A second re-scheduled game in four days awaits Bangor this coming Saturday, bound for Fortwilliam Park to take on Tobermore United in their latest Premier Intermediate League outing. Having bagged a 10th league win in 11 matches in midweek, and a ninth consecutive victory in all competitions, eyes are being cast to a first double-digit success streak since the tail end of the invincible Ballymena League crusade of 2018/19.
The weather has caused some direct disruption to the winter schedule, though in this case, it is more an indirect influence given Moyola Park’s Intermediate Cup showdown against Dollingstown was deferred a week due to the cold sweep that put eight of the 16 last-32 ties back. Combine that with a similar scenario emerging with Limavady United – Tobermore’s would-be opponents this weekend – as their joust with Valley Rangers was also put back seven days, and that is how this weekend has come to be.
Bangor were, in fact, initially tabled to travel to this venue in mid-November, but a waterlogged pitch at Belfast Celtic’s Glen Road Heights meant this fixture was shelved by necessity with that Irish Cup third round clash taking precedence.
Then set to take place in March, a convenient Saturday vacancy for both sides has in turn allowed this duel to be brought forward.
It allows the Seagulls to become re-acquainted with this ground, since it will now be the first of two pre-split visits to Tobermore. That is because Moyola’s battle with the Dollybirds will be the last at Mill Meadow this season – The Park will then temporarily ground-share with Tobermore United for the rest of the campaign while the Castledawson club’s artificial surface has additional work done to it.
| Intermediate Cup R3 | Select ties (28/1/23) | |
| Banbridge Town | vs | Greenisland |
| Limavady United | vs | Valley Rangers |
| Moyola Park | vs | Dollingstown |
And no better way to evidence such familiarity than to claim three more points in the push for the third-tier title.
Tobermore, the division’s 7th-placed side, will be all too eager to resurrect their form having already enjoyed significant progress this term.
Propping up the league last time out, finishing on just seven points from their 25 matches – zero wins, seven draws and 18 defeats – they have looked much-improved now with 15 points accumulated at the halfway stage of the pre-split.
Only one of those has come in the last three fixtures, however. An entertaining 3-3 draw in their last home clash, in which they spectacularly resurged from three goals down to take a share of the spoils against Armagh City, was enveloped by slim 2-1 away losses to Bangor’s two closest challengers, Queen’s University and Ballymacash Rangers.
Amid a tricky bracket of games to start 2023, they remain on the hunt for their first win of the new calendar year.
The Seasiders won’t want to fall victim to the Co Derry/Londonderry institution, founded in 1965, on their trek up.
In 2021/22, the Yellows doubled up on the basement-dwelling Reds. The first meet was the club’s first league outing in 536 days due to the tumult the Covid-19 pandemic caused on the Irish League, with finishes by Ben Arthurs, Jack Uprichard and Reece Neale – a free kick stunner on his debut, swiftly followed by a spot-kick denial as he tried for a brace – giving the Clandeboye club home spoils in the form of a handsome 3-1 win.
In the return leg in January, Kyle Woods converted the only strike of a forgettable affair to put three more points on the board.
But one senses there is now a different feel about Adrian Whiteside’s side.
The man who scored Tobermore’s goal at Clandeboye almost 18 months ago was Declan Martin, who can undisputedly be singled out as their main goal threat this time around. The 24-year-old’s nine league finishes in 11 appearances make up almost half their season total (19), and when he has netted, they have tended to make a difference.
It was the former Portstewart man who opened the hosts’ goal account in their thrilling fightback against Armagh, with Tiarnan Rafferty and winter arrival Ciaran McKeever following up to earn a precious point against Shea Campbell’s squadron.
Other decisive contributions from Martin include a leveller at home to Queen’s, a winner at Lisburn Distillery, an equaliser against Limavady United in a game they would go on to win and the opener in a 1-1 draw at riverside rivals Moyola.
A Bangor defence that has kept eight clean sheets in league play would best not sniff at what damage attacking ace ‘Decky’ can do.
That said, there is also a keen eye for goal in more areas than one, shown by the two-goal season tallies of Rafferty, Daniel McIlhatton, Eamon Óg McAllister and Rhys O’Mullan. There is definitely a bit of bite about this team who’ll be keen to get at their visitors from the word go.
Player to watch:
Re-joining the club in the summer as part of a heavy influx of arrivals, the popular Declan Martin‘s talismanic tendencies up top have proved key to adding points to the board for Tobermore United this season. The 24-year-old’s next goal will see him enter double digits for league strikes this season, and is potent when put in front of goal. Image from Tobermore United Facebook account.
Lee Feeney’s confidence in his squad has never been in doubt, mind. He was delighted, for instance, to see Jordan Hughes hit the mark against The Town on Tuesday night.
“I thought Jordan was superb all night and I was glad to see him get a goal,” Feeney beamed to Neil Watson in this week’s County Down Spectator.
“I told him before the match that I have full faith in him and his ability – in my opinion he is the most talented footballer in the dressing room, he just needs to trust in himself and the goals will come.”
The former Dundela frontman said as much himself about how fired-up the goal has made him ahead of the tests that are to come.
“I thought Jordan was superb all night and I was glad to see him get a goal”
Lee Feeney, on Jordan Hughes’ display against Banbridge Town on Tuesday evening
“Mate, to be honest, it’s the same as any I guess – goals help you build confidence and it’s just good to hit the mark and help the team win,” the 31-year-old stated, having added his name to the scoresheet for the first time since a 4-0 Irish Cup second round victory over Strabane Athletic in the middle of September.
