Clarence Cup Round 2

Clarence Cup Collapse by Comber Rec

 

Comber Rec  1  :  3  Shankill Utd 

Noel Spence reports 

Comber Rec’s history of elimination from cup competitions by teams from lower divisions continued at Park Way on Saturday when they were  beaten 3-1 by Shankill Utd in the second round of the Clarence Cup. Rec’s recent embryonic revival was clinically terminated in extra time after they had led for most of the match from a first half penalty until Shankill drew level with a very late equaliser. Nobody would deny that the visitors deserved the victory against a weakened and ineffectual Comber side that was outplayed entirely in the second half and never seriously looked like adding to their early advantage.

On a sunny afternoon and in perfect playing conditions Rec welcomed back Neil Magowan and Gareth Larmour, but were grievously affected by the absence of the commanding Joe Jeffreys at the back and the power play of Ryan Johnston in midfield. The attacking line-up featured only one recognised striker worthy of the name, Michael Henderson, who was obliged to play his customary solitary role up front without any noticeable assistance from the flanks. 

Jason Mooney was in action almost immediately, holding cleanly an Anderson strike, and as United asked all the early questions, Ian Spence did well to block a drive at the back post following a corner from the left.

Just after a Shankill free kick from the right sideline had dropped on top of the home net, Rec produced their first attacking move when a Peter Kelly shot came back off the keeper and Henderson’s strike from the rebound was deflected for a corner.

On the quarter hour mark Spence sent over a fine centre from the right that just beat Henderson’s head in the box, and five minutes later Spence was again in action, this time involved in a tackle on McMinn that saw the visitors clamouring for a penalty.

Midway through the half United should have gone ahead. A total mix-up in the Rec defence allowed Perry clean through on goal, but he rushed his shot with only Mooney to beat and pulled it well wide.

Rec suddenly went ahead in the 25th minute. An absolutely delightful Henderson touch put Keith Dougherty on a run into the area where he was blatantly tripped right in front of the referee who pointed to the spot. Dougherty himself took the kick and placed it perfectly, low into the left corner, a goal that was, on balance, against the run of play.

Shankill’s reply was a Robinson header at the back post from a corner from the right that Rec were happy to deflect for another corner. This marked a sustained spell of pressure on the home defence. A Patterson free kick was only half cleared and McMinn drove a couple of yards over when he should have done better. Then Kelly bravely headed out a fierce McCullough free kick from the edge of the area, and a long McMillan ball from the left near the half way line was headed too high by Patterson.

Five minutes from the interval Rec had a wonderful opportunity to pull further ahead, and a goal at this stage after prolonged Shankill domination might well have had visiting heads down. McClory was put clean through on Thompson but panicked, fluffed his control, and the ball rolled into the keeper’s arms. It was the last pure scoring chance that Rec produced in the game.

Shankill came out after the interval hungry and determined, their aggression assisted by Comber playing so deep that for much of the second period every player but the visiting keeper was in the Rec half. Henderson was forced to forage entirely on his own, with the players who should have been stretching the visiting defenders down the sides refusing to advance beyond the half way line. As a consequence, the Rec defence was under an almost continuous offensive.

Mooney saved well at the base of his left post from McGann, but on the hour the dogged Rec rearguard gifted United their clearest chance to draw level. Total misunderstanding ended with Reid fouling Lockins in the area and for the second time the referee pointed to the pavilion end penalty spot. Perry took the  kick and blasted it yards over the top.

Rec’s only forward move of note during this period was a fine Gary Canmore cross that Henderson controlled and fired at goal in one movement, but it was blocked in the box.

Henderson was denied soon afterwards by the woodwork when he met an exquisite Kyle McQuillan right side corner at the near post and glanced a subtle back header off the crossbar.

At the other end Mooney pulled off a great save, tipping a wicked McCullough dropping cross ball over his bar, and then, ten minutes from the whistle, Henderson came close to scoring a freakish opportunist goal. Inside his own half he collected a loose ball, saw the United keeper well out of goal, and sent in a long range ground shot on target. Thompson raced back between the posts just in time to scrape the ball round his right upright.

It seemed that Rec were going to hang on for a single goal victory, but with five minutes on the watch a Rec defender needlessly got his head to a ball that was going harmlessly past for a goal kick. All he succeeded in doing was setting up a cross into the Rec box that McCullough volleyed into the net from 10 yards, giving Mooney no chance.

Rec could have stolen the win in the dying minutes but poor decisions let them down. With the visiting keeper injured, and the strong sun in his eyes, Rec had two free kicks in quick succession, both easily in scoring range and ideal for McQuillan drives, but instead both were squandered and normal time finished with the teams all square.

Extra time proved to be disastrous for Rec. With 3 minutes played in the first period and Rec on the attack well into the Shankill half, over dwelling on the ball and trying to take on too many men gave away possession. The ball was driven clear, beat the Rec defence, and McCullough raced through and sidefooted it past Mooney for a simple goal.

Worse was to follow, with a cross from the left sideline to the back post headed home from point blank range by Clegg to complete the humiliation.

Rec never managed one effort on target to trouble the injured keeper in the whole twenty minutes of extra time, and it was Mooney in the home goal who had to make a great stop from a Shankill sub to prevent further ignominy.

Comber Rec’s brief flirtation with success was over, the relationship annulled by a First Division team that had no bother outplaying the lightweight Rec players on the few occasions they did venture forward. The caretaker management team has inherited the legacy of such a small panel of quality players that every absentee is a body blow to the dream of survival in the Premier Division. The players they are forced to bring in to fill the gaps are quite simply not good enough, with only Henderson in attack showing the ability to trouble the opposition, but isolated and unassisted up front, missing the wing play of Ryan Oliver and the link play of Ryan Johnston. Even with all their first choice players available the task ahead is of the Mission Impossible variety, but with every Saturday revealing someone else or someone different missing from the team, even the most devout optimists must be worried.