By Rory McKee
A LIFELONG Ards supporter says he hasn’t lost all hope of the club securing a return to Newtownards despite their plans being overlooked in last week’s major football funding announcement.
Adrian Monaghan, the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer and editor of the Ardsview programme, conceded it was a bitter pill to swallow after the Red and Blues missed out in their bid to land a share of £36.2m available through the Northern Ireland Football Fund (NIFF).
Yet, even after this latest setback, he believes Ards must press on in their quest. “I was totally devastated when the news filtered through to me,” said Adrian.
“Over the last couple of decades, there’s probably been about four different schemes to get a ground back in Ards, but I truly believe this particular one is the one that will get us home.
“It has knocked me back, but I still believe it’s going to happen. We need to clear our heads and look at what other revenue streams are available, and there might also be some hope in this current fund. I am still hopeful.
“I have heard a few people say, ‘did we aim too high?’ but I know the club did seek professional advice and went with that guidance. I don’t think the club could have done much more,” he added.
“I know there’s a lot of anger around the political aspect to how the funds have been allocated, but I step above all that.
“It’s going to be difficult, there’s no point saying otherwise, but I do believe some good can come out of this.”
In the nearly 25 years since Ards left Castlereagh Park, the team has played home games at Solitude in north Belfast, Taylor’s Avenue in Carrickfergus, Dixon Park in Ballyclare, and Bangor’s Clandeboye Park, where they remain tenants today.
Adrian is among the loyal band of supporters who have followed the club to each of those grounds. “Yes, I have done the full circuit,” he continued. “I don’t mind saying that the journey to Ballyclare nearly broke me a couple of times. But you just have to keep the faith, we’re 125 years old as a club.
“I thought the Institute chairman [Bill Anderson] summed the feeling up perfectly when he said all of that’s not going to be ruined by the stroke of a civil servant’s pen. We have to keep fighting for this.”
Adrian acknowledged that spirits among the Ards fanbase are at a low ebb, but he remains resolute.
“The mood among the Ards support is low at the minute. Anybody can see that our support has dropped, there’s no doubt about that, and we’re an older supporter base as well so there is natural attrition there.
“There are people not able to go anymore and others who have passed on. And there are some Ards supporters who simply won’t go to watch Ards in Bangor because of the rivalry that exists,” he said.
“We need to get a ground very soon, because travelling to Bangor every week with the support the way it is I don’t think is sustainable. But if the alternative is just throwing the head up and letting it go? No, we have too many supporters to let that happen.”
A host of clubs significantly smaller in stature than Ards and with present facilities that could reasonably be considered suitable saw their applications taken forward to the next phase of the programme. That’s a further source of frustration for many, but Adrian does not begrudge those who received good news.
“I say well done to them for going through the due processes and getting the rewards.
“I agree with the chairman (Warren Patton) in that the scoring matrix was set up in such a way that we were never going to get anything. For anybody who did get, good luck to them and hopefully some day we will be in the same position.”
