OWN-GOAL SETTLES BIG DERBY GAME

Ards Rangers 1 Comber Rec 0

The first meeting in years of local rivals Ards Rangers and Comber Rec was always going to produce a tight, close encounter, and last Saturday’s affair at Drome Park certainly proved to be a tense, evenly-balanced engagement. Four minutes after the break an own goal from Ross Hegan, the visitors’ No 6, turned out to be the only mark which referee David McCartney had to make on his score-card. A stoppage time penalty miss by Rangers Mark Miller probably kept the winning margin to a more pragmatic level, with Lee Forsythe’s side just about meriting the three points.

First Half

Straight from the kick-off the game had all the hallmarks of fervour and earnestness, and an early free-kick from Ryan Newberry caused fleeting disorder in the visiting defence. At the other end a Kyle McQuillen free-kick poked out an opening for Ross Hegan, but the snap shot was over the target. Both sides had started in lively mood over the early exchanges, but Comber appeared to have more bite and purpose in their forward movement. A long clearance from Jason Mooney was taken at pace out on the left by Jim McCloskey, but the first-time centre delivered over by the Comber captain was pulled out of the danger zone by the confident Steven McKay. The Rec had clearly bossed the opening quarter-hour, but the home side began to steady their approach play, and Gareth Larmour only just blocked out the intention when Johnny Heron attempted to ease Johnny Hall clear down the right. The game lost a certain quality for a period, but Comber retained a very slight edge and Matt McFall had to mark back to clear a free-kick lobbed in by Paul Emerson. Comber’s Ryan Oliver was hugging the right touch line to good effect, and the tactic of stretching the Rangers defence right across the pitch was giving Jason Mooney the opportunity to seek out gaps down the middle with his long clearances. On the half-hour it was the Rangers who nearly opened the scoring. Jamie Patterson dropped a long-range free-kick into the Comber goalmouth, and central defender Paul Emerson, under pressure from Mark Miller, cracked his attempt at a clearing header off his own cross-bar. On 38 minutes, with the home side in the middle of a purple patch, Ryan Newberry produced the pass-of-the-afternoon. The No 8, who was in the Ards Under 18 side which lifted the Youth Championship a few years back, swept a long ball across the field to the left, but Matt McFall blasted the shot well over the top. Brent Reid, an early substitute for Rec and a former Drome Park player, carried the play back to the goals at the Portaferry Road end of the ground, but, although Steven McKay, distracted by the close presence of Jim McCloskey, temporarily lost the cross-ball, the Rangers ‘keeper quickly recovered to reclaim possession. Just before the break Ryan Newberry forced his way back into the frame with a forward ball which sliced the Rec defence, but Kyle McQuillen cleared off the goal-line when Mark Miller hammered in a scoring attempt.
Balancing out possession over the first 45 minutes handed out ascendancy to Comber, but it had been the Rangers who had come closer to putting a mark on the score-sheet.

Second Half

It was the home side who opened up the second period with the glow of confidence about their play, and, when Matt McFall crossed in from the left, Jason Mooney was in early action as he pulled in a Johnny Hall header. Jackie Kerr joined in the attack with a measured ball into the goalmouth, but Matt McFall’s explosive shot was wide of the mark. Four minutes in, and the score, which was ultimately to determine the destination of the points, arrived. Johnny Heron manoeuvred his way into space down the left and guided a searching ball into the goal area, where Ross Hegan, conscious of the threat posed by the waiting Mark Miller, could only knock the ball into his own net. Comber had made a sluggish start to the second half, but, on 57 minutes, they summoned up an attacking response to the set-back. Kyle McQuillen, whose contribution to the Rec cause was again sizeable, played a ball over from the left, but Steven McKay was out quickly to smother the chance at Peter Kelly’s feet. The Park Way side had certainly played their way back into contention, and, when Jim McCloskey opened up an approach down the right, the home side were fortunate that there were no yellow shirts in place to profit from Brent Reid’s angled cross. On 63 minutes Mark Miller, who began his burst into the goal-grabbing spotlight with Comber Rec., looked to have settled the result, but Jason Mooney brought off the first of a string of crucial saves to deny the Rangers captain. In the 69th minute it was the visiting custodian who was back into the glare of the spotlight. Johnny Heron, who was having a very good second half, put his captain back into the clear, but once more the highly-impressive Jason Mooney stretched his tall frame along the goal-line to make the save. Almost immediately Steven Hislop had a pop on target, but again the Comber ‘keeper, who was another player produced by the Ards Under 18 squad, was down smartly to save. The boldness of their ‘keeper seemed to inspire the visitors, and, on 74 minutes a Jim McCloskey header was just too high. The game was inching towards stoppage time when a Jim McCloskey corner threw up another opening for the equaliser, but Jackie Kerr was placed to knock the ball off the goal-line. Referee McCartney had taken the struggle into time added-on, when Mark Miller was knocked over in the box, and the striker dusted himself down for the kick which would double the goal advantage. However it was Jason Mooney, the player who had claimed all the second-half distinction, who ended the afternoon on a high as he dived to the right to push the spot kick away.

THE TEAMS -

ARDS RANGERS – Steven McKay, Jackie Kerr, Scott Ritchie, Michael Foster, Jamie Patterson, Steven Hislop, Johnny Hall, Ryan Newberry, Johnny Heron, Mark Miller (Captain) and Matt McFall.
Substitutes - Neil Moore, Marty Caskey and Gareth Rainey.

COMBER REC – Jason Mooney, Joe Jeffreys, Kyle McQuillen, Peter Kelly, Paul Emerson, Ross Hegan, Ryan Oliver, Ryan Johnston, Gareth Larmour, Alex Malcolm-Bourne and Jim McCloskey (Captain).
Substitutes – Brent Reid, Chris Ritchie and Tim Ritchie.

Referee – David McCartney (Donaghadee)

AFTER-MATCH THOUGHTS

It was a good, hard game, without ever producing the more thoughtful play of which both sides are capable. Lee Forsythe was clearly overjoyed at the finish, and certainly he has good reason to feel satisfied with the results achieved since the team clinched promotion last term. At the same time, the Rec will probably feel slightly aggrieved that they didn’t take a point back to Park Way. On the balance of play however I feel that, on this occasion, the spoils went to the better side. Indeed without a stirring performance by Jason Mooney in goals, the extent of the Rangers victory could have been more exaggerated.

THE MATCH FACT FILE

Yellow Cards

Scott Ritchie (Ards Rangers ) 23 minutes

Johnny Hall (Ards Rangers) 64 minutes

Steven Hislop (Ards Rangers) 67 minutes

Men-of-the-Match

Ryan Newberry (Ards Rangers)

Jason Mooney (Comber Rec)

Point of Interest ‘Ritchie’ was a surname which dominated the Match Card on Saturday. Scott Ritchie played at No 3 for the home side, while Chris ad Timmy came off Comber’s sub bench during the second half. Incidentally, the Comber substitutes had the support of their father in the big crowd – and he of course used to coach in the Ards Rangers youth set-up!!

Referee Focus

I thought David McCartney controlled the match extremely well. He made decisions sharply, but without fuss and always in an unpretentious manner. He has the admirable advantage of being able to keep a smile on his face, and I thought he handled the few moments of altercation with a commendable mixture of firmness and common sense.

THE PLAYER’S PERSPECTIVE

Jackie Kerr (Ards Rangers) –

“It certainly was a hard game. I felt we just deserved to take the verdict. Certainly the result keeps us going in the direction we want!