Fight and spirit were keywords to take for Bangor from Friday night’s Irish Cup bonanza, as the Seasiders bravely took Premiership Crusaders to the wire at a rocking Clandeboye Park where their adventure in this season’s competition ended at the sixth round. It was a memorable night for the club, being broadcast live to a UK-wide audience on national television, and the players lived up to the occasion by delivering a performance that inspires confidence going into the Premier Intermediate run-in.
Showing great character and determination to halve the deficit and make it a one-goal game for the final 25 minutes, Lee Feeney’s troops could not quite find a leveller in time but the home chief was left feeling proud as punch for the way they acquitted themselves. The focus switches exclusively to the league from here on in, but this still feels like a big result.
Cup fever gripped the air on the seaside ahead of Bangor contesting their first Friday night game of the campaign.
With the work done in the week bringing this night into fruition, and meticulous plans put in place and implemented, Clandeboye Park looked in tip-top shape for television onlookers watching to see if a famous upset would take place.
The Yellows welcomed the Crues of north Belfast, the competition holders, with high hopes. Having tasted defeat in this season’s Premier Intermediate League for the first time six days prior, it felt as if a valiant display with the shackles off would have made up for any still lingering disappointments from then.
Following that reverse at Fortwilliam Park against Tobermore United, Feeney made three tweaks to his starting line-up.
Captain Lewis Harrison returned to the midfield having been unavailable in that loss, taking the place of Dylan O’Kane who dropped to the bench, while the enforced ineligibility of line-leader Adam Neale in the Irish Cup meant Jamie Glover entered from the start in a slightly reshuffled front three.
The last switch saw Australian centre back Ryley D’Sena come in for David Hume, while there were returns to the matchday squad for attacking midfielder Tom Mathieson – the ex-Crusaders youth prospect having been in superlative form for Bangor Reserves, recently working his way back from a 10-week injury absence – and shot-stopper Darren Gibbons, who were both named among the substitutes.
The Hatchetmen, overseen by one-time Seasiders assistant Stephen Baxter, opted for a full-strength side to show their intent to progress far in the tournament once more – albeit it was a squad missing former Clandeboye favourite Jordan Forsythe due to injury.
The 31-year-old midfielder was one of four figures to drop out from their Monday night defeat at Glentoran, with Adam Lecky, Declan Caddell and Daniel Larmour replaced by Jordan Owens, Robbie Weir and Josh Robinson in the starting team.
Andrew Davey, one of the country’s top officials, led both sets of players out in front of a crowd that seemed well in excess of 1,000 people, and signalled for a 7:44pm kick-off just prior to the scheduled time.
Philip Lowry – the fourth switch – set Crusaders rolling, and in the opening 10 minutes it was the visitors laying out their stall and controlling the tempo without really creating anything major.
The first chance fell the way of the away team on 13 minutes, when Billy Joe Burns’ mishit cross almost caught the experienced James Taylor off-guard. The right back’s delivery from the right channel unintentionally swivelled goalwards and was mere inches over the bar, the spin almost taking it into the top corner.
The Crues had their first shot on target nine minutes later when Ross Clarke cut inside to let fly, though the attempt bore right down on Taylor and the 38-year-old routinely gathered.
On 28 minutes, however, the ex-Glenavon shot-stopper could not prevent the Shore Road institution’s man with the golden boots from upgrading his goal tally.
Jarlath O’Rourke played a short pass to Jude Winchester, who supplied a sublime chipped pass over the Bangor backline that was taken in his stride by Lowry. The midfielder has had his shooting cap on, and, as the Premiership’s highest-scoring player in his position with 14 league goals, he added to that number in all competitions with a controlled finish underneath Taylor to open the scoring.
A plentiful travelling faithful cheered from the Clandeboye Road end as their boys gave them a lead most looking from the outside in would have expected. From then, it continued to be those in red and black shirts applying most of the pressure – but they found a willing adversary.
With 31 minutes gone, Taylor pulled off a stunning save to parry a much more dangerous drive from Clarke, while one minute later the reliable keeper was in the right place to handle Lowry’s tame effort on the turn.
On 34 minutes, the Seaview outfit’s all-time record goalscorer Owens turned a header just past the post from Burns’ delivery, while the man nicknamed ‘Chicken’ found Taylor in his path as he guided another aerial attempt towards goal with 38 minutes played.
After Clarke lashed a fresh attempt well wide of the mark, Bangor were dealt an injury blow when John Boyle was forced off.
The 36-year-old centre back was substituted by Feeney for Hume in a like-for-like adjustment just before half time. It was Taylor to the rescue once more thereafter, when he stood tall in the face of the effervescent Lowry to claim ever so coolly after the 33-year-old had broken behind the line into a one-on-one.
By the time Davey blew for the interval after adding a couple of extra minutes, Bangor were probably glad to have a bit of time to breathe.
Feeney would have time to talk things over and devise a plan to respond against a team 21 places above them in the pyramid.
The Seagulls had yet to register an attempt on Jonny Tuffey’s goal, and would have been well in the knowledge that Baxter’s concurrent team-talk was likely to follow a line of sustaining how they had ended the first period. Crusaders were baring their teeth as they peppered the goal.
