Match Sponsor: Clarence Takeaway, Hillhead Road, Ballyclare

Match Sponsor: John Allen Transport, Cogry Road, Doagh

Ball Sponsor: Clare Farm Supplies

Ball Sponsor: Jim Bingham

Match Photos: Graeme Bolton Photography

Match Highlights: Graeme Bolton & Ryan Tweedie

Saturday 13th February 2010 - JJB Sports irish Cup (Sixth Round)

Ballyclare Comrades team

Subs: 12.Sam McWilliams 14.Ricky Moore 15.Gareth Curlett 16.Johnny Gowdy 17.Andy Simms

Glentoran: Morris, Nixon, Neill, Leeman, Ward, Gillespie, Fitzgerald, Hill, Fordyce, Hamilton, Waterworth. Subs: Burrows, James Taylor, Clarke, Johnny Taylor, Halliday.

Comrades substitutions

David Officer (80')

Andy Simms (80')

Simon McGowan (86')

Johnny Gowdy (86')

Mark McClelland (86')

Ricky Moore (86')

Goals

Mark McClelland (6')

Colin Nixon (44')

Gary Hamilton (90+1') pen

Comrades card

Lee Rushe (21')

Stuart Galbraith (25')

Stuart Galbraith (26')

Andy Long (40')

Mark McClelland (85')

Andy Simms (87')

Darren Munster (90+1')

Comrades man of the match

Mark McClelland

Comrades produced a great display against Premiership champions Glentoran. In front of a large crowd at a sunny Dixon Park, they were only to be denied a deserved draw by a blatantly incorrect decision from the referee in the dying minutes of the game.

For this very tough assignment Gordon Chambers shuffled his pack and his tactics, going with a five-man midfield. Into the side came Simon McGowan and David Officer, with Ricky Moore and Andy Simms dropping to the bench.

The home side set out positively from the start and didn’t look overawed against opponents who included Northern Ireland international veteran Keith Gillespie in their line up. To the delight of the Dixon Park faithful their side took a shock early lead in the 6th minute. A long Allen Huxley goal kick to the edge of the Glentoran box was headed on by Scott Irvine towards Mark McClelland who muscled his way past Leeman and slammed the ball into the roof of the net from 6 yards out.

Unsurprisingly, Glentoran, stung by the early set-back, pressed forward looking for a quick equaliser. In the 8th minute a corner was only cleared to Gillespie at the edge of the box, but his first-time effort flew a few feet over the bar.

In the 16th minute, a Neill cross from the left found the head of Fitzgerald arriving 7 yards out, but his effort was superbly pushed past the post by the diving Allen Huxley. Then, a minute later, Hamilton crossed to Waterworth in the box, but his effort went wide of the target.

Despite the Glentoran pressure, Comrades were coping fairly comfortably, defending very well and harrying their opponents all over the pitch. However, their task was made much more difficult when they were reduced to ten men in the 26th minute, with Stuart Galbraith, receiving a straight red card for throwing the ball at an opponent, an incident which would normally have merited only a yellow card. Interestingly a Glentoran player had received only a warning for a similar incident minutes before.

At this stage Comrades fans were becoming increasingly vocal in their view that the referee was giving the Premiership club all of the decisions. However, the players continued to get on with the job in hand and, despite their being a man down, continued to make Glentoran work hard for their chances.

Some excellent goalkeeping and defending frustrated the visitors. On 27 minutes and fine shot on the turn by Hamilton from 20 yards tested Huxley, but he was up to the task, saving low at his post. Then, three minutes later, Hamilton looked set to score when the ball arrived to him at the edge of the 6-yard box, but he was denied by a superb block from Andy Long.

The Glens continued to press forward but continued to be frustrated in front of goal. On 39 minutes, a free-kick into the Comrades box broke to Fitzgerald, 6 yards out, but his headed effort lacked the power to trouble Allen Huxley. Then, in the 42nd minute a ball crossed into the box from the left from Hamilton found Waterworth in a great position 7 yards from goal, but he fluffed his effort, scuffing it well wide of the target. A minute later a Gillespie shot cum cross from the right side of the box clipped the top of the Comrades crossbar.

Just as it looked as if Comrades might hold onto their lead at half-time, Glentoran struck the equaliser in the 44th minute. A corner from the left found the head of Nixon who rose high to head in from 5 yards.

It might have got worse for Comrades a minute later as the Glens, with their tails up almost snatched the lead in the 45th minute, with Allen Huxley superbly keeping out a fierce Gillespie shot from 12 yards out.

Comrades fans may have feared the worst for the second half, given their team was a man short. However, the men in red came out and took the game to their opponents where possible.

Two minutes into the half, Comrades broke quickly up field and Scott Irvine was unfortunate to see his shot from 14 yards strike the leg of a defender before it reached the target.

At the other end, in the 49th minute, Allen Huxley was again at his best to keep out a shot from Fordyce from 8 yards.

On 54 minutes the balance of the game shifted slightly in Comrades favour, with the visitors also being reduced to ten men after Neill overran the ball and then lunged with a tackle on Lee Rushe, receiving a straight red card. Again this incident would probably more have merited a yellow card.

Comrades were obviously buoyed by this and could see their chance of a major cup shock. From the free-kick, resulting from the sending off incident, the ball was played into the Glens box and found the head of Lee Rushe, but his effort from 8 yards went over the bar.

With Mark McClelland, in particular, continually harrying the Glentoran defenders a few gaps began to appear. In the 55th minute a Scott Irvine shot from 15 yards looked to have been blocked by a defender’s hand, but the referee ignored the pleas for a penalty. A minute later, Irvine surged free down the right side of the box and clipped a shot from 8 yards against the crossbar.

As the half progressed, Comrades looked increasingly comfortable against the Glentoran threat and excellent defending kept chances to a minimum.  Neither keeper was really troubled until the 84 minutes, when Allen Huxley had to make a great save to deny a Fitzgerald volley from 14 yards out.

The game looked set for a draw and a money-spinning replay for Comrades at the Oval, when a rash and very poor decision from the referee cost Comrades the match.

With the linesman having raised his flag for a free-kick for Comrades and then for some reason having put it down again, Burrows received the ball on the left side of the Comrades box and ran at Andy Long and Lee Rushe, appearing to blatantly dive as he poked the ball between the two Comrades defenders. Neither Burrows nor the other Glentoran players claimed for a penalty, perhaps embarrassed by the blatant dive. However, the referee inexplicably saw it differently and was all too keen to point to the spot. A minute into extra-time Hamilton stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake, giving his star-studded side a rather fortuitous win.

The outraged reaction of radio commentators Joel Taggart and Tommy Wright said it all regarding the penalty decision, a mistake which cost Comrades the result and a significant amount of money from a replay which will now not happen.

Leaving aside the disappointment and controversy at the end of the game, this was a magnificent effort from Gordon Chambers’ side. Every player played their part in giving the Premiership champions and extremely uncomfortable afternoon. Comrades played with abundant spirit, commitment and organisation, not to mention skill.