October, a spell beginning and ending at Glen Road Heights. After prevailing over Belfast Celtic on the first day of the tenth month in the Steel and Sons Cup third round, Bangor return to west Belfast on the penultimate day to face the same opponents in the third stage of the Irish Cup. In the first iteration, it ended in the first victory since the calendar’s turn, with four successive wins following since.
This is a chance to make it a perfect six from six. Having eliminated Queen’s University and Strabane Athletic in rounds one and two, the first away day in the competition this term it is hoped will be another successful outing. To make at least the fifth stage is the club’s objective – but the Yellows will always be wary of potential banana skins along the way.
It is worth recapping how the month has played out.
Bangor began with the first trip to this hilltop venue, advancing to the last-16 of the Steel and Sons Cup at Celtic’s expense.
Following that was a handsome 5-0 win at home to bottom-placed Armagh City to prop the points tally in the Premier Intermediate League up to 13 out of 15. Then came a narrow aversion of an Intermediate Cup scare at Albert Foundry, where Michael Halliday’s 93rd-minute leveller took the tie to extra time before the east Belfast hero sealed the Seasiders’ progression into the second round in completing his brace for 1-2.
Last Saturday, Ashfield was the venue where the Yellows secured their last-eight spot in the Steel at Glentoran II by a 0-3 scoreline, before this mid-week saw a further upgrading of the third-tier points total to 16 from 18 following a hard-fought 2-0 defeat of PSNI.
Closing out October’s schedule is a return to where it commenced for a place in the Irish Cup fourth round.
For the sheer satisfaction of making it a perfect month, and boosting momentum going into November, securing the spoils at Celtic again would be worthwhile.
Next month will feature two more league clashes – a trip to Tobermore United next week before a home date with Moyola Park which is set to be re-scheduled – with a Steel and Sons quarter-final against Foundry at Paisley Park confirmed for a fortnight from now.
Depending on whether Bangor prevail in that last-eight showdown, the semi-final will be at the month’s end where the winner will face either Crewe United or Ballymacash Rangers. The Intermediate Cup second round is still to be determined, while the fourth level of the competition the Seasiders hope to book their spot in this weekend is also on the cards to be played in November.
The main focus should, as ever, be on the immediate priority. Professionalism will again need to be at the fore to emerge from this test on the right side.
This month has been defined by this approach. Maintaining four clean sheets in the last five fixtures is testament to a defensive solidity everyone at the club is taking great pride in, with a chance to record a 12th shut-out in 15 outings this Saturday afternoon.
Lee Feeney has been impressed by how his defensive line has acquitted itself. A solid spine is always going to be a key factor behind achieving season aims, and the Seasiders’ setup looks assured right now.
A 0-2 win in a tie where a slip-up couldn’t be ruled out at a side who in the month of September had scored 13 goals in two matches – particularly inspired by the excellent form of Brendan Glackin, who surprisingly started on the bench – was a pleasing result. After a goalless first half, Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale hit home in the second stanza to take home the win against the fourth-division Ballymena and Provincial Football League unit.
Both strikers have scored in the same game three times in the past five outings. That was the older Neale brother’s first start for the Yellows, having delivered a last-gasp debut equaliser from the bench at Ballymacash Rangers the previous week, and he has hit the ground running with six goals in his first five games for his new club.
Adam will not feature in this clash, however. The Ballynahinch man is cup-tied after playing in a thrilling 4-4 first-round draw for Rathfriland against East Belfast – ending in a dramatic 7-6 penalty shoot-out defeat for the white-shirted unit – although Arthurs, who is fresh from netting his 10th of the season in all competitions against the Police in mid-week, will be hungry to extend his record this weekend.
Scott McArthur missed the first clash of the sides, but after sitting out last Saturday’s defeat of Glentoran II, he appeared as a half-time substitute in miserable conditions in mid-week and was influential in the second half en route to that 2-0 success. Signs point to the hometown returnee from Stirling University potentially getting the nod from the start here.
Jamie Glover and Jordan Hughes remain doubts on when they will be available again, while Ethan Boylan is also unlikely to feature. Ryan Arthur’s return from an ankle injury continues to be carefully managed, and the centre back was an unused substitute while Ryley D’Sena – himself a recent returnee – was in from the start. There could be some rotation in this area.
It is likewise hoped that the injury Reece Neale sustained in mid-week is not serious enough to take him out of contention for this encounter. The left wing-back was replaced in the 76th minute having went down initially and not been able to soldier on thereafter, however Gareth Beattie’s first appearance of the season as the vice-captain and former Linfield Swifts skipper’s replacement yielded positivity abound, with both the long-serving ‘Beats’ and Ally Ferguson candidates to deputise if needed.
The decade-long feature struck the initial distance shot against PSNI which shot-stopper Jonah Magill was unable to claim, with Arthurs alert to prod home and double the Seasiders’ advantage at Clandeboye Park.
Such a display provides food for thought for Feeney if his first-choice is unavailable.
The Yellows chief has been keen to promote a competitive environment, with squad depth a key factor behind fuelling this drive.
A record of 14 goals in the past five matches indicates a plentiful supply, with six different players contributing those strikes. Such gutsy instincts in front of goal would be welcome from the outset in a game that – as at the month’s start – Bangor can’t afford to take lightly.
