League

Joey Dunlop Stadium
Spectators: 5000 (Terracing: 4000, Seating: 1000, VIP seats: 0) Ballymoney Athletic's Rich Pennant started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. Keith Abbotts kicked well hit freekick during the 3rd minute of the match. A collision led to Rotherham getting a freekick after 5 minutes play. Albert Mannell hit a great ball. 10 minutes into the match, Rotherham's goalkeeper Derek Rashleigh had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Caleb Bell. 12 minutes into the game, George Paisley was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Rotherham's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Ballymoney Athletic the free kick. George Paisley kicked well hit freekick during the 13th minute of the match. Ballymoney Athletic's Sly MacDonnell got a good chance for a goal in the 14th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. With a little luck, Rotherham's Derek Rashleigh got control of the ball when Caleb Bell tried to sneak it across the goal line. Thanks to some nice moves Caleb Bell could shoot a difficult shot in the 18th minute, which Derek Rashleigh however easily saved by the left post. In the 20th minute, Crispin Marlow ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Frankie Cardwell was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-1. The audience thought a goal was coming when Caleb Bell got free with Derek Rashleigh in the 23rd minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. After some careless play in the Ballymoney Athletic defense, Julian Waddington kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Frankie Cardwell. The Ballymoney Athletic fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Frankie Cardwell should have stopped the shot. Derek Rashleigh showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Caleb Bell, who was totally free with the ball in the 34th minute. With 42 minutes on the clock, Greg Land commited a dangerous tackle. The referee had no choice but to show him the red card. In the 41st minute, one of Rotherham:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Rotherham. In the 44th minute there was a penalty for Ballymoney Athletic. Sly MacDonnell stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Derek Rashleigh. 1-2. Even after changing tactics the home team jogged off the field with a 1-2 deficit. They would have to work harder if they wanted to turn things around in the second half.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Ivor Norton stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. Caleb Bell hit a great freekick 53 minutes into the match. Derek Rashleigh took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Rich Pennant, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. An unexpectedly hard shot by Keith Abbotts in the 59th minute of play forced Rotherham's goalkeeper Derek Rashleigh to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 60 minutes into the match, Rotherham's goal looked a bit too open when Caleb Bell came free, but Derek Rashleigh reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Derek Rashleigh showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Caleb Bell in the 62nd minute of the match. Derek Rashleigh showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Keith Abbotts, who was totally free with the ball in the 64th minute. After having played for 66 minutes, Ivor Norton managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Rotherham's supporters crossed their fingers, but Ivor Norton was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. The referee blew the whistle for a penalty in the 67th minute of the game. One of Ballymoney Athletic:s players had nearly got his shirt torn off by an opponent while getting free in front of Rotherham:s goal. If John Scott had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 72nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. If Ivor Norton had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 74th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. An unexpectedly hard shot by Rich Pennant in the 77th minute of play forced Rotherham's goalkeeper Derek Rashleigh to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 78th minute, Keith Abbotts ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Derek Rashleigh was frozen by the shot and now it was 2-2. After some careless play in the Rotherham defense, Rich Pennant kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Derek Rashleigh. The Rotherham fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Derek Rashleigh should have stopped the shot. An unexpectedly hard shot by Rich Pennant in the 86th minute of play forced Rotherham's goalkeeper Derek Rashleigh to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. In the 88th minute Sid Legg shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Derek Rashleigh saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Derek Rashleigh made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Connor Ashton in the 89th minute of play. In the 98th match minute, Ballymoney Athletic was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Peter Bannister to maneuver through the defense. Rotherham's Ivor Norton got a good chance for a goal in the 100th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Ballymoney Athletic's supporters were highly satisfied with the result. They cheered their team of the pitch, having watched them win a very even match.