Pulses were set racing and blood was pumping, but Bangor persevered to secure an important three points in the Premier Intermediate League on Saturday. A precious victory away to Queen’s University keeps the Seasiders on the coattails of Ballymacash Rangers at the third-tier summit, still a point behind having played a game fewer, albeit this battle proved one of the club’s grittier endeavours this season.
Queen’s piled the pressure on after halving the deficit, and in the end the margin of the Yellows’ success could be measured in inches. The nervous system didn’t have so much as a second to settle in the final half-hour following a very positive start, but ultimately the supporters were left feeling satisfied on their journey home knowing that a win at a tough venue against an in-form opponent had been put in the bag.
When winter comes, the chill in the air is always prevalent. While the weather conditions remained dry, ‘tis very much the season for overcoats, hats and scarves to be adorned.
Nevertheless, you don’t want to be left feeling blue in the cold. Lee Feeney set out his stall to ensure the faithful would have points to warm to at The Dub.
The Bangor boss made a couple of changes from last weekend’s win over Limavady United in the Irish Cup fourth round. Adam Neale, cup-tied last Saturday afternoon, returned to the starting lineup in place of Scott McArthur who was named among the substitutes, while Aaron Harris took his spot in midfield in place of Lewis Harrison.
Karl Devine returned to the matchday panel after missing the 1-2 success on the north coast seven days prior, while there was also a first senior squad appearance for 20-year-old Ruairi Nixon – a former Queen’s Under-20s player no less – as the defender made the leap from the Reserves to feature on the bench in south Belfast.
The opposition selection comprised three ex-Seasiders in Adam Calvert, Chris Middleton and Ben Mulgrew, each hoping to get one over their old team. The latter – the younger brother of Linfield legend Jamie – captained the hosts, while Reece Neale donned the armband for the visitors in Harrison’s absence.
Richard White was the referee for this contest, fresh from also being the man in the middle on Bangor’s night of all nights against the Cash at Seaview 11 days beforehand. Assisted by Sam Naylor and Adam Jeffrey to the sides, he signalled for kick-off precisely at 2pm.
While Jamie Glover set the ball rolling, it was Queen’s who started on the front foot in their bid to add a third win in a row.
On six minutes, the hosts had their first chance from an inswinging free kick from the left, when Middleton found defender Dan Mairs – featuring on the pitch alongside his twin brother Johnny – in a good position in the box. The 21-year-old’s header from six yards was met with a superb reflex save from James Taylor.
Pressure was further placed on the Seasiders as Dylan O’Kane (5’) and Glover (9’) had both received early bookings, but they did find their feet.
On 11 minutes, a left-footed cross by Reece Neale sailed just beyond his older sibling Adam and was met by O’Kane at the back post. Impressive in his set-piece delivery the previous week, when the ex-Ards midfielder’s attempt was blocked, he unsurprisingly stepped up to send in the resulting corner.
It played no small part in opening the score. O’Kane’s right-sided flag-kick was headed away but only as far as Reece Neale, who whipped the ball back into the danger zone. From there, Ryan Arthur got his head to it amid a crowd and sent it straight into Adam Neale’s path, who prodded a goal-bound shot by the left stick.
Queen’s goalkeeper Dean Smyth clawed at it and pushed it away, but it was to no avail as White signalled that it had crossed the line.
Adam’s 11th goal since joining the club had opened the scoring, pulling him level with Ben Arthurs on top of the finishing charts. Arthur, meanwhile, secured his second assist of the campaign after setting up Neale’s first for the club during the away date with Ballymacash in the league.
And Bangor did not let their foot off the gas. On 17 minutes, the former 40-goal Rathfriland ace was almost in for a second, but Michael Halliday’s headed flick-on from Reece’s delivery was just out of Adam’s reach.
Four minutes later, Halliday took the spoils himself. An early onus had been placed on the younger Neale brother’s service, and the evergreen 43-year-old managed to put one of these supplies into the net.
