Month: November 2021

We travel to Blanchflower Park tomorrow afternoon to take on Harland & Wolff Welders in our next Lough 41 Championship fixture.

Match Info

When: Saturday 27^th November – Kick-Off 3:00pm

Where: Blanchflower Park

What: Lough 41 Championship

Entry: Pay at the gate – £8 (Adult) / £5 (Concession)

The Opponents

The Welders currently occupy 6^th position in the Lough 41 Championship, just 2 points ahead of the Comrades. Last Saturday saw the Welders just pipped by Annagh United in a 5-goal thriller at Blanchflower Park. The Welders moved in front on 17 minutes through Alan McMurtry after Annagh keeper Eoin Hughes fumbled his shot before dropping it over the line. Annagh levelled just after the half-hour mark when Ruairi McDonald sent over a cross which Stephen Murray rose to head past Ben McCauley. McMurtry restored home advantage just before the break with a near post finish but, nine minutes into the second half, Annagh levelled again after Murray cut the ball back for Lee Upton to touch home. However, the visitors moved in front for the first time with what proved to be the winner on 62 minutes after Murray again turned provider to tee up Craig Taylor to beat McCauley for a third time.

The Comrades

Despite last Saturday’s much-improved performance compared to recent weeks, the Comrades came home from their trip to Fermanagh with nothing to show. The deadlock was broken on 32 minutes when a corner was played to the back post where Morris got his head to the ball directing it back across goal. Richard Purcell stuck his leg out to block it, but the ball rebounded off him and into the net. The second half saw the visitors largely making the running, but it was not to be Comrades’ day and this was clear a minute into injury-time when Matthew Herron got onto a high ball down the middle and hit a shot from just outside the box only to see it take a deflection and strike the bar. The result keeps the Comrades in 7^th position in the Lough 41 Championship. Following the game, manager Paul Harbinson was feeling “upbeat” as he felt “the team came together and put in a much-improved performance”.  

Last Time Out

The last time these two sides met was back in August where the Comrades ran out 1-0 winners at Dixon Park. With the opening 85 minutes of the game being goalless, the game looked to be heading to a deadlocked finish until Liam McKenna cut into the box from the left and struck an unstoppable shot from 14 yards which rifled into the roof of the net to the delight of the home supporters. This proved to be the winner as the hosts comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to seal the victory.

We travel to Ferney Park tomorrow afternoon to take on Ballinamallard in our next Lough 41 Championship fixture.

Match Info

When: Saturday 20^th November – Kick-Off 3:00pm

Where: Ferney Park

What: Lough 41 Championship

Entry: Pay at the gate – £8 (Adult) / £5 (Concession)

The Opponents

The Mallards currently occupy 5^th spot in the Lough 41 Championship table, just 1 point ahead of the Comrades. Last week, they lost out to Newry City who stretched their lead at the top of the Lough 41 Championship following a two-goal victory at The Showgrounds. Declan Carville opened the scoring for Darren Mullen’s side on 27 minutes when the ball was laid off for him to slot home unmarked from just outside the six yard box. And that was how it stayed until four minutes into stoppage time at the end of the game when Fra Brennan found Jimmy Walker on the edge of the area and he sent a low drive below Rory Brown into the net.

The Comrades

The Comrades’ poor run of form continued last week with a 2-0 home defeat against Queen’s University. Despite the eventual outcome Ballyclare enjoyed numerous chances during the scoreless first half with Queen’s keeper Daniel Devine doing well to deny Lee McCune, Liam McKenna and Ian Fletcher at various points during the opening 45 minutes. Queen’s moved in front just four minutes after the break through Matthew McManus who got his head to a free-kick delivered from wide on the flank to glance the ball past Richard Purcell. The home side attempted to get back into the game but, once again, Devine was equal to efforts from McKenna and Joe Tully. The visitors doubled their advantage, and made sure of the points, with just under a quarter-of-an-hour remaining. Awarded a spot-kick, Chris Middleton’s initial effort had to be retaken but Purcell saved the second attempt only for Middleton to ultimately find the net on the rebound. The result sent the Comrades into the bottom half of the table for the first time this season. However, the middle of table is extremely tight with only 3 points separating the Comrades in 7^th position and Ards in 2^nd position.

