By Adrian Monaghan
ARDS FC’s first Irish Cup semi-final in three decades attracted a phenomenal amount of interest among the red and blue family.
Considering less than 200 attend games on average in Bangor, shifting an estimated 1,500 tickets for the Windsor Park spectacular was an amazing achievement. Among the numbers was the hard-core supporter, a legion of lapsed fans and a host of newly converted ones.
A selection of former players were spotted among the Ards contingent; the Portavogie-based Cully brothers, James and David, were in attendance and also journeying up from the Ards Peninsula was former goalkeeper from Greyabbey, Trevor McKay.
A couple of strikers from bygone eras – Darren Erskine (1990s) and Lawrence Patterson (1970s) were also cheering on the white-shirted Ards team from the South Stand. Aaron McKee, who starred for the club from 2006 to 2012, was proudly sporting his Ards scarf in the crowd.
Many more tuned into the BBC iPlayer to catch the action. Jim Campbell (1980s striker) watched the game in England, Trevor McDowell (1980s goalkeeper) in New Zealand and 1970s midfielder, Frank Houston, tuned in from Perth in western Australia.
Rooting for an Ards win were at least two of the last Ards side to appear in an Irish Cup final in 1993, Andy Beattie and Ian Bustard, who both were glued to the live stream.
The diaspora of Ards supporters viewed the action from different corners of the world; Stephen Rowley was riveted to his mobile device in Nha Trang in Vietnam while Chris Edgar watched the game in London while in transit to his home in Italy.
Not wanting to miss the action were Neil Stevenson and Paul Cowan who tuned in from New Zealand. A host of supporters from across England did likewise; Paul Graham and Paul Shanks (Manchester), Stephen Sharpe (Leamington Spa), James Ashe (Cheltenham), Alan Potts (Newcastle), Paul Scott (Wigan) and James Gibson and his son Patrick (Crowthorne, Berkshire) to mention a handful.
Glenn Hearsey, an English-born supporter, organised a party of 13 consisting of family and friends to watch the game in Maidenhead in Berkshire. Glenn had hoped to be over in Belfast for the occasion, but work commitments dictated otherwise.
However, many supporters did travel over from mainland UK to be at the contest and Jonny Edgar and his son Euan came up from Dublin.
The biggest shoutout goes to Newtownards expat Stuart Allan, who flew 7,000 miles from his home in Singapore for a weekend visit to be at the match. Yes, a weekend visit!
The outpouring of praise for the team’s gallant effort on the night was heart-warming. One supporter summed up Ards’ Irish Cup journey, and ultimate semi-final defeat, perfectly:
“Ards lost the match, but won the hearts of the town.”
