BALLYCLARE COMRADES (Dixon Park)

IRISH FA CUP 5th ROUND, BALLYCLARE COMRADES 2-3 BANGOR FC, ATTENDANCE: 160 (h/c)

A trip to the province today, but this was not my original choice of game. The plan was to head into Belfast have a few beers with a groundhopping pal and  then we would go our separate ways, him to Ballyclare and myself to Cliftonville.

However with all the mither going on in the city, I decided to leave Belfast behind and also head out to Ballyclare. We did have time for an Ulster Fry and then a beer in the famous Crown Liquor Saloon, well it would have been rude not to, where a pint of Whitewater Belfast Ale went down a treat.

Ballyclare is about 13 miles north of Belfast and a direct bus took about 40 minutes. There was certainly no problem with the flying of the union flag in this town!

Ballyclare Comrades is the local football team, and the club was founded in 1919 by veterans of the 1914–18 War, most of them from "C" Company of the 12th Royal Irish Rifles - a battalion made up entirely of East Antrim men, who fought at the Somme and in many other famous First World War battles.

The club currently play in the IFA Championship 2, but were in the top flight from 1990 until 2003, when the league was re-structured. Today though it was Irish FA Cup 5th Round day as they took on IFA Championship 1 side Bangor for a place in the quarter finals.

Their ground, Dixon Park, is in a pretty central location, near the main square. The ground is a hotch potch of stands, I'm guessing the club have prudently built as they can afford, for some reason the ground put me in mind of something you would get in the Conference North.

There is a terrace behind one goal, a terrace with a few seats behind the other and a seated stand along one of the touchlines. The changing rooms are next to the seated stand but not joined together.

The game was an entertaining cup tie and the homesters can consider themselves very unlucky to lose. After going in at the break 2-1 up they eventually lost 2-3 to a goal four minutes from time.

Comrades 'keeper Paddy Flood made a great save inside the opening minute to prevent Bangor taking the lead but there was little he could do in the 9th minute when an error on the halfway line left him exposed, with Ryan Murray bearing down on him one-on-one, and the striker finished with ease.

The home side were level after 25 minutes when Ricky Higgins finished from inside the six yard box. Simon MacGowan nearly gave Ballyclare the lead, but his effort from a free kick (pictured left) crashed back off the woodwork.

However the Comrades did take the lead before half time when a cross was headed home by Johnny McClurg after 38 minutes.

It wasn't long after the restart that Bangor were level when a cross eluded 'keeper Flood and Jonny Watterson was on hand to slide the ball home from a tight angle

It was an evenly matched second period and the game could have gone either way, but it was the visitors who grabbed a winner four minutes from time. Sean Cahill turned a couple of defenders, broke into the box, rounded the goalkeeper and rolled the ball home. A fine goal to settle any game.

As I mentioned, perhaps the scoreline was harsh on Ballyclare, who I thought deserved a replay, but it was Bangor who found themsleves in the quarter finals where they will host Glentoran.

Buses and planes home ran on time and I was back in the house for Match of the Day. A grand day out and I'm back in Northern Ireland once again in two weeks time, for a cheeky double, when hopefully things will have calmed down a wee bit.