Albert Foundry vs Bangor preview: Steel last-four date up for grabs at Paisley Park

Bangor are back on the road this Saturday afternoon, an away day in the Steel and Sons Cup that again brings the Seasiders back to a familiar venue. In yet another repeat draw, it is a trip to Paisley Park to play Albert Foundry in the last-eight of a cup the club are 11 years removed from holding aloft, with high hopes of making it a far less nerve-wracking escapade than on the outfit’s last visit to this venue four weeks ago.

It took a leveller deep into stoppage time by the evergreen Michael Halliday to force the contest into extra time, with the 43-year-old stepping up to the plate in the 20-minute additional period to add a second and secure the Yellows’ place in the Intermediate Cup second round. A unique ground with a gravel track around the perimeter of a grass playing surface, it is known to the players already that the going can get tough.

Foundry’s Stephen Wilson had put the visitors on the back foot for much of the match. The striker’s guided header into the bottom-right corner put the west Belfast club in front, and not until the very death did Bangor find a response.

Halliday’s aerial conversion into the same spot of the same net in the third minute of second half stoppage time rescued the situation for the Seasiders. There was an ever-stronger wind in their sails for the extra stanza to follow, and in the eighth minute of extra time, up popped the east Belfast ace once more to slot low into the bottom left from Jamie Glover’s low left-sided delivery.

A 1-2 win was put in the bag. A line-leader who is a legend of the Northern Irish game, he still does the business when it counts, marking his 23^rd goalscoring season at an Irish League level with that match-defining brace.

Last week, the Glentoran hero performed highly creditably on his first start of the campaign alongside Ben Arthurs as a strike-pair up top.

With Adam Neale not eligible to play in the Irish Cup this term and Jordan Hughes nursing an injury suffered in that first Foundry battle – Halliday replaced the ex-Dundela star as a 22^nd-minute substitute for what was his second appearance of the term – he was a focal-point of the side against Belfast Celtic and helped link up the play in that 0-3 success at Glen Road Heights, an initially postponed third round outing due to a waterlogged pitch on the scheduled date seven days prior, with Limavady United to come.

Wilson’s well-placed effort is the only strike Bangor have conceded in the last six matches. Since that dramatic 1-1 draw at Ballymacash Rangers on the 24^th September, where Adam Neale announced himself in style with a 94^th-minute equaliser off the bench, the Seasiders have won each of the half-dozen that followed, with five shut-outs kept.

At Celtic last Saturday, who the Yellows have knocked out of both the Steel and Irish Cups, goals by Scott McArthur, Seanna Foster and Gareth Beattie secured that sixth victory on the spin at the hilltop stage.

Bangor boss Lee Feeney had to make a few re-adjustments in the wake of several injury absentees – including club captain Lewis Harrison and vice-captain Reece Neale – and will have had his faith further boosted in the squad depth of his side after not needing to stress much en route to claiming the spoils.

Hughes was a pre-match doubt, but was deemed fit enough to at least get a five-minute run-out towards the end of the game.

Clandeboye chief Feeney will also have had time to assess David Hume’s knock, with the left-sided centre back substituted at half time and usual wing-back Ally Ferguson slotting into the back-three to cover his void. Glover has not featured since sustaining a late ankle injury at Ashfield against Glentoran II three weeks ago, while Ryley D’Sena and Ethan Boylan have also still been on the mend – D’Sena is likely to deputise for Hume in this weekend’s clash, while Glover and Boylan are not expected to play their parts just yet.

At Foundry last time – where John Douglas was in charge with Feeney absent due to illness, sharing the touchline with opposite number Colin McIlwaine – the first-choice two-pronged pair of Arthurs and Neale was totally out of action, while Hughes as stated and McArthur were injury-enforced substitutions early in the day and John Boyle and Karl Devine both appeared later from the bench.

There is sufficient depth to fight on multiple fronts, gaining results with several difference-makers in the fold.

