Money suffer league defeat

BALLYMONEY Hockey Club 1st XI sponsored by John McElderry’s, travelled to Armagh for a crucial Premier League match last Saturday, the only game that survived the frost.

Both teams needed the winning points, with Armagh higher up the league chasing league victory, and Ballymoney hoping to climb higher than mid-table, where they should not realistically be.

Unfortunately, the home team took their chances better on this occasion and won 3-1.

Armagh were expected to be on a revenge mission, after being trounced 5-1 by the visiting team earlier in the season, but once again Ballymoney were forced to field yet another changed team. Despite this the girls started well and dominated the first 15 minutes, gifted chance after chance to score.

Within the first minute Ballymoney had won their first short corner, after Nikki Parke, a welcome returner after being on maternity leave, ran rings around the defence.

Susie Martin, also returning after being away on holiday, unleashed a fierce shot, but this was deflected wide by the home defence. Only a couple of minutes later Angie Huey and Bridget Cleland combined well to win the next corner, which again was deflected wide. Again ‘Money’ won the ball from the hit out, went into the circle, forced another foul, but this shot too was cleared safely away. With time ticking on, Ballymoney struggled to find the opening gap in an experienced, well drilled defence.

Armagh managed to break away a few times though down their right, which started to cause the ‘Money girls problems, but the defence stood firm at this end too, until the 17th minute, when one of their unmarked speedy forwards, skillfully weaved her way into the circle and forced a foul to win their first penalty corner.

The first shot was saved well by Sammy-Jo Greer, but the rebounder came in too quick, putting Armagh one goal up.

Ballymoney knew they were the better team in the first half, and immediately went into attack again from this, but with Armagh growing in confidence, found it even harder to connect with their final pass into the circle.

With another chance form a penalty corner, to draw level, the shot was once again cleared wide, from the initial shot.

In the second half, Armagh were stringing their passes along better and won three corners in quick succession. The first was cleared well by Cleland, who gave it everything in the match, despite only just returning from Spain the previous day with the Ireland squad. The second was deflected wide by Judith McVicker, while the third, a dubious corner awarded in the first place, unfortunately did reach the post player, who got in front this time and deflected it neatly into the small gap.

With Ballymoney now frustrated at the unfair result based on chances created, they decided to go for a much more attacking style, pushing an extra player up, which initially seemed to be working well, but while they got caught high up, Armagh’s experienced Hannah Bowe, sister of Ireland rugby star Tommy, was able to find a great pass up her line out of defence, to young Lucy McKee, whose parents both played for Ireland, skillfully weaved up the pitch, to find her team mate. With Julie Nelson caught now in a two on one situation, she could do little to stop the speed at which they entered the circle and banged the ball past Greer.

The visitors didn’t give up though, and finally found the break they so desperately searched for the whole game, when Julie Allison won the last penalty corner of the game. Susie Martin made no mistake as she perfectly placed the all into the left corner of the goal. Unfortunately it was too late, as the final whistle blew.

On the day a well drilled home team took their chances, while Ballymoney will have to go back to the drawing board and work on their circle play and preventing breakaways against them.

Squad: S-J Greer, J Nelson, J Smyth, J McVicker, A Huey, K Mullan, B Cleland, S Martin (Captain), J Allison, N Parke, D McNeill, A Kearney, L McMullan, S Gardiner. Manager L Lamont.