Manager: Geordie Falloon
Current League Position: 4th 
BCFC RESERVES 1 V CARRICK RANGERS RESERVES 0
The Comrades reserves started this game as favorites after winning four out of their last five games and were only recently beaten by a strong Coleraine side.
Carrick on the other hand went into the game losing four out of four, conseding 22 and only scoring one.
The match started at a resonable high tempo and match conditions didn't help with a strong wind and the rain pelting down on the Dixon Park Pitch. The Comrades looked bright and up to make amends for the defeat from Coleraine and could of went ahead in the 22 minute. A neat ball through from Neil Lewis saw Ronald Burns come close on his weak side. This seem to give the Comrades the confedence that they lacked in front of goal in the previous game and nearly went ahead on numerous occasions. Two good efforts from teenager Burns saw the keeper twice struggle across his goal only to see the ball just go wide of his post.
Carrick didn't create to many chances but their energetic strikers kept the Ballyclare defence on their toes until the half time whistle.
Again the second half started quite brightly but this time it was Carrick who had the edge and came close to taking the lead. A mistake by the home defence saw their arch rivals graze the upright. With the conditions getting worse, the game turned quite scrappy and no team creating many clear cut chances but in the 75 th minute it was the home team who took the lead after a goal mouth scrap. The ball fell to young Paul McCord who took his chance well and the ball skidded agonisingly under the keepers hands.
With 15 minutes left, Carrick got into the game again and made keeper make some spectacular saves but the home team managed to hang on to the win.
27th October, 2000
Coleraine Showgrounds
Ballyclare Comrades 2 V 2 Coleraine FC
This game started with Coleraine the favorites after having successfully beating Ballyclare Comrades reserves 2-0 just a couple of weeks before. This time Coleraine had home advantage.
Ballyclare dominated the first 20 minutes of the game and made premiership side Coleraine look like a normal side.
There was an early exit for Paul McCord after being blatantly being tackled from behind which didnt even end with a yellow card being shown.
This gave substitute Iain Pinkerton to show manager George Falloon what he could do.
With solid defending by Gary Burns and Evan Forsythe at centre back, the Ballyclare lads were laid with a great solid foundation at the back and the two full backs of Andy Forsythe and Paul Caldwell who were outstanding all night.
The first real chance of the game was made by the away side when Neil Lewis found Ronald Burns down the right hand flank who whipped in a first time cross but unfortunately Gary Bell failed to connect with the ball and the keeper gladly gathered up.
Against the run of play, a ball was unsuccessfully cleared at the back of the reds defence and Coleraines centre forward scored with a spectulative lob over dynamic goalkeeper Jason McCauley who could do nothing about it.
This seemed to settle the reds a bit, and they again started to pick up the pace. With good Coleraine goalkeeping, this meant that the reds had to go into the dressing room at half time one nil down.
The second half started as it stopped in the first, with Ballyclare causing problems down the left hand side of midfield with Andy Forsythe outstanding playing balls into the path of Burns to run at the unstable Coleraine defence.
Finally Ballyclare got the deserved equaliser when a first tome ball from Andy Forsythe was met by the run of Burns who stepped inside the defender to rattle in the equaliser with thanks to a slight deflection over the keepers head.
The Ballyclare boys were now firing on all cylinders and it wasn't long before they took the lead.
Ronald Burns chased a ball which looked like a lost cause but his speed took him past the centre back who fouled him after being miles away from the ball.
The resulting free kick saw Stuart McClean score his first goal in a number of years. The goalkeeper went up for what looked like an easy catch but the ball seemed to slip away from his reach and the ball most importantly ended up in the back of the net. Most people in the stadium could of saw themselves that Stuart doesnt score very often after his celebrations on the sidelines with delighted manager George Falloon.
But they was yet another twist in the tale when Gary Burns had to come off injured but after using all three subs, Ballyclare had to play ten minutes with ten men.
A Coleraine corner was stroked in and goalkeeper McAuley failed to hold and Coleraine undeservadly scored the equaliser.
All night Ballyclare Comrades caused the home team problems and this was noted by Coleraines first team manager who spoke highly of the talented reds after the match.
"Even though the reds couldnt hold on to the win, they should all be delighted with what I am sure is our best performance ever" quoted manager Falloon.
From Goalkeeper McAuley to striker Burns, the whole team were magnificiant from first to final whistle and will take this confidence and pride into there next game against Cliftonville at Solitude.
Thursday 7th December, 2000
Inver Park,
Larne.
Kick Off 7.30 pm
Larne Reserves 1 V BCFC Reserves 3
This game started off quite scrappy and didnt get much better until an excellent second half by Ballyclare.
The young side hadn't had a a game in over a month and it took a while for the goals to come but eventually they did with a big help coming from man of the match and skipper Gary Burns.
The only real highlight that the Ballyclare boys could take from the first half was when Timmy Adamson played Ronald Burns down the right hand side and, Burns cut inside the Larne defence and blasted unluckily against the upright.
With a new formation, the Ballyclare boys who played in white, started to come into the game from the start of the second half.
Andy Forsythe was causing problems to the Larne side with his first tome balls down the touchline into the path of strikers Ronald Burns and Ian Pinkerton, but it took changes from manager George Falloon to get the whites there first goal.
Ryan Beattie who played his first game for the reserves having come on as substitute, whipped in a delightful free kick and with the keeper punching badly, skipper Burns cooly headed home past McIroy.
It only took 17 minutes for the Ballyclare side to take the lead. Andy Forsythe who adapted well to his centre back role, play yet another great ball down the line and Ronald Burns used his pace to race clear of the defence. He knocked the ball past the challenge of the Larne right back and blasted past McIroy, with the ball going in off the underside of the bar.
The last goal came 7 minutes from time when yet another substitute, Steven Elliott, scoring his first of the season with the help of a deflection off striker Burns, which sent the Larne keeper the wrong way.
All in all it was a much better second half performance and the whites took there first away win of the season and moved up to second place in the table.
Line Up
1. Paul Hughes 6/10
2. Evan Forsythe 6/10
3. Andy Forsythe 7/10
4. Gary Burns 9/10 (1)
5. Timmy Adamson 6/10
6. Gary Bell 7/10
7. Neil Lewis 6/10
8. Steven Bainbridge 5/10
9. Paul McCord 6/10
10. Ian Pinkerton 6/10
11. Ronald Burns 7/10 (1)
12. Steven Elliott 6/10 (1)
14. Ryan Beattie 7/10
15. Stephen Hughes 6/10
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