“We started to go a bit longer, more direct, obviously Seanna’s put a great ball in and I was able to connect“

Michael Halliday describing his 93^rd-minute equaliser against Albert Foundry in the sides’ first meeting

A competitive spirit that starts from the management can be seen in the playing contingent. In the case of the Steel – with Bangor to face one of fellow third-tier outfit Ballymacash or fourth-division side Crewe United should they prevail – it is a competition Feeney has never hidden his desire to win, and the players will be keen to claim this trophy before hopefully achieving an awaited promotion at the season’s end.

A professional attitude that gives opponents their due respect has been constantly in play.

In a month of cup competitions, where there are no second chances on falling to defeat, a ruthless demeanour is a must.

At present, there are three more knockout clashes pencilled for this November, but with a win this weekend, that will extend to four with the semi-final date at Seaview in north Belfast signed for the 22^nd of this month – the last-four bout that the Seasiders could prospectively be involved in is the first of the two on the Tuesday – and this will call on the complete squad to chip in meaningfully.

Before dreaming of bright nights under the lights on the Shore Road, however, the focus for the near future must not be clouded by what could happen there.

Ryan Arthur was another to miss the first Foundry battle, but if his endeavour at Celtic was anything to go by, he looks fully-healed from the ankle injury that weighed on his mind for much of October. Beattie’s return with a bang and his ability to do a job on both flanks surely also boosts Feeney’s ranks going forward, delivering a well-taken low drive to add to Bangor’s lead last Saturday and putting in a lively 15-minute cameo during the preceding 2-0 victory over PSNI in the last league clash 17 days ago.

What player doesn’t want to be involved in the later stages of the Steel? What fan doesn’t want to trek up to Crusaders’ home ground at the risk of domestic wrath? What club doesn’t want their colours adorning the ribbons of the trophy when their warriors hold their winning prize aloft? You just can’t beat it.

That may fuel Foundry up – shot-stopper Jonathon Sloan promises to be a thorn in the side after an excellent performance in the sides’ first meet – but it will undeniably energise Bangor as well.

There are few more words that can motivate the panel. They know what is at stake. They know what the reward is.

The hosts on Saturday secured their spot in the quarter-finals by virtue of a penalty shoot-out success over Willowbank. The Amateur League Division 1C side, who attracted nationwide attention for ousting third-tier Armagh City from the Irish Cup at the first hurdle in August, were so near to taking the Division 1A outfit’s scalp as well. However, Foundry did their job and held their nerve to win on spot-kicks in the end.

Sat 11^th-place in the second-tier of the Amateur League, with a win and a defeat both by 2-1 scorelines to east Belfast unit Sirocco Works in the interluding time since Bangor last travelled up, their record stands at won two, drawn one, lost three from six league fixtures.

Like it was 11 years ago, it will be a Christmas Eve showpiece. On that occasion, this particular stage was a given due to Glebe Rangers’ fielding of an ineligible player in a prior round. If there was a degree of fortune on that score, there was no luck behind how Frankie Wilson led Bangor to glory over Larne in the final.

Beattie was a member of that team, and will be keen to help Feeney emulate the sadly late Wilson on the list of Seasiders chiefs to leave supporters happy on the night before Christmas. There are others like Reece Neale who have won it with other clubs – the Ballynahinch ace holds the rare distinction of being one of only two Linfield Swifts captains (alongside current Sunderland man Trai Hume) to take home this piece of silverware this millennium, which he did in 2016 at Dundela’s expense.

It will not be easy this Saturday, but there is little doubt there will be a collective desire to see through and claim this honour. We all remember the agony of losing to Newington in extra time in last year’s semi-finals. The players have it in their power to make it right in this edition.

Meanwhile, after experiencing cup disappointment in the Junior Shield against Clough Rangers last week, Bangor Reserves are back in league action this Saturday where they will play host to Knockbreda’s equivalents. An opponent the Seasiders have already defeated this season, when they claimed a 1-4 success on the 23^rd September, Davy Downes’ team will harbour hopes of completing a quick double over ‘Breda when they kick off at Clandeboye Park at 11am. A win boosts their points tally to 15.

Elsewhere, there was a win in mid-week for the Under-18s, as Isaac Caldwell’s men added to their progress in the Harry Cavan Cup with a 3-2 win over Harland and Wolff Welders. Daniel Butler (Curious Candy Man of the Match), Sonny Redford and Curtis Kenny got the goals.

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