It is hard not to feel struck by cup fever when a final rolls around. No less than when said decider is at a time when festivity is in the air. Bangor will enter this Christmas Eve Steel showpiece against Dunmurry Rec with high hopes of emulating their successful plight 11 years to the day prior, and seven years previous to that. The buzz about the place is very apparent ahead of what could be a date with destiny.
Those in yellow and blue will step onto Seaview’s artificial surface keen to seize the initiative from the outset and strike an early blow. But it is equally the game of Dunmurry Rec’s lives, and as an Amateur League 1A side who held their nerve to best two Premier Division outfits on spot-kicks en route to this decider, they are not to be taken lightly or treated with any less respect than they deserve.
Inevitably, ahead of a battle such as this, between teams of different leagues, a tale of David versus Goliath has been told.
An institution 11th-placed of 14 in the second flight of the Amateur League facing the 2nd-placed side in the Irish League third-tier.
Bangor have been cast as firm favourites. Dunmurry Rec as undeniable underdogs. Though on this sort of stage, nothing ever plays out that simply.
Neither of these sides are new to this stage. It was a famous morning before Christmas in 2011, when finishes from Gareth McLaughlin and Garth Scates in the first half of a tense battle with Larne proved enough to secure Frankie Wilson’s Seasiders the glory in north Belfast.
Dunmurry Rec – based to the southwest of Belfast, and not to be confused with Dunmurry Young Men a division below them – last had their moment in the sun 24 years ago, as they defeated the RUC (now PSNI) in 1998 to take top honours.
The Rec’s triumph that year was their first since 1919, and third overall having claimed the third-ever Steel title all the way back in 1897. With their seaside adversaries having also taken their tally to three – the senior side, that is, since Bangor Reserves had already accumulated their hat-trick in advance – it makes this a meet of two of the five teams to have tasted triple success on this stage.
Who will be reflecting on adding their fourth crown come Christmas morning? It will assuredly be one at the expense of the other.
In a season of worship, one could say it has been quite some resurrection from Premier Intermediate League unit Bangor, promoted back to the third-tier in 2019 having fallen out of the Irish League altogether two years previously.
A team on the brink not much over five years ago, the Steel would represent a significant piece of silverware for the Clandeboye Park club to win since the incumbent board assumed control. On the back of an unbeaten centenary year campaign achieved under Hugh Sinclair, to claim arguably the top intermediate honour while flying high in the hope of soaring into the Championship by the season’s end surely warrants its own plinth.
Perhaps, in this present era of Bangor Football Club, it is more than just a trophy. Perhaps there is a degree of status that comes with it, a visual sign of the upward motion the club is headed in.
Under Lee Feeney’s tutelage since June 2020, two-and-a-half years on the boss has a chance of clinching a prize that eluded him as a player.
It was with a tinge of irony that it was Bangor Reserves to deny him the pleasure in 1994, when the fresh-faced 16-year-old fell on the losing end with Linfield Swifts. 28 years later, the Kilkeel native stands on the touchline potentially just a match away from setting the record straight.
Feeney has prided his philosophy on a strong force of will and determination to put every ounce into every game.
“Every game’s a tough game”
Lee Feeney
Such fortitude is arguably the primary factor behind a season that has so far seen Bangor taste defeat just once in regulation time all campaign.
| Round | Route to the Final | |||
| 1 | Bye | |||
| 2 | Greenisland | 0 | 8 | Bangor |
| 3 | Belfast Celtic | 0 | 2 | Bangor |
| 4 | Glentoran II | 0 | 3 | Bangor |
| 5 (QF) | Albert Foundry | 1 | 4 | Bangor |
| 6 (SF) | Ballymacash Rangers | 0 | 1 | Bangor |
Since that loss – a 0-4 home humbling at Annagh United’s hands in the League Cup in mid-September – the Yellows have gone on a 14-match unbeaten run, excluding penalty shootouts and last week’s abandoned date with Banbridge Town in the final league match of the year. It is no surprise the ‘favourites’ tag has been donned upon them in the build-up.
Yet such a marker is also a personal pet peeve of Feeney’s. In his mind, language like this is an unnecessary distraction.
