Seconds held at home by Armagh

Seconds 1

Armagh Ladies Thirds 1

BANBRIDGE Ladies Seconds hosted Armagh Thirds at Havelock on Saturday.

Bann had not played for a couple of weeks due to the rescheduling of matches and also had a number of players missing so took a while to settle into the game.

As Banbridge began to find their form the forward line of Ashleigh Mitchell, Anna Moore and Hayley Robb made some good breaks up front and kept the Armagh defence under pressure. At the other end of the pitch solid defending by Jade Kennedy, making her debut at sweeper, and the back three kept the Armagh forwards at bay. The Banbridge girls coped well with the faster pace of the game with players working hard all over the pitch to win the ball.

Bann had some chances at goal in the first half and Lynda McKinley found herself battling in front of the goals but was unlucky not to get the ball in the back of the net.

The second half saw Armagh come out strong and dominating the game. Diane McMillen as usual had another great game and controlled the Bann defence to ensure that Armagh wouldn’t gain from their constant pressure.

However Armagh soon took the lead after a battle in front of the goals. The Bann girls did not let this deter them from their game and the midfield worked hard both defending and supporting the forward line with Rosie Waddell in the centre battling for everything to try and level the scores.

Armagh continued to pressurise and Sarah Anderson was forced to make a crucial save off the line to prevent Armagh from increasing their lead.

It was towards the end of the second half when a great run from Anna Moore through the defence finished with a lovely cross through the circle to Ashleigh Mitchell who made no mistake in getting it into the back of the net to level the scores.

This lifted the Banbridge girls and they made some good attacking moves but time was not on their side and the game finished a draw.

Banbridge Ladies Seconds have still got two games to play this season which will be scheduled in after the Easter break. Thanks to Ian Livingstone for umpiring.