Not every field is lined with strawberries. A tough test it always was in prospect for Bangor in the BetMcLean League Cup with the 2nd-placed side in the Championship – and only off the top on goal difference – coming to town, and it lived up to that billing from the outset.
Annagh United secured progression into the second round of the competition, and sealed it quite handsomely. They struck twice unanswered in either half to put their name in the hat in a night of few upsets overall, showing their class and quality as well as why they are in the conversation for top-tier promotion.
It was a pleasant Tuesday evening, with relatively warm conditions before kick-off and a setting sun in the distance.
Ahead of a 7:45pm scheduled start, Lee Feeney rung the changes from the team involved in the shootout heartbreak against Cliftonville a week prior.
There were five alterations in all. A switch between the sticks saw usual first-choice James Taylor return for Marc Orbinson – fresh off making a slew of fantastic saves against the Reds – while Ryan Arthur, Seanna Foster, Dylan O’Kane and injury returnee Jamie Glover were re-introduced in place of David Hume, Ally Ferguson, Karl Devine and Ross Craig. All five to drop out of the starting side were named on the bench.
Questions were asked of whether the team would line up in the 3-1-4-2 shape Feeney started the season with or the 3-4-2-1 system on display last week. It proved to be the latter, with Glover and Tom Mathieson pushed up as advanced midfielders behind centre-most line-leader Jordan Hughes.
Following a two-minute silence in memory of Her Majesty The Queen, Bangor got the ball rolling to start the match.
Annagh’s philosophy was clear. They began with a formidable trident of Craig Taylor, Conor Mullen and Stephen Murray from left to right, relying on these three to lead the press. They matched up to a Bangor back-three of John Boyle – starting on the left side of defence for the first time having already played in the centre and right of the three and as a deep-lying midfielder – Arthur and Ryley D’Sena.
It was Mullen who had the first meaningful chance of the match on 12 minutes, aiming a side-footed distance effort towards the top right. It was plucked out of the air by Taylor and re-distributed from the back, with the Seasiders whether by design or necessity adopting a direct style of play from defence straight to the frontline.
Reece Neale, captaining the side as he did the previous week, and Foster were pushed high as wingbacks, and both tempted runs behind to receive.
Alas, this did not really bear fruit until Bangor were back-footed. On 16 minutes, the visitors took the lead. Lightning doesn’t strike twice with Mullen, a Team of the Season representative in the third-tier last term.
A deep free kick was sent in from the left, a floated delivery pinged into the box and a flicked-on header towards the back-stick was prodded home by the former Armagh City frontman. A man on a hot streak with four goals in five second-tier matches since moving up a division, he had already made his mark on this match in delivering from the left-hand post.
And no sooner were the Yellows re-adjusting to answer back from letting in their first goal in over 600 minutes of play than Annagh added their second.
Taylor swiftly doubled the score, slotting low into the bottom right past his namesake and the away team had a couple to their name in a 60-second span. Bangor had a mountain to climb, such is the challenge that conceding two in quick succession will always pose – and no less against a team with documented resilience and strength in seeing results through from both winning and losing positions.
Bangor caused a bit of anxiety among the Annagh backline on 25 minutes, when a lofted left-to-right switch by Arthur to Foster had Adam Glenny back-pedalling to his left.
The opposition defender won the header but almost collided with his own goalkeeper Eoin Hughes, causing the shot-stopper to spill the ball on the edge of his box before it was eventually cleared. This was one benefit of having high-berthed wingbacks, so that diagonals like these could be played cross-field and help in chance creation. Foster often found himself free and pushed up well.
A late frenzy from the 38th to 40th minutes saw three chances in quick succession. Firstly, an effective bit of left-sided pressing by Taylor sent the left winger scurrying towards goal with room to run. His left-footed attempt was high and almost scaled the Clandeboye Road stand, however.
Odhrán Smyth’s low shot a few moments later was closer to goal. It put Taylor into action, as the ex-Glenavon stopper parried nicely to tip the ball around his right-hand post. The resulting corner was dealt with, Bangor raced up the other end and Hughes’ cut-back from the left byline seemed to bobble precariously before the other Hughes in the Annagh goal dived low to smother in a pressure situation.
The half time whistle blew with Annagh two to the good at the half. Feeney and his troops had work to do in the second half.
Devine – on the day before his 27th birthday – was subbed on at the interval for Aaron Harris and made a positive impact as the action restarted.
The visitors didn’t miss much of a trick in their press. Where one line was passed, the next line was alert and it felt like every time a player in yellow and blue received to feet, there was an opponent in the immediate proximity to intervene.
That is where you want a little bit of resistance. The former Dundela midfielder was sharp last mid-week and turned away from pressure skilfully as soon as he entered the fray here.
He was a reliable ball-playing presence and helped Bangor have a bit more of a foothold to start the second 45.
Chances were still quite sparing throughout the first half-hour of this stanza, but the hosts probably had the best one of the spell on 53 minutes. A well-weighted ball behind by Neale set Mathieson in stride and in space, carrying infield and taking a few touches to line up a shot on his left or right foot before his attempt was charged down by the recovering defence.
In similar style to Hughes’ chance earlier – where ex-Ballyclare Comrades and Duns man Mathieson was closest to connecting to around the centre of the six-yard box – a cut-back across goal from the resulting corner was gathered by the Annagh keeper. The visitors will themselves testify having turned over three deficits to win in league play already this term, a one or two-goal lead can easily be cut.
It was a closer-contested period but Annagh turned up the heat once more come the turn of the final 10 minutes.
