The turn of a year so often signals a time for new beginnings and fresh change, but there were no undue alterations to Bangor’s recent flying form as a sixth win on the spin was booked at New Grosvenor Stadium on Monday afternoon. The Seasiders travelled to face Lisburn Distillery in jolly spirits after successfully laying claim to the Steel and Sons Cup last time out, and wasted no time in setting out the stall for 2023 with a five-star show.
Where the damage was done by the half in the sides’ first meet at Clandeboye Park back in August, this time the killer blows were largely to come in the second period, as the Yellows built on a one-goal lead at the interval in style during the 45 minutes that followed. Thus, an eighth league win in nine was assured and an unbeaten record preserved to keep pace at the summit.
The first observation on disembarking at Ballyskeagh was that for there barely being a cloud in sight, the winter chills were no less conspicuous.
A dry grass surface for the players to ply their trade on, but a climate where the bright, low sun of the season shone bright yet offered little heat would take a little bit of running off.
For Distillery, purely getting the batteries recharged in a competitive context after a run of just two games in 10 weeks would have been welcome in itself.
In Whites boss Barry Johnston’s pre-game notes, he laid out what his boys had been doing to ensure they were fresh for this encounter.
“The lack of games in the last two months has not been ideal, but on a positive side, and I genuinely mean that, we have been working so hard behind the scenes, trying to bring players in, and hopefully against Bangor today we will have several of those new signings starting,” the former Cliftonville hero illustrated in his match programme segment.
“Looking back at the first half of the season, Bangor is the only team I have thought that have turned us over. We will be more competitive than what we were on that night at Bangor, and with the new players coming in it will be an exciting time for us.
“The break also helped in that we were able to book indoor training sessions and the boys will have been through a real tough Christmas training schedule so we will be ready to go when the second half of the season starts today.”
A mixture of the frosty weather in December and prior cup eliminations had left Distillery’s schedule dry. A pair of home defeats against Armagh City (1-4) and Banbridge Town (0-3) had been their only match action since the end of October. Having remained on five points since sharing the spoils in the Lisburn derby on the 25th October – Matthew Swann and Lewis Higginson clawing their team back to draw 2-2 with Ballymacash Rangers – the league’s 11th-placed side of 12 would have been hungry to improve their standing.
Therefore, Bangor had best be wary in advance of a team chomping at the bit to impose a performance making up for lost time.
From the Steel and Sons Cup final, manager Lee Feeney, not known for naming unchanged teams in successive outings, kept up that track record.
He opted to make a pair of switches from that famous Christmas Eve victory over Dunmurry Rec. Ben Arthurs netted that all-important equaliser off the bench at Seaview and surely convinced the Kilkeel chief of his match fitness there and then having hitherto spent six weeks out, thus it was no shock to see the 24-year-old return from the start on the league stage.
Karl Devine joined club captain and former White Lewis Harrison in midfield, replacing Dylan O’Kane who was named on the bench, while Jamie Glover and Scott McArthur were ruled out of contention due to illness.
The hosts’ line-up featured one of three new arrivals confirmed on the opening of the mid-season transfer window, with former Ballyclare Comrades skipper Adam McCart in for a full debut, while teenage defender Jake Willis – recruited on a half-season loan from Portadown – had a chance at making his bow as a substitute. Ex-Seasider Pearse McVarnock featured in attack, hoping to deal his former employers a blow.
Referee Niall Devlin, officiating a Bangor match for the first time this season, led the teams out and blew for kick-off at 2:01pm.
Adam Neale set the ball rolling for the Seasiders, and it would be the 29-year-old to enjoy the game’s first clear-cut chance with nine minutes gone.
He latched onto Seanna Foster’s delivery from the right, but agonisingly saw his first-time attempt from the edge of the box tipped onto the post by home goalkeeper Ethan Carry.
On 14 minutes, his brother had better luck. Set behind after Devine had displayed strong vision to spot his run, Reece Neale let fly from the inside-left channel, and with the aid of Carry’s glove saw the ball turned in at the near post.
While to the naked eye it looked like an own goal, further analysis would suggest that it is one for the dubious goals panel to have a look at. It stands as the Ballynahinch left wing-back’s fifth league strike of the campaign at present, and first since netting against Glentoran II in the Steel and Sons Cup back in October.
“Aye, wondergoal, absolute wondergoal!”
Reece Neale
Facing the sun in the first period, chances continued to fall for the visitors. Reece sought to turn provider on 21 minutes with Arthurs turning his shot just wide of the right post, while with 34 minutes gone in the contest the Kircubbin favourite guided Foster’s placed delivery into Whites skipper Carry’s grateful arms.
Distillery had a near-miss from a free kick on 42 minutes, when James Taylor was well-placed to capture Stephen Wilson’s back-post header having evaded his marker. A bobbling surface in places on the encircled playing area meant some passes that would usually be routine executions for those in yellow and blue didn’t always fall the desired way.
Nevertheless, by half time, a 0-1 lead was intact and an opportunity for Feeney to deliver some fresh instructions had dawned.
Talking tactics:
David Hume, a one-time Distillery defender, often had to engage in duels by the wide areas of the pitch in the first half, though he was able to navigate his way out thanks to his close control and skill in bringing the ball out. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Tactically, it was an interesting formula the Clandeboye chief had deployed. With Arthurs and Michael Halliday – one of five former Distillery features in the Bangor squad – as the main two line-leaders, Adam Neale was used to link the play in the pocket behind them as part of an overall 3-4-1-2 formation.
The boss was suitably satisfied to continue with an unchanged team in the second stanza. His faith would not be misplaced.
