Following the Irish Cup fifth round action in the weekend passed, it is a return to the league front for Bangor this Saturday as Moyola Park visit for the first of two meetings the sides shall have in the next fortnight. This fixture at Clandeboye Park, initially scheduled to take place in mid-November, was twice put back due to the Seasiders’ involvement at different stages of the Steel and Sons Cup they would go on to win outright.
One of Ireland’s oldest football clubs having been founded in 1880, Moyola are an institution packed with history and prestige, the pride of Castledawson – a place associated closely with the Nobel Literature prize-winning poet Seamus Heaney – and a side ambitious to push on in their Premier Intermediate plight. The Seagulls have a strong recent record against the Mill Meadow club, but there will always be chances to set records straight.
Bangor enter this weekend’s match-up in high spirits having extended their current win streak to seven with victory last week.
A Ben Arthurs hat-trick inspired the Seagulls to soar, seeing off Tandragee Rovers 4-0 as Scott McArthur’s late drive put the cherry on top.
For that, the Clandeboye outfit were rewarded with a classic sixth-stage duel at the start of February, where they will entertain Premiership Crusaders. Their success over their MUFL Intermediate A opponents ensures they stand as the sole non-senior side remaining in the competition, next facing the tournament holders for the right of a quarter-final berth.
However, the Crues clash will still be placed on the backburner for now as a run of four consecutive league games comes first.
The first of those is the visit of 6th-placed Moyola Park. They, too, were in the Irish Cup mixer last Saturday, though Glentoran proved a bridge too far as the out-of-form east Belfast panel avoided an upset with a steady 0-2 victory.
But in midweek, the blue-shirted boys returned to winning ways with a brave comeback.
A goal down at home to Banbridge Town with 45 minutes gone, finishes from Mark Edgar and Mark Kelly in the second period meant that despite Stephen McCavitt’s early strike for The Town, the riverside team took their points tally up three to 15 after 10 matches.
This precious result for Stephen Hughes’ panel assured that they eked out local rivals Tobermore United to take their position in the top half in advance of their trip eastbound this weekend.
The Co Derry/Londonderry side will thus also be welcomed as a group unbeaten in their last three league outings, picking up seven points of the last nine available. They saw off Dollingstown with a handsome 3-0 victory, although were to be denied the fruits from a similar outcome at Holm Park when Armagh City staged a late fightback from two goals down to earn a share of the spoils.
Following their defeat at home to the Premiership giants, Hughes, speaking to the Sunday Life, insisted: “We were up against a top Premiership side, it was a step up in class. Two quick goals knocked the stuffing out of us a little bit and also really killed off the game.
“I was pleased with our second half display and the fitness levels we showed.
“There is no doubt we will take a great deal from this game going into the second half of the league campaign.”
Bangor, meanwhile, enter knowing that an eighth win on the spin would be an outright club high for this term.
As a selection who enjoy hunting records and breaking them down, they will be hungry to set a new bar on their ongoing pursuit of the third-tier title.
Lee Feeney has been keen to have a sustained spell of league fixtures, which has to this point proved elusive. The Kilkeel chief’s luck is in this time, though, with this upcoming streak of four-in-a-row the longest in the campaign to date.
The home tie with The Park will soon be succeeded by the return bout at their Mill Meadow home on the 28th January, interluded by a trip to basement boys PSNI next Saturday and a rearranged Tuesday night (24th January) encounter the following week against Banbridge Town.
The Seasiders will have played two matches by the time leaders Ballymacash Rangers take to the turf next, and will assume top spot with three points in each as they aim to close a four-point margin to the division pace-setters.
