PLAYR-FIT CHAMPIONSHIP
DUNDELA 1
Prendergast 28’
ARDS 0
Rory McKee at Wilgar Park
ARDS manager John Bailie bemoaned a lack of quality in attack as his side’s five-game unbeaten record came to an end with defeat to Dundela.
Aaron Prendergast scored the only goal of a competitive contest at Wilgar Park during which the visitors had the better chances but were ultimately left empty-handed.
“It’s really disappointing to not come away with anything from the game,” Bailie reflected.
“I thought we were the better team for large parts of it and for 80 minutes the players carried out what we asked them to do. When you lose a game like that, it’s gut wrenching. “It happened to us the last time we played Dundela too – the game was nearly a replica of that one. It was a really competitive game, we just didn’t have the right quality at the top end of the pitch which is a concern.
“I felt that they stole three points, the same way as they did at Clandeboye (in September), but that’s football and we have to take our medicine,” he said.
“The simple matter is we didn’t put the ball in the net and they did. We had enough opportunities to win the game and didn’t take them, we certainly came here to try and win and for whatever reason we fell short.
“We came here in March and were bullied, whereas on Saturday we were on the front foot for a lot of the game. It’s a positive that we aren’t conceding as many goals as we were at the beginning of the season, but we’re not taking the chances that are coming our way at the moment.”
Ards started the brighter of the two teams in east Belfast with Aidan Steele seeing a near-post effort saved by Lewis Deane. The same player turned provider after 20 minutes for Zach Barr, whose shot drifted just wide.
Against the run of play it was the hosts who opened the scoring just shy of the half-hour, David McMaster finding Aaron Prendergast who left Marc Matthews rooted with a well placed finish.
In the second half Barr fizzed an effort straight at Deane before Matthews pulled off a good save to deny Michael McLellan at the other end.
Defender Ryan Arthur was deployed as a striker for the remaining few minutes, but the equaliser was not forthcoming for Ards.
While disappointed, Bailie believed that there were many positive signs from his team.
“If you asked somebody watching today, what did we have to do better? I don’t think it would be too long a list other than score a goal.
“The one thing you can’t do is lose sight of what we’re doing well, because we have to believe that if we continue playing with the same energy and enthusiasm, we’re going to win more games than we lose.”
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Substitutes: Hunter (Steele 63), C. Scannell (Carson 63), Dobbin (Barr 79), Arthur (Simpson 88). Not used: Moore, Tipton, Quinn.
Booked: E. Scannell, Ruddy, Cafolla.
Dundela: Deane, White, Fletcher, Magee (C), Dornan, McMaster, Prendergast, McLellan, Smith, Kelly, Duncan.
Substitutes: Withers (McMaster 54), Murray (McLellan 79), Harvey (Prendergast 88), Barr (Smith 88). Not used: Hogg, Patton, Hoey.
Booked: Magee, Smith, McLellan.
Referee: Niall Devlin
