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Match Photos: Graeme Bolton Photography

Match Highlights: Editor - Graeme Bolton; Cameraman: Ryan Tweedie

Match highlights sponsored by Trevor McCann. Tape sponsored by Don Horner.

Saturday 14th November 2009 - Ladbrokes.com Championship 1

Ballyclare Comrades team

Subs: 12.Johnny Gowdy, 14.Kyle Agnew, 15,Stuart Galbraith, 16.Andy Simms, 17.Sam McWilliams

Armagh City: McFrederick, McBirney, Mulgrew, Toal, Stewart, McNeill, McCone, Cullen, McParland, Cusack, McGerrigan. Subs: Toye, Lennon, Kerr, Ward.

Comrades substitutions

Ronnie Burns (61')

Stuart Galbraith (61')

David Officer (67')

Andy Simms (67')

Scott Irvine (83')

Johnny Gowdy (83')

Goals

Scott Irvine (14')

Ronnie Burns (39')

Brian McCone (42')

Ricky Moore (80')

Comrades cards

Allen Huxley (25')

Comrades man of the match

Scott Irvine

Comrades continued a recent run of good results with their first home win of the season against a struggling Armagh City side.

For this match Gordon Chambers had to make a change in defence. With Niall Devine unavailable, Stuart McCullough, starring for the Reserves at centre-half this season, came in for his first competitive start. The manager also decided to line-up with a 4-3-3 formation, which meant a return to the starting eleven for Ricky Moore, with Scott Irvine also coming into midfield.

Comrades might have got the perfect start in the 2nd minute of the game, when a swift break up-field ended with Mark McClelland playing the ball across the box from the right where it was met by Ronnie Burns, sliding in 6 yards out, but his effort went over the bar.

Armagh, however, also looked dangerous early on and on 12 minutes a good move cut through the home defence and saw a great chance created for McCone 8 yards from goal, but he was denied by a superb block by keeper Allen Huxley.

Huxley’s save took on even greater significance two minutes later when his side took the lead. Simon McGowan fed the ball to Mark McClelland on the right and he crossed low into the box and found Scott Irvine, who sent a fine controlled first-time shot past McFrederick in the Armagh goal from 13 yards.

A minute later, Comrades were nearly two up, when Ronnie Burns capitalised on some hesitancy from an Armagh defender and bundled the ball off him in the box, but he found his resulting effort blocked by McFrederick 5 yards from goal.

Both sides looked capable of scoring during an entertaining first half and the next chance fell to Armagh on 31 minutes, when a corner from the left found the head of McParland, who headed wide from 8 yards.

However, it was the home side who struck next, on 39 minutes, to increase their lead. A long high ball played from the back was allowed to bounce by the shaky Armagh defence and Ronnie Burns took advantage, brushing past a defender and taking the ball into the box, before holding off a challenge and slotting the ball low past the out-rushing keeper.

The two-goal cushion was to be short-lived for the home side as three minutes later Armagh pulled a goal back. Comrades were exposed by an attack down the left and the ball was played across the box where it found McCone unmarked 14 yards from goal. He then confidently struck a shot wide of Allen Huxley, to bring his side right back into contention.

Comrades came close to regaining the two goal lead a minute into first-half injury-time, when the lively Ronnie Burns again latched onto a high ball which had been allowed to bounce at the edge of the box and attempted a chip over the keeper, but his effort fell just wide of the far post.

The home side’s narrow lead looked somewhat precarious in the early stages of the second half, as the visitors started in lively fashion, but they were kept from getting any serious attempts on goal during this short spell.

Indeed, Comrades came very close to scoring a third goal in the 55th minute. A free-kick, played into the box by David Officer, broke to Ricky Moore, who shot fiercely from the right side of the 6 yards box; his effort being blocked by the keeper. Then, from the rebound, Mark McClelland hit a powerful overhead volley from 9 yards, which smacked off the underside of the bar, with Comrades players claiming the ball had crossed the line.

Around the hour mark Gordon Chambers decided to shore things up by reverting to the side’s normal 4-4-2 formation, with midfielder Stuart Galbraith replacing striker Ronnie Burns. However, even more significantly for the hopes of the visitors, they were reduced to ten men on 64 minutes, when Mulgrew was sent-off for a second yellow card, having fouled the mercurial Scott Irvine.

Comrades were now pretty much in control of the game and they had a chance to increase their lead on 68 minutes, when Ricky Moore was picked out on the right edge of the box by a fine diagonal ball from Mark McClelland. However, as he advanced into a good position, Moore’s resulting shot was blasted wastefully over the bar.

The home side now had a great proportion of the play, but it took until the 80th minute before they finally sealed the win with a third goal. With Comrades piling forward into the box, Scott Irvine did well on the right side of the box to lay the ball back to Ricky Moore, who in turn slammed the ball into the net from 14 yards.

Now it was just a question of whether Comrades could add more goals. On 84 minutes they came close, when a Johnny Gowdy free-kick, was headed goalwards by Andy Long, 8 yards out. McFrederick did well to dive low to his right and push the ball away, but it fell to Mark McClelland, who had steamed into the 6 yard box. However, his effort from a tight angle was blocked by the keeper.

Two minutes later it was Johnny Gowdy who was denied by the keeper. After he was found by an Andy Long ball into the box, his well struck overhead effort from 15 yards was well saved.

To their credit, although beaten, Armagh still plugged away and had a decent effort to pull a goal back, two minutes into injury-time, when a 20 yard free-kick from McGerrigan forced Allen Huxley to palm the ball wide of the post.

However, the final effort of the game came from the home side, when Johnny Gowdy set Ricky Moore up for an effort from the right side of the 6 yard box, but his shot was grabbed from under the bar by McFrederick.

This was a competent performance from Comrades, who found themselves as favourites going into this game, and duly delivered the hoped for win, which was deserved on the balance of play and chances created.