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Uploaded Tuesday, 19th Jul, 2022 at 21:30
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Date: Tuesday, 19th July, 2022; Competition: Friendly; Attendance: N/A;
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Dundela
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[0]
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[0]
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Ballymena United
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[2]
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Venue: Wilgar Park; Kick-Off: 19:30;
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Goals:
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[0-1] KELLY, Joshua (59 mins), [0-2] McDAID, David (65 mins)
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Ballymena United continued their preparations for the new season in East Belfast on Tuesday evening with a hard fought 2-0 pre-season win over Dundela.
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Just like at the weekend, David Jeffrey split his squad for the night as half lined up against Dundela, while the other half took on Knockbreda ten minutes up the road.
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There was little to report in the early stages at a sunny Wilgar Park, the best chance coming after good work from a sharp David McDaid saw him eventually bend a shot goalward, but it was comfortably saved.
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As the half went on, the Championship club began to work their way into the game and looked the more likely to score. Former United legend Tony Kane saw a corner go fairly close to floating all the way in, before a floated free kick off the same boot was met by defender Jay Magee who headed narrowly wide.
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With the visitors rarely threatening at the end of the half Dundela could've been ahead on half time when some sloppiness at the back allowed the hosts in, but an effort was poked around an on rushing Sam Johnston but wide of the post by Benny Igiehon, as a good work out half for Ballymena ended scoreless.
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There were a couple of changes at the interval for the Braidmen, including the introduction of Sean O'Neill, and he was called into action early in the second half when a cross from the left was somehow scrambled goalward, with O'Neill getting down low to save.
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Just shy of the hour mark Ballymena began to somewhat flex their muscles and on fifty nine minutes the men in orange broke the deadlock. Steven McCullough's free kick from the left was headed back across the box into a dangerous area by Kym Nelson, and it was met by captain Joshua Kelly who's first time shot somehow went through Duns 'keeper Neil Shields and in.
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Six minutes later United stamped further authority on the game as a second set piece goal made it 2-0. This time McCullough drilled a free kick in from the right, and it looked to be touched across the six-yard box by Nelson again. The ball fell to McDaid, and with no flag for offside, he comfortably finished from close range for two.
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The final twenty minutes saw Ballymena mostly on top and Spencer Beattie twice headed just wide at the back post, first after a cross from George Tipton, and then from Kelly.
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The last chance of the game fell the home sides way when a thunderous strike from Igiehon was wonderfully saved by O'Neill, but in the end a tough night's work against a solid Dundela team saw Ballymena leave the capital with a 2-0 win in their third installment of pre-season fixtures.
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This Saturday one Ballymena United team will travel to Blanchflower Stadium to face Harland & Wolff Welders, while another will travel to Limavady Showgrounds to take on Limavady United.
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Match Report by Phillip McPeake
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Ballymena United Team:
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Sam Johnson, Scot Whiteside, Conor Keeley, Kym Nelson, Steven McCullough, Jack Henderson, Joshua Kelly, George Tipton, David McDaid, Trialist A, Ryan Waide.
Subs not used: Sean O'Neill, Spencer Beattie, Ewart.
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