Match Photos: Graeme Bolton Photography

Saturday 7th November 2009 - Ladbrokes.com Championship 1

Ballyclare Comrades team

Subs: 12.Anto Crawford, 14.Ricky Moore, 15.Kyle Agnew, 16.Stuart Galbraith, 17.Scott Irvine

Comrades substitutions

Johnny Gowdy (78')

Ricky Moore (78')

Andy Simms (78')

Scott Irvine (78')

Goals

Gareth McLaughlin (15')

Mark Gillen (45+1')

Andy Long (52')

Mark McClelland (79')

Comrades cards

Simon McGowan (23')

Ricky Lecky (36')

David Officer (37')

Comrades man of the match

Mark McClelland

Comrades produced a stirring second half performance to salvage a draw from a match which they had looked like losing after a poor first period.

For this game Gordon made one change to his starting line up; with club captain Andy Forsythe replacing the unavailable Darren Munster at right-back.

Comrades started sluggishly and could easily have fallen behind after only 12 seconds when McLaughlin got down the left and played the ball across for Young to shoot just over from the edge of the box.

The home side continued to look the more dangerous and creative and on 15 minutes they took the lead from an inventive free-kick. With the ball placed 25 yards from goal, instead of shooting directly, it was slipped to the side of the wall to McLaughlin who ran free into the left side of the box and slotted the ball confidently wide of Allen Huxley. Comrades coaching staff will be annoyed at the side not being alive to this ploy, but credit must go too to Ballymoney for trying something different from a set-piece.

The first half continued with Comrades struggling to create any threat to the home goal against a resolute defence; indeed Comrades did not have any kind of decent attempt in a poor first half. At the other end Ballymoney looked more inventive and dangerous, although it has to be said that Allen Huxley was not particularly overworked, with his back four managing to keep the home side from getting any clear cut chances.

Comrades only glimpse of a chance in the first half came on 43 minutes when an under-hit back pass to home keeper Smyth saw Ronnie Burns nip in and get to the ball a split second before the keeper at the edge of the box, but Smyth blocked and the ball rebounded kindly for the home side, with the net unguarded.

It looked as if Comrades would have limited the damage of their uninspiring first half performance to a one goal deficit, but a minute into injury-time they conceded a second goal, which at that stage looked to have killed off their challenge. A cross came in from the left and found Mark Gillen, unmarked 8 yards out, and he headed home comfortably back across goal.

Whatever was said by Gordon Chambers and his coaching staff at half-time obviously worked, as Comrades came out and looked a different team in the second period. They were straight away on the front foot and posing a threat to the Ballymoney defence, which had had it easy in the first half.

Four minutes into the half a good chance was created when Johnny Gowdy slipped a fine through ball to Andy Simms, setting him free on the left of the box. Simms then struck a low shot, which went narrowly wide of the far post from 14 yards out.

Three minutes later, however, Comrades did score, to enliven their hopes of getting something from the match. A corner from the left played in by Johnny Gowdy was only cleared back out to him and he crossed the ball back into the box, finding the head of Andy Long, who glanced an effort onto the inside of the far post; the ball spinning back just over the line.

It was now all Comrades, as they pressed forward in search of the equaliser. On 59 minutes Simon McGowan latched onto a loose pass from a home player 30 yards out and shot just over the bar. Then, four minutes later, a free-kick, whipped in from the right side of the box by Johnny Gowdy, was flicked on by the head of Niall Devine and just eluded a final touch by Mark McClelland.

Johnny Gowdy was becoming increasingly influential and he was again involved on 68 minutes when he did very well down the right before delivering a deep cross to the far post area, where the ball was collected by Mark McClelland. However, the big striker could not keep his resulting shot from 10 yards down and it flew well over the bar.

As they continued to dominate, Comrades had a great chance to get back on level terms in the 74th minute. A long ball from the back by Niall Devine eluded the home defence and was latched onto by Ronnie Burns, who sprinted forward one-on-one with the keeper. However, Smyth did well to keep on his feet and forced Burns rather wider than he would have liked. Therefore, his resulting shot came in from a difficult angle and was cleared from the near post by a defender who had managed to get back.

A minute later, from a corner, Comrades came close again, with Niall Devine sending a looping header onto the top of the bar from 10 yards.

With time beginning to run out, Gordon Chambers, decided to go for a 4-3-3 formation, bringing on substitutes Ricky Moore and Scott Irvine. Almost immediately the move paid dividends, as Comrades got a well deserved equaliser on 79 minutes. A move involving Irvine and Ronnie Burns saw the ball break to Mark McClelland in a bit of space inside the box and he made no mistake, slamming the ball into the net high past Smyth from 12 yards.

The home side had been second best for most the half up until then, but conceding the equaliser seemed to spur them into life and they began to look a threat again, with the final minutes being a more even affair, as both sides pressed for a winner. The best chance fell to Ballymoney, two minutes into injury-time, when a corner from the right found the head of Tully 6 yards out, but his effort went wide of the far post, to the relief of the Comrades fans.Comrades can be well satisfied with getting a point against difficult opponents and from a two goal deficit. If the first half performance had been anaemic, the second half produced a spirited display where chances were created, and the point gained was at least what the side deserved.