One wonders also how Feeney’s thinking will have been influenced by the fact that this is a cup opponent and venue the Seasiders have already visited.
In the interluding time, Stephen McAlorum’s team were defeated 3-1 in their Intermediate Cup first round tie at Valley Rangers, while they also suffered a 1-0 league defeat away to Coagh United. Don’t take that as an assumption that they are suddenly weaker now than then.
The two-time Irish Cup winner with Glentoran and former favourite of nearby Donegal Celtic will have made his notes from round one, and witnessed the ways their threat increased in the final half-hour as well as which players contributed most particularly to this. Whether he includes Glackin from the start this time in a potential strike-pair with Irish League veteran Darren Murray will be a point of curiosity come kick-off (1:30pm).
| Irish Cup (select ties) | Round 3 (28/10/22) | |
| Ballymacash Rangers | v | Rosario Y.C. |
| Banbridge Town | v | East Belfast |
| Comber Rec | v | Dollingstown |
| Wakehurst | v | Moyola Park |
| Woodvale | v | Limavady United |
The teams have already faced each other once in very recent memory. Tactically, it will be interesting to see if there are any amendments in the way either side approaches this game knowing a bit more about each other now.
Whatever way one opts to look at it, spoils are there for the taking. Bangor will want to be on the right end of this.
Meanwhile, Bangor Reserves are in league action this Saturday, as they aspire to build on a thrilling victory at Newington last weekend where Kristian Trainor’s added-time strike ensured a 3-4 success.
Warrenpoint Town make the long trip north to Clandeboye Park in what promises to be a close-fought encounter. The Point sit in 2nd-place on a maximum 12 points from 12 in their first four matches, however Davy Downes’ 3rd-placed Seasiders will draw level points-wise with them if they win. Kick-off for that tie is at 11am.
Elsewhere in the weekend’s youth action, Isaac Caldwell’s Under-18s face Fivemiletown United in the second round of the Harry Cavan Youth Cup, while the Under-17s will also play Belfast Celtic.
The latest edition of ’20 Questions’ has been released, concerning Ben Arthurs this week as it becomes the turn of the Kircubbin striker to reveal his inner thoughts.
He opts to out the club captain as worst trainer at the club, and somehow it’s not even that controversial a choice!
Moreover, Bangor were proud to host a girls football tournament at Clandeboye Park in partnership with the PE department of Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College. Nine schools participated in the event and contributed 190 footballers across Years 8 to 11, with 64 matches played on an eventful Tuesday afternoon.
The club were delighted to welcome along special guests, Northern Ireland international footballers Caragh Hamilton and Abbie Magee – the latter we also congratulate along with the rest of Cliftonville Ladies in winning the Women’s Premiership this week – in what was a fun-filled occasion for all involved. The Seasiders are keen to promote women’s football within the club and in Northern Ireland in general, further evidenced by an impressive turnout at the ever-burgeoning Girls Academy later in the night (every Tuesday, 6pm to 7pm at Clandeboye Park) just before the senior men took on PSNI.
Michelle Crawford, the head of the Ladies and Academy sectors of the club, told the County Down Spectator: “It is important to link in with local schools and give young females more opportunities to play football in a fun and safe environment at Clandeboye Park.
“With the help of three dedicated and enthusiastic staff from Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College, I was able to arrange this tournament for local schoolgirls.
“I’m also a staff member at Bangor Academy and we generally need to travel to Belfast or further afield to participate in tournaments, so it is great to hold an event in our local area.”
Mayor of Ards and North Down, Alliance Councillor Karen Douglas, was a guest of honour for Tuesday evening’s match-up, where the board shed insights into what the club continues to offer the community and what the plans are going forward. The club are grateful for her acceptance of the invitation and warmly welcome her back to Clandeboye Park any time.
In the Intermediate Cup, Bangor will face Strabane Athletic for the second time this season after the two were drawn in the second round of the competition. The Seasiders defeated the northwest outfit 4-0 in the Irish Cup, with Jordan Hughes, Tom Mathieson, Ben Arthurs and Scott McArthur on the scoresheet in the second round of the competition. The blue and white-striped side have, however, claimed the scalps of Dergview and Limavady United – the latter being in a thriller involving THIRTEEN goals were they emerged on top 6-7.
Finally, the club is deeply saddened to learn this Friday of the death of Frankie Wilson. A Steel and Sons Cup winner with the Seasiders in 2011, Frankie spent three years in charge from 2010 to 2013 amid a decorated career, and had a profound influence on the local game and the countless people within it. An overseer of the Northern Ireland Under-18 Schoolboys for the best part of the past decade, he displayed time and time again his attention to detail and caring nature, not mentioning an unflinching willingness to develop players.
Bangor welcomed Frankie back to Clandeboye Park in competitive action as recently as under a year ago, when his Banbridge Town side frustrated the Yellows and a stubborn rear-guard played a key role in taking home a 0-1 win in the Premier Intermediate League in December 2021. His career as a coach, blended with a warm personality, meant he could be looked upon by players as a valuable source of information and advice on how to move on in their careers. Any team he lined out you could be rest assured would have togetherness and discipline at heart.
He was a titan of the local and intermediate game in Northern Ireland and an absolute gentleman. Our thoughts go out to his wife Tara, three children and his wider family and friends as we join the footballing community in mourning a devastating loss. Rest in peace, Frankie.
Featured image from Sarah Harkness.
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