“Yeah, getting those balls into the box, helping the team out, it’s important”
Reece Neale
It was put on a plate for the east Belfast icon by the Ballynahinch fan favourite, and all that was left for the Glentoran hero to do was power a guided header low into the bottom right to double the Seasiders’ advantage. His first goal in league play, second in as many weeks and fourth for the campaign overall. He is magic.
Then on 23 minutes, a player less than half his age almost put it beyond doubt. Glover set off on a stellar run from the middle third, dribbling by all Queen’s defenders in his path, although Smyth had made himself big to save when the 21-year-old pulled the trigger on his preferred left foot. Bums were off seats but the final flourish to such a move just eluded.
Before the half-hour, the hosts fired just over from a free kick on the edge of the box before opportunities started to dry up at both ends.
Indeed, by half time, the defences had started to take authority. White blew for the interval after two additional minutes.
Feeney, one suspects, had a much more mundane team-talk than his opposite number James Lavery going by the latter’s call to make a triple substitution ahead of the second period kicking off. On entered Marc McKenna, Joshua Corry and Matthew Hughes for Queen’s in the push to re-enter the contest.
The calmness in defence enjoyed by David Hume, Arthur and John Boyle in defence during the first stanza’s final 15 minutes was not to last forever. The hosts’ changes played their role in making the rest of the match a tightrope.
On 50 minutes, an attempt by Ronan Young was placed wide of Taylor’s goal before the experienced ex-Glenavon stopper reacted speedily to turn away Hughes’ headed effort barely 60 seconds later.
Bangor went the other direction five minutes later. A left-to-right interchange with the pitch opened up – like a rugby move only with permitted forward passes as Glover, Adam Neale and O’Kane each released – culminated in a right-footed shot by Seanna Foster that was only just dragged wide of the bottom left.
And on 58 minutes, the Cliftonville loanee was in on the act once more, as the right wing-back’s delivery on his weaker left peg was only just guided over the bar by an advanced Arthur. Having found out earlier in the week that he was going to become a father, 27-year-old Arthur was keen to find the back of the net in this bout to make it the perfect week.
On 60 minutes, Adam Neale almost pickpocketed Smyth while he was trying to send it long, before the 29-year-old nearly acted on another Foster delivery only to propel himself into the net rather than the spherical thing.
The form he’s been on, it feels like Neale is a walking goal at this point, but this one wasn’t quite going to stand.
The calm of minutes 30 to 45 had been replaced by the storm of minutes 46 to 60. That storm grew thunder and lightning on 63 minutes when Hume, on carrying the ball out from defence, was scythed down by McKenna to spark an eruption of fan outrage from the side.
The Ballygowan defender’s dribble was rather cynically cut short, and there was palpable fury when only a yellow was brandished for a challenge many of an away disposition considered worthy of a different colour.
And if there was frustration in that episode, on 70 minutes Queen’s cut the deficit in half to send shivers down the spine.
Young received the ball and drove heartily at the Bangor defence from the left, foraying into the inside-left channel and letting fly on his right foot. The left back picked out the bottom right amid a crowd, and Taylor’s dive proved unable to prevent the ball nestling in the net.
Suddenly it was a surge again. Just two minutes later, with Reece Neale having taken over corner duty after the cautioned O’Kane had been replaced by Devine, the left wing-back’s right-sided cross found Arthur whose header was frantically booted off the line. This time White had deemed the ball not to have crept over and the gap remained at one.
McArthur, who replaced the similarly booked Glover, saw a low shot smothered by Smyth on 75 minutes, before Queen’s’ fourth sub Ciaran O’Hare missed the mark with his header up the other way.
On 83 minutes, Jordan Hughes had influenced after entering the fray for Halliday when he delivered a cross that was narrowly out of strike-partner Neale’s reach, before Taylor opted to stoke the fire even more – he cut a relieved figure when his attempted ping upfield just stayed the right side of the goalline when it bounced back off Middleton towards his net.
As the clock prepared to tick past 90, it was Dan Mairs’ turn to let out a puff of air when he almost diverted Hughes’ cut-back into his own goal. It was Queen’s who would enjoy the final two chances of the match, though, when Young took responsibility from a couple of distance dead-balls.