With three games in hand on the west Lisburn side, making use of this opportunity will be one Feeney hopes to claim with a two-handed grip.
| Premier Intermediate | 14/1/23 | |
| Dollingstown | vs | Banbridge Town |
| Limavady United | vs | Armagh City |
| Portstewart | vs | Lisburn Distillery |
| Queen’s University | vs | Tobermore United |
Since achieving promotion back into the Irish League pyramid from the BPIL in 2019, Bangor boast a flawless record against Moyola – the first-ever Irish Cup winners back in 1881, when William Morrow scored the only goal of the game to see Cliftonville off – with three wins from three. The first clash, coincidentally, saw Ben Arthurs net a hat-trick, also registering two assists en route to a riproaring 6-2 success in November 2019.
It may be on the Kircubbin striker’s mind, though, that he failed to strike gold on either occasion the teams crossed paths last season, despite a handsome 5-0 victory in the home encounter and a 1-2 win on the road against the eventual 9th-placed team of last term.
Though, with five finishes in his last three appearances since returning from injury which have taken him back above Adam Neale in this pulsating joust for the top scorer accolade, he isn’t short of confidence.
Cup-tied in the Irish Cup this season, the elder Neale brother watched on from the side as the 24-year-old delivered three well-taken finishes. Peninsula favourite Arthurs’ 16 goals just edges former Rathfriland ace Neale’s 15 by one.
Such is the competitive spirit between the pair that opposition defences may yet feel their wrath as they try to tot up their tallies.
“Yeah, I’ve been keeping track, I think he’s been keeping track, don’t think he’ll be too happy about Reece setting me up for the second one!” Arthurs said in the aftermath of claiming the match ball against Tandragee.
“It’s good that I’m scoring, good that he’s scoring, we’re pushing each other along nicely and the team’s winning, it’s a good feeling.”
But Moyola are made of stern stuff and can field a well-equipped XI. A highly respectable total of 19 goals scored has mostly been inspired by the exploits of former Coleraine man Ian Parkhill, with the 32-year-old from Ballymoney having Premiership pedigree with the Bannsiders where he played over 250 times under Oran Kearney’s tutelage across eight years.
Since joining in the summer, Parkhill – who knows how to hold his own in a title charge – has chipped in with six league goals. Former Glentoran IIs feature Samuel McIlveen, who also enjoyed success with Ballyclare Comrades, has two, as does fellow one-time Comrade Adam Gray and ex-Portstewart man Richard Vauls.
The fourth player in the side to elevate to that number did so this week, defender Mark Edgar.
What that tells you about Hughes’ panel is that their list of goal sources is variable, and the hosts had best be wary of such diversity of threats.
Player to watch:
It is perhaps not a surprise to see Ian Parkhill taking the third-tier like a duck to water given his extensive experience playing for Coleraine throughout almost a decade’s worth of service. He has led the Moyola goal charge and will seek to improve his record against Bangor. Image from belfastlive.com.
The defeat of Banbridge Town in the week must have been key from a morale perspective, too. A loss to the Glens would have been the expected outcome despite the well-documented woes Mick McDermott’s clan have been through, but throwing away a late two-goal lead against Armagh and being upset in the Craig Memorial Cup decider against Maiden City on Boxing Day would have been ones to swiftly wash out of the system.
A winning result over the Co Down club co-managed by Simon Nicks and Ronnie Haughey on Tuesday kick-starts their form again.
Doubtless Hughes will be backing them to take to the artificial Clandeboye Park turf and be at it from the first whistle.
In terms of availability for the hosts, Feeney can count on Jamie Glover being ready after a bout of sickness disrupted the 21-year-old’s first week of 2023, while Adam Neale will be available again to add to a largely fully fit playing panel.
The experienced Gareth Beattie – who was an upright from the penalty spot away from a hat-trick on Moyola’s last visit to North Down – also returned to the bench having missed Bangor’s first game of the year at Lisburn Distillery.
Meanwhile, a familiar face in the form of the former Seasiders defender Chris Getty features in the visitors’ fold. The current 36-year-old, who is an assistant coach to Hughes having announced his retirement from playing last year, made 40 appearances on the east coast, helping get the club up into the third-flight and who is fondly remembered for his contributions.
