Ballymena 3
Ards 0
City Cup

Match Report

Saturday's match at the Showgrounds between Ballymena and Ards was favoured with beautiful weather, although it was appreciably colder than the previous days.

Both teams fielded their full cup elevens, but despite this the game hardly reached the standard one expected. Generally it was scrappy enough, and only for a period of twenty minutes or so in the second half was anything like good football seen.

D. Reid won the toss, and there was no wind advantage, the light breeze blowing directly across the field, he set Ards to face the sun, which only peeped through spasmodically. Ards were much in evidence at the start of the game, attacking repeatedly during the first five minutes, but finishing weakly. There was a stir of excitement when Shiels dashed away and crossed out to Shaw, who lifted in well to goal, where McMullan saved at the expense of a corner.

The Ards goalie saved again from Shaw, and afterwards Ballymena received a 'free' almost on the penalty line, and the ball went to Clarke, who turned in neatly for McCambridge to lift over the bar from yards out. Ards another innings, keeping play in the home end for a period, but a long succession of throw ins made the game at his point uninteresting. At length Ballymena made headway and Shaw shot in, but McMullan saved.

Turnbull and Jackson raced for the ball as it went towards the home goal, where Gough managed to grasp it just in time to clear. Another run on the home left found Shiels in possession and he shot over the bar from far out. Then Ballymena should have received a corner, but after some delay the referee consulted with one of the linesmen and pointed for a bye-kick. The home team were now having more of the play, and McMullan put in some fine goalkeeping. Clarke was lobbing in centre after centre and every time the goal had a narrow escape or the goalie saved.

A free for 'hands' gave Ards an opportunity and Magee struck the upright. A corner to Ballymena produced no score. McMullan fisted out a shot from Shaw, and Clarke returned twice in succession, buy the second time the goalie scraped the ball away. Mitchell had a grand opening in the next attack but shot over the bar. Lynn struck the cross-bar at the home end and when the other forwards were following up J. Reid got the ball away in the nick of time.

After McMullan had saved from Clarke the homesters returned to the attack, J. Reid placing to Shaw, who failed to convert. It was only a matter of time until this pressure was bound to tell, and the result came when Clarke put into goal twice, and the latter time Jamie Shiels helped the ball into the net with a harder. Just before the interval Shaw and McMullan collided, both being pretty severely injured.

For the first five minutes of the second half Ards were without McMullan, Jackson going into goal. At the end of the period the injured goalie returned and was accorded a hearty ovation. At the start of this half Clarke lifted the ball in well again, and Shaw missed narrowly. Ards pressed and received a corner, and later McNinch conceded another. Not being content with the finishing of the Ards forwards, Barrett moved up and had a try himself, but it went wide. A vigorous home attack found Shaw in a good position to score, but he missed the chance. Then following a throw-in, Mitchell headed into centre, where Jamie Shiels pushed his way through a gap in the defence and netted the second goal.

A few minutes later a neat piece of head-work by Clarke, J. Reid and Michell saw the ball placed in front of goal, where Jamie Shiels was quick on the uptake and scored a third, thus performing the 'hat-trick'. The second half was about twenty minutes old at this period. Shaw had the hardest of lines in the next minutes, sending wide by inches.

From the display now put up by Ards it was apparent they had now shot their bolt and from this point up to the finish they were rarely dangerous. Ballymena had the advantage up to the finish but no further scoring resulted.

Match report written by Ballymena Observer (22 March 1929)