Eventually, the hosts would set pulses racing – but not before their task was made that little bit harder right as the half restarted.
Scott McArthur kicked off for Bangor on Davey’s whistle, with a tactical change seeing Hume and D’Sena switch to their more conventional respective left and right-sided positions in the back-three, but barely 120 seconds later the ball would be back in the centre circle.
Crusaders’ second goal followed a similar vein to their first, in that the former Ballymena United ace Winchester set up Lowry to slide home. It was a give-and-go between the two as the latter – whose brother Stephen plies his trade for Coleraine – picked out a gap between D’Sena and the covering Ryan Arthur which culminated in the Crues maestro doubling up. He took one touch to set himself and then curled low into the bottom right. Taylor dived, but to no avail.
Appeals for a foul on McArthur in the build-up, apparently held back as he tried to break forward, were waved off. The move continued, and the visitors took full advantage to increase their cushion with 43 minutes still to play.
However, any notions that the rest of the encounter would be an easy ride were to be put to rest pretty swiftly.
On 51 minutes, it was almost a goal (sort of) made in Cliftonville. Reds loanee Seanna Foster sent in an inviting cross from the right for former Solitude youth player Ryan Arthur to guide goalwards, but the defender’s header against the bitterest rivals of Ireland’s oldest football club – while seemingly beyond a stranded Tuffey – was only just past the left-hand post.
Foster, who recently celebrated his 26th birthday, had traded his bright orange boots for a slightly more subtle but still luminous aqua blue pair of kicks. Engaged in a close-fought duel with former Dungannon Swifts man O’Rourke, it was all in good sport as the impressive right wing-back broke free.
“Tuffey had looked like he was beaten, thought Ben (Arthurs) was going to maybe get a touch to poke it in but just wide there”
Ryan Arthur
The two teams traded forays forward thereafter, as Arthur’s defensive prowess came to the fore to deflect the tenacious but technically-gifted Paul Heatley’s attempt wide with 58 minutes gone before McArthur’s weighted cut-back was agonisingly into empty space five minutes later.
But with 66 minutes played, it was to authentically be made a contest once more.
A long ball over the top by Reece Neale found the bustling Ben Arthurs, and the Kircubbin hero did not need any more help to find the net.
The 24-year-old outmuscled Cameron Stewart, introduced from the bench in place of Chris Hegarty who – like Boyle – saw injury curtail his on-pitch presence, before skipping by the covering Robinson’s sliding challenge to get one-on-one with Tuffey. Arthurs kept his cool and converted for his 18th of the season, skilfully finding the bottom-left to bring about a cacophony of noise around Clandeboye and reduce the arrears.
Afterwards, it certainly was all to play for – though it would be incorrect to say that it descended into chaos.
On 71 minutes, Heatley again saw a defensive deflection thwart his endeavour to mark the scoresheet, while with 80 minutes gone, Ben Kennedy – a creative lynchpin for the Crues who was making his first senior appearance of the season following a lengthy spell on the sidelines – perhaps showed a sign that he is still feeling his way back into it after a loose first touch when free invited Taylor to grab bravely at his feet.
At the other end of the pitch, Neale could not quite get the direction he would have liked from a left-sided cross as his supply inched towards the byline, while Arthur’s pass into space could well have done with the Ballynahinch left wing-back’s overlap as the ball was then shepherded out for a goal kick.
Into added time, a last-ditch corner so nearly yielded the most spectacular of conclusions.
The final one of five added minutes, substitute Gareth Beattie floated in from the left and an advanced Taylor, accustomed to making big stops, got his head to the ball from the edge of the six-yard area. Alas, connection could not be combined with direction, and there must have been palpable sighs of relief from all of a Crusaders persuasion as his attempt sailed wide.
And that proved the literal last touch. Taylor had not even rushed back over the halfway line by the time Davey signalled for time.
A hands-on-heads finish, though not that this distracts from what was a proud, punching performance from this band of brothers.
The players’ gallantry throughout the last 40 minutes was quite the sight to behold, with a tight rear-guard blended with a willingness to cause problems in chance creation. It made for a thoroughly competitive and enthralling joust.
Lee Feeney saluted the attitude of his bravehearts to the big occasion.
“First half, I felt like we fought well without really creating anything,” the Kilkeel supremo began. “I had a chat at half time that we’d need to keep it tight, we come out, concede a silly goal and it would’ve been easy for us to just drop our heads.
“I was really pleased with the character of the group”
Lee Feeney
“But we didn’t do that, we went up afterwards, we defended well and we took the game to Crusaders. We got the goal and unfortunately we just couldn’t in the end (get a second goal) that I feel like we would have deserved.
“I was really pleased with the character of the group.”
The Bangor boss, appointed two-and-a-half years ago with the aim of leading the club to the Championship and beyond, also believes this will give his squadron a lift in games to come.
“I’m confident (going into Armagh City at Holm Park), even the conversation that we were having afterwards, it was straight into Armagh next Saturday.