With some more cloud cover and less need to shield the eyes, the Seagulls swooped in.
Reece Neale’s distance piledriver on his stronger left foot on 54 minutes was tipped over by Carry, but two minutes later the 21-year-old shot-stopper could not rescue his team from going two goals down.
Former 40-goal Rathfriland ace Adam Neale’s new role paid dividends when he picked out a gap in the hosts’ heightened defensive line. He had a target to aim for in Arthurs who had green grass ahead and abundant time to pick his spot, and the Peninsula star once slotted in was cool, calm and collected to place underneath the onrushing Carry into the bottom right.
On the hour, Arthurs, now 13 up for the season in all competitions including six in the Premier Intermediate, tried to return the favour, but Adam was thwarted by Adam McCart’s last-ditch intervention.
17 years the senior of his namesake Odhran – a 2005-born prospect with a senior debut for Larne under his belt – at the heart of the Whites backline, the centre back was keen to lead a charge back into the mire. That said, it was a former teammate of his at Ballyclare who would make their task a lot tougher.
Ryan Arthur’s first half brace on the opening day set a five-goal salvo under way during the opening day meet of the two historic institutions.
His goal tally has stayed at two ever since – until the 62nd minute of the return, that is, when he ghosted in to ram home Reece Neale’s left-sided flag-kick with a ferocious side-foot.
“Nice set-piece goal, good to get a goal from that situation as well”
Reece Neale
Three up and in good nick, Bangor weren’t content to settle on that. Feeney switched to a three-man midfield when O’Kane – also on a goal-drought since last August – entered the fray for Halliday, while a double-sub saw another player who once called this place home in Jordan Hughes enter for Arthurs. Australian Ryley D’Sena, like McCart an Inver Reds debutant, replaced David Hume for the third switch of the sequence.
After Harrison tested the water with a distance drive that was safely held by Carry, O’Kane put the result beyond doubt in notching his third this term.
Moments after Carson Elliott – whose free kick kissed the bar at Clandeboye Park last time – had dragged an attempt wide of the bottom left post, the former Dungannon Swifts midfielder swooped in first to stroke home his first strike since the sumptuous double he registered in the eight-goal thrashing of Greenisland.
Hughes had broken forward on 78 minutes, squaring for Adam Neale only to see his effort snuffed out at the source. O’Kane, who turns 25 this month, was first to rescue the ball, however, and unerringly drove his take into the bottom left.
The score now four in the Seasiders’ favour, it always preys on a goalscorer’s mind when they are not in the mix of a glut.
But after first seeing an acute attempt blocked on 83 minutes by Willis, the 19-year-old Ports Reserves ace who indeed appeared in pure white for the first time as a 66th-minute substitute, Neale was not to be denied in added time.
After Hughes’ fizzing 25-yard free kick was spilled by Carry, the Yellows’ leading marksman further bolstered his tally with two minutes of additional played. His 15th finish for Bangor was not his prettiest, a deflected close-range strike that nestled in the bottom right after bouncing for a bit, but it put the cherry on the icing of a five-storey cake.
It was the last meaningful action of this enthralling affair. No sooner than kick-off had been retaken than Devlin had called time.
Five goals, three points and a 14th clean sheet in 23 for the campaign. A happy new year indeed.
Bangor do not claim top spot – that remains Ballymacash Rangers’ position to defend, and a ground they will stand as they earned a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Tobermore United at The Bluebell – but a four-strong swing now puts the Seasiders ahead on goal difference as they stay a point behind the west Lisburn outfit with two games in hand.
“Ah well, they’ll take care of their business and we’ll handle our own at the end of the day,” said an unperturbed Reece Neale post-match.
“So we’ve got our wins on the board and we’ll try to pounce on any slip-ups if we can.”
As for the first goal, the vice-captain was in no doubt that it was his right to lay claim despite the wicked deflection that aided the shot’s path.
“Aye, wondergoal, absolute wondergoal!” he smiled. “But listen, they all count don’t they?
“Good to boost the assist tally – you’d written it as my seventh after the Queen’s game (after setting up Halliday in a 1-2 success at The Dub) so I’m taking it as my eighth!” the attack-minded defender added.
“Nice set-piece goal, good to get a goal from that situation as well.”
| Premier Intermediate | 2/1/23 | ||
| Armagh City | 2 | 2 | Moyola Park |
| Ballymacash Rangers | 2 | 1 | Tobermore United |
| Dollingstown | 2 | 0 | Portstewart |
| Limavady United | 3 | 1 | PSNI |
| Queen’s University | P | P | Banbridge Town |
There is a brief respite from league action as the focus turns to the Irish Cup fifth round for Bangor this Saturday, where Tandragee Rovers visit Clandeboye Park for the right of a spot in the last-16 of Ireland’s oldest footballing cup competition.
But with half a dozen wins in a row booked, the recent fruits of victory sprinkled with the exultation of adding a cup to the cabinet has translated into a group high on confidence ahead of whatever tests lie in wait.
It was always going to take professionalism to navigate this such examination, a tougher one than the scoreline perhaps lets on.
But in the end, particularly after a clinical second half, it can be seen once more why Feeney holds his playing panel in such high esteem.
The possibility of a cup streak to run parallel with the primary season objective – the third-tier title – can act as further motivation. The key is simply to keep this form up for as long as possible, and the rest speaks for itself.
An impressive victory with five different goalscorers, a spread of goals around the team called for by the management, does no harm at all. It hopefully inspires belief with Neale cup-tied this weekend, no less.
At the heart, though, is three points. 25 out of 27 so far. And that is what leads you to titles and trophies.
Featured image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
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