It was a five-star display by Bangor in the Premier Intermediate League this Saturday, as a fourth win in five matches in the Northern Irish third-tier was secured after a thumping 5-0 victory over Shea Campbell’s Armagh City at Clandeboye Park. Four second half strikes in particular inspired the Seasiders to the summit due to a slightly superior goal difference over Ballymacash Rangers, with the teams still tied on 13 points.
This authoritative effort followed a lot of positive season trends and is the third time in all competitions that the Yellows have dispatched an opponent by a five-goal margin of victory or more. Much of the cutting edge manager Lee Feeney has craved was on show up top.
There was not much clue of what to expect from the weather pre-match. A downpour threatened at points, while the sun’s sharp glare poked through the clouds at others.
Thankfully, the rain held off for the afternoon’s duration and the playing surface remained dry, just apt for a spot of Saturday football as this. Only naturally the Seasiders entered as favourites due not only to their league position but also the home setting, but you can never take any game in any competition for granted.
In Feeney’s team selection, there were a handful of alterations from last week’s 0-2 away win over Belfast Celtic in the Steel and Sons Cup third round the previous Saturday.
Two of the changes were enforced. Centre back Ryan Arthur and first-choice goalkeeper James Taylor both picked up minor injuries in mid-week, and were replaced in the side respectively by injury returnee himself Ryley D’Sena and the impressive Marc Orbinson.
The third and final adjustment saw Scott McArthur return to the start after missing the tie at Glen Road Heights, with top scorer Ben Arthurs somewhat surprisingly named on the bench. There was also a first senior squad inclusion for teenage goalkeeper Scott Mashal, whose displays for the Under-18s last season earned rave recognition.
Referee Stewart Long – who also officiated the Seasiders’ last home league match, a 3-0 win over Dollingstown at the start of September – led the teams out in good time for kick-off to be done at 3pm on the button.
The hosts made their presence felt early. Shooting towards the Clandeboye Road end in the first half, the first chance arrived on four minutes when Reece Neale struck from distance. He had cut inside from the left and of late has been using his lesser-associated right foot more, but on this occasion narrowly missed the mark as he eyed the bottom left corner.
Around 60 seconds later, McArthur forayed into the box from the right and fired goal-bound from around six yards out, but Armagh goalkeeper Connor Byrne met it well to parry. It almost found an off-balance Adam Neale – aiming to keep up his record of scoring in every match since joining the Seasiders – though the Eagles cleared before he could connect. A few minutes later, the ex-Stirling University attacker had another go from further out, however he dragged his attempt a handful of yards wide of the left post.
Thereafter, it felt like the game hit a lull. Clear-cut chances came at a premium but possession was being traded and the match had evened out. It is a dangerous game-state to be in for either team, and in need of one outfit to break the ice and assert (or re-assert) control.
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With 24 minutes played, that ice-breaker arrived. Not that there wasn’t a dispute over who touched it last before it trickled over the line!
McArthur’s press from a long ball set up the chance as he ran down the right channel. The summer returnee out-muscled his opponent near the byline and cut back to an open Adam Neale, and while the recent arrival from Rathfriland Rangers had his goal-bound shot blocked on the line by Armagh’s Jack Clarke, Jamie Glover had the easy task of rolling in the rebound into a practically open goal from a couple of yards out.
A review of the footage confirmed that it counts as 21-year-old Glover’s fifth strike of the season in all competitions, and fourth in the PIL.
Curiously, Glover seems to find his finishing touch when Long is the man in the middle. He’s been the ref for each of the left-footer’s last four finishes.
Such an omen did not seem to favour the elder Neale brother on 31 minutes. For the second time, Clarke’s goal-line interventions stopped the Intermediate Cup-winning line-leader putting his name on the scoresheet, as a low cross by an advanced David Hume to the right and an astute flick-on from Seanna Foster fed him in. The striker – a 40-goal hero of Rathfriland last term – hit low, but the defender’s positioning was on-point to deny him with Byrne but a bystander.
One additional minute was played before Long signalled the stanza’s conclusion. Bangor were a goal to the good and controlled proceedings after netting the opener.
You never want to rest on a one-goal lead, however. Such an advantage is fragile in any circumstance, and Feeney would have signalled to his troops over the interval to embark on a clinical second half to make the points secure.
In actuality, that is exactly what the Seasiders chief got.
On 54 minutes, that one-goal cushion became two. A right-sided throw-in cued a scramble in the box, a well-timed press set up Adam Neale to have a go, and while his shot on the turn was blocked by the defender’s shin, the rebound fell to Hume who stroked in for his first of the season.
“For the goals the team just combined really well”
Ryley D’Sena
Feeney rolled the dice on 63 minutes with a triple substitution. Off went McArthur, Karl Devine and Glover, and on entered Jordan Hughes, Dylan O’Kane and Aaron Harris. Therefore, for a manager not best known for making early subs, he had already used four of his allotted five changes as Ally Ferguson had earlier replaced Foster on 50 minutes.
Four minutes later, the lead extended to three unanswered, and finally Adam had what he had been hunting for.
Midfielder O’Kane played a big part in the build-up, with a well-judged press to win the ball high on the left. He then backheeled it into Reece Neale, who had underlapped him, and the fan-favourite delivered on his familiar left foot towards the back-stick where his brother was lying in wait. Strikers live off goals and Adam side-footed with the ball still in mid-air to find the top right corner. A top-order finish not many could pull off despite the closeness to goal.