“It’s been a stop-start season for me, but right now, I feel fit, strong and healthy, I’ve been happy enough with my play lately and it’s good just to build up a bit of momentum.”
2018 PIL Player of the Season Hughes’ instinctive deadlock-breaking header on 37 minutes was followed up by strikes in the second half from Ryan Arthur, Ben Arthurs and Ryley D’Sena. It was almost enough to make you wonder ‘Adam who?’ for a second.
Yet the chances are that, after seeing Arthurs edge on top of the goal charts with his 17th goal in all competitions, 29-year-old Ballynahinch sharp-shooter Neale will return all too keen to answer back.
And with one-time Wilgar Park favourite Hughes off the mark in third-tier play for this campaign at Clandeboye, a set of strikers all in the mood for sticking the ball in the net serves Feeney rightly for the contests to come.
“Goals help you build confidence and it’s just good to hit the mark”
Jordan Hughes, after scoring the opening goal against Banbridge Town
Tobermore’s claim to fame is that they were the only team in Northern Ireland that George Best ever played a competitive game for.
Plying his trade for a slightly different United than the one he achieved worldwide recognition at, the legendary Best played one Irish Cup match against Ballymena United at the age of 37. He could not dazzle like he did en route to European Cup glory and clinching the Ballon d’Or, though, with Tobermore dumped out by a 7-0 scoreline against the Sky Blues.
Nevertheless, that is a cause to be celebrated regardless. Bangor will hope that none of the current camp invoke the spirit of the Belfast great at his pomp, rather aspiring to navigate their passage as safely as possible.
| Premier Intermediate | 28/1/23 | |
| Ballymacash Rangers | vs | Armagh City |
| Lisburn Distillery | vs | Queen’s University |
| PSNI | vs | Portstewart |
| Tobermore United | vs | Bangor |
The home team will also have an improvement to their results on their own soil on their minds.
A 4-0 defeat of incumbent bottom club PSNI at the start of December is their sole victory on Fortwilliam turf so far, with Ballymacash, Queen’s and Banbridge Town all averting defeat when they have had the red carpet rolled out for them.
Some early cup eliminations will also have left them frustrated. A first-stage exit from the Irish Cup at Albert Foundry’s hands preceded their departure at the opening hurdle to Holywood in the Intermediate Cup, while a home reverse to Banbridge Town meant their League Cup adventure ended at the preliminary round back in August.
By contrast, a 1-1 draw against The Cash at The Bluebell at the end of September is the only time Saturday’s visitors have dropped points all season. Spurred on by victory in the Steel and Sons Cup, three wins by four-goal margins or more in the last month has the Seasiders looking fit and firing.
But if football were a sport played on pen and paper, it would be boring indeed.
Bangor have prided their philosophy on not taking liberties. It will have to be a case of more of the same come kick-off this weekend against an opponent who have it in them to be sticky customers.
Meanwhile, Bangor Reserves are in a top-of-the-table clash of their own this Saturday morning when they entertain Ballymacash Rangers’ equivalents at Clandeboye Park.
The league leaders from west Lisburn come hoping to extend their margin at the top of the Championship/PIL Development League, while the Seagulls will be keen to make inroads and forge their way up the table from 3rd-position.
Davy Downes’ troops certainly enter in high spirits after double delight over derby rivals Ards in the past seven days.
Firstly, second-half finishes from Jake Anderson, Sonny Redford and Kristian Trainor booked the Seasiders a 3-0 win over Ards on home soil, before a trip to Londonderry Park produced a rampant and riproaring 1-9 victory.
“The team were outstanding, (numbers) one to 16 tonight”
Davy Downes
Tom Mathieson opened the goalscoring account with two sublime strikes before Trainor won and converted a penalty on the stroke of the interval to hand the visitors an initial three-goal advantage. Ross Craig struck a brace either side of Ards cutting the deficit to 4-1, with the experienced Ethan Boylan on target and substitutes Ruairi Wright and Charley Craig (two) rounding the finish count off.
On a night in which the Ards woodwork was also left rattling on a number of occasions, with Mathieson, captain Tim Millar-Wilson and centre back Ryan Devitt denied by the upright – Craig had a would-be hat-trick goal chalked off for a controversial offside too – Downes was delighted by how his boys acquitted themselves.
“The team were outstanding, (numbers) one to 16 tonight,” the Under-20s chief enthused.
“The substitutes who came on as well were brilliant, Ruairi Wright scoring off the bench as well. (It’s a) big game on Saturday morning now, home versus Ballymacash.
“I thought our back four were good and Kristian was unreal… we have a lot of potential in the Reserves with a bright future for some of these lads. With them being so young, we have plenty of time to develop them for the first-team.”
A victory in Saturday’s match-up against The Cash would lift Bangor to within a point of 2nd-placed Newington. Perched on 24 points, it would also surely satisfy those in the camp if the last result against their next opponents – a 2-1 defeat at The Bluebell, in which the hosts won with virtually the game’s last kick – can be swimmingly atoned.
Kick-off is at 11pm in the yellow and blue outfit’s search for a fourth victory in the last fortnight.
Elsewhere, the club is proud to confirm that a final total of £1,675 has been donated to the AMMF charity in memory of Frankie Wilson.
The club wishes to thank everyone who donated, either in-person or online, at Tuesday’s match-up with Banbridge Town, and to Frankie’s family and friends for coming down to Clandeboye Park as guests of honour.
“We appreciate everyone who has played their part in making (Tuesday night) happen, it really has meant a lot,” said Bangor chairman Graham Bailie of this brilliant cause.
Featured image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
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