A scrappy affair with the weather having an effect saw Ardattin’s poor run continue with Castle Rangers earning a hard fought point away from home. Ardattin started strong and were dominant for long periods of the first half but it was Castle who had the first chance of the game when Jason Kehoe saw his over head kick whistle past the Ardattin post. Ardattin’s Will Doran was unlucky when his header flew over the bar in the 6th minute. Good defending by Castle kept Ardattin at bay but the warning signs were there when Griffin Kennedy was unlucky not to score on 16 minutes after a great cross in by Philip Smithers. Rangers had their best chance on the half hour mark from a long throw in, which fell kindly to a Castle player where he smashed the ball just over the bar. Good work from Liam Whelan saw Ardattin go 1-0 up right on half time when his deflected shot found its way into the bottom corner.

The second half was again a very scrappy affair, with both teams having their fair share of possession but neither able to capitalise on it. Castle’s Gary Murphy had a great chance on the hour mark only to be denied by the Ardattin keeper. The Rangers keeper pulled off a great save from Liam Whelan’s overhead kick just after the hour mark to keep the score at 1-0. Rangers upped the pressure for the last half hour and Alan Joyce had to be at his best in goal to keep out a few shots. Rangers pressure paid off in the 83rd minute when Stephen Preston smashed home from close range to level the game at 1-1. Ardattin had a late winner disallowed in the 88th minute, Michael Browns strike ruled out for pushing inside the box.

The game finished 1-1 which overall was probably a fair result. Ardattin will be disappointed that there title charge is fizzling out while Castle will be satisfied with the point on the road. Best for Castle were Eddie Davis, Rory Mcdonald and Stephen Preston.