Last Time Out

The last time these two sides met was on the opening day of the season, when Ballyclare Comrades bounced back from going behind to record a comprehensive 5-1 victory at Dixon Park. Darragh Byrne opened the scoring for the Mallards with just over a quarter-of-an-hour on the clock when he cut inside on the right and fired into the bottom corner. However, Ballyclare responded immediately through Adam Gray with a finish from just inside the box before, three minutes after that, Joe Tully edged the home side into the lead with a six-yard header from Liam McKenna’s corner. McKenna delivered the set piece again a couple of minutes after the break for Ciaran Dobbin to extend Ballyclare’s lead. And Dobbin struck again on 54 minutes for his second of the afternoon, a strong strike from 20 yards. Andrew Mooney completed the scoring with 20 minutes remaining with a tap in moments after coming off the bench.

We welcome Queen’s University to Dixon Park tomorrow afternoon in our next Lough 41 Championship fixture.

Match Info

When: Saturday 13^th November – Kick-Off 3:00pm

Where: Dixon Park

What: Lough 41 Championship

Entry: Pay at the gate – £8 (Adult) / £5 (Concession)

Match & Ball Sponsor: Gordon Estates Management

The Opponents

Queen’s University’s season is still yet to really get going. With 15 games played, the students occupy bottom spot in the Lough 41 championship with only one victory on the board. Last week, Queen’s faced up against Ballinamallard and were on the wrong end of a 3-0 score line. BJ Banda opened the scoring for Harry McConkey’s side after 12 minutes and almost added another towards the end of the first half only to fire into the side netting. After the break a Jason McCartney cross skimmed the crossbar while Joshua McIlwaine saw a goalbound effort deflected away for a corner. However, McIlwaine did find the net to double Ballinamallard’s lead with just over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining before substitute Duwayne McManus completed the scoring with five minutes to go.

The Comrades

The Comrades failed to build on the momentum from last Tuesday’s victory over Crusaders as they slipped to fifth spot in the table on Saturday after losing by the odd goal in five away to Knockbreda. The home side moved in front after half-an-hour through Peter McDermott, a lead they held until just before the break when Liam McKenna levelled with a finish into an empty net. ‘Breda regained the advantage early in the second half thanks to Ethan Devine and went further ahead on 56 minutes when Karl Hamill knocked home number three. Joe Tully reduced the deficit midway through the second half from a Matthew Herron pass but Knockbreda held on to claim the points. Paul Harbinson will be looking for his squad to get back to winning ways, as that’s now only 1 point picked up from the last 9 available.

Last Time Out

This is just the 4^th time these two sides have met this season. The Comrades have got the better of Queen’s on all occasions to date, with the most recent being a 3-1 home victory in the ToalsBet.com Co Antrim Shield. The Comrades opened the scoring on 22 minutes as Curtis Woods got forward up the right wing and sent in a perfect cross to the far post where Andrew Mooney was there to head in comfortably from 5 yards. The home side were now playing some good attacking football, but they were rocked by an equaliser on 40 minutes. The ball was lost in midfield and ended up being played through to Glackin who calmly slotted it past the ‘keeper from inside the box. In the 70th minute Andrew Mooney did very well to hold the ball up on the wing and then feed Ciaran Heggarty who then managed to slip the ball through to Matthew Herron breaking into the box. Herron then produced a confident finish past the advancing ‘keeper from 12 yards for his first competitive goal for the club. Three minutes later Comrades increased their lead. A well-flighted Elliot McKim corner to the back post found the head of the unmarked Andrew Mooney who nodded in from close range.

