Bangor’s trip to Glen Road Heights on Saturday to face Belfast Celtic proved a fruitful one. Manager Lee Feeney explained in advance that no chances would be taken with a strong starting team laid out, keeping his word ahead of a tie that always could have proved a banana skin had the side let their guard down.
In the end, a couple of second half strikes by the Seasiders’ strike-pair yielded an away win to nil and safe passage to the Steel and Sons Cup last-16. With a visit to the same venue at the month’s end in the Irish Cup third round, the Yellows got a taster of what threats the hosts pose, but they will have left relieved to have averted a cup-set.
What started off as a wet and damp day dried up, rain clouds clearing and the sun shining through to add warmth to the climate. The grass pitch soaked the rain well to give a slick look to the surface, with quite the backdrop to admire stretching as far as the distant Mourne Mountains.
It was a background panorama that a buoyant Seasiders faithful hoped would be matched by the goings-on of a potentially heated battle in the foreground. To try to make this so, Feeney made two alterations to the team that started last week’s 1-1 draw at Ballymacash Rangers in the Premier Intermediate League.
In entered Jamie Glover – an unused substitute in the clash in west Lisburn – in place of Tom Mathieson, while Adam Neale was rewarded for his 94th-minute debut equaliser at the Bluebell with a first start for the club. He replaced Scott McArthur, who was not included in the matchday squad, while Mathieson was named as one of five subs.
In the opposition selection, it was surprising to see star striker Brendan Glackin named to the bench. There was still suitable pedigree in the side though, including ex-Premiership striker Darren Murray, and ex-Bangor duo Paul McLaughlin and Dylan Snoddon featured in goal and at right back respectively.
Referee Stuart McFarland kicked the match off two minutes after the scheduled 2pm start time, with Belfast Celtic getting the ball rolling.
The match took time to hit a flowing vein but a point of controversy arose on 18 minutes. Glover was sent down the left channel, receiving in stride and making an enterprising foray into the box.
He looked to have been upended as a recovering Celtic defender slid in, cueing voracious and vocal appeals from the travelling support, but McFarland signalled for play to continue rather than pointing to the spot.
Despite this contentious call – the fan outcry looked to be justifiable on the first viewing – Bangor did not let it prove a distraction.
On 24 minutes, from that same inside left zone, McLaughlin was called into action and was more than up to the task.
Cutting across to his stronger right foot, Ben Arthurs drew a fine stop from the ex-Glentoran youngster as he beat his low effort away with his legs. The rebound fell to Glover who took his turn to fire, but the shot-stopper – who made his senior Glens debut at 17 and signed for the Seasiders on loan in October 2020 – reacted well to parry the ex-Ards man’s shot around the left post.
12 minutes later, Arthurs was sent behind once more. The senior Neale was not just limited to a central position, regularly pulling the left to take and cut inside or supply a runner, and he did so here with a well-weighted pass to his strike partner.
The in-form fan favourite turned the defender inside and out, striking with his left foot this time, but McLaughlin sent the Kircubbin ace’s shot behind for another flag-kick.
The 21-year-old, unfortunate to join ahead of a season that never was, was showcasing his merits. Clear-cut chances came at a premium in the first half, but Bangor limited Celtic to little in creation while Karl Devine and Lewis Harrison offered stability in midfield. It is always a case of burying your goal-looks when you get them, however.
The half time whistle blew with the score unchanged. It remained goalless, but from a visiting viewpoint there had hitherto not been too much cause for alarm.
A front-footed start to the second stanza would have allayed nerves early. Feeney left his starting panel unaltered, and was not to be left disappointed.
An enterprising right-sided attack resulted in a floated ball into the box by Seanna Foster, though the Cliftonville loanee’s delivery was a little too close to McLaughlin. That was within 60 seconds of the restart.
Another 60 seconds later and the Seasiders were in front – and for all the impressive work the Celtic shot-stopper had done, this moment he will not want to relive.
Adam Neale took nicely and struck a low goal-bound shot from about 20 yards. The keeper got down to save but parried rather than claimed, spilling only into Arthurs’ path and the striker was alert to convert from a few yards out. First to react, he slotted low underneath McLaughlin’s body and side-footed into the back of the net from the right-hand post.
Now that there was a goal in the game, there was a lead to defend. You never want to rest on just the one.
