Distillery 4
Ballymena 1
City Cup

Match Report

Distillery won their second match in the City Cup competition last Saturday by defeating Ballymena by 4 goals to 1 at Grosvenor Park.

Attracting only a meagre attendance, the match was played on a hard, dry ground and with a very keen ball, and both sets of players found it difficult to keep the leather under control.

Distillery were the more pushful side, and leading by 2-0 at the interval finished up victors by 4 goals to 1. McAdam and Thompson scored in the first half, and in the second half McAdam added two more. Barr scored for Ballymena towards the end.

About half-an-hour after the start McNinch and Gray collided when jumping for the ball and as a result both had to receive hospital treatment, McNinch having to get two stitches in his head and Gray four stitches below the right eye.

Ballymena tried two juniors - McQuillan (Summerfield) and Graham (Larne Olympic).

Distillery attacked at the start, but the run petered out when McDowell lifted a loose ball and cleared. Applause greeted a brilliant save by Palmer from Mitchell, the goalie diving at full stretch and holding the difficult shot exceptionally well. Again Mitchell was on the mark with a good effort, but Palmer fisted out with his right hand.

In the course of the next Distillery onslaught Thompson drove in hard from the right wing and McNinch charged down the shot at the expense of a corner, which was cleared. Then Gray and McCartney got into action, but when the ball came across Sinnamon missed when well placed.

Keeping up the pressure the Whites gained an early success when the ball was lobbed over McCandless' s head and Sam McAdam raced in to score easily at the end of seven minutes.

Following this goal McNinch and McCandless continued to be kept busy, but eventually the visiting forwards broke away on the right, and the ball was sent to Haddow, who passed it neatly to McQuillan, but the winger's parting shot was not good enough to beat Palmer. This was a splendid opportunity to secure the equaliser, as McQuillan had both a clear field and ample time to place his shot.

Distillery's second goal came fourteen minutes from the start, McAdam and Thompson combining beautifully and evading the opposition, and Robert Thompson finishing with a cross drive which beat McDowell rather easily and should really have been saved, but the goalie dived too soon.

Ballymena were putting up rather a poor display, the forwards being unable to sustain the attack for any length of time. Haddow, who was prominent, gave good passes to all around him, but the other forwards were to easily dispossessed by Flack and McCandless, who continually upset all their calculations. Barr got in a well-placed centre, which went abegging.

Once more the Ballymena end was the scene of play, and after an abortive corner Sinnamon skied over the bar from a few yards out. At the opposite end Barr had the misfortune to see the ball cross the line just as he was about to shoot. Distillery took up the running once more and from Gray's pass McCartney crashed in a hot handful which McDowell held cleverly.

It was just after this that McNinch and Wallace came into collision when jumping to head the ball. Both fell flat on their backs and lay stunned for a minute or two. McNinch got up and was able to walk to the dressing room, applying a wet sponge to a badly cut head as he made his way across the field. An unsporting element in the grandstand booed him, but others protested that the collision was by a pure accident, as it indeed was. Gray was even more badly injured than McNinch and had to be carried off.

McCandless stepped over to McNInch's place, Stewart fell back to the left back position, and or the remainder of the half Mitchell went to left-half. Distillery forced the pace again, and in the course of a hot exchanges McDowell saved twice when danger threatened. Tempers became a little frayed on both sides and some hefty tackling was indulged in and called for the intervention of the referee.

On the resumption Flannigan set the Ballymena forwards going and McQuillan pushed the ball in for Graham to lead in and strike the side-net. Ballymena's first corner came shortly after this, but danger was averted. Then Barr got on the move, but was foiled, and from the free Surgenor sent the ball into goal, where Palmer fisted it over for a second corner. This, however, did not have any effect on the score.

McCartney dashed down the Distillery left wing and looked like scoring until Stewart raced across and put him off his shot, the ball coming off Stewart for a corner. When the ball came in Wallace drove hard for goal and McDowell saved in great style and turned the ball round the post for yet another flag kick, which was cleared.

The Whites kept up the attack and again McDowell was called on to save, this time from Flack from a free. At length Ballymena forced their way to the opposite end and Haddow gave nicely to Barr, who just missed by inches. In a mix-up in front of the Ballymena goal McAdam shot in strongly and the ball struck McDowell full on the face and rebounded out, Jones afterwards sending over.

Then Thompson got right through, hotly pursued by Stewart, but McDowell saved again. He pushed out another shot from McAdam, but was beaten when McCartney sent across and Sam McAdam left him no chance. This came 28 minutes after the restart.

The teams continued to go at it hammer and tongs, but Distillery were the more dangerous. When McAdam was clean through Stewart and Surgenor went for him and a penalty was awarded, from which Sam McAdam scored Distillery's fourth.

A minute later John Barr trapped the ball almost in the Distillery goalmouth and reduced the lead.

Match report written by Ballymena Observer (6 May 1932)