The County Antrim Shield is Bangor’s port of call now, as the visit of Cliftonville beckons in a 16-strong first round. While it is a competition perhaps lower down the list of priorities for teams like the Reds compared to the Premiership and the Irish Cup, it is still a trophy rich in history and has stood the test of time. It is an honour teams want to win as the quest to stop a Larne three-peat begins.
The Seasiders undeniably go in as underdogs against last term’s marginal runners-up in the top flight. On paper, it is the toughest test of the month – but the momentum generated from positive results so far can spur on a spirited performance.
At this rate, it feels of late like these two teams have got to know each other pretty well.
The teams clashed at Solitude in last year’s Shield quarter-finals, where goals from Gerard McMullan and Ryan Arthur either side of half time had Bangor dreaming.
0-2 up with an hour played, fans and players daring to dream. Alas, those dreams were dashed in the final half-hour as the hosts introduced Joe Gormley to the action. You expect goals when a player nicknamed ‘The Goal’ is in the fray, and Cliftonville bounced back with four unanswered strikes – including two from the Ardoyne hero himself – to win.
Meanwhile, back when the Seasiders were a second-tier side in 2015, they met the Reds in the final. Overseen by the late Tommy Breslin, Ireland’s oldest football club prevailed on that occasion too, with an early Jude Winchester strike enough to secure a 1-0 win and Cliftonville’s 10th triumph in this competition.
“We made hard work of it and the conditions were not the best but at least we have a trophy in the cabinet and we have something to show for the season already,” said Breslin post-match on the manner in which his side won the trophy.
The Yellows’ involvement was actually the last time a non-Premiership side competed in the showpiece. The Shield includes seven top-tier teams – Linfield, Cliftonville, Glentoran, Crusaders, Ballymena United, Carrick Rangers and the successive defending champion Invermen – so this looks quite the feat on reflection.
The sides also played in a non-competitive encounter this summer. A friendly match under amicable conditions at Solitude which saw the hosts prevail 4-0, as a familiar foe of the Seasiders in Ronan Hale struck twice to put seal on a result that maybe does not highlight a display with plus points aplenty for Lee Feeney’s lot.
There seems to be something about playing Cliftonville that just makes the team bring their ‘A’ game. And now there is this latest match-up. Both teams enter having enjoyed good starts to their seasons since the return of proper stakes action.
After suffering a 3-1 defeat at a high-flying Coleraine in their Premiership opener, Cliftonville have won four on the spin.
They overcame Carrick Rangers, Ballymena United, Dungannon Swifts and Portadown, albeit have often relied on their attacking arsenal to get them over the line in their matches to date.
They are yet to keep a clean sheet in any competitive outing this season. Supporters believe Paddy McLaughlin’s current system can be cut through, that it is too open-spaced in midfield which is the reason why their games have generally been so end-to-end. Injuries have also probably played a part. At the same time, the philosophy allows so much attacking freedom that the quality they have at the top end means they have been able to these games through, however some stronger tests lie in wait that will put them to the mettle.
They have also had to re-adjust in some quarters. With attack-minded left back and fan favourite Levi Ives an injury absentee, traditional centre back Luke Turner – an initial loan signing made permanent over the summer – has been called on to fill this void. They did complete the signing of Aaron Traynor on deadline day however, who is a left back by trade, with the 32-year-old’s arrival from Coleraine likely allowing arguably the league’s best under-21 defender in Turner to slot back into his preferred role.
Traynor was the last new arrival in a window that included Hale, Turner (permanently), midfielder Stephen Mallon who signed from Bohemians and goalkeeping duo Fynn Talley on loan from Brighton and Nathan Gartside from Derry City.
Much has been made of a perceived lack of depth in the fullback berths. In this case, one fullback arrived as another went with right back Seanna Foster joining Bangor on a season-long loan last Wednesday.
Foster debuted as a starter in the 3-0 Premier Intermediate League win over Dollingstown on Saturday, playing the full match in entirety from right wingback.
Highly-rated by Reds supporters for his energy, work-rate, intensity and all-round ability to contribute in attack and defence, the recommendations were true to word in that victory.
He is also trained in one of the most fluid build-up systems in Northern Irish football that McLaughlin has instilled in his time with Cliftonville. They may be a part-time club but their ethos is very much professional, with lots of movement involved and a shape that is never really set in stone. It demands players be at the top of their physical game throughout training and matches. You can sense that in Foster.
