Harland and Wolff Welders v Ards

3pm  11 December 2021

Northern Ireland Football League, Championship
Harland and Wolff Welders 2 Ards 1 (att 230)

Harland and Wolff Welders have moved a few yards along Holywood Road, from Tillysburn Park to a rebuilt Blanchflower Stadium, requiring a trip to Belfast for me to recomplete the Northern Irish league.

A new build with an artificial pitch often results in an underwhelming experience, but the Welders' new home bucks the trend. It looks to have been designed to be suitable should the club be promoted to the top flight.

They're in the mix this season, and did their chances no harm with an excellent win against fellow promotion challengers Ards. Harland and Wolff's opener was against the run of play, and was the only goal of an enjoyable first half.

I'd expected Ards, cheered on by at least half the crowd, to hit back after the break, but it was the home side who scored next, doubling their lead soon after the restart. Ards fans had hope when they got a goal back with 12 minutes left, but they couldn't manage an equaliser.

The Blanchflower Stadium has stands on all four sides, three of them seated. The main stand, unusually situated behind the goal, also houses changing rooms and hospitality. Behind the opposite goal is a low stand transported from their old ground.

There are more seats in a stand on the near side touchline, while on the far side there's a steeply-stepped covered terrace. It's a step up from Tillysburn Park, which was very basic when I visited in 2009. Ards, homeless for around 20 years, will have looked at it enviously.