Ten Years Dreaming And Counting by Andrew McCullough

Cast your mind back ten years. To the days when we had never heard of Armagh City and Institute; Jurassic Park was smashing box office records and we were listening to 2 Unlimited and Shaggy (apparently). And we, that's Ards, were also preparing for an Irish Cup final.

Yes, that was TEN years ago. Ten years since we saw Harry McCourt break the hearts of Cliftonville in the last act of a knife-edge semi-final to send a small provincial club into the biggest showpiece of Irish football. Right now the highs of 1993 seem a world away, when contrasted with the club's current fortunes. But the magic that was around back then is something that is still remembered by anyone who experienced it first hand.

And I don't say 'magic' lightly. Let's not forget that this was Ards' first appearance in the Irish Cup final since 1974 and undoubtedly the biggest day that the club had seen for years. Ninety minutes were all that stood between Ards captain David Jeffrey and the prized silverware and European football the following season. Oh, and a team called Bangor.

The 113th Irish Cup final was the first to see a North Down derby contested. Following Bangor's disposal of Glentoran in the other semi-final, the stage had been set for just under a month for the biggest ever meeting between the sides. On form Bangor were the fancied side. They had reached the final the hard way, first overcoming a tricky away tie at Carrick, before later defeating both Linfield and Glentoran. They had also just picked up the Wilkinson Sword League Cup and now were setting their sights firmly on a double. They had also defeated Ards twice in league encounters that season.

However the winner was still fairly hard to predict and the final was greatly anticipated. What many will remember is the unusual focus that Ards came under in the weeks running up to the game. It was stranger still, given that Linfield and Crusaders were playing out one of the closest fought league championships ever seen. But nevertheless, for a week the television cameras were scarcely out of Ards. Each evening's sports bulletin had some sort of feature on the impending final and there was a clear buzz being generated around the town.

Back then Ards were well supported, though it was still surprising to hear the figures of how many buses would travel to Windsor Park. The numbers rose by the day and so did the anticipation. For any Ards fan under twenty, major finals and trophies were things that they could only imagine or hear in stories told by the older generation of fans. The massive Ards crowd that would attend were desperate to taste the success they had heard so much about.

The day finally arrived and it was game on. The painted faces, the sea of red and blue flags that spanned the North Stand, an infamous supporters' banner and glorious sunshine made the day a colourful spectacular. The game itself could not have been described as a classic, for despite the firepower in both line-ups the game was heading toward the final whistle scoreless. Neither Darren Erskine of Ards, nor Paul Byrne of Bangor, who was after the game heading for an ill-fated spell at Celtic, could muster anything that might separate sides.

For eighty-six minutes the crowd waited patiently before BBC commentator Jackie Fullerton got to speak the immortal words: "Beattie, onside, heads for the box. McCourt!" And the North Stand knew the rest. Ards had surely done it. They had surely delivered an Irish Cup victory and dashed the hopes of the opposite number. But as we now know, this wasn't the day that dreams were made of. A Mark Glendinning equaliser some two minutes later shocked the Ards camp and somehow gave Bangor a lifeline that would carry them into the following week's replay.

Having waited for so long for the 'big day out', the players and fans were required to come back and do it all again. And again. As the replay produced no difference between the sides, the finalists were again called together the following Friday night to contest a second replay for only the eighth occasion in history.

And this one would be decisive, with extra-time and penalties to be played by referee Alan Snoddy should they be required. In the end, none of it was needed as Paul Byrne got the fairytale ending to his Bangor career and knocked in the goal that took the Irish Cup to Bangor for the first time.

The trophy waiting went on for Ards, who were left wondering how they had come so close to victory, yet finished up the finalists who would be forgotten. Success did come the following season, when a returned Roy Coyle lead Ards to County Antrim Shield victory. It wasn't on the same scale, though it was the start of more dreaming by a new generation of fans, who to this day still dream that their club will one day be among the best.

first published 23rd June 2003