WKD Intermediate Cup R2: Lower Maze 0-1 Ards
1st December 2007

Few would disagree that Saturday at Lower Maze was a performance to forget for Ards as Tommy Kincaid's side struggled get the better of the Mid-Ulster team three divisions their junior.

With the imposing watch towers from the adjacent Maze prison over-looking proceedings it took Ards until the 63rd minute to break the scoring deadlock, having chased the tails of the Lower Maze players since the start of the second half.

Tommy Kincaid made several changes to his side that took the field on a bitterly cold afternoon. Darren Stirling was free to return from suspension and he began up front alongside David Wright, with Justin McBride rested. Craig McMillen missed out through injury, leaving a midfield of Cleary, McKee, Newberry and Hyland, while Darren Nixon was the man to drop out in defence and make way for David Cully.

Ards bossed the first 15 minutes of the game and had several early chances. On three minutes a low shot from left-back Kris Pike drew a save from the Lower Maze goalkeeper and a couple of minutes later a Darren Stirling shot from a Hyland cross struck the crossbar.

goal-scorer David Cully

In the 7th minute David Wright broke in from the left side of the area and his strong left-footed shot was parried awkwardly up into the air by the goalkeeper, with no Ards player able to rise and meet the loose ball. Maze came back at Ards on 16 minutes with their No.9 taking a pot shot from around 22 yards that McDonald comfortably kept out. Ards were forced to defend furiously a minute after that when two or three shots rained in on the Ards goal in quick succession.

Expectedly, Ards were the more creative side, but somehow often failed to look it, though several more chances were produced around the half-hour mark. First, a low, somewhat mishit cross from Wright found Ryan Newberry in the middle and his shot clipped the crossbar and then with 31 gone a short through ball for Hyland was well gathered by the goalkeeper at the winger's feet.

Ards had shouts for a penalty on 33 minutes when Stirling went over an out-stretched leg after skipping past two other defenders but to the amazement of everyone, the up-until-now generous referee denied Ards' calls. The half ended with Lower Maze's best chance of the game, when a chipped ball dropped down over the Ards defence and the No.10 had his well hit half-volley stopped by McDonald's legs.

The second forty-five minutes was a dire affair with little or no fluency from Ards and Lower Maze struggling to make any inroads on the Ards goal. Ards still made the best chances but looked unlikely to score. On 50 minutes there were a couple of efforts on the Maze goal. A drive from 20 yards by Newberry was deflected away for a corner and from that the keeper had to save a low strike from David Cully.

Darren Stirling exited the game on 52 minutes, to be replaced by Mark Drysdale from the Colts; he slotted in at right-back, pushing David Cully into a more effective role on the right of midfield. On 57 minutes Ards did get a hint of goal when a Newberry pass released Hyland along the right side of the Maze area and his shot from 15 yards caught the near upright.

Ards were struggling in midfield, finding it hard to make a series of passes or win back the ball. Although Maze weren't coming close to troubling Andy McDonald, there was a feeling that if they found a goal, Ards might not come back. Just in time then that the visitors managed to score themselves. It was the 63rd minute when Pike was played into the Maze area and his close-range effort was blocked by the keeper. The ball kindly returned to the full-back and a short pass back to the penalty mark found Cully, who managed to deflect a shot off a defender and into the net at the right hand post.

That strike would be the pinnacle of the game with little more to note for the remaining half-hour. Ards did make one more chance on 70 minutes when Hyland broke along the left flank and slipped the ball back to substitute Stephen Johnston, whose neat pass found Aaron McKee, although he blasted his shot over the crossbar.

The 75th minute marked a welcome return to football for Mark Parker, the midfielder who had not kicked a ball since getting injured while playing for Ards in October 2005. Fans will have noted him as part of Tommy Kincaid's coaching staff this season.

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