shot across the Ards area ran wide of the far post. Then on 81 minutes Linfield were handed the chance to go in front. An untimely tackle from McMillen on Carvill sent the Linfield man tumbling in the box and the same player confidently put away the spot kick to send his team into the second round.

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1 Andy McDonald (c)

8 Paul Dickson	14 David Cully	19 James Wilson	3 Kris Pike

11 Aaron McKee	6 Dee Irvine	16 James Wright	7 Craig McMillen

9 Darren Stirling		12 Stephen Doyle


	13 Lee Rutherford (GK), 15 Gary Wray, 18 Thomas Gorman (for Wright 89), 21 Lee Mudd

	David Malcolm