On entry into the last-16 stage of the Irish Cup, only one team arrives having played every round of the competition to date. Bangor welcome tournament holders Crusaders with grand aspirations of completing one of the greatest cup surprises in the recent memory of Northern Ireland football, attempting to upset the established Premiership outfit and book a famous quarter-final berth.
Stephen Baxter’s north Belfast squadron, keen to atone for a recent 2-0 defeat in a capital derby at Glentoran, will aim to keep their weaker underbellies hidden from sight on their visit to Clandeboye Park. They arrive, on paper, as the undisputed favourites to advance from this tie, but how aware Hatchetmen leader Baxter will be to ensure his side leave any notions of an easy ride on the seaside back at the Shore Road.
This match marks a break from Premier Intermediate League action for the hosts, who last time out felt the pain of defeat in league play for the first time this season.
A stoic and sturdy Tobermore United closed all routes to goal for Bangor last Saturday. Try as the Seasiders might, they found themselves either with a brick-wall defence sweeping everything aside or an alert shot-stopper in their way, with a couple of breakaway goals by the pacey former Ballyclare Comrade Gary McKeown ultimately proving the difference.
The greatest solace for the Yellows perhaps came from the other title-chasers also not being able to pick up the maximum spoils. League leaders Ballymacash Rangers gained a point with a 2-2 draw at home to Armagh City, a 92nd-minute equaliser at least salvaging the situation in part for the west Lisburn club, while Queen’s University were defeated 2-1 in Ballyskeagh against Distillery to remain eight points behind in 3rd-place.
The PIL runs as usual this weekend, and doubtless attentions will be paid to Saturday afternoon’s action, but this matchday Bangor can simply enjoy the occasion before the business end of the campaign really kicks into gear.
| Premier Intermediate | 3/2/23 | |
| Ballymacash Rangers | v | Banbridge Town |
| Banbridge Town | v | Lisburn Distillery |
| Dollingstown | v | Moyola Park |
| Queen’s University | v | Armagh City |
| Tobermore United | v | Portstewart |
Crusaders, three-time Premiership title-winners in the last decade, are an outfit with a fair few connections to the Clandeboye club despite a current 21-place gap in the Irish League pyramid.
Baxter, who celebrates 18 full uninterrupted years in charge of the Hatchetmen in three weeks’ time, is a one-time Bangor assistant boss, spending the years 2000 to 2003 as a member of the Seagulls’ backroom team. His sidekick at the Crues and reliable deputy Jeff Spiers is a former Bangor player, while one of his most trusted troops in the mercurial Jordan Forsythe, who he recruited in 2015, is fondly remembered for his time on the seaside.
He has also found his plans in the cups scuppered by the Yellows at points in the past. Prior to midfielder Forsythe’s move to north Belfast, he was a vital part of a yellow and blue panel that twice upset the Shore Road pride in 2014/15, firstly with a 4-2 comeback victory at Clandeboye in the League Cup and then in the County Antrim Shield semi-final at Seaview which won then-Championship Bangor the right to face Cliftonville in the decider.
It’s not unfair to say, though, that a home win this Friday night would be on a different level.
Only 18 months or so after those results, Bangor suffered relegation from the Championship and have not returned since.
Now, hopeful of finally wrestling back senior status seven years on, Crusaders prove an obstacle once more. Surely not again?
| Round | Irish Cup road so far | |||
| 1 | Bangor | 2 | 0 | Queen’s University |
| 2 | Bangor | 4 | 0 | Strabane Athletic |
| 3 | Belfast Celtic | 0 | 3 | Bangor |
| 4 | Limavady United | 1 | 2 | Bangor |
| 5 | Bangor | 4 | 0 | Tandragee Rovers |
Well, if you can be sure of one thing, Belfast boss Baxter will be all too eager for his boys to respond after a Monday night slip-up.
This is the second time in 96 hours that the Crues come under a broadcaster’s watch. The first saw them defeated at Glentoran, with Shay McCartan’s second-half brace – the opening finish the subject of much controversy, given the last touch firmly appeared to come off the Newry attacker’s outstretched hand – helping Rodney McAree’s team strike all the right blows on their passage to an albeit well-earned three points at The Oval.
A United Kingdom-wide audience got to see McCartan, who doubled up with a 25-yard free kick that visiting shot-stopper Jonny Tuffey will feel he should have done much better with, inspire the east Belfast giants to victory, with the duel broadcast on Sky Sports.
