PLAYR-FIT CHAMPIONSHIP
Ards 3 Ballinamallard United 1
By Aaron Hassard
RUDDY, Browne and Roohi combined to produce a second half turnaround that condemned Ballinamallard United to a 3-1 defeat in their opening game of the Playr-Fit Championship 25-26 season against Ards at Clandeboye Park.
Ards didn’t have it all their own way with a sharp Mallards breakaway move finished by James McGrath on 33 minutes, giving the Ducks a 1-nil half-time advantage.
But two quickfire goals at the start of the second half via a Michael Ruddy penalty and a deft Jamie Browne finish turned the game around.
Ballinamallard pushed bodies forward in search of a leveller, before Darius Roohi finished from close range to seal a comeback win for the North Down side.
Mallards boss Mark Stafford provided debuts to three of his new signings on the North Down coast. Lorcan Donnelly, on loan from Glentoran, started in goals while fellow loanee David Jonathan, joining from Sligo Rovers, made his first competitive at the heart of the Mallards defence.
Marc Walsh, a summer arrival from Dergview, was in from the outset, while Callum Moorehead got his first league appearance since last December. Tommy Connolly, a loan signing from Dungannon Swifts, missed out with a minor setback.
Donnelly was the busier of the two goalkeepers in the opening exchanges as Ballinamallard played against the wind, with the shot stopper holding onto a couple of high balls and collecting a low effort by Jack Reilly from the edge of the box. Steven Gordon then headed against the back post from a Connor Maxwell corner, as Ards continued to press.
Ballinamallard grew into the contest, with Moorehead a bright spark in the attacking areas. It was no surprise that the comeback kid was involved as Ballinamallard took the lead with 12 minutes of the first half to play.
A defensive clearance by Ards was helped back by Moorehead into Joshua McIlwaine, with the centre forward playing a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of McGrath, who finished from just inside the Ards box to open his and Ballinamallard United’s account for the season.
Ryan Morris was forced off towards the end of the first half with a head injury, but Ballinamallard held on to take a slender lead into the interval.
Ards came out fighting at the start of the second half and their impact was immediate, scoring inside three minutes from the penalty spot. Eamon Scannell and Reilly combined on the left side, with Scannell delivering a low cross towards Paul Donnelly at the back post.
The assistant referee adjudged that Donnelly had been brought down by a Mallards defender before captain Ruddy stepped up to fire a powerful penalty down the middle of the goal.
Three minutes later, Ards went ahead. A defensive mix-up allowed Browne to race through one-on-one on Donnelly’s goal, before applying a composed finish over the Glentoran loanee.
McIlwaine, Moorehead and Jamie Dunne all had chances to draw level, but with Ballinamallard committing bodies forward in search of a leveller, Ards netted a third with 11 minutes remaining.
Moments after Mallards forward McIlwaine appeared to be felled in the box, a lofted pass by Ards was cleared by the Ballinamallard defence into the path of Eamon Scannell, who threaded a pass in behind the Mallards backline to Reilly with his darting run into the box preceding a square pass towards the onrushing Roohi, who fired home into an empty net to cement Ards an opening day win.
Teams
Ards: Marc Matthews, Max Greer, Connor Maxwell, Caolan Loughran, Michael Ruddy ©, Eamon Scannell, Jamie Browne, Paul Donnelly, Darius Roohi, Steven Gordon, Jack Reilly. Substitutes: Adam Ritchie, Ryan Arthur (Loughran 90+2’), Zach Barr (Donnelly 84’), Ethan Simpson (E. Scannell 79’), Conor Scannell (Reilly 90+2’), Mark Carson, George Tipton (Roohi 84’)
Ballinamallard: Lorcan Donnelly, Ryan Morris, David Jonathan, Alex Holder, Aaron Arkinson ©, Joshua McIlwaine, Callum Moorehead, Tiarnan Campbell, Marc Walsh, James McGrath, Sean McAteer. Substitutes: Jamie Ray, Richard Johnston (Morris 45’), Jake Browne, Gary Armstrong (Arkinson 84’), Darragh Byrne (Walsh 84’), Jamie Dunne (Moorehead 62’), Daniel Barker (McAteer 84’)