Drumaness Mills are handed hiding by Rangers

Drumaness Mills are handed hiding by Rangers

12 February 2014

THE gathering storm clouds amassing over Meadowvale just before kick off were a sign of what was to come when Ards Rangers leapfrogged over their hosts to take pole position at the top of the table.

Never in a million years did anyone — even the most ardent Ards Rangers supporters — think the visitors would record such an emphatic win, and in such style.

Rangers exuded class and confidence from first to last whistle. They were disciplined in defence, diligent in midfield and hot up front.

Drumaness were missing Conor and Paul Walsh, Brian McIlmurray and Gavin McEvoy, and their absence proved critical as Ards Rangers assumed control and never once relaxed their grip on the game.

Ards’ opening gambit was to work an overload down the right flank where former Killyleagh YC defender Sammy Wallace linked up with Johnny Hall. The flying winger got in behind Kevin Duffin and floated over a cross for Gary Sharratt, but he was unable to get a good contact on the ball.

A minute later at the other end Duffin did well to launch a high cross into the box, but ‘keeper David Harrison took the ball away from the head of Stevie Rogan. With nine minutes gone Daryll Kernahan shot wide from a good position after enterprising play from Simon Moffett as Ards Rangers continued to cause problems.

The visitors then took the lead in the 16th minute when Wallace threaded a through ball into the path of Kernahan and he made no mistake with a sublime finish to make it 1-0.

With 20 minutes gone Duffin floated a great free kick into the box, but Stevie Rogan was inches away from getting on the end of it at the back post. Moffett chances his arm with a shot from distance at the other end before Rutherford turned Paul Greener inside out on the flank. He intelligently played the ball square to Sharratt and he produced a cracking finish to make it 2-0 in the 29th minute.

Ards worked yet another overload down the right and Hall linked up with Sharratt before Gary Brown’s shot was saved by Stevie Keenan. The visitors hadn’t long to wait for their third goal and it came in the 37th minute when Sharratt cut through the Mills defence like butter and put the ball on a plate for Kernahan.

Brown finished the first half off in style for Ards when he made it 4-0 with a simple finish after Rutherford again had a hand in the build-up.

The visitors had no intention of resting on their laurels at the start of the second half and continued with their intensity and dominance from the restart with Rutherford, my man of the match,?getting his head to a cross from Marc Roy in the first minute, but his effort went wide.

The Mills tried desperately to get back into the game, but a miserly and uncompromising Ards Rangers back four simply closed up shop.

Ards then went further ahead in the 70th minute when Johnny Roy crossed for Jordan Lucas to make it 5-0 and Rutherford got the goal his play deserved in the 82nd minute when he converted a cross from Johnny Roy.

Final score: Drumaness Mills 0 Ards Rangers 6

Drumaness Mills: S. Keenan, P. Greener, K. Duffin, G. Murdock, B. Ward, S. Rogan, A. McGrattan, S. McQuoid, N. Jones, P. Rogan, O. Wright. Subs: R. Mason, G. Morrison, G. McEvoy.

Ards Rangers: D. Harrison, S. Wallace, M. Roy, G. Brown, J. Patterson, W. McBurney, J. Hall, S. Moffett, D. Kernahan, R. Rutherford, G. Sharratt. Subs: J. Roy, J. Kerr, J. Lucas.