A trip to Ashfield Boys High School yielded success for Bangor this Saturday, as the Yellows overcame Glentoran II to book their reservation at the quarter-final table of the Steel and Sons Cup. Manager Lee Feeney did not take any chances, selecting a full-strength starting side, and he was rewarded in his hunt for a cup he has no hidden desire to get his hands on.
The two returnee marksmen up top both found the net either side of the interval, while in between their strikes was a fine blast home from the vice-captain. Three goals – three unanswered goals – made it a very satisfactory day that followed positive season trends, with the Seasiders just a win away from what it is hoped will be the first of two Seaview dates.
On first arrival to the pitch, the weather prospects were rather bleak. The pouring rain made hoods and umbrellas advisory as the artificial surface was made slicker by the pre-match downpour. It thankfully was not to last, but conditions remained damp throughout this tie.
Entering with a perfect streak of three wins from three in October, Feeney left no illusions as regards his intent. There were five changes from the defeat of Albert Foundry in the Intermediate Cup first round the previous Saturday, with arguably the Bangor chief’s strongest panel available to field.
Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale returned as a strike-pair up top, replacing injured duo Scott McArthur and Jordan Hughes. Karl Devine was restored to the start in midfield in place of Aaron Harris, who dropped to a five-strong subs bench, while the usual defensive line of three saw Ryan Arthur and John Boyle re-enter.
Tom Mathieson joined ex-Lisburn Distillery captain Harris on the bench, while Ryley D’Sena was not included in the matchday 16. With Hughes unavailable, Michael Halliday could be called on from the bench to give goalscoring impetus after his defining double at Paisley Park, while Dylan O’Kane has also proved a highly useful impact sub in recent weeks.
Completing that unit was the long-serving Gareth Beattie in his first competitive matchday squad appearance this campaign.
Referee Aaron Rainey led the teams out in good time for a precise 1:30pm kick-off, and while Glentoran II set the ball rolling, it was the Seasiders who started on the front foot.
It was wondered whether the Glens line-up would comprise any first-team leftovers, the likes of an Ally Roy or a Danny Purkis to add extra bite up top, but this proved not to be so. Still, you couldn’t discount the forward-thinking threats of Kirk McLaughlin or Aaron Wightman, who both started as expected.
With under two minutes on the clock, spot-kick appeals for a handball were waved away as Reece Neale’s early left-sided corner was cleared, but it was a plus-point from a Yellows point of view that they were laying the marker early.
The first clear chance arrived on nine minutes, as a nice bit of combination play put the visitors in on goal. A well-weighted flick-on in the left channel by Arthurs supplied Jamie Glover – deployed in a more infield position from the start this time after beginning last week’s Foundry battle at left wing-back – in his stride, but the 21-year-old’s attempt on his preferred left peg was just the wrong side of the left-hand post.
Shortly after, on 11 minutes, James Taylor was called into meaningful action for the first time as he plucked out Glens midfielder Conor Haughey’s on-target attempt from 25 yards.
Four minutes later, his opposite number Michael Argyrides could not stop a much closer shot as the Seasiders went in front.
A lofted ball was played while the pitch was opened up, with Adam Neale hungrily hunting it down by the right channel. His turn of speed meant he got to the ball before it trickled beyond the byline, crossing first-time on his right foot on a plate for his partner Arthurs, who was there to head the delivery low into the bottom-right from six yards.
It was the second time Kircubbin ace Arthurs and Neale had started as a strike-pair together, and as with their first appearance – Belfast Celtic in the previous round of the Steel and Sons Cup on the 1st October – one had assisted the other for a decisive goal. This finish also puts Ben within one of becoming the first Seasider to hit double-digits across all competitions this campaign, while Neale already has his second assist for the outfit.
Opportunities came for Bangor to extend the advantage. No less than when a remarkable sequence of events just before the half-hour had the visiting contingent questioning how their grip had not been strengthened.
On 28 minutes, Arthurs firstly laid the ball into Neale’s path to try to return the favour from the opener, but Argyrides stylishly tipped the ball wide of his right-hand post. Barely 60 seconds later, the fan-favourite had a go himself, but the Canadian shot-stopper parried this one out too, with Neale’s follow-up blocked by a back-tracking Matthew Kincaid on the goal-line. It is not the first time the Ballynahinch marksman has had bad luck with defenders on the final stretch of white since joining the club, reminiscent of the two occasions he was denied in the 5-0 thumping of Armagh City a fortnight ago.
If that was frenetic, what happened on 36 minutes was frenzied. Whether it was an outer-body experience or whatever, David Hume received the ball around 35 yards from goal and displayed tremendous close-control to jink by the challenges faced by three Glentoran opponents. Thereafter, he rifled a spectacular rising right-footed shot towards the top-right, which stung the palms of Argyrides as he extended to palm it away.
The goalkeeper is a familiar foe to the Yellows, having featured in Larne’s 0-5 Irish Cup fifth round win at Clandeboye Park in January of this year. He was on-song again in the 38th minute when he turned Adam Neale’s effort around the post once more – before Glentoran II sprung back into life before the half’s end.
On 44 minutes, there was anxiety from the sidelines when it looked as if referee Rainey had pointed to spot, when in actual fact he had signalled for a free kick just outside the 18-yard box in favour of the Glens. It was a short-lived relief however, with Taylor needing to get down well to hold Malachy Smith’s low drive.
“Just the one (goal) will do me”
David Hume, after scoring his first goal of this term against Armagh City
The hosts then struck the crossbar almost from the halfway line, a floated cross that nearly caught 38-year-old former Glenavon shot-stopper Taylor off-guard. The keeper then pulled off a brilliant save to turn McLaughlin’s follow-up from just a few yards out around the bottom left post.
