Ards finished their run in the Carnegie League Cup at Taylor's Avenue tonight with just nine men and on the end of another 2-0 defeat by Loughgall.

The game was played out like an action replay of the league encounter earlier this month with Loughgall taking advantage when they could and Ards failing to break through their resolute defence. Two red cards dished out by ref Evan Boyce in the second half drew a line on Ards' sorry night.

Tommy Kincaid had changes to make for this one as neither David Cully nor Ryan Newberry were fit to play and they joined Gary Clifford and Johnny Cleary on the injured list. That meant a return to the team for James Wilson, with Darren Nixon moving to right-back, and Johnny Shaw being installed in the centre of the park.

The game was some six minutes old when Loughgall took a lead. A free kick given against Ards' David Wright in the Loughgall half was launched long into the Ards box where the head of Andrew Brown flicked the ball over keeper Andy McDonald, who should never have left his goal.

Ards looked to answer that set back three minutes after when a short corner delivered to Shaw allowed him to pull back a cross for Darren Stirling, but the forward had positioned himself so as he could only head the ball away from goal.

Ards' Andy McDonald had been quick to acknowledge his mistake for Loughgall's opener and another chance for the Armagh side around twenty minutes saw him go some way towards redemption. A splendid save in fact from the stopper, who leaped high to his right to keep out a 25 yard half volley.

Few could argue that the first half offered little fare worthy of a semi-final, as Ards for all the possession they might have had, continually failed to beat the first man from crosses.

Ricky Billing was sent on for David Wright ten minutes into the new half and it was on the hour that Ards had their first real look at goal. A corner from the right, delivered by Craig McMillen found the head of James Wilson and he caused danger in the Loughgall box that was only averted by a goal-line clearance.

Johnny Shaw received a long-overdue booking on 61 and things were to get much worse for Ards three minutes later. A ball played down into the right corner was contested by Billing and a Loughgall defender, who went to ground, and following a short melee, the referee dispatched Billing to the changing room, on the advice of his assistant, for apparent use of an elbow.

The chance that followed next had the potential to make the sending off insignificant for Ards. A quick through ball down the middle put Darren Stirling clean past a couple of Loughgall defenders, and though he had a little work to do, the goal seemed at his mercy, only for the striker to hit straight at the legs of Robinson.

On 67 minutes the Loughgall keeper denied Johnny Roy brilliantly, by pushing away his 18 yard half-volley. Not long after and Loughgall had a chance to seal the game at the other end. The side broke down the left and with Wilson slipping in the box, just as the cross came over, McDonald made a brave interception at the feet of a forward about to spring.

The game took another turn on 75 minutes, when a foul by Shaw around the halfway line saw him receive a second yellow card and he followed the same path to the dressing that Billing had walked just 11 minutes earlier.

The final act of the match would be written with seven minutes to go, as Loughgall grabbed the second goal that would send them into the final. A chipped ball over the Ards midfield put in Ryan Moffat and he took time composing himself, before drawing out the keeper and placing a shot into the right side of the goal.

Team	Substitutes
1 Andy McDonald (GK)	11 Ricky Billing (for Wright 56) 64
2 Darren Nixon	13 Lee Rutherford (GK)
3 Kris Pike	16 Stephen Johnston
4 Gary Spence	17 Ryan Hyland (for Pike 71)
5 James Wilson	20 Justin McBride
6 Johnny Shaw 61 75
7 Craig McMillen	Referee Evan Boyce
9 Darren Stirling
10 Aaron McKee (capt)
12 Johnny Roy
14 David Wright

ardsfc.co.uk