On 55 minutes, a left-footed delivery by Reece Neale found an advanced Ryan Arthur, moving inbound from the back-stick. The centre back got a clean headed effort at goal, evading his marker and making use of his renowned aerial ability, however he directed it just the wrong side of the right post.
Celtic called James Taylor into meaningful action when the seasoned shot-stopper had to tip Denver Taggart’s right-footed curler over the top of the bar.
That attempt came shortly before Glackin took his spot in the frontline as a 73rd-minute substitute. Fresh from a hat-trick against Maiden City in the Irish Cup which helped set up the second meet of the sides on the 29th October, with a player of his goalscoring pedigree on the pitch Bangor knew they would have wanted to add a second sooner rather than later.
On 75 minutes, the visitors almost did so. Reece Neale’s left-sided throw found Arthur, up once more, and the ex-Ballyclare Comrades feature flicked on for his near-namesake Arthurs to fire at goal. His low shot was denied by McLaughlin but only back to Arthur, searching for his third goal of the season, but the returnee mainstay’s effort was high over the bar.
The Seasiders weren’t left to lick their wounds though. On 78 minutes, this blooded-in link-up between Arthurs and Neale continued to captivate, with the former drawing two Celtic defenders towards him to free space for the latter to ghost in at goal unsighted.
Arthurs’ flick-on put his partner in at an off-his-line McLaughlin, with the ex-Rathfriland star knocking the ball beyond the keeper to tap into an open net. He rescued an initial heavy touch to divert home from a fairly acute angle for his second goal in as many games.
A two-goal lead and a bit of breathing space. On 81 minutes, Feeney made a double-sub as Dylan O’Kane and Aaron Harris replaced Devine and Glover to add a bit more security to the middle of the park.
Belfast Celtic never lost belief, though. Glackin made his presence felt from his introduction until the end, and was within a whisker of halving the deficit as his close-range header edged agonisingly wide of the bottom left corner. O’Kane responded with a distance attempt on 83 minutes, which was safely claimed by McLaughlin from around 30 yards out.
On 84 minutes, a frantic sequence in the box almost yielded a deficit-cutter once more. A cross was sent into from the right, two Celtic players in the box facing goal-bound with a couple more recovering Seasiders in the box trying to clear. Eventually a goal-bound attempt was made, Anthony McGonnell directing towards the bottom right, but Taylor got low to claim despite deflecting the other way off Murray on the ground. A merciful end to a wild sequence, while appeals for a spot-kick from the hosts were also waved away by McFarland and the ball was definitively cleared.
From then, Bangor saw proceedings out. The intent was simply to keep the ball as far away from their own goal as possible, with several hoofed clearances seen to either set up a counter or simply rid the danger.
An eighth clean sheet in 10 matches was successfully retained. McFarland blew after three minutes of added time. Two-nil to the Yellows it finished.
| Other results (select) | S&S Cup R3 (1st October) | ||
| Lisburn Distillery | 1 | 2 | Glentoran II |
| Albert Foundry | 5 | 1 | Glebe Rangers |
| Ballymacash Rangers | 4 | 1 | Derriaghy CC |
| Wellington Rec | 4 | 3 | Linfield Swifts |
| Comber Rec | 5 | 0 | Crusaders U20 |
| Lower Maze | 3 | 3 | Ballymena Utd Reserves* |
What does this mean going forward, then? In the Steel and Sons Cup, Bangor already knew they would play one of Lisburn Distillery or Glentoran IIs if they secured victory on Saturday, and a 1-2 Glens win in Ballyskeagh means the east Belfast side’s reserves and record champions of the tournament will be the outfit’s next foes.
That last-16 tie takes place three weeks from now on the 22nd October. In the near future meanwhile, the Seasiders host Armagh City in their fifth Premier Intermediate League fixture this Saturday 8th October, where they will hope to take this feelgood factor into a clash against a team still to record their first goals and points of the league campaign.
Elsewhere, among the academy, there were positive results for the Under-13 SBYL side, who defeated Bangor YM 5-0, and the Under-14s, fresh from seeing off Carrick Rangers 1-0. The Under-17s drew 2-2 with Holywood Youth.
Meanwhile, the Under-12 side fell to a narrow 1-0 loss against Portavogie Rangers, while the Under-15s were just on the wrong side of a five-goal thriller with the same opposition where they were beaten 2-3. The Under-11s lost to Carnmoney, while the Under-13 NL team left empty-handed against Glenavon to round things off.
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