League

Joey Dunlop Stadium
Spectators: 8180 (Terracing: 6137, Seating: 1881, VIP seats: 162) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Jerry Greenfield got the match started through his kick off. Fitz Garforth who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 16thth minute tested the skills of Charles Lonsdale when he managed to save the team from getting behind. Oscar Ford took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jerry Greenfield , even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The audience thought a goal was coming when Fitz Garforth got free with Charles Lonsdale in the 24th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. In the 25th minute, Fitz Garforth got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. After 28 played minutes Southbourne got a freekick which was hit by Justin Bowler . In the 31st minute Trevor Croxford shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Charles Lonsdale saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Johnathan Platt kicked well hit freekick during the 31st minute of the match. After having played for 32 minutes, Fitz Garforth managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Ballymoney Rovers's supporters crossed their fingers, but Fitz Garforth was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. In the 33rd match minute, Southbourne was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Jon Probert to maneuver through the defense. The crowd rose to their feet as Ballymoney Rovers's Trevor Croxford slotted home a wonderful shot that went in to the left of Charles Lonsdale . That made the score 2-0 after 38 minutes of play. The audience was convinced that Trevor Croxford's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Charles Lonsdale was relentless in the 42nd minute of the game. Oscar Ford showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Jerry Greenfield , who was totally free with the ball in the 43rd minute. In the 47th minute Jerry Greenfield shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Oscar Ford saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The away team players looked dejected as the walked off the pitch at half time. They had fought hard, but were still losing 2-0.

If Fitz Garforth had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 51st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. During the 53rd minute of the match Jon Probert completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Jon Probert a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. A collision led to Southbourne getting a freekick after 54 minutes play. Jon Probert hit a great ball. After having played for 55 minutes, George Champion managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Ballymoney Rovers's supporters crossed their fingers, but George Champion was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Fitz Garforth sent away a hard shot on goal in the 58th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After some fancy dribbling in the 65th minute, Trevor Croxford managed to get in a good position for a shot. Ballymoney Rovers's supporters rose to their feet, but Trevor Croxford was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Charles Lonsdale breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Fitz Garforth might have been able to make a better finish in the 68th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Charles Lonsdale . Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Fitz Garforth ran back to his position shaking his head. The audience was convinced that Trevor Croxford's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Charles Lonsdale was relentless in the 74th minute of the game. After 74 played minutes Southbourne got a freekick which was hit by Jerry Greenfield . In the 75th minute, Fitz Garforth made a precise shot to the right of Charles Lonsdale . Southbourne's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 3-0. When Trevor Croxford came up free with the goalie in the 78th minute, the Ballymoney Rovers fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Trevor Croxford couldn't finish the play. In the 81st minute, Trevor Croxford ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Charles Lonsdale was frozen by the shot and now it was 4-0. The supporters of Ballymoney Rovers booed when Southbourne was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 87 match minutes in a wonderful position. Ivan Chappell didn't get a good kick on the ball. Martin Kitching sent away a hard shot on goal in the 91st minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. Charles Lonsdale showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Fitz Garforth, who was totally free with the ball in the 94th minute. Ballymoney Rovers's Trevor Croxford got a good chance for a goal in the 97th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar.