It’s back to league action as we travel to Darragh Park tomorrow afternoon to take on Dergview in our next Lough 41 Championship fixture.
Match Info
When: Saturday 11th December – Kick-Off 3:00pm
Where: Darragh Park
What: Lough 41 Championship
Entry: Pay at the gate – £8 (Adult) / £5 (Concession)
The Opponents
Dergview currently occupy 9th spot in the Lough 41 Championship. A win tomorrow would see them leapfrog the Comrades who are just 2 points ahead in 7th. Last week, a Darren Murray second half hat-trick saw HW Welders defeat Dergview 3-1 at Blanchflower Park. Scoreless at the break, Murray fired the Welders in front just short of the hour mark with a great finish. Jamie Browne levelled for Dergview on 69 minutes with a chipped finish past Ben McCauley into the corner of the net. The Welders were reduced to ten men on 78 minutes after Michael McLellan picked up his second booking in the space of few minutes for unsporting behaviour. However, the home side responded positively and duly moved back into the lead with a couple of minutes remaining with Murray’s second of the afternoon … and the same player followed that up with his hat-trick goal deep into stoppage time.
The Comrades
It’s been a rough patch for the Comrades of late. Without a win in their last 7 league outings, things didn’t get much easier as they suffered a heavy 8-0 defeat to East Antrim rivals, Larne, during the week in the Semi Final of the ToalsBet.com Co Antrim Shield. It was always going to be a tough task against the full-time Danske Bank Premiership side, but a goal inside the first 5 minutes, followed by two individual errors sent the Comrades in at half-time 3-0 down. The second half saw Larne even more dominant, with their constant movement and extra fitness bamboozling a tiring Comrades team and the Larne men went on to score 5 more to see out a thumping victory. Despite a difficult night and difficult patch, Paul Harbinson spoke after the game about how it’s time to “lift ourselves, take the shackles off, stop with all of the pressure talk, just focus on our jobs and get back to this group of players who want to play for each other. Even after (the Larne match), the players grouped together, they’re in it together and we’re fighting for each other”.
Last Time Out
The last time these two sides met in October, an Andrew Mooney double helped Ballyclare Comrades defeat Dergview at Darragh Park. Scoreless at the break, both goals came midway through the second half. The 24-year-old opened the scoring on 63 minutes with a back post header six yards out after Tom Mathieson had knocked the ball over following a mazy run. And Mooney doubled his tally just five minutes later when, following a botched attempt at a clearance, he dispossessed a defender to tuck the ball past keeper Alan Buchanan. Benny Igiehon pulled one back for Dergview with ten minutes remaining but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.
