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)

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
9 Darren Stirling	Referee Simon Creaney
10 Aaron McKee
11 Ricky Billing
12 Jonny Roy
15 Gary Clifford 44

ardsfc.co.uk