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WKD
Intermediate Cup Final: Ards 0-1 Loughgall
 1st
May 2008
There was
disappointment for the large number of travelling Ards fans at Thursday
night's Intermediate Cup Final as a second half Loughgall goal brought
an end to Ards' six game cup run.
It never appeared as
though more than one goal would be needed to win this final and that
goal came from Dean Smith on 65 minutes, who headed in at the back post
to break open the tense match.
Ards were able to line out
at full strength, with Gary Spence returned for the first time in four
games and Kris Pike also recovered from his injury. Gary Clifford was
preferred to Stephen Johnston at right-back, while Ricky Billing got the
nod to start up front alongside Darren Stirling. Colts' cup winner Gary
Sharratt took a place on the bench.
Ards edged the first half
on chances alone, creating a couple of good openings inside the first
quarter of an hour. On just four minutes Jonny Roy broke out of the Ards
defence and went on a run down the right side before playing in
Stirling. He knocked the ball on for Billing who was just beaten to it
by a Loughgall defender. A shot from 30 yards by Roy a few minutes later
was then turned over the bar by keeper Marc Robinson.
A better chance followed
on 11 minutes when Gary Clifford's in-swinging cross from the right
found Craig McMillen ghosting in at the back post, but he couldn't
direct the ball through a couple of defenders. Loughgall were hardly
threatening at all as late as the half hour mark and it took until the
32nd minute for Ards keeper Andy McDonald to be called on. Some lax
defending from Nixon when under pressure created the danger and McDonald
had to save at close from Andy Brown.
With that the Villagers
showed a bit more worth and tested Ards again on 39 minutes when Dean
Smith got the better of Pike down the centre and McDonald had to dive
full length to push the ball away. Then a few minutes before the half
time break Craig McMillen had to make a excellent tackle inside the Ards
'18 to stop another run from Smith.
Ards were almost level two
minutes after the re-start and questions might have been asked of Marc
Robinson had Ricky Billing's shot from 25 yards hit the net instead of
Robinson's near upright. Ards made a penalty shout on 56 when a run into
the box by McMillen ended under a defender's challenge, with the Ards
winger going down too easily for the referee's liking.
Kris Pike then sent a 22
yard free kick not far over the crossbar after a foul on Billing before
McMillen entered the referee's book on 64 minutes while attempting to
win back the ball. A minute later and the goal arrived as Spence sliced
a clearance inside the area and the ball fell kindly for Smith who
headed into McDonald's far corner from the opposite side of
goal.
Despite signs of dropped
heads, both on the pitch and off, Ards did continue to make chances and
none better than that began by McMillen on 70 minutes. His burst through
the middle saw the ball slipped to Stirling at the back post and his
short knock back was met with a back heel from James Wilson that the
keeper had to be sharp to keep out.
Ards soon made changes,
bringing on first Justin McBride and then David Cully as Tommy Kincaid
urged his side on for an equaliser. Around 77 minutes a long series of
Roy corners eventually led to a shot from Darren Nixon that Robinson had
to beat way. There wasn't much to suggest a second Loughgall goal coming
but still they looked dangerous and their effective style of play was to
deliver a fifth trophy of this season as ref Simon Creaney brought four
minutes of injury time to a end with his final whistle.
WKD Man
of the Match Alan Murphy (Loughgall)
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| The
teams walk on ahead of the final |
| Team |
Substitutes |
| 1 Andy McDonald (capt.)
(GK) |
16 Stephen Johnston |
| 2 Darren Nixon |
18 David Cully (for
Clifford 86) |
| 3 Kris Pike |
20 Justin McBride (for
Billing 79) |
| 4 Gary Spence |
21 Gary Sharratt |
| 5 James Wilson |
22 Mark Parker |
7 Craig McMillen  64 |
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| 9 Darren Stirling |
Referee
Simon Creaney |
| 10 Aaron McKee |
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| 11 Ricky Billing |
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| 12 Jonny Roy |
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| 15 Gary Clifford 44 |
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