The first, from 25 yards, was only just over the top left. The second, from 35 yards? Mere millimetres. One wagers the woodwork at The Dub is still shaking as we speak, his left-footed strike cracking off the right post before being cleared away imminently. Thereafter, mercifully, White called time.
It was hard to stand during those last agonising minutes. In a season of bells jingling, it was more the nerves jangling.
Those of a Bangor disposition gave a collective sigh of relief. In a sport so often decided by fine margins, the Seasiders had extended their winning run to three matches by as slender a difference as is imaginable.
If Feeney’s half time squad conversation was rudimentary, his full time discussion can’t have been. Not with an ending like that.
Reece Neale spoke post-match of the value of securing the spoils in what was always forecast to be a tug-of-war battle.
“Nervy one, but at the end of it, a win’s a win,” the ex-Linfield and Carrick Rangers man pointed out.
“You can’t expect to go to these sorts of places and have it easy.
“These are the games that define your season, and however you see it, it’s three points in the end.”
On assisting Halliday, Neale also boosted his tally of assists for the season. The left wing-back’s creative output has became an invaluable weapon.
“I think I’m up to six (assists), so getting close to last season’s total,” he says with a smile.
“Yeah, getting those balls into the box, helping the team out, it’s important.”
The statistics I have recorded imply that he’s actually underselling himself, that he now has seven set-ups which would make him the outright top assister at the club this season. I think this may call for a review of the numbers!
| Premier Intermediate | 3/12/22 | ||
| Ballymacash Rangers | 3 | 0 | Limavady United |
| Lisburn Distillery | 0 | 3 | Banbridge Town |
| Moyola Park | 3 | 0 | Dollingstown |
| Tobermore United | 4 | 0 | PSNI |
| Portstewart | 2 | 2 | Armagh City |
In any case, such service – adding to the four goals he has offered – will be vital as the season draws on.
Another long northern trip to Mullaghacall to face Portstewart beckons this Saturday, another tricky venue but another place Bangor know they can claim total spoils from if they are firing on all cylinders.
Meanwhile, Bangor Reserves were in action at the weekend also, but were to be left just on the wrong side of a seven-goal thriller against Loughgall’s equivalents at Clandeboye Park.
Davy Downes’ team fell to a three-goal deficit early on, but finishes from Jake Anderson, Ally Ferguson – also named to the bench for the senior side – and Ryan Devitt gave the Seasiders a fighting chance going into the final half-hour. Alas, despite the hosts peppering the opposition goal in that time, the Villagers took home all the spoils with a 3-4 success. The Under-20s thus remain in 4th-place on 15 points.
As for the rest of the Academy action, the Under-18s left nothing to chance as they dealt a comprehensive 7-0 thrashing on Carniny Youth. The Under-17s fell to a narrow 1-2 defeat to Celtic Boys, while a derby match-up with Castle Juniors involving the Under-15s finished honours even at 1-1. The Under-14s drew 1-1 with Bloomfield, the Under-13 NL took a point against Linfield with a 2-2 result while the Under-13 SBYL side prevailed 3-1 over Ards.
Elsewhere, Bangor’s ‘We Care, You Matter’ team have announced that they will be hosting an afternoon of tea and coffee at the Social Club prior to the Seasiders’ home Premier Intermediate League match with Banbridge Town on the 17th December.
There are also mince pies and shortbread on offer at this festive event two weeks from now, and it presents a chance to connect with the community before watching what promises to be an engaging match of football later in the day. It will take place from 1:30pm to 2:30pm, with the league game at Clandeboye Park kicking off at 3pm.
Finally, the Girls Academy is proud to have expanded into the 2016 age bracket by popular demand after a successful number of weeks running the new programme. Training sessions take place from 6pm until 7pm at Clandeboye Park on Tuesday evenings, available now to all girls born between 2011 and 2016, and you can contact girlsacademy@bangorfc.com to find out more information and register your interest.
Featured image from Gary Carson.
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