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Captain Leads by example as Ants bury the Undertakers
Man of the Match Ronnie McDonald -
Picture courtesy of Stephen Kennedy - www.thejuniors.info
The Ants travelled to the Port Glasgow Community Stadium for the 2nd time this season, having earlier beat Greenock at the same venue just before Christmas and they were hoping for a similar result to keep an unbeaten run of four games intact
The Ants could have got off to a dream start with only 30 seconds on the clock when Mackie appeared to be brought down in the box but Mr Graham decided there was no case for the striker and waved play on. Saints seemed right up for this one and Greenlees shot over from a McGrath corner with only three minutes on the clock.
Three minutes later they did infact open the scoring and what a move it was, Greenlees headed the ball clear from the edge of his own penalty area to White at the edge of the centre circle and was knocked to Cumming, who in turn found Bonner, the one touch football continued as Bonner passed to Mackie, and was immediately passed to Cumming and he flicked the ball deftly into the path of JORDAN WHITE. His initial shot was only parried by the 'Port goalkeeper and he casually sidefooted the ball into the net for his 7th of the season to give the Ants a 6th minute lead.
An injury to White as he challenged for the ball at yet another McGrath corner signalled the end of his match in the 18th minute and he was replaced by Darren O'Donnell.
Port Glasgow had seemed a lethargic in the opening 10-20 minutes as the Ants knocked the ball about beautifully at times, however they finally managed to get forward and Carr had to be at his best to get a solid hand down low to a header from Coyle. Mackie was then incensed by Mr Graham's refusal once again to award a spot kick and it appears the Ants hitman has every right to be as he looks to be taken out of the game by a Port defender, but once again Mr Graham waved play on.
Mackie and his strike partner O'Donnell were causing problems for the Port defence and the former almost doubled the Ants lead on the half hour mark after a great Miller cross but his little flick went just wide. Port Glasgow started to exert a bit of pressure for a spell in the 10 minutes before half time forcing a number of corners and almost equalising when a cross was almost diverted into his own net by Mackie. Coyle then missed a golden opportunity to restore parity when he latched on to a through ball. The Port playmaker rounded Carr and it looked like he would slide the ball into the net but Ants Captain Ronnie McDonald got back and blocked the effort with his thigh on the line much to Coyle's obvious frustration.
O'Donnell then tried an audacious lob from a tight angle but it floated over the crossbar, before Matty Carr got down low to save a header from a Port attacker right on half time
Half Time - Port Glasgow 0 v 1 Ants
A slack pass from the back almost saw the away side further their lead 5 minutes into the second half, but once again O'Donnell's lob attempt flew over the bar. Port Glasgow seemed to have come out raring to go in the second half and only a superb tackle by McDonald thwarted a good run by the Port Glasgow right winger, and Miller's through ball was just too long for O'Donnell to get on the end of.
The Ants striker did manage to play a pivitol role in the 55th minute when he stole the ball from a Port midfielder who dallied on the ball, his pass found Kane, who hurdled a desperate lunging tackle, credit to Mr Graham who played the advantage rule and the energetic centre half's cross was perfectly weighted onto the head of CHRIS MACKIE who notched his 15th goal for the Club in his 15th appearance to make it 2-0 to the Ants.
Any idea's that the Ants fans had that it would be game over were soon tempered however as the Port began to exert more and more pressure on an Ants defence, which although pressurised coped excellently, restricting the Port to long range efforts with Coyle shooting wide and a fellow midfielder firing over Carr's crossbar. The Ants for their part continued to play flowing football when they had the ball and a nice move involving Miller, Mackie and McCuish saw the Ants Sub fire wide of the Port' Keeper's near post .
The Undertakers were not dead and buried just yet though and a partially cleared header was met by the Port right winger who fired in a cross which was superbly met by the diving head of GRAHAM BLACK to reduce the deficit to one with twenty minutes still on the clock. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the worst for the Ants when Thomas Miller recieved his marching orders with fifteen minutes to go, with many in the ground wondering why Mr Graham had produced a straight red card after what looked like a 50-50 tackle. From the resultant free kick Port Glasgow should have been celebrating an equaliser, The free kick itself was headered clear to the edge of the box but it landed straight to a Port player, his half volley looked to have Carr beaten but for reason's known only to himself a team-mate tried to make sure of the goal by heading the ball as it passed him, only to watch in horror as it flew over the crossbar.
For the remaining 15 minutes The Ants were content to knock the ball about when they had it and The Port could not find a way past the excellent Ants rearguard
Full Time - Port Glasgow 1 v 2 Ants
Ants Website Man of the Match - Ronnie McDonald
Ants Team
1. Matty Carr
2. Neil Reynolds
3. Thomas Miller 
(75 Mins)
4. Ronnie McDonald
5.Tony Kane
6. Stevie Greenlees ***
(72 Mins)
7. Andy Bonner
8. Gary McGrath
9. Chris Mackie
10. Ross Cumming**
(65 Mins)
11. Jordan White *
(18 Mins)
Ants Subs
12. Dean McKay***
(72 Mins)
14. Mark McCuish**
(65 Mins)
15.Darren O'Donnell*
(18 Mins)
16.John Borris
17.Greig Cavanagh
Ants Goals
White 6 (1-0)
Mackie 55 (2-0)