Their ball circulation reflected a side within a whisker of the Premiership last season. A lot of pace and tempo about their play, blended with sustained intensity off the ball. At no point would one say they were worn down or weary, even if it was a match where spells of goalscoring chances came more in short, sharp bursts rather than akin to a drawn-out siege.
On 81 minutes, they got their third. Cut-backs in build-up were a common theme of opportunities that did arise, and this one was no different.
Murray was sent behind from the left channel. The low cross along the box found an open Scott McCullough by the right back-stick, who struck underneath a sprawling Taylor from close range. The goalkeeper managed to get a touch on the ball but his legs were unable to divert its path away from the net. It was a clever bit of placement from the Annagh runner.
If not game over with that conversion, two minutes later it was. Murray – like Mullen, ex of Armagh City and a regular goal-getter at Holm Park – turned from provider to punisher, taking 57th-minute substitute Ben Eagle’s lay-off to poke low into an open net. A four-goal haul.
Bangor had one late chance for a consolation, after Paul Finnegan was penalised for a foul around 25 yards from goal. Devine and Neale discussed their plan to deny Hughes a clean sheet, with the midfielder gently rolling the ball for the on-pitch skipper to line a left-footed shot towards goal, however the left back’s first-time take rose just a little too high of the top left corner of the Clandeboye Road goal.
Coming in the last minute of regulation, it was the final meaningful act of the match. After one additional minute, referee Glenn Buchanan sounded his whistle to signal the game’s conclusion. Full time, 0-4 the scoreline.
| Other results | BetMcLean League Cup | ||
| Loughgall | 5 | 0 | Knockbreda |
| Ballyclare Comrades | 4* | 2 | Ballinamallard United |
| Warrenpoint Town | 1 | 0 | Newington |
| Portadown | 5 | 0 | Armagh City |
| Dungannon Swifts | 3 | 0 | Queen’s University |
| Limavady United | 0 | 0** | Newry City |
| Glenavon | 6 | 0 | Dollingstown |
| Carrick Rangers | 5 | 0 | Banbridge Town |
| Larne | 5 | 1 | Lisburn Distillery |
| Coleraine | 4 | 0 | Dergview |
| Dundela | 2 | 1 | Crusaders |
| H&W Welders | 0 | 3 | Cliftonville |
| Moyola Park | 1 | 5 | Linfield |
| Glentoran | 7 | 0 | Institute |
The mood among the camp post-match was despondent. A sense of acceptance that, while the opponents gave a formidable account on the night, there was and is room for improvement on some fronts.
However, resting on the negatives doesn’t get anyone anywhere, and in his post-match reflections, Ethan Boylan – returning to the pitch as a 65th-minute introduction off the bench for his first Bangor appearance since the 5-0 Premier Intermediate League opening victory over Lisburn Distillery – was keen to emphasise that they will look on the bright side.
“I guess you’ve got to take the positives out of it,” the experienced striker explained.
“We were maybe on a bit of a high after the Cliftonville match and this has brought us back down again.
“It shows maybe a wee gulf in class, they’re at the top end of the Championship and we’re a division below, so we know there’s work to be done.
“(Annagh) knocked the ball about really well and it was tough to keep up with it.
“We’re trying to knock the ball to a guy who’s five foot seven (Jordan Hughes) up against three big centre-halves, so that’s always going to be a tough ask.
“Yeah, I think as long as you learn from it, that’s the most important thing.”
Amid the very raw emotions that come with a defeat, the positives may not always be immediately clear.
Looking back, Bangor didn’t give in. They kept trying to attack, not sitting back scared. There was a willingness at times to play out of a press in defence and midfield, even if it was a little more out of the comfort zone. In the second half, there were some good attempts of passing interchanges, and it was not like the team were totally bereft of chances. Annagh’s conviction in taking theirs reflects Feeney’s spoken belief that his side can be more ruthless in front of goal, however.
It is still early in the season and the team will grow. Sometimes there is a silver lining behind these sorts of results, highlighting particular areas to develop that can be tailored into training.
Moreover, the Yellows can make an immediate bounce-back when Strabane Athletic make the long journey southeast in the Irish Cup second round on Saturday (1:30pm kick-off).
The priority in the cups is to make it at least until the new year in Ireland’s oldest trophy competition, while progressing deep into the Steel and Sons Cup and Intermediate Cup tournaments. The re-scheduled date of the second round Steel and Sons tie with Belfast Celtic – postponed in line with all other football-related events last weekend as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty – is still to be confirmed.
Last season, it was also a first round exit in this competition, as a Cathair Friel hat-trick saw Coleraine home 0-5 at Clandeboye Park. It may be easy to say in hindsight but there are bigger fish at this club’s level to fry. You want to keep them to a minimum but you are bound to have one or two bad days at the office at the season.
In football, more urgent priorities always lie in wait. For that reason, it is best not to dwell the past and react with a win as quickly as possible.
Featured image from Life Through A Lens NI.
- It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorderA penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to… Read more: It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
- Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and familiesLet’s get a basic fact of life out of the way first – no one likes a price hike. No one likes a price hike in the same way that no one likes paying taxes, bills, debts, insurance and other such necessary… Read more: Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families
- How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goalChanges to the intermediate football sphere in Northern Ireland have long been touted and, going by the Irish FA’s latest update on the topic, closer than ever to coming to fruition. From the 2026-27 campaign, a new ‘Conference Layer’ will be in… Read more: How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal
- Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United greatThere’s been a change in priorities for Ballymena United during recent years – albeit not necessarily the type supporters would’ve perhaps wanted. In 2019, the Braidmen were the second best team in the Irish League. Runners-up behind Linfield that year, and just… Read more: Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great
- Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league gloryFinally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways… Read more: Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Football Chatters 
Leave a comment