Comber Rec go through to next round in Clarence Cup in style after trouncing Willowbank FC
The NAFL, Clarence Cup Round 4,
Venue: Park Way, 2 5 2025,
Final Score: Comber Rec 5 0 Willowbank FC.
Comber Rec were in superb form against Willowbank FC in this Clarence Cup round 4 clqsh at Park Way.
The home side were a few key players short such as Matt Tumilson, Matthew Gibson and Ciaran Gillan off injured and with striker Elliot Wilson suspended. Bur Comber have a good pool of players to choose from.
Willowbank is positioned in the lower end of the NAFL Division 1A and faced a rampant Comber 6th in the Premier league.
The visitors started teh match well pressing Comber and looked quick sharp. Conall Maguiore managed to fire off a volley at 30 yards but Corey Pollack got it well under control. This was followed by another shot from Richard McEvoy.
But after the initial pressure, Comber settled and Reece Whittle sent a cracking pass through to Dylan Donaldson who had a great game.
In the early stages Willowbank posed a threat on a number of occasions and Thomas McCrory hit a free kick outside the Comber box and Declan Gill won a corner deflecting the ball off Whittle.
But Comber quickly settled and got to work making a few useful attacks and won a corner. Simon Hanna sent across a beautiful cross to the head of Lex Walker who rocketed the ball into the top of the Willowbank net on the 13th minute. Unlucky for Willowbank!
Then 4 minutes later Lex again repeated the performance from a corner heading down this time beating keeper Reece McKeown.
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Comber now had a strategic advantage over Willowbank with 2 early goals and they stepped up their attacks in a steady but safe manner. Dylan Donaldson was red hot and caused the defenders any amount of problems and had a couple of goal opportunities.
But then in the 30th minute Donaldosn received a long ball from the back line and he managed to stay onside and broke forward going one-to-one with keeper McKeown who came out. to narrow his angles but Donaldson rounded him slotting in for Comber’s third goal.
And just 2 minutes later he took on 2 defenders and got a bad bounce messing what would have been a certain goal.
By now, Willowfield had lost their early flow and attacking verve and seemed to lose the will to live.
Then Walker his a long ball upfield to Elliot Wilson also causing havoc in the Willowbank ranks and he charged the goals but was blocked by the keeper.
The second half got under way and Willowfield’s Maquire hit wide of the Comber left hand post from a free kick at 30 yards.
As the second hald evolved, play became physical and the referee called a number of fouls and the flow of the game dropped off.
But Comber went up a gear and Donaldson claimed his second goal in the 62nd minute when a he broke up the left on a long pass and was chaallenged by defender Eamonn Hughes but he cleared him again knocking in rounding the keeper.
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There was one fiery incident when tempers erupted in front of the Willowfield dugout, and when play resumed Thomas McCrory received his second yellow card and a red and was off. Comber manager Gareth McKeown then took off Elllot Wilson as he was carrying a yellow card and replaced him with Jacob Hamilton.
Then the icing on the cake came in the 89th minute when Kristopher Gaw playing in a forward position got possession on the edge of the Willowbank box and smashed a low thumping volley past keeper McKeown giving the Comber fans a treat before the final whistle.
Towards the end of the match, Brett Conville came on replacing Brandon Nelson and after a break of a few weeks he had not lost his touch as a striker.
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Comber Rec: 1 Corey Pollock 2 Stephen Fleck 3 Lex Walker 4 Stuart Moore 5 Reece Whittle 6 Christian Irvine 7 Dylan Thompson 8 Simon Hanna (C) 9 Brandon Nelson 10 Kristopher Gaw 11 Elliot Wilson. Subs: 12 Jacob Hamilton 14 Sam Moore 15 Brett Conville as he harried the Willowbank defence.
Willowbank FC: 1 Reece McKeown 2 Matthew Reid 3 Gary Manson 4 Eamonn HUghes 5 Ciaran Manson (C) 6 Noel Halfpenny 7 Declan Gill 8 Conall Maquire 9 Thomas McCrory 10 Richard McEvoy 11 Ryan McAreavey. Subs: Padraig Hamilton 14 Michael Savage 16 Gerard Doran.