“Every game’s a tough game,” he emphasised ahead of the battle with Queen’s University at the start of this month.
“Every game’s a hard game, even the games we’ve had the big scorelines in, we’ve had to put the work in to get the big score.
“When you look at the game against Greenisland (a 0-8 victory in the Steel and Sons second round), we still had to work our socks off up there to get that result.”
And following that sole blot on the copybook in the past dozen completed matches, a loss on spot-kicks to Strabane Athletic in the Intermediate Cup in mid-November, Bangor have been able to build up a head of steam.
They beat Ballymacash Rangers 0-1 immediately after to book their spot in this Saturday’s match-up. That was followed by a victory over Limavady United that ensured the Seasiders of their place in the Irish Cup fifth round. The Queen’s bout at The Dub in the PIL was to end successfully, a 1-2 away win, backed by a winning result by the same scoreline on the north coast against Portstewart to keep the momentum rolling.
Following that endeavour at Mullaghacall a fortnight ago, Feeney’s post-match analysis was a simple one.
“At this stage of the season, it’s all about getting the three points,” he stated.
“Getting the performance is good but it’s about the points that move you up the table.”
The win over the Seahawks was the Seagulls’ seventh in eight PIL fixtures, putting them in 2nd-place, and the abandonment after 50 minutes of last week’s home tie with Banbridge Town, which was largely viewed as correct and proper by Feeney and his troops, meant they remained there.
They sit one point behind table-toppers Ballymacash Rangers, albeit now with two games in hand given that on the same day, the Cash fell 2-3 to Queen’s at The Bluebell for their first league defeat of the season.
Bangor will restart their PIL escapade in the new year away to Lisburn Distillery on Monday 2nd January. But that is on the backburner for now.
“To win the Steel and Sons Cup would be huge for everyone”
Lewis Harrison
Dunmurry Rec enter this one having found much of their December disrupted by the recent adverse weather conditions.
The Ashley Park club’s last fixture before this battle was three weeks ago, in which they played out a 1-1 draw with Millisle men Abbey Villa. They were due to play the burgundy-outfitted unit in successive weeks, however their fixture on the 10th December was ultimately called off.
Prior to that, their previous opponent was Albert Foundry. The west Belfast unit, who the Yellows conquered at their Paisley Park home venue in both the Intermediate Cup (1-2 after extra time) and the Steel (1-4), defeated the Rec 4-1 in a clash Bangor fans were taking cursory glances at, while Kilmore Rec took the spoils home and away before that too.
A four-game winless run and no match in 21 days come kick-off may not be the most ideal preparation. That said, for many in their camp, it is the biggest game in their lives, and the energy comes naturally in line with a willingness to excel.
And such a barren streak of victories is immediately offset when you look at their route to the decider. They’ve been made to work for it.
“We’ll have a game plan to try and neutralise their threats”
Dan Thornton
Three Amateur League Premier Division outfits in East Belfast, Ards Rangers and Immaculata – the latter two on spot-kicks at the respective last-eight and last-four levels – have seen their crusades ended by this determined outfit. Likewise Ballynure Old Boys and Wellington Rec, who put last season’s runners-up Linfield Swifts out of contention.
And that both teams did not have a single home fixture between them surely makes their feats all the more impressive.
| Round | Route to the Final | |||
| 1 | Bye | |||
| 2 | Ballynure Old Boys | 0 | 3 | Dunmurry Rec |
| 3 | East Belfast | 1 | 2 | Dunmurry Rec |
| 4 | Wellington Rec | 1 | 2 | Dunmurry Rec |
| 5 (QF) | Ards Rangers | 1 | 1* | Dunmurry Rec |
| 6 (SF) | Dunmurry Rec | 1** | 1 | Immaculata |
It was said earlier in the article that Dunmurry Rec were not to be mistaken for Dunmurry Young Men a division below.
But it was only by virtue of goal difference last season that the Rec – whose defeat of the then-named RUC already goes down as an all-time great final upset – did not join the Young Men in 1B.