Now, it is the turn of BBC Sport NI to capture Crusaders in a capacity where they are the holders. Last May, Johnny McMurray, who departed for Warrenpoint Town a division below this winter, scored in the dying, dying embers in last year’s final at Windsor Park to down old club Ballymena United after extra time and hand Baxter yet another major honour.
“We cannot afford to switch off or lose concentration against a side like (Crusaders) or we’ll be punished”
Lee Feeney
Their Irish Cup title defence certainly started on the front foot. Their 6-0 fifth-round thumping of Dergview four weeks ago, in which Dean Ebbe – despite being transfer-listed at the January window’s start – netted a hat-trick, was an ominous signal of their intent to push hard once more.
Dublin-born Ebbe, who was recruited from Welsh titans The New Saints in the summer, is one of a handful of fearsome weapons in Baxter’s attacking arsenal. Castlederg line-leader Adam Lecky, almost two metres in height but as capable of running the channels as any, could be as tricky a test as the Bangor backline could face physically, while ‘Big Chicken’ Jordan Owens – the club’s all-time top scorer and with 15 years of service to the Hatchetmen under his belt – has recently got among the goals again having recently ended a 21-month drought.
Tenacious yet technical winger Paul Heatley is another long-standing soldier, while Philip Lowry, the man with the golden touch in midfield having netted 14 league goals, can score from most parts of the pitch.
Player to watch:
As far as line-leaders go in the Irish League, defenders could not have many tougher assignments than Castlederg line-leader Adam Lecky. Having seen the Crues best his hometown club to make this stage, the 31-year-old striker has not always had a starting spot set in stone but his mobility and strength make him very desirable. Has scored five goals in the league this term. Image from belfasttelegraph.co.uk.
But where Bangor can possibly smell blood is in the Crues’ middling away form. Their reverse on Monday night was their sixth road defeat in 13 league trips with the best version of themselves generally reserved for their home stands.
They have also tasted a shock this term already, losing 2-1 at Dundela in the League Cup. Is there yet room for one more against a side who haven’t yet conceded a home goal in the third-tier?
If they bring their ‘A’ game – the one most often seen at Seaview, where they have won 11 of their 13 Premiership outings that has seen them lay claim to a league-high 34 home points – then the margin for error must be virtually nil from Bangor in order to steal a march.
But strange things happen in the cups, and that is where you must draw your slivers of hope and optimism to fuel you.
“It’s a massive night for the whole club and I know the players are really looking forward to the occasion,” enthused home gaffer Lee Feeney to Neil Watson in this week’s County Down Spectator.
“I think we can cause Crusaders a few problems but we are going to have to be at our absolute best if we are going to cause an upset.
“Crusaders are an excellent side challenging at the top end of the Premiership. We cannot afford to switch off or lose concentration against a side like that or we’ll be punished.”
As excited as Feeney is for the occasion – smiling as he admired this writer’s fresh haircut for the big occasion! – he also issued a warning shot that his team cannot get overawed.
He at least has a largely fully-fit squad to select from on Friday and who trained with a particular spring in their step this week. Marc Orbinson is out with an arm injury, but the likes of Ethan Boylan and Tom Mathieson, who have performed well in minutes with the Reserves following lengthy spells on the sidelines, are ready to contribute.
Lewis Harrison is back at his manager’s disposal after missing last week’s loss at Tobermore, although 16-goal sharp-shooter Adam Neale is cup-tied in the Irish Cup owing to the Ballynahinch line-leader’s involvement with Rathfriland back in August’s set of first round fixtures.
“It’s a massive night for the whole club and I know the players are really looking forward to the occasion”
Lee Feeney
Indeed, 31-year-old Boylan – who, like veteran goalkeeper Tuffey, balances his role plying his trade for the men with a head coaching position with the club’s senior Ladies side – knows a thing or two about turning over Crusaders. The striker was on Forsythe’s side when Bangor bested the Crues on those two outings in 2014, and scored in each as well.
He will seek to lend his words of wisdom, and characteristic craic, to the current crop of Seasiders ahead of this joust.
“Perhaps I did want to prove a point against the Crues,” hometown favourite Boylan revealed, having once been part of the Shore Road setup, to the Belfast Telegraph. “This cup tie is a great one for us, you have to back yourself. Look at Wrexham in the FA Cup – the underdogs can bite.
