YEAR 12 ‘DRAW’ COMFORT FROM ACADEMY MATCH – WEDNESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

Chris Jamieson’s men came up against a highly fancied Ballymena Academy team in a great game at the now ‘fortress’ pitch at Cullybackey. A great game ebbed and flowed from the start to the finish, and in the end, a 2-2 draw was probably a fair outcome. Despite being a ‘friendly’ game, bragging rights were up for grabs against our local rivals, and this showed in the rivalry shown throughout the game. praise was heaped on every single player by Mr Cowan, a sublime performance of speed, effort, conduct and a will to win, something missing from their locker room in previous games. Academy took the lead through a soft free kick, slipping past the defence and past ‘keeper Denver Thompson to leave the boys deflated at half time. More of the same was required in the second half of the game, with Matthew Kirk revelling in his new attacking role, combining well with Robbie McGaughey to force a brilliant equaliser. A bit of fortune for the Academy saw them retake the lead as things hotted up in the middle of the pitch. Scott Marcus and James Henry were pivotal in everything good about Cullybackey, whilst the defence of Bell, Mitchell, McNabney, McAuley and Balmer stood firm to any attack thrown at them. However, it was super-sub Peter Moore who drew the teams level with just four minutes to go, turning on a six pence and rifling a terrific strike into the roof of the net to snatch a 2-2 draw!Man of the Match: Matthew Kirk.