East Antrim Youth League Comber 6 : 0 Antrim Rovers
Park Way - Council Pitch
Saturday 26th January 2008
Comber entertained Antrim Rovers hoping to
avenge their surprise 4.3 defeat earlier in
the season. The match started out as a tight
affair with Comber having slightly the better
of it but failing to create any clear chances
and finding themselves offside on too many occasions.
In one of their few attacks Antrim just failed
to take the lead when Crooks cleared off the
line after an Antrim corner. With 7 minutes
of the half remaining Comber took the lead when
Hanna beat the offside trap and the oncoming
keeper to the through ball and calmly slotted
past the keeper and into the net. Comber would
have been happy to go in one goal to the good
however right on the half time whistle Wilson
finished well to give the home side a second.
The second half started in a similar fashion
to the first with Antrim continuing to compete
for every ball although creating very little.
The game was effectively put beyond Antrim’s
reach with a second and particularly strange
goal from Hanna. A long speculative shot (I
think!) seemed to be comfortable for the visiting
keeper until the ball bounced just in front
of him and lifted off the firm goalmouth over
his head and into the net. It’s hard to
say who was most surprised - the keeper or the
Comber players but the goal effectively ended
all resistance. In the remainder of the game
Comber scored 3 more goal with both Hanna and
Wilson completing hat tricks and indeed it could
have been more except for some fine goalkeeping.
One other note worthy of mention was the last
minute of the match which saw the Antrim number
four break clear of the Comber rear guard for
the first time in the game. A goal looked odds
on until he was met by the advancing Hackett
who took no prisoners clearing man ball and
everything – an excellent stop.
A well deserved victory which went some way
to making up for the poorest performance of
the season at the Antrim Forum
