Kilmore Kill Off Rec Title Hopes

At the tail end of last season’s league programme Comber Rec travelled to Robert Adams Park, Crossgar, still within distance of the league championship, but these aspirations were crushed in their heaviest defeat of the year at the hands of Kilmore Rec. The same scenario pertained on Saturday when Rec, still with the faintest, lingering mathematical hope of the league title, again found the same venue to be the graveyard of their dreams when they went down once more, this time by a 3-1 scoreline. Rec can have no complaints, they were beaten by a stronger and deadlier side which played the proper game to suit the conditions, and which knew how to shoot and find the net.
The case might be argued that Rec were missing key players and were the architects of their own downfall in presenting two gift goals to Kilmore, but they never appeared to have the firepower up front to penetrate a physically stronger home back four, and it was the home team that looked direct and dangerous in every forward move.
On a treacherous mudbath pitch that was no place for short passing football, Rec lined up missing the injured Keith Dougherty, and his absence was a crucial factor in Rec’s  vulnerability at the back. Still missing too was the influential Ross Hagen, but Rec included new signing Liam Mullan who had a very promising debut appearance. On the bench was Craig McCracken, troubled with a hamstring problem, so Comber were definitely at less than full strength as they faced a Kilmore team buoyed up by their victory against Newington.
In surprising sunshine after the downpour of half an hour earlier, Comber opened brightly, and Jim McCloskey was just beaten to a menacing Kevin Monson through ball.
Inside a few minutes Comber threatened again. Gordon Leckey hooked a centre over first time that was just too strong for Monson to control, and McCloskey’s shot from the half clearance was blocked in the area.
Kilmore’s first effort up front came on the quarter hour but Adler steered his header well wide from a right wing cross ball.
It was the visitors who still looked more positive, however, and keeper Gordon had to look lively to punch out a wicked Adam Welsh centre, with two attackers in close attendance.
Midway though the half Gordon again distinguished himself when he spread himself on the goal line to beat Leckey to a low Welsh centre.
Kilmore had a useful free kick position on the half hour, but Brian Burgess confidently held Taggart’s strike, and there was an action replay minutes later with Burgess taking another free kick from a similar position, this time taken by McMahon.
The last five minutes of the first half were action packed. Marty Robinson drove a left foot screamer a yard over Gordon’s crossbar, Welsh’s superb run down the left line drew applause, a Young 30 yarder beat Burgess’s crossbar by a yard, and almost on the whistle Comber seemed to have scored when Leckey, after good work out wide by Monson, pivoted in the area and put in a shot that beat the keeper but ended in the side netting.
At the interval, with the scoresheet blank and Comber having shaded play, nobody could have foreseen their collapse in the second period. It started with only three minutes gone. Taggart won a ball on the left that he should never have won, drew it inside, turned goalward and blasted an unstoppable shot high into the top right corner just inside the post. It was shooting of the highest order, and an illustration of the value of a striker who is prepared to shoot on sight, powerfully and accurately.
Just after Peter Kelly and Kilmore’s Young had been booked for an incident, Rec conceded a second goal, this one an uncharacteristic error of judgement on the part of Gareth Larmour. When a Kilmore free kick was played across the area, he ducked to allow the ball to reach two home attackers he believed to be offside, but the whistle stayed silent and Gill was through free to hammer the ball wide of Burgess into the left side of the net. In amateur football, where the referee has no linesmen to consult, it must never be assumed that his offside calls will be accurate, so the lesson is the old one of playing to the whistle.
Suddenly Kilmore were rampant, wiping out the Comber midfield, playing long balls  through the middle or down the sides to be squared first time across goal. Only a fine Burgess save in a one on one kept Comber from falling further behind

With the match firmly in the hands of the home defence, Adler stupidly kicked out at McCracken off the ball and was promptly red-carded, but his absence had little effect on the remainder of the game, the only moment of note being a beautifully delivered corner kick by sub Tim Ritchie that Gordon was able to gather at the second attempt.
With only minutes left to play Rec sub Ben Gourley was decidedly lucky to receive only a yellow card for a wild swing at Bell. The final whistle added yet another win  to the long list of Kilmore home triumphs over Comber Rec.
This match threw into high relief a few uncomfortable truths for Comber Rec fans.  Rec do not have the strength in depth to be able to cope with first team injuries and absences. The replacements cannot be faulted for effort and determination, but they lack the power and experience to go up against teams like Kilmore in such heavy conditions. Furthermore, running with the ball and keeping possession on such a pitch is almost inevitably unproductive against a physically strong and well organised defence that breaks up close play and clears its lines first time. In attack, the need for a killer marksman must be a top priority for next season if Comber are going to actually win something.
In the short term, Rec must not slide down the table in their few remaining games, which would be a regrettable finish to what has been a really good season.