Manager Dan Thornton has overseen their speedy rise to this stage. He admitted it was a dream that they had got this far in itself, but he is not putting his boys out just to make up the numbers come Saturday morning.
“It would be naive of us if we thought we could go to a Cup Final and open up against a team like Bangor with the resources and players they have,” he told the Sunday Life, illustrating that he will set his team’s stall with pragmatism in mind.
“We’ll have a game plan to try and neutralise their threats and be effective in our own attacking aspects.
“If it goes to penalties, we’ve come through a couple of rounds of that already, so we’re ready for every obstacle.”
It was always going to be that, by virtue of table placings, the winner between Bangor and Ballymacash were going to be installed near-instantly as the final favourites. Jamie Glover’s delectable left-footed curler into the top left corner in the second half of that nerve-shredding battle meant it would be the east coast outfit who would wear that robe.
But they command respect and will be treated with respect throughout the 90 and more if needed. Lest we forget that Foundry – who are just one place above the Rec in the table – were within seconds of wiping Bangor’s Intermediate Cup hopes out at the first hurdle in mid-October.
Player to watch:
Dunmurry Rec captain Stephen McNeice had a decade of pedigree playing for South Antrim prior to joining his current club, and the 34-year-old is hoping to seize the opportunity in his first Steel and Sons Cup decider. Image from Stephen Hamilton/Belfast Live.
On that occasion, it was a player who has established himself off turning up for the biggest moments for the last 20 years to dig the Seasiders out of a hole. Michael Halliday – who missed the weekend’s Banbridge bout due to a family commitment – is a candidate to return from the start on the Seaview turf.
Adam Neale’s goalscoring exploits have been nothing short of revelatory since he joined the club from Rathfriland. His 13 strikes across a span of three months make him sure-fire to be in the starting line-up, while Ben Arthurs’ lack of on-pitch action since his injury-enforced early substitution in the second of those two Paisley Park battles may work against the 11-goal Kircubbin favourite.
29-year-old Ballynahinch ace Neale explained after the 2-0 victory over PSNI at October’s end, a game in which he and Arthurs scored in, that the aims were: “The Steel and Intermediate, get those, get the league and push on from there.”
The Intermediate, which Neale won at Rathfriland last term, may now be off the table, but no doubt he is fired-up to claim the one that remains.
The older sibling will have it on his mind that this is a tournament he has not yet won. His younger brother Reece, meanwhile, has.
Reece is one of six in the camp to have been part of a previous Steel final team, and one of four to have been victorious in it. Halliday, Ryan Arthur and Gareth Beattie are the other three, while club captain Lewis Harrison and midfield colleague Karl Devine have both seen the trophy slip through their grasp.
Harrison was very frank looking back at the decider he lost. An 82nd-minute winner from Newington’s Padraig Scollay dampened his Christmas five years ago as an 18-year-old. 23 now, he is thoroughly motivated to put that right.
“From where the club was a couple of years ago, to win the Steel & Sons Cup would be huge for everyone,” he told Belfast Live of that Christmas Day date in 2017, where the younger Neale – who the previous year had captained Linfield Swifts to the spoils over Devine’s Dundela – was stood alongside him.
“I would love to win it, I was playing for Linfield Swifts a few years ago when we lost to Newington, so I know what it’s like to get beat at Christmas.
“We were a very young team that year, but to lose it was a terrible feeling. You can’t even enjoy Christmas after that!”
It’s been a strong first half of the season. Of the 21 matches Bangor have seen come to a proper conclusion this term, 17 have ended in total spoils for those in yellow and blue.
As much down to mindset as that has been down to quality. Pulling it out one last time in 2022 would be the perfect treat for the supporters. It would also suit in respect of buoying the squad and lifting the mood ahead of an all-important second half of the season with 19 league games to play.
The players know what is at stake. They know what the prize is. They know the work that will have to go in to get it out.
One more time… COME ON BANGOR!
Now that you’ve read this comprehensive preview ahead of the Steel and Sons Cup final, you know what to do.
Over 1,200 tickets sold already. We want that number to increase even more. £7 for adults and £5 for concessions if you fancy.
Featured image from myself.
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