“We have shocked the Crues before and anything can happen in this game.
“Myself and Jordan (Forsythe) were close at Bangor, we were good friends and he was always a special talent who was destined to have a great career. It will be great to see him again and hopefully I can play a part in helping the club get a result.”
Player to watch:
Having been with Crusaders for seven-and-a-half years now, the brilliance of Jordan Forsythe is not lost on anyone having managed to again mark himself as one of the Shore Road side’s top performers. Building his name with Bangor, the 31-year-old joined the Crues in 2015 and has contributed six goals this term, including a 50-yarder against Newry City a few weeks ago. Image from belfastlive.co.uk.
And quite the return it would be, with Bangor’s number 10 having not featured in a senior match since mid-September. For a game like this, that adds an extra feeling of energy into everyone, it can act as a spring-boost to propel the team to fresh heights.
The Seagulls have already welcomed one Premiership adversary to Clandeboye Park in a competitive context, taking their red and black-striped foes’ arch-rivals Cliftonville all the way to spot-kicks in the County Antrim Shield first round back in September.
“This cup tie is a great one for us, you have to back yourself”
Ethan Boylan
A spirited endeavour against last season’s top-flight runners-up was not quite to yield the ultimate reward, as the Reds prevailed 5-4 in the shootout after a goalless draw in regulation, but it showed Bangor have it in them to compete against the very best in the Irish League.
Friday’s hosts must rekindle that energy from facing the Solitude side going into facing their esteemed rivals. Baxter has signalled that the Irish Cup is a crucial aim for Crusaders season in, season out – and is likely to field a team reflecting its importance to their catalogue.
| Irish Cup sixth round | 3/2/23 | |
| Ballymena United (1) | v | Newington (2) |
| Bangor (3) | v | Crusaders (1) |
| Cliftonville (1) | v | Coleraine (1) |
| Glenavon (1) | v | Harland and Wolff Welders (2) |
| Institute (2) | v | Ballyclare Comrades (2) |
| Knockbreda (2) | v | Dungannon Swifts (1) |
| Larne (1) | v | Linfield (1) |
| Portadown (1) | v | Glentoran (1) |
Shackles are off and pressure is alleviated for the Seasiders. Go out, make a positive impression and try to be clinical with the chances that present themselves. The first goal of the game could set the pace for the affair as a whole, and afford the leading team a degree of control.
You can dare to dream. And dreams sometimes come true. The joy of football, after all, is that you have no idea what is around the corner.
Hopefully for Bangor, that can work in their advantage come the 7:45pm kick-off time on Friday.
Meanwhile, Bangor Reserves will aspire to continue their recent excellent form when they travel to Loughgall on Saturday morning.
Davy Downes’ side are in hot pursuit of a fifth successive victory at Lakeview Park, and could potentially move level on 30 points with league leaders Ballymacash Rangers depending on how The Cash fare this Friday when they host Ards Seconds at The Bluebell.
Recent defeats of Ards (twice), east Belfast institution Knockbreda and the west Lisburn club, with Mathieson netting a hat-trick in last Saturday’s success over the latter, inspire confidence that the Under-20s’ trip to Co Armagh can yield three more for the points kitty. They enter on the back of scoring 22 in those four fixtures while letting in just two, confidence is high in the camp and the thirst for wins is unflinching around the panel.
Elsewhere, confirmation of a re-scheduled game has recently came through, with Bangor to play Limavady United – incidentally, the team the Seasiders were initially scheduled to face this weekend – on the final day of February, Tuesday 28th, at Clandeboye Park.
Paul Owens’ Roesiders are in good form at present, aspiring to atone for Bangor having already beaten them twice on their home turf, and it promises to be a competitive fixture when that date rolls around.
Congratulations to Jude and Ryan, who picked up the Curious Candy Man of the Match performances as the Under-18s recorded a 7-0 victory over Wellington Rec Youth last Friday night.
They are seen collecting their well-earned rewards from Under-18 coaches Isaac Caldwell and Craig Gamble.
Lastly, the start of pre-season for Bangor Ladies’ senior side takes place this Sunday 5th February, with a new start time of 1:30pm 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.
Register via girlsacademy@bangorfc.com or BangorLadiesFC@outlook.com to get involved with the pre-season setup and be a part of Ladies manager Ethan Boylan’s squad going forward.
Featured image from Gary Carson.
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