"We still dare to dream": Ards chief John Bailie delighted with Irish Cup progress as Championship side oust Premiership opposition Loughgall
Ards boss John Bailie is hoping his boys will put the north down club back on the local football map after reaching the semi-finals of the Clearer Water Irish Cup following their win over Loughgall at Clandeboye Park on Saturday.
Goals from skipper Michael Ruddy and Eamonn Scannell sent Bailie’s boys into dreamland – they will now meet Cliftonville in a last four tie at the end of the month.
It certainly wasn’t a cup epic – far from it, but the victory helped Ards claim their first Irish Cup semi-final slot since 1995, when they lost to Linfield in a replay.
With Bangor – they will face Dungannon Swifts – in the other semi-final, what are the odds of the north down rivals meeting in the glamourous day out in May – just they did back in 1993, when the Seasiders edged victory after three games!
“It’s a proud moment for the club, the players put in a tremendous shift go get to the semi-final,” said former defender Bailie. “It’s great for football in north down that Ards and Bangor are both in the semi-finals.
“There are a lot of people that have stuck by the club in hard times, so this result is a reward for them in many ways.
“Some of the players don’t really grasp the history of this football club; they don’t recognise the support the club can generate.
“We still dare to dream, absolutely. I had no preferences when it came to the semi-final draw. I was just glad to be in it. Football is a funny game; anything can happen on a one-off fixture.
“Sometimes when you play against Premiership opponents, the pressure is off, it’s all on them because they will be expected to win.
“We played Cliftonville earlier in the season in one of the cup tournaments and we gave a good account of ourselves on that occasion. We will hopefully do the same in the semi-final to see where it takes us.”
Bailie was thrilled with his team’s defensive performance.
He went on: “We really limited Loughgall to only a few chances over the course of the game. It was really pleasing, we had to dig in, but we showed a bit of quality when we had to.
“We were a little bit ragged at times, but you expect that against Premiership opposition. When you look back at the game, they created only one clear cut chance in the first half.
“It’s a testament of how they players performed. We looked dangerous on the break, especially in the first half and that pleased me.”
Bailie agreed that Ruddy’s early breakthrough penalty kick – awarded after he was hauled down inside the box by Ryan Waide – helped settled the nerves.
“It helped build confidence and it gave us something to hang on to,” he added. “Although Loughgall are struggling in the Premier League, they were expected to win, but we were quite relaxed all week in the build-up.
“The second goal was massive for us. It was pleasing that our players remained switched on for the 96 or 97 minutes, or whatever it was. Our game management was good.
“We have a young squad and sometimes lack a little bit of experience and that has maybe hampered us a few times this season. But our performances have been decent – and this win will give everyone a massive lift.”