Southside maintain push for league honours with Holywood blockbuster

Southside Rangers on the attack in Saturday's match against Holywood. INBT 10-917H

Playing a home game in Ballymena for the first time in six weeks, Southsdie were eager to maintain their recent momentum against a side with whom they had shared the points in their previous meeting.

The deadlock was broken on 22 minutes when appeals for a penalty were ignored by the referee and as play continued the ball landed at the feet of Ryan Corrigan who neatly fired home from the edge of the penalty area with his less favoured right foot.

Holywood continued to threaten going forward but staunch defending from Dylan Hamill and Lewis Erwin in the full back positions limited the chances they had to level.

On 30 minutes it looked like Hollywood were back on level terms until big Stuart Wylie produced a top class save finger tipping the ball over the bar when it was destined for the top corner, as Southside finished the half in front.

In the second half, Southside looked stronger and pressed the ball higher up the pitch. Holywood were on the back foot as Southside searched for the cushion of the second goal.

Ryan Corrigan shook the goalposts to their foundation with a bullet like shot as the home side turned up the heat. Ross Swan was introduced to the holding role replacing the injured Dylan Graham.

Even with all the possession Southside were having Hollywood were still very much in this game.

Southside showed flashes of excellent football moving the ball right from the back through the midfield players but the second goal remained elusive.

With 70 minutes on the clock the game turned on its head in a crazy five minute period, in which the Ballymena boys scored three times.

Having remained a threat up to this point Hollywood were about to hit the self destruct button.

First, an in swinging corner from the goal machine Sam McNiece ended in the back of the net, then on 73 minutess another corner again from the right was poked home from close in by Lewis Erwin. 3-0.

Two minutes later it was Sam McNiece again making it 4-0 when he dispatched his trade mark lob over the advancing keeper to wrap up another important win.

Southside: Wylie, Erwin, Hamill, McCready, Allen, Graham, Williams, Hogg, Wilson, Corrigan, McNiece, McDowell, Wallace, Swan, R.Stewart