Match Sponsor: Stafford Mitchell Architects

Ball Sponsors: Hagan's Caravans, Templepatrick Road, Ballyclare

Match Photos: to follow

Match Highlights: to follow

Ballyclare Comrades team

Subs: 12.Johnny Gowdy, 14.Darren Munster, 16.Gareth Curlett, 17.Keith Armstrong

PSNI: Dougherty, Ferguson, Holden, Brennan, McCrory, McKnight, McDowell, Millar, Marks, Nelson, May. Subs: White, Jordan, Clark, Brown, O'Neill.

Comrades substitutions

Scott Irvine (22')

Johnny Gowdy (22')

Ricky Moore (77')

Keith Armstrong (77')

Goals

Ricky Moore (41')

Johnny Gowdy (90+1') pen

Comrades cards

Stuart Galbraith (47')

Simon McGowan (50')

Ricky Moore (54')

Comrades man of the match

Stuart McCullough

Comrades continued their run of unbeaten games, taking it to eight matches, with a win over PSNI in a rather low key encounter at Dixon Park.

With Ronnie Burns suspended and Ricky Lecky injured, Gordon Chambers was forced into a couple of changes to his starting line up. Ricky Moore replaced Burns up front, with Sam McWilliams taking the right-back spot left vacant by Lecky’s absence.

There was almost a shock for Comrades after only 30 secons when PSNI came close to scoring with the first attack of the game. A cross from the left found Marks at the back post area and his downward header looked goal-bound, only to be kept out by a superb save from Allen Huxley.

This was a major let off for Comrades, but in truth it was the closest they were to come to conceding a goal in the whole game, as once they settled in their defence was very much in control of anything the visitors could produce in the way of an attacking threat.

After the wake up call Comrades soon settled in to have the majority of the first half possession and the visitors’ early threat was not maintained.

On 17 minutes Comrades probably should have taken the lead, when a corner from the right, whipped in by Andy Simms, was headed just over the bar from 7 yards out by the unchallenged Andy Long. Then, a minute later, a good move ended with Scott Irvine crossing from the right by-line to the back post, where Andy Simms arrived to connect with a shot from 5 yards, which was blocked by a defender.

Scott Irvine had looked an increasing threat on the right, but on 22 minutes he had to depart the game with an injury, to be replaced by Johnny Gowdy.

Despite continuing to look the more threatening side, Comrades struggle to create further opportunities in a period punctuated with a number of stoppages for fouls and it looked like the half would end scoreless. However, on 41 minutes the deadlock was broken. A ball was played in to Mark McClelland in the box. He was challenged by a defender, but the ball broke towards the left by line where Ricky Moore was arriving. It looked like PSNI keeper Dougherty would pounce on the ball, but Moore managed to get his foot to it first and somehow slot the ball past the prone keeper and into the net from the acutest of angles.

Comrades’ fans might have been expecting their side to push on in the second half and win with ease, having got the lead before the break. However, for some reason the team did not really get going in a second period which was scrappy and disjointed. The early part of the half was marked by a number of bookings for a rather frustrated Comrades side. Although PSNI now had much more possession than they had managed in the first half, they got so far with their attacks, only to be kept well at arms length by a solid looking Comrades defence.

There was little for the fans to get excited about. Comrades could only muster a cross from the left by-line by Andy Simms on 57 minutes, which clipped the top of the bar. At the other end the closest the visitors came, for all their enterprise, was on 76 minutes, when a shot by Clark flew a yard or so over the bar from 20 yards, after his initial free-kick effort had hit the Comrades wall.

The game meandered towards its conclusion without much to get excited by, although with only a one goal lead for Comrades, there was always a danger that the visitors could take it to extra-time.

In the final moments Comrades finally came to life to settle the game. In the 89th minute Keith Armstrong linked up well with Simon McGowan to set him up with a shooting chance from 20 yards, but although the effort was well struck it was too close to Dougherty, who saved comfortably.  However, a minute later, substitute Armstrong was again involved, as he took on his marker on the right side of the box and was brought down for a clear penalty, which the referee duly gave. Johnny Gowdy then stepped up to confidently stroke home the spot-kick and seal the victory and a place in the fifth round of the Irish Cup for his team.

This is not a game or a performance that will live long in the minds of Comrades fans. However, given the fact that keeper Allen Huxley had little to do after his early save, the win was probably deserved and a potential banana-skin tie has been negotiated.