Windswept win for Comber Rec

Comber Rec travelled to Seapark on Saturday perhaps anticipating a hard game against a Holywood side fresh from its surprise win over Newington, but in the event the real opposition was the double force of a downfield gale and the peremptory refereeing of an official who regarded the mildest questioning of his decisions as a threat to his authority and responded by brandishing red and yellow cards .
Rec were without flu victim Gareth Larmour and suspended Marty Robinson, but welcomed back Ross Hegan. Liam Mullan slotted into the left back slot and produced a fine performance, while commendation goes too to Ian Spence who came up to occupy the gap left by the injured Keith Dougherty.
Rec kicked off with the strong diagonal downfield wind in their favour, but it turned out to be more of a disadvantage because all too often balls played forward were too long for the front runners and went straight through to the keeper or past for a goal kick.
With only three minutes played the first yellow card appeared. Craig McCracken questioned an offside call against him, and was immediately in the referee’s book, an over reaction that was the prelude to more of the same throughout the 90 minutes.
Rec’s first effort on target was an 8th minute Mullan drive that the keeper pushed past for a corner, and this signalled a period of pressure on the home goal, with a series of corners pinning Holywood back in their own goalmouth.
On the quarter hour a Mullan ground free kick came back off the keeper’s shins, and a defender just got there to clear in the nick of time, but Rec missed a sitter one minute later. Adam Welsh put over a nice ball from the right but with the goal at his mercy Jim McCloskey hit the keeper from 10 yards and the ball spun wide for a corner.
It was McCloskey again who wasted the next clear chance, lifting a Mullan free kick high and wide at the back post.
A feature of the half was a series of Mullan set piece balls, one of which Kevin Monson headed well over. Practically all the action was in the home half, with Holywood’s only effort in attack a free kick on the half hour that Brian Burgess did well to punch clear.
Rec were repeatedly blown up for offsides, many of which were at best doubtful, but fans on the sidelines were growing increasingly anxious as half time approached and the scoresheet remained blank.
Just after the keeper had tamed a fine Mullan free kick, and another had missed Gordon Leckey’s head by inches, Rec were presented with the opportunity to go ahead from the penalty spot. McCracken was brought down in the box and defender Moore, reacting to the decision, was harshly redcarded. McCracken himself took the penalty but struck it at just the right height to make the save easy for the keeper.  The half time whistle went shortly afterwards with Rec having nothing to show for almost total dominance over the forty five minutes, and with the prospect of facing into the wind for the second period.

Scorer of the Rec's first goal

Inside a minute of the restart Rec did what they had seemed incapable of doing, they found the net. Lovely Welsh control on the left fed McCracken and his first time square ball across the box was knocked home by the prowling Leckey. Holywood seemed hampered by wind advantage in the same way that Rec had been, and with Monson showing well down the right side, it was Rec who continued to control play. Burgess took a good free kick strike cleanly with ten minutes played, but Holywood never seemed capable of breaking down the Rec defence. A superb McCloskey centre right across the face of goal needed just a touch, but there was nobody there to supply it, but on the hour came the moment that soured the game, not only for Rec fans but for everyone who expects simple common sense from the man in charge. When Welsh was blown up offside after running through to take the pass, and clearly not offside when the ball was played, McCloskey understandably tried to explain to the referee what had happened, and hey presto, out came a yellow card for dissent, with a first half yellow card already in the notebook, and the red card that followed. It was a decision that staggered players and spectators alike, especially since no offensive language was used and the tone had been one of explanation, not protest.

Monson had a great chance to put Rec further ahead just after the hour mark but shot wide from Mullan’s lovely cross ball. Five minutes later, however, Monson made no mistake. Welsh was right through and should have beaten the keeper himself, but when the rebound came out Monson ducked and headed the ball into the net.
Monson could have added another almost on the final whistle, but his toed shot lacked the power to trouble the keeper.

The talking point at half time had been how Rec could have contrived not to score, but at full time it was the scandalous sending off of McCloskey that was the single topic.
Football can often be a game of ‘if only’s’, so it is hard not to feel that if Ross Hegan had been available against Killyleagh and Kilmore, Comber Rec would not have dropped precious points. His presence on Saturday was mighty.