On 69 minutes, Neale was denied a swift second as he got behind the Armagh defence, but Byrne beat his centred effort convincingly away.
While two minutes after that, Orbinson earned his money’s worth with a flying stop to keep Bangor’s clean sheet intact. The ball swerved but the shot-stopper showed cat-like reflexes to re-adjust his posture and tip it away from goal having hitherto barely been called on.
And on 73 minutes, on the hosts’ next attack, Neale delivered to make it four. Reece, that is.
Two brothers from Ballynahinch doing damage on the seaside, hence why “double trouble” feels like an apt descriptor.
The intent appeared to be an inswinging cross, but as it evaded both Hughes and the older Neale in the box, Reece’s take increasingly resembled a cross-come-shot. Whatever it was, it caught the Holm Park adversaries flat-footed and the ball nestled nicely in the bottom right of the Hawthorne Court end. Four-nil, the vice-captain’s third of the term and first since his brace at Greenisland in the Steel and Sons in mid-August.
The last of the Yellows’ subs was conducted on 77 minutes, with Ross Craig replacing ever-dependable skipper Lewis Harrison. It meant Arthurs – a player with eight goals and five assists across all competitions – got a full rest.
And no sooner had one alteration had been made than another was contributing to the Seasiders’ fifth and final goal of the game.
On 80 minutes, a nice sequence of playing-out culminated in a ball sent by Harris that was weighted to perfection. The visitors’ defensive line had stepped up but it merely invited Adam Neale to run behind, he took it in his stride and when tasked with trying to make the ex-Distillery captain’s pass an assist, he made no mistake. He stylishly struck with the outside of his right boot, and Byrne was powerless to stop him finding the bottom left for his brace.
Five to the good, and that is how it remained until the end. A ninth clean sheet in 11 games preserved and another three points signed and sealed.
| Other results | PIL MD5 (8/10/22) | ||
| Banbridge Town | 2 | 1 | Queen’s University |
| Lisburn Distillery | 1 | 0 | Moyola Park |
| Portstewart | 1 | 2 | Dollingstown |
| PSNI | 1 | 2 | Limavady United |
| Tobermore United | 0 | 2 | Ballymacash Rangers |
While Ballymacash were victorious at Tobermore – where Bangor travel in four weeks’ time – the swing in goal difference has the Seasiders on top by a +1 differential over the outfit from The Bluebell.
In the post-match, D’Sena reflected on his own display returning from a tweak that has kept him out for the past couple of weeks, as well as how holistically the result benefits the team.
“The first half I was a bit rusty, I think that was pretty obvious, a few poor decisions and a few loose passes,” the Australian admitted.
“The second half was much better, we were just all over them. We were in control, for the goals the team just combined really well, it felt like it clicked.
“I grew into it, and it’s good to be back.”
Three more points in the bank. The Seasiders will have the chance to extend their tally to 16 points from 18 in a little over a fortnight from now when PSNI – featuring a couple of ex-Seasiders in midfielder Louis Blackstock and last season’s Reserves captain Ben Gordon – visit Clandeboye Park for a mid-week showdown.
More immediately, the focus turns to Albert Foundry in the Intermediate Cup first round this Saturday 15th October.
The winning momentum is upheld for another week and confidence is high in the first-team camp. Let’s hope this feeling is carried on for as long as possible.
Elsewhere, Bangor Reserves bounced back from their disappointing derby defeat to Ards in mid-week with a 2-7 win away to Groomsport in the Junior Shield opening round. The in-form Charley Craig bagged a hat-trick at The Meadows as the Under-20s continued their impressive start to the season with a fourth win in five matches.
In a round-up of all the other results among the Academy, there were thumping wins for the Under-17s and Under-15s, with respective 5-1 and 5-0 wins over Northend United and Woodvale. The Under-18s meanwhile fell to an agonising defeat to Willowbank, a 1-0 loss where the last meaningful touch of the match turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Also, the Under-14s took full spoils against Tristar with a 4-0 win, while the Under-13 SBYL team beat Comber Rec Youth 6-1. The Under-13 NL team lost 1-3 to Glentoran, the Under-12s were defeated by Crusaders while Willowbank also emerged victorious against the Under-11s.
Moreover, today (Monday 10th October) is Mental Health Day, and the club has released a communication outlining the ways in which they have sought to make the theme of mental health prominent as well as offer a support network to anyone who needs it.
Mental Wellbeing Officer Kenny Greenhill explained: “Since my appointment in 2021, I set up a team called ‘We Care – You Matter’, to help manage mental health and wellbeing issues at the club.
“The team has delivered mental health awareness sessions to our Academy coaches and recently talked to the senior team and management about the importance of mental health and emotional wellbeing.
“We also established a social media account, specifically to signpost and update supporters, players and management about what programmes are available to support them around mental health and wellbeing.
“As part of our mental health programme, we recently finished new artistic boards, which can be seen at Clandeboye Park.
“They were designed by participants who entered our Mental Health Tournament and local artist Chris McGuiggan from Codo Drops, a mental health group. They are a creative way to help talk and open up about mental health. A special note of thanks to SPORTS Mental Health NI for providing the boards and helping to make this happen.”
Feel free to contact the We Care, You Matter team – which alongside Kenny comprises Paul Cain, Gary Faulkner, Lee Purcell and Kerry Ferguson – by emailing wellbeing@bangorfc.com at any time. You can also get in touch via social media or have a chat with any of them on matchdays.
Featured image from Gary Carson.
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