Comrades salvage a point in difficult conditions
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Armagh City 1. Ballyclare Comrades 1.
Saturday 8th November 2008 – IFA Championship.
A MUCH improved second half performance saw Comrades take a point from rain lashed Holm Park in a Championship game against Armagh City.
Jamesy Kirk made a couple of changes from the side which had struggled to beat Oxford United Stars in the Intermediate Cup. Back into the side after suspension came captain Stuart McClean, with Paul Caldwell also returning to replace Andrew Ferguson, who is cup-tied for forthcoming mid-week Steel & Sons Cup semi-final.
The manager also altered the formation, with the side lining up in an unfamiliar 4-3-3.
With a strong wind blowing diagonally across the pitch, but favouring the home side in the first half, Comrades were under pressure from the start. Although the difficult conditions made it difficult for either side to create much, City looked much the more likely in the first period, as Comrades looked uncomfortable at times at the back and were second to the ball too often in other areas of the pitch.
Despite the dominance of attacking possession, Armagh did not create any clear cut chances early on. They did have a shout for a penalty turned down in the 7th minute when McCone was muscled off the ball in the box by Michael Smith, but the referee, probably correctly, turned down the appeal.
Comrades' only decent effort of a fairly anaemic first half performance came in the 20th minute when a free-kick was won 25 yards from goal. Ryan Murray stepped up to strike a stinging effort, which McFrederick had to palm over the bar.
Other than that Comrades created nothing and City looked the better side, with the visitors' frustration showing with 4 first half yellow cards from referee Weatherall.
City stepped up the pace as the half progressed and on 25 minutes Comrades were grateful for the alertness of Paul Caldwell, as his last ditch tackle prevented a strike from Campbell in a good position in the box, after a long high ball had discomforted the Comrades' defence.
A minute later however and Comrades were behind. Campbell played a tempting low cross from the right and McParland was able to get on the end of it, tucking a shot from 5 yards past Ian Mannus.
City remained on top for the rest of the half, although their only real further chance came on 37 minutes when they caught Comrades with a swift counter-attack which ended with McCone getting in between two defenders to strike a good low shot from the edge of the box, which Ian Mannus did well to save.
A couple of minutes from the end of the half the referee had to be replaced by one of the linesmen, as he pulled up with an injury and could not carry on.
At half -time the heavens opened and sheets of rain battered Holm Park. The second half started in these conditions and it made it difficult early on for any decent moves to be put together. Comrades however, gradually began to build up some momentum and with the conditions generally in their favour most of the play was now in the City half.
There had already been a few signs that Comrades could get back into the game, with some decent crosses, particularly from the right side, before they won a penalty on 58 minutes. A nice move ended with Mark Craig flicking a well weighted header into the path of Ricky Higgins, who had burst into the box. Higgins was about to shoot from 11 yards out when he was brought down from behind. The stand-in referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and after two recent missed by Michael Smith, Joe McRoberts stepped up to take the spot kick. However, his effort, heading inside the post was at a good height for the keeper, who guessed right and turned the ball wide of the target.
Despite this set-back Comrades continued to press and as the half went on their dominance increased. At the other end Ian Mannus as a virtual spectator as the visitors camped in the City half.
Comrades were now making chances, more than City had managed in the first half. On 62 minutes a good link up in the box between Mark Craig and Ricky Higgins ended with Higgins getting in a shot from 12 yards, which looked on target before being deflected wide by a good block from a defender. The resulting corner was turned wide by a defender and then Gary Bell's next corner from the right found the head of Joe McRoberts 8 yards out, who rose unchallenged to head over the bar, with the goal at his mercy.
This was a great chance and Comrades fans could have been forgiven for thinking that it just wasn't to be their team's day. However, the side kept the pressure on and never lost their belief, harrying the City defence at every opportunity and making them distinctly uncomfortable. They were rewarded on 72 minutes when a bad pass across the edge of box by a City defender was intercepted by Mark Craig who gleefully slammed the ball into the roof of the net from 10 yards past the helpless keeper.
If anyone was now going to win the match it looked very much like it would be Comrades and they came agonisingly close to taking the lead on 81 minutes, when a fine Michael Smith cross from the right found the head of Mark Craig, whose downward header from 8 yards came back off the post. A minute later and lively substitute Ronnie Burns did very well, cutting inside the box from the left to beat his marker and get in a shot from 12 yards, which McFrederick turned past his near post.
As the time ebbed away Comrades threw everything at City to get the winner and right at the death it might have come when a long range Ryan Murray effort fell to Ronnie Burns in the box, but his resulting effort was denied by a fine block from a defender.
In the end Comrades had to settle for one point when on the balance of play they probably deserved all three. Although Armagh had dominated the first half, Comrades dominance of the second was more complete and they created more chances.
Whatever Jamesy Kirk said at half-time obviously worked, as Comrades looked a different side after the interval and, following a poor spell of form, they gave real encouragement to the fans that better times might be ahead.
Ballyclare Comrades team: Ian Mannus, Michael Smith, Paul Caldwell, Ryan Murray, Gary Bell, Stuart McClean (capt), Joe McRoberts, Simon McGowan, Mark Craig, Ricky Higgins, Kyle Agnew.
Bench: Ronnie Burns (71 mins, for Agnew), Andrew Ferguson (90 mins, for Smith), Andy Simms (not used), Andy Long (not used), Davy Freyne (not used).
