As English scouting interest grows

Hamilton (right) himself was dismissed from the dugout in the first half, after he threw a chair in anger when Sykes was booked for simulation.

Hamilton said: “Yes, I threw the chair but I didn’t hit anybody or hurt anybody. It’s not the first time that referee has sent me off for something silly.”

Ards manager Colin Nixon said: “It’s a frustrating day for us.

“We had a man advantage for over half the game, but we actually played better when they had 11 men on the pitch.

“I told the boys at half-time to get on the ball and keep possession, which we didn’t do.

“We didn’t have a significant chance in the second half, which is very disappointing. “Then we conceded two poor goals. The first goal was really poor and it killed us. As a group, we have to learn from these mistakes. That was a massive opportunity to take three points and it slipped past us.”

ARDS: Hogg, Glendinning (Byers, 52 mins), Taylor, Elebert, Ruddy, McMillen, Cherry, Tommons, McAllister (McArthur, 61 mins), Mitchell (McComb, 77 mins), McLellan. Unused subs: Hanley, Kelly,

GLENAVON: Tuffey, Marshall, Marron, Doyle, Singleton, Burns (Jenkins, 90 mins) McGrory, Sykes, Daniels, Griffin (Foley, 60 mins), Mitchell (Norton, 78 mins). Unused subs: O’Mahoney, Patton.

Man of the match: Mark Sykes

Match rating: 7/10

Referee: Keith Kennedy (Lisburn)