“To be honest I haven’t even looked at the table, I don’t know what the make-up of the league is and won’t even really look at it until March time which I did last year. I think you’ve just got to focus on it game by game. But tonight I think will give us a lift going forward.”
“We went up afterwards, we defended well and we took the game to Crusaders”
Lee Feeney
Ryan Arthur, whose headed chance instigated the revival from two goals down, enjoyed the chance to test himself against top-level opposition.
“I thought I almost got one there,” he said of his effort. “(Jonny) Tuffey had looked like he was beaten, I thought Ben (Arthurs) was going to maybe get a touch to poke it in, but just wide there.”
He added of the occasion: “Listen, it’s all about experience isn’t it? Playing in these sorts of games, the high level. We should have more of these Friday night games too, these games under lights, it’d probably help get these bigger crowds and atmospheres.
“And another thing is it’s out of the way as well, it’s all league now, 15 more league games to go and we can put all the focus on winning our games and getting promoted.”
| Irish Cup | Sixth Round (6/2/23) | ||
| Ballymena United | 4 | 1 | Newington |
| Bangor | 1 | 2 | Crusaders |
| Cliftonville | 2* | 2 | Coleraine |
| Glenavon | 0 | 1 | Harland and Wolff Welders |
| Institute | 0 | 1 | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Knockbreda | 1 | 2 | Dungannon Swifts |
| Larne | 1** | 1 | Linfield |
| Portadown | 0 | 3 | Glentoran |
A big month of third-tier action awaits, with Saturday’s traverse to take on Shea Campbell’s Armagh followed by consecutive home showdowns with Ballymacash Rangers, Portstewart and Limavady United.
The hope very much is that the high note on which the Seasiders ended can be the start of the crest of a wave. There are no more cup interruptions to be had – the focus is exclusively on wrestling back top spot in the league and holding that berth come the season’s conclusion.
The tussle with the Eagles later this week would put that theory to the test.
| Premier Intermediate | 4/2/23 | ||
| Ballymacash Rangers | 5 | 0 | PSNI |
| Banbridge Town | 3 | 2 | Lisburn Distillery |
| Dollingstown | 0 | 0 | Moyola Park |
| Queen’s University | 2 | 1 | Armagh City |
| Tobermore United | 2 | 3 | Portstewart |
Nights like these, and back in September when Bangor took Cliftonville to spot-kicks in the County Antrim Shield, show the club can compete against the best Northern Ireland has to offer.
It is now about earning that place back in senior football to make these scenes more commonplace.
In the rest of the weekend’s Bangor-related action, the Reserves were in Co Armagh on Saturday to take on Loughgall’s equivalents, however they were to see their impressive recent win streak cut short.
Goals from Charley Craig and Ross Craig were not enough to prevent the Under-20s losing 3-2 away to the Villagers after a run of four successive victories, twice leading the affair at Lakeview Park but unable in the end to see out for full spoils.
Consequently, their next opportunity to assume top spot in Section B of the Championship/PIL Development League comes this Friday, when they travel to Valley Leisure Centre to oppose Newington. The ‘Ton moved above the Seasiders and reclaimed second place when they overcame Lisburn Distillery 7-0, although a win for Davy Downes’ troops this week will see them end the matchday in at least one of the top two positions.
Meanwhile, Bangor Football Club is pleased to today confirm a new sponsorship deal with Denman International Limited, who will sponsor the Girls Academy across the next two years.
Denman is a brand that produces brushes for hairdressing, and is sold in over 60 countries and used by many thousands of hairdressers, barbers and beauty professionals.
“Their support allows the Girls Academy to continue to improve the quality of opportunities we can offer”
Michelle Crawford
Commenting on the deal, club Chairman Graham Bailie said: “The Denroy Group has once again shown their incredible support by sponsoring our Girls Academy under the Denman brand.
“It means they will be associated with their hometown football club for four years. That demonstrates not only commitment to the football club, but also to the local community that it serves.
“The sponsorship deal is a real boost for the Bangor FC Girls Academy. I’m pleased we have been able to partner again and team up with a renowned brand like Denman, as we continue to grow the girls section at Bangor FC.”
Head of Women’s Football Michelle Crawford added: “Denman is a forward-thinking and innovative brand and I am delighted they have partnered with the Girls Academy.
“I’m pleased we have been able to partner again and team up with a renowned brand like Denman”
Graham Bailie
“Their support allows the Girls Academy to continue to improve the quality of opportunities we can offer. It will help ensure girls in Bangor, and the surrounding area, are given opportunities to play football for their local hometown club.”
Elsewhere, the club’s We Care, You Matter team have set up a walking group called Walk’n’Talk, with the first iteration of this new project taking place on Thursday 23rd February at 7pm.
It is designed to highlight the benefits of walking over a five-kilometre distance while also making it social and enjoyable, with tea and coffee on offer afterwards. No registration is required, with anyone interested in participating asked to meet outside the Social Club on that date.
Featured image from BBC Sport NI broadcast.
- It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder
A penny for the thoughts of Linfield and Cliftonville this week. This year’s Irish Cup Final was a spectacular in every sense. Nearly 15,000 packed inside Windsor Park for the biggest-attended domestic fixture in Northern Ireland