After one additional minute was played, Rainey called time on the half. A wild end and a storm Bangor just about managed to weather to retain a 0-1 lead.
When you are a goal to the good, the objective must always be to expand on it if possible. It was no surprise that the Seasiders delivered on this theory in the second stanza.
Glover set things back under way, and nine minutes after the half kicked off, Bangor had their much-sought second goal.
Argyrides delivered for his team repeatedly in the first half, but he will have felt frustrated about this concession. Seanna Foster whipped in an astute right-sided cross which the goalkeeper flapped at, getting a palm to it but unable to divert the ball away from the danger zone, and Foster’s opposite wingback Reece Neale was on hand to drive a first-time scissored effort into the opposite bottom-right.
The second half was not as filled with goal-mouth action, hence this 54th-minute conversion from the younger Neale brother felt decisive in establishing a cushion to allay any nerves.
On 62 minutes, his older sibling – understandably desperate to even up on the day’s goal-chart – was within inches of directing captain Lewis Harrison’s low attempt into the net for three. Feeney has been calling on his skipper to contribute more in offensive scenarios, and the midfielder was delivering on this request, however his right-footed shot was narrowly wide of the bottom-left on this occasion.
10 minutes later, Harrison fired again, and this time there was a positive end result. The 23-year-old struck from just outside the area through a crowd of Glentoran II bodies, and while Argyrides parried once more, it fell straight into Adam Neale’s path with time and space to aim a shot. You wouldn’t expect a striker who bagged 40 for Rathfriland Rangers last season to pass up these sorts of attempts, and Neale gobbled it up as he placed it into the same corner as his brother for 0-3.
It is his fifth goal and fourth goalscoring game in succession. Should he score on his next feature, he will equal Arthurs’ season-high five-game streak at the season’s start, and at least draw level with his partner on six goals in that run.
On 74 minutes, there was some admirable opportunism from Glover as he put the ball home from Foster’s parried shot, but he had clearly directed the ball into the net with his arm which the referee felt fit to book him for. He joined 62nd-minute substitute O’Kane – making his fifth showing from the bench in a row – in Rainey’s notebook.
A double-sub on 77 minutes saw Halliday and Harris enter the fray in place of Arthurs and Harrison.
| Steel and Sons 4th Rd | Last-16 (22/10/22) | ||
| Wellington Rec | 1 | 2 | Dunmurry Rec |
| Immaculata | 4 | 0 | Dunloy |
| Ballymena Utd Res | 1 | 3 | Crewe United |
| St James’ Swifts | 0 | 1 | Ards Rangers |
| Crumlin United | 1 | 1* | Larne Tech O.B. |
| Comber Rec | 1 | 3 | Ballymacash Rangers |
| Willowbank | 1 | 1** | Albert Foundry |
A hero of his people in east Belfast, Halliday came close to denting that status just a little when he rolled back the years with an acrobatic penalty-box attempt. A Glentoran senior squad member for over a decade in the 2000s, the striker, who now has 23 goalscoring seasons under his belt after last week’s brace, saw his on-target attempt well-denied by Argyrides.
The match was petering out when, in a concerning sight, Glover stayed down after a back-post run on 89 minutes.
The ex-Ards man had rolled his ankle in pursuit of a low ball across the box, and after being helped off the pitch in visible pain, it meant the Yellows concluded the match a player short having made all three of their permitted alterations.
It was the sole blow to an otherwise very sound day’s work. Rainey signalled for time, with Bangor prevailing over the Steel and Sons Cup record champions 0-3 and preserving a 10th clean sheet in 13 matches to commence the campaign.
The draw for the quarter-finals is due to be done tomorrow, while Bangor will also be in action under the lights in their next port of call. It is straight back to the Premier Intermediate League for the Seasiders, who host PSNI tomorrow night. Kick-off in this sixth matchday of the third-tier crusade is at 7:45pm.
Elsewhere, the Reserves were in action just before this clash took place, with the spoils secured in a seven-goal thriller away to Newington. The sides were level at 3-3 going into second half added time in this match-up at The Valley, which kicked off at 11am, when Kristian Trainor – a first-team debutant at 16 last year – fired home for the Seasiders to win it.
CJ Sullivan, Jake Anderson and Charley Craig also found the net for the Under-20s, securing their third win in four matches of the league season. It props them up to 3rd-place, six points behind league-leaders Ballymacash Rangers with two games in hand.
Meanwhile, in the Academy action, there were impressive outings for both the Under-18s and Under-17s this weekend, with the former 1-0 victors over St James’ Swifts and the latter 3-0 winners against Aquinas. The Under-15s also defeated Moyola Park 4-2.
The Under-12s and Under-13 NL teams tasted glory by 2-0 scorelines against Carrick Rangers and Cliftonville respectively, while the Under-11s were seen off by Carryduff Colts and the Under-13 SBYL’s clash with TTBS Juniors was postponed.
A reminder as announced last week that the Girls Academy has now moved to Tuesday evenings, taking place at Clandeboye Park from 6pm to 7pm. It is available to all girls born between 2011 and 2015, and you can find out more information and register your interest by contacting girlsacademy@bangorfc.com.
Bangor Ladies are also looking out for new players, volunteers and coaches to join ahead of the new season. You can message the club’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to find out more information and be directed to the relevant authorities.
Finally, the club would like to congratulate goalkeeper Darren Gibbons on his wedding and wish him the best for a long and successful marriage, and right wing-back Seanna Foster on confirming his engagement on social media.
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