While views have been made known of the Shield’s relevance from the Premiership perspective, from a third-tier point of view – especially given the smaller amount of league fixtures – there are comparatively fewer qualms.
It may not be the most attainable piece of silverware when almost half of the clubs participating are in the Premiership – including all of last season’s top five – but at this stage where there are breaks between Premier Intermediate League fixtures, it is a valuable opportunity to allow players to decisively build up their season mileage.
Three full weeks separate Bangor’s weekend win over the Dollybirds to their next league fixture at Ballymacash Rangers.
At this level, you don’t want to have to get used to gaping holes in the schedule, with two or three weeks’ waiting for the next league match. You want to fill your mid-weeks with cup involvement, which for team with a large squad like the Seasiders is important purely for having licence to rotate and giving every team member a chance. Honours on the line will also never not be a motivating factor.
This is the first of four cup matches in a row for Bangor. Afterwards, there is the Steel and Sons Cup third round match at Belfast Celtic, the League Cup first round tie at home to Annagh United and the Irish Cup second stage clash with Strabane Athletic.
Going forward, six-match months are what the club, the board, the players and the supporters all want.
The Yellows enter with wind in their sails. Where Cliftonville – of course at a higher level – are still to keep a competitive clean sheet, the hosts are yet to concede a goal and have flooded the opposition net with 19 in five in the ‘for’ column.
But you can also make the case that the Reds have scored in all but one of their competitive outings. They are also only surpassed by Coleraine in the top-tier with 12 league goals for.
Memories are still fresh of Hale – who joined up with older brother Rory this summer – smashing in four for Larne at Clandeboye Park to eliminate Bangor from the Irish Cup in January of this year.
And adding to the two he got in that pre-season friendly, he has already opened his account in Europe with a sublime finish in Slovakia against D.A.C. 1904 in July. He also has two Premiership goals this term, including a bicycle kick after just 7.92 seconds to set the ball rolling for their thrilling 3-2 win over Carrick at Solitude in game two.
Ryan Curran has also been rich on the goal front, with four finishes to mark himself as the club’s early top goalscorer. Only Coleraine’s Matthew Shevlin, who has seven, has out-scored him after five matchdays.
For Bangor meanwhile, Ben Arthurs will be hoping to keep up his track record of scoring in every game this season. The long-standing main marksman has six goals in all competitions, including a brace at the weekend. Jamie Glover’s tidy close-range finish interluded the Kircubbin man’s close-range couple to bring his season tally to four in five matches. The ex-Ards flyer has been a valuable goal outlet from midfield and is a box of tricks to boot.
It would also be remiss not to talk about the teams’ past glories in the Shield, a 134-year-old tournament that has stood the test of time.
Bangor are three-time winners, tasting success in the 1969-70, 1974-75 and 1988-89 editions. Cliftonville have lifted that large circular ‘bin lid’ on 11 occasions – five of which have came since the turn of the millennium.
The particularly climactic nature of the centenary edition 1989 Shield victory, with defeat of Glentoran in extra time thanks to George Gibson’s extra time header that surely contributed to John Flanagan winning the Manager of the Season accolade for that year, still lives in the memory of those of a certain age among the Bangor faithful.
While it may not hold the same status now as it did then, perhaps due to the fact that it does not contribute to European football and the heightening windfall that comes with it like the Premiership and Irish Cup do, a trophy is a trophy – and any trophy should be savoured.
The Reds will have an eye on a crunch Friday clash at home to Glentoran where if they win, they will at least provisionally top the table.
It is reasonable to think McLaughlin may save some of his big guns for that sell-out affair at Solitude. In that sense, it is beneficial that he would give some of his squad players minutes in the same way Bangor’s continued involvement in the cups would allow Feeney the same luxury. Perhaps the Glens – who host fellow third-tier side Lisburn Distillery – will do similar.
A competitive outing against a Premiership team can bring the best out of you.
The euphoria around Clandeboye Park when Bangor bested Niall Currie’s Carrick in the League Cup, a stunning 5-3 extra time win in August 2019, was unforgettable to cite a recent example. The atmosphere under the floodlights that day after seeing the Amber Army off was simply bouncing.
Even if Bangor don’t win, the players will relish the challenge and be the better for it. If they do win… well, don’t bank on any home fan at Clandeboye keeping schtum their ecstasy.
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