Kirk praises keeper after victory over Comrades

Ballyclare supporters’ dreams of a Christmas morning outing to Seaview to cheer on the Comrades in a Steel & Sons Cup final is over for another season.

However, defeat in the first round by PSNI means that there could still be a Ballyclare Christmas input, following Jamesie Kirk’s victory against his home town team.

Reflecting on the win Kirk said: ”To be fair, although we had the major share of possession, and did most of the attacking, it was the Comrades who created the best scoring opportunities.

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“We owe a lot to our goalkeeper who saved two one-on-ones, and then saved two penalties.”

Asked about beating his home-town team he added: “It was strange playing against my town team.

“I have strong connections with the Comrades, but those sentiments were left behind once the whistle blew,” he confirmed.

Eddie Hill had no complaints about Cooper’s dismissal.

“His inexperience resulted in a late tackle, so we had to play the final forty minutes a man short,” Hill said.

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“But even then we had chances to win the game, but it’s goals that count. Their keeper was much busier than Paddy Flood who had hardly a shot to save.”

Seeking positives he continued: “Last season good cup runs dragged us in to the relegation zone for a time, so now that we are out of this one our priority will be gathering points during the autumn.”

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