Comrades cruise through cup tie
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Ballyclare Comrades .................5. Bangor Reserves ........................0.
Saturday 6th September 2008 - Steel & Sons Cup (Third Round).
COMRADES cruised into the fourth round of the Steel & Sons Cup with a comprehensive victory over Bangor Reserves.
On a day when a number of Premier League matches had been called off due to the torrential downpour of the previous 24 hours, the game went ahead at Dixon Park on a decent surface and in pleasant, if breezy, conditions.
Manager Jamesy Kirk was back from a two week absence to take control of the side and he made a few changes from the side which beat Dergview in mid-week. In came Andy Simms, with Darren McKay dropping to the bench and Mark Craig moving to a more familiar centre-forward position. Andy Long and Michael Smith swapped positions on the right, with Long moving back to right-back.
The very early stages of the match gave no signs of what was to come as the young Bangor side, sprinkled with a few more experienced players, started brightly. It looked like Comrades could be in for a difficult enough assignment, but they soon their extra class began to tell and they began to look the much more dangerous side.
On 6 minutes a corner from the left fell to Ryan Murray in the back post area, but he lashed his shot wide of the near post from about 12 yards out. Two minutes later, a great ball from Eddie Hill gave Andy Simms a chance, but he shot wide of the far post from just outside the box.
A typically fine bit of link up play down the right by Andy Long and Michael Smith on 16 minutes tore the Bangor defence to shreds and saw Smith cut inside the box and curl a shot, which Dougherty did very well to keep out, tipping it over the angle of post and bar.
Bangor Reserves were still looking lively at times at the other end. On 21 minutes a Gary Bell clearance was charged down allowing McDowell to shoot from the edge of the box, but Ian Mannus saved it fairly comfortably.
In the 22nd minute Comrades had a great chance, when Mark Craig fed Eddie Hill, who darted into the box and then dragged his shot wide of the post from 10 yards, with the keeper exposed.
Two minutes later, Hill had another great chance. This time a deft through ball from Andy Long fed the dangerous little striker, who was now giving the Bangor defence nightmares, but he found his shot from 10 yards blocked by Dougherty, who was also able to parry another Hill attempt from the rebound.
A Comrades goal now looked very much on the cards and it came on 25 minutes. Gary Bell was hacked down in the box, having cut in from the left by-line. A penalty was awarded and was coolly converted by Michael Smith.
From that point on Comrades did not look back and the result of the match was rarely in doubt, as they continued to dominate the game.
On 29 minutes, the hard working Mark Craig did well to cut inside the box and shoot, producing a good save from Dougherty who pushed his effort past the post.
Comrades increased their lead on 40 minutes. Good play down the left from Eddie Hill and Gary Bell ended with Bell crossing into the box for Andy Long to head low into the net, just inside the post, for his first goal for the club.
Shortly afterwards, on 42 minutes, the game was effectively over as a contest when Bangor Reserves were reduced to 10 men. Keeper Dougherty foolishly took his protests at the game not being stopped for a Bangor injury too far and left the referee no alternative but to send him off. He was replaced in goals by young outfielder Tumelty, who was to go on to have a good game between the sticks.
Comrades really ought to have put one past the stand-in keeper three minutes after his introduction, when Mark Craig set Eddie Hill free into the box, but with the goal at his mercy, he shot wide of the far post from 10 yards.
The second half saw the depleted Bangor side under severe pressure, once Comrades got going after a sluggish first five minutes or so. It was no surprise when a third goal came on 55 minutes. Andy Simms fired in a cross from the left, which was flicked on by Mark Craig, into the path of Stuart McClean, who shot confidently into the net from 13 yards for a rare goal.
Craig himself was very unlucky not to score two minutes later, when a he met a great Andy Long cross from the right with a powerful header from 11 yards, which thundered of the crossbar.
It was not long however before Comrades had a fourth goal and another scorer opening his account for the club. On 58 minutes a long high ball held up in the wind and was won by a combination of Mark Craig and Eddie Hill. The ball then found its way to Simon McGowan, who had a shot well blocked by the keeper, who was unlucky to see the ball rebound back to McGowan, who this time made no mistake from 14 yards out.
Bangor Reserves day got even worse on the hour when Carnduff got sent off for stupidly kicking the ball away and getting a second yellow card as a result.
Comrades sent on more strikers to try to capitalise against the nine men, but the young Bangor side kept them at bay, as perhaps the home side tried a bit too hard at times and lost a some of the shape they had earlier in the game.
Tumelty in the Bangor goal was also proving to be a good stand-in keeper and on 69 minutes he produced a great save from a fierce Mark Craig strike from 13 yards. Then again on 81 minutes he saved well from an Aaron Wallace strike from a similar distance.
On 86 minutes however, Comrades scored perhaps the goal of the game. Gary Bell picked the ball up just inside the Bangor half and waltzed past three men before planting a shot past Tumelty from the edge of the box.
It might have been six, a minute later, when Darren McKay latched onto an Andy Long through ball and shot from 10 yards, but the stand-in keeper again made a fine save to deny him.
This was a good clinical display from Comrades, who destroyed what could have been tricky opponents. After a slow start to the season, the side now seems to be approaching top form, although sterner tests await in the coming weeks.
Ballyclare Comrades team: Ian Mannus, Andy Long, Paul Caldwell, Ryan Murray, Gary Bell, Michael Smith, Simon McGowan, Stuart McClean (capt), Andy Simms, Eddie Hill, Mark Craig.
Bench: Darren McKay (65 mins, for Simms), Ronnie Burns (67 mins, for McClean), Aaron Wallace (71 mins, for Craig).