He will nonetheless be hoping to get one over some old friends here, however.
The least Bangor can do is keep the same attitude that has seen them take total spoils in 14 of the last 15 matches. A third clean sheet in a row after a four-game streak without would also represent a major plus-point.
The objective is simple to say from the perspective of those in yellow and blue. Wins and points. It is up to the players to match that in execution once more.
Bangor also wish to extend a word of thanks to this week’s sponsors in what is the first time the Seasiders have had multiple home games in a row since mid-September. The Bangor FC Social Club will be sponsoring the match, while Gordon Boal is sponsoring the ball.
Meanwhile, the Seasider 200 Draw – that’s the quarterly Super Draw – saw £200 won by Clandeboye Bangor Supporters Club (CBSC) Secretary Andy Bannon.
Remarkably, that is the second time Andy has claimed the Super Draw prize, having also won the inflated amount in April 2022’s round. It makes him one to catch going forward, and you can chase him down by entering in the draw where £100 will be on the line next time out – at a cost of just £5 per month.
You can find details on how to be like Andy and win some cash, as well as support the club, via the link in the embedded Tweet.
Elsewhere, after tasting an agonising extra time defeat in the Junior Cup fourth round last time to Antrim FC, Bangor Reserves are on the prowl in league play for the first time this year, travelling to Breda Park this Friday 13th January where they face an opponent they have already defeated this term in Knockbreda Reserves with hopes of repeating the feat.
“You get them into the fold early at 16, 17, 18 years old, imagine how good they could be by the time they’re 21?”
Davy Downes
Davy Downes’ Under-20s know that a morale-boosting victory, having hit a roadblock in their form lately, will keep them on the coattails of Warrenpoint Town – victorious on Wednesday night over Ards II – in 4th-position.
And Downes was keen to outline the Reserves’ philosophy in advance of their 10th league matchday of the season.
“I felt we were unlucky against Antrim FC (last weekend),” he said of their most recent outing. “I had people coming up to me afterwards saying they had ridden their luck.”
Downes continued: “A lot of teams go out to win, and of course you want to win and it’s nice when you win, but for me the priority is always to develop. Ideally, I want to keep the team as young as possible, and we’ve got a lot of players who are enjoying being here, enjoying training and who have the opportunity to train closely with the first-team as well.
“The plan is to align with the senior team in terms of our methods, trying to practise the same sorts of shapes and systems in training.
“Some are going in and training with the senior side and that pleases me. You’ve got Ross (Ferguson), Kristian (Trainor) who’s a senior debut at 16, Callum Mills, going and impressing.
“You get them into the fold early at 16, 17, 18 years old, imagine how good they could be by the time they’re 21? You’ve got that pathway and it’s improving.”
Kick-off in east Belfast is at 8pm on Friday.
Also on Friday, Mini Soccer – led by the club’s head in this area, Linfield captain and 700-appearance legend Jamie Mulgrew – is completely free of charge this week. Open to all boys and girls aged between five and 10 years old, you can register via the embedded link.
It is now full speed ahead in the Ladies sector, with the Girls Academy returning for the first session of the new year last Tuesday evening. Available to all girls born between 2011 and 2016 and taking place from 6pm to 7pm at Clandeboye Park, if you have a child interested in getting into sport and learning in a welcoming environment with the club’s high-quality coaches, you can register your child by emailing girlsacademy@bangorfc.com to take part.
Also, the start of pre-season for Bangor Ladies’ senior side takes place this Sunday 15th January, from 1-2:30pm at Clandeboye Park.
All new players aged 14 and over are welcome to join the club as the Ladies build up to the start of the new season.
You can register via either girlsacademy@bangorfc.com or BangorLadiesFC@outlook.com to get involved with the pre-season setup and be a part of new Ladies manager Ethan Boylan’s squad going forward.
Featured image from Sarah Harkness.
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