Experienced Ards fans will probably remember the 9-2 thrashing Ards handed out to Queen’s back in 1994 at Castlereagh Park. Unfortunately for the Ards fans there was no goal fest this time around as Ards struggled to earn the three points.

Ards got the season off to a disastrous start when a mix up between goalkeeper Andy McDonald and the Ards defence allowed the Students through to score the opening goal 10 minutes into the game.

Ards were unquestionably the better team in the first half, playing some attractive football but the final pass always seemed to be lacking. Numerous Ards moves broke down in the final third with no real penetration on the right and Craig McMillen being on the wrong end of a few nasty tackles. His retaliation late on the first half saw him pick up the first of his two yellow cards.

The goal did however come for Ards on the stroke of half time when an in-swinging Johnny Cleary corner was scrambled over the line by centre half James Wilson. The referee waved away Queen's complaints that the keeper had been fouled; Ards were perhaps a touch fortunate.

Ards' luck did not end in the first half. Queen's had an early penalty claim turned after a their striker was felled in the box, while later in the same move a Queen's forward struck McDonald's left hand post.

Despite some useful counter attacks from the home team Ards were the dominant force in the game. As time ticked by Ards committed more men forward, with Billing coming on for Clifford, but were unable to create chances for the front three to give Ards the lead.

Frustration finally got the better of Craig McMillen who had been unable to make an impact on the game, having to constantly ride late challenges. As McMillen advanced forward, with ten minutes left on the clock, he played a through ball which was intercepted by the opposition. In an attempt to reclaim the ball, McMillen dived in on the full back and catching his legs. The referee was left with little choice but to send McMillen in to the changing rooms early.

By this stage most Ards fans had given up on the three points but luckily their captain hadn't. Aaron McKee, who had been having a quiet game up until then, gathered the ball near the touchline some 20 yards out from goal. The Newtownards based man cut inside leaving defenders in his wake before blasting the ball into the net to give Ards a 2-1 win. McKee's strike will be an early contender for goal of the season.

While Ards did record a deserved 2-1 win nobody should be left in any doubt that if they want to make an impact on the league that they will have to do much better than they did at Newforge. Credit must also go to Queen's University Belfast, who turned out to be much more of a problem for Ards than expected.

Team	Substitutes
1 Andy McDonald (GK)	12 Ricky Billing (for Clifford 70)
2 Darren Nixon	14 Gary Sharratt
3 Johnny Cleary	15 Stephen Johnston (for McBride 83)
4 Gary Clifford	16 Darren Kincaid
5 James Wilson	17 Glen Bowers
6 Gary Spence
7 Craig McMillen 80	Referee Ian Hall
8 Justin McBride
9 Darren Stirling	Scorers James Wilson 45, Aaron McKee
10 Aaron McKee
11 Johnny Shaw

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