Drumaness put four past Ards Rangers

Drumaness put four past Ards Rangers

22 January 2025

DRUMANESS Mills showed their resilience to see off Premier Division rivals Ards Rangers and put their name in the hat for the third round of the Clarence Cup.

Callum Dougan opened the scoring for the Mills with a precise finish, but they were forced to go back to the drawing board when Adam Sloan equalised.

They thought they had done just that when they regained the lead thanks to Andrew Watson, only for Sloan to pin them back yet again.

However, the hosts stuck to their guns and fired twice more through hotshots Peter Brannigan and Declan Looney to blast Rangers out of the competition.

Drumaness dominated the early stages of the proceedings and looked to have found the perfect start when Dougan lobbed goalkeeper Rhys Lawson, but the referee raised his arm to signal offside.

The denial could not put a spanner in their works and as they continued to pile on the pressure Watson tried his luck.

He managed to get a strike on goal, despite the ball rolling away from him, and just as it looked to nestle in the bottom corner, a defender scrambled to sweep off the line.

Jamie Sharvin was next to come close and although he scuffed his shot, he forced Lawson to get down and push the ball away from the bottom left.

Mills refused to relent to the missed chances and were finally rewarded with the opening goal in the 17th minute.

Brannigan’s corner found the head of Gary Murdock and he got up well to knock down into the path of Dougan, who was in the right place at the right time to find the net.

The lead was short-lived as Murdock’s attempted interception presented Sloan with a simple finish to square the game.

The equaliser seemed to have no effect on the mindset of the Drumaness players and they immediately began to threaten the Ards goal once again.

A clever corner kick routine, straight off the training ground, saw Jack Sharvin roll the ball to the edge of the box to find Brannigan, who clipped the crossbar with a rocket of a strike.

The remainder of the first half saw Mills camped in and around their opponents’ box but, in spite of healthy position on the pitch, they just could not find that vital opening.

The start to the second period was a slow one and spectators would have to wait until the 64th minute for the first clear-cut opportunity.

Dougan cut back on to his right and, after fooling a defender, whipped a shot that curled narrowly wide of the upright.

Just like the first half, Drumaness used their missed chance as an encouragement to push on and again it led to a goal.

Watson’s looping effort caught ‘keeper Lawson off guard and sailed over his head, into the back of the net. It still remains to be seen whether it was a shot or a cross.

However, in eerily similar fashion to the last time the hosts took the lead, Sloan levelled in no time.

He collected the ball just inside the box and left goalkeeper Aaron Carberry rooted to the spot as he fired into the bottom corner.

In what was undoubtedly the most controversial moment of the match, Ards substitute Michael Evans received a yellow card when he really should have seen red for a late, high tackle on Tom McNeill.

Many a team would have been ruffled by that decision, but it only seemed to spur Drumaness forward and they soon snatched their lead goal.

Brannigan made an expert run to latch on to a lofted pass and broke free in the box before slotting home.

Mills were not finished there and with a slim lead to protect, they put the game to bed when Dougan lifted the ball over ‘keeper and allowed Looney to head over the line.

Drumaness Mills will now return to league action before they meet Border Cup winners Comber Rec in the third round next month. 

Drumaness: A Carberry, K Domican, T McNeill, S Holland, G Murdock (captain), P Brannigan, A Watson, Jamie Sharvin, C Dougan, Jack Sharvin, A Kearney. Subs: D Turley, S Mason, D Looney.

Ards Rangers: R Lawson, T Shaw, A Sloan, M Torrens, G Watson, M Armstrong, J Sloan, M Lee (captain), P Simpson, J Walls, J Cash. Subs: M Evans, S Spiers, K Lawson.