Armagh City 3-2 Ballinamallard
Ballinamallard lost a halftime lead for the second game in succession, as they went down 3-2 to Armagh City.
Danny Barker had given the Mallards the lead five minutes before the break, but three goals in eighteen minutes from the home team swung the game in their favour.
Barker did pull one back with fifteen minutes remaining, but the Mallards could not find an equaliser as they fell to a fifth defeat in their last six games.
Manager Mark Stafford made three changes to the starting line-up that had lost narrowly to Institute two weeks previously, with Gary Armstrong continuing his return from injury with his first start since August.
Tiarnan Campbell and Darragh Byrne also returned to the starting line-up, with Simon Warrington, James McGrath and John Edgar all dropping to the substitute’s bench.
Ballinamallard had lost 3-1 to Armagh at Ferney Park earlier in the season, but they started well as they looked to reverse that result, and Danny Barker tested Conor Byrne in the Armagh goal early on after getting on the end of Darragh Stewart’s pass.
Barker then fired an acrobatic overhead kick over the bar, before Armagh carved out their first sight of goal when Igor Rutkowski pulled his shot wide of Joel Little’s upright.
The Mallards continued to have the better of the chances in front of goal, with Gary Armstrong almost marking his return to first-team action with a goal, only to see his free kick come back off the post.
Stewart then powered a header goalwards, but Byrne made a diving stop to deny the winger.
Barker then had a goal ruled out for offside, before the visitors finally made a deserved breakthrough.
Jamie Dunne picked up possession from a throw-in and fired a shot goalwards. The keeper stopped his effort but could not hold onto it, and Barker was on hand to tap the loose ball home.
Ballinamallard were looking to add to their lead in the second half, but just two minutes into the half Armagh pulled level when from the Mallards’ free kick Armagh broke forward and Noeem Oladunjoye beat the offside trap before squaring for Mark McConnell to convert at the back post.
Armagh’s second came when Ballinamallard lost possession deep in their own half, Oladunjoye claiming another assist with Ruairi Duffy applying the finishing touch.
Three minutes later Armagh added a third when an in-swinging cross from Dale Montgomery found the head of Igor Rutkowski.
Stafford made a triple substitution with John Edgar, Josh McIlwaine and Simon Warrington all entering the fray, and one minute later the Mallards pulled a goal back when Barker applied a neat finish at the front post to notch his fourth goal in three games.
The Mallards pushed hard in the closing stages and had a penalty claim waved away by the referee as Armagh held on to consign the Mallards to defeat.
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