We make the trip to Breda Park tomorrow afternoon to take on Knockbreda in our next Lough 41 Championship fixture.

Match Info

When: Saturday 6^th November – Kick-Off 2:00pm

Where: Breda Park

What: Lough 41 Championship

Entry: Pay at the gate – £8 (Adult) / £5 (Concession)

The Opponents

Knockbreda go into tomorrow’s game currently occupying 9^th place in the Lough 41 Championship. Last week, a late winner saw Knockbreda defeat Queen’s University by the odd goal in five at The Dub. ‘Breda moved in front as early as the third minute courtesy of an Ethan Devine spot-kick although Queen’s did level on ten minutes when Adam Robinson tapped home from a free-kick. The visitors regained the advantage just after the half-hour when Lee Rea found the net at the third time of asking but, again, back came the Students when Marc McKenna equalised barely a couple of minutes later from the spot. Queen’s were reduced to ten men just before the break when Stephen McGuinness was dismissed for denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. From the resulting set piece Devine came close only to rattle an upright. Indeed, the home side did well to keep ‘Breda at bay for almost the remainder of the game before, five minutes from time, Karl Hamill scored the winner with a deflected finish past Conan Doherty.

The Comrades

It has been a rollercoaster of a week for the Comrades. Following the disappointment of last Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat to Loughgall, a result that stopped us from going joint-top of the Championship, Paul Harbinson’s men bounced back with a notable victory to shock Crusaders and advance to the semi-finals of the ToalsBet.com Co Antrim Shield on a dramatic night at Dixon Park on Tuesday. Joe Tully opened the scoring as early as the 3^rd minute after some great play down the right-hand side involving Ian Fletcher, Matthew Herron and Ciarán Dobbin ended with Dobbin taking advantage of a slip by a Crusaders defender to play a great ball across the box, finding Tully who calmly slotted in first-time from 6 yards. The Comrades continued to discomfort Crusaders and in the 6^th minute, a superbly flighted corner played in by Adam Gray saw Owens head into his own net. Despite dominating the first 45 minutes, the Comrades did let Crusaders back into the game early in the second-half after Gary Donnelly had rather controversially been adjudged to have fouled an opponent when making a clearance. Forsythe made no mistake from the spot to halve the deficit. It wasn’t long before Crusaders were back on level terms. They were very dangerous from set-pieces all evening and from a corner they scored on 59 minutes when Forsythe rose to head in from 9 yards. After an exhilarating game the final whistle brought more drama in the penalty shoot-out. Forsythe stepped up first for Crusaders but was denied by a Richard Purcell save. However, the scores were back level in the second set of spot-kicks when Gary Donnelly had his effort saved by Tuffey. It was 4-3 to Crusaders when young substitute Owen Taylor, making his debut for the first-team, stepped up to take a pressure penalty which he scored confidently. It was now sudden-death and on the seventh round of penalties Purcell saved right on the line from Thompson, allowing Liam Hassin the chance to step up to win the tie and spark joyous celebrations amongst the home supporters. Following the game, a delighted Harbinson said “I’m so proud of the boys. We’ve challenged them from the start that our performances in the last 2 weeks have been poor and tonight we had to make a lot of changes due to illnesses and injuries, and so tonight was just about go out, perform and can you put in a performance to be proud of, and I feel they should be. The performance throughout the 90 minutes was first class.” Moving on to tomorrow’s game, the gaffer said “Tonight’s done, we enjoy it, we celebrate it, we take the positives from it, but if we can’t do the same again on Saturday, then we’ve got to ask ourselves questions. So we’ve got to go on Saturday now and work hard.”

Last Time Out

The last time these two sides met was back at the beginning of September where they played out a 2-2 draw at Dixon Park. The visitors started confidently and took an early lead in the 6th minute when Ethan Devine got onto the ball 25 yards out and struck a great effort which found the top corner of the net, giving the ‘keeper no chance. In the latter part of the half the hosts began to come into the game at last and it was from their first real piece of dangerous attacking play that they got an equaliser in the 37th minute. Andrew Mooney did very well to beat a defender on the by-line before laying the ball back in a crowded box towards Liam McKenna 8 yards out. McKenna got not the cleanest of strikes on the ball, but it went in off the inside of the post despite the efforts of the ‘keeper to prevent it crossing the line. A minute later and suddenly Comrades were in front. Good play by Adam Gray saw him run at the Knockbreda defence and play in a great ball from the left edge of the box which was met by a firm header from 6 yards by Liam McKenna who was again the man in the right position to score. The home side went in at the break with a lead, but they couldn’t hold onto it for long into the second half. Eight minutes in Knockbreda levelled the scores when a ball played in from the right was controlled well by Rea who swivelled and planted it into the bottom corner of the net from 8 yards. The visitors were reduced to ten men in the 88th minute when McCaughan was sent off for protesting too vehemently to the referee during an incident, but it was too late to have any impact on the game.

We welcome Crusaders to Dixon Park tomorrow evening for the quarter final of the ToalsBet.com Co Antrim Shield.

Match Info

When: Tuesday 2^nd November – Kick-Off 7:45pm

Where: Dixon Park

What: ToalsBet.Com Co Antrim Shield Quarter Final

Entry: Pay at the gate – £10 (Adult) / £7 (Concession) (Reminder that season tickets are not valid for cup games)

Match Sponsor: Brackenwood Property & Estate Management

Ball Sponsor: Riverside Autowash

The Opponents

Crusaders currently occupy 6^th position in the Danske Bank Premiership having played 2/3 games less than those above them, due to following Covid 19 protocols. They marked their return to action following their enforced break with victory over Warrenpoint Town at Milltown on Saturday. The Crues moved in front on 17 minutes when Johnny McMurray followed up with the finish after ‘Point keeper saved Paul Heatley’s initial effort. It was 2-0 ten minutes after that following Adam Lecky’s glancing header from a corner but the home side responded quickly to pull a goal back when Alan O’Sullivan converted from the spot after referee Lee Tavinder awarded a penalty for handball. Warrenpoint’s comeback was complete seven minutes into the second half with O’Sullivan’s second of the game when, despite Declan Caddell’s best efforts to clear, he squeezed the ball home from an acute angle. Crusaders regained the lead just after the hour, however, thanks to a Heatley finish past Mitchell after Ben Kennedy had found him with a perfectly delivered pass. ‘Point were reduced to ten men with seven minutes remaining when Daniel Byrne received a second booking following a challenge on Kennedy … and Kennedy himself completed the scoring a couple of minutes after that when he raced clear on the counterattack.

The Comrades

The Comrades missed out on the chance to go level on points at the top of the Lough 41 Championship on Saturday following a three-goal home reversal to Loughgall. Andrew Hoey opened the scoring for the Villagers after 18 minutes which was how it stayed until early in the second half when Jamie Rea doubled their advantage. Nathaniel Ferris then completed the scoring three minutes from time with a tap in from a Hoey cross. The game ended on a sour note when a melee developed near the touchline in front of the visitors’ dugout and escalated to involve most of the players. After order was restored the referee sent off Jason Johnston and Loughgall’s Ferris. Paul Harbinson spoke of his disappointment following the game and admitted the level of performance was concerning. Speaking on tomorrow evening’s upcoming fixture, Harbinson said “It’s an opportunity for us to maybe blow the cobwebs out and get players game time. I’m not overly concerned with winning the Co Antrim Shield, I’m more concerned about ensuring that our performances improve”.

Last Time Out

The last time these two sides met was in a pre-season friendly back in September 2020 where Crusaders were the victors in a 2-1 scoreline at Dixon Park. The last competitive fixture these two sides had was back in March 2014, where Crusaders stormed to a 5-0 victory at Seaview in the quarter final of the Irish Cup.