AFC can’t get a break as they lose

Early on, not only did AFC look solid all over the pitch but they also created a few decent chances with Rooney coming close on a couple of occasions. Hanover meanwhile hit the visitors on the break with some decent counter attack football.

Football is a results orientated game, with coaches trying to build a footballing side, AFC have hard it hard with the amount of injuries sustained at the start of the season, making things difficult. However with each passing week AFC are improving and indeed played the better football for the majority of this game.

At half time it was still 0-0, AFC also withstood a strong 10 minute period from Hanover direct from the second half kick off. The players rose to the challenge and soon had a grip on the game. It looked more and more like AFC were going to get the clean sheet they wanted but on 75 minutes team captain Paddy Burns reached up and caught the ball just outside the box, having heard a whistle blow. Disappointly it was in fact the whistle from the nearby Banridge Town game, the ref had no choice but to award a direct free kick, right on the edge of the AFC 18 yard box.

When your down, the only luck you seem to get is bad luck and a wickedly deflected shot from the resulting free kick ended the disciplined hard working AFC performance. AFC did rally round, creating a couple more good chances to equalise but the sucker punch came on 85mins sealing the win for Hanover, when a poor effort which always looked to be going wide clipped the upright, gifting a tap in for the Hanover forward.

A further piece of bad news came after the match, upon hearing that Aaron Monaghan suffered two broken bones in his foot after a heavy challenge from the Hanover centre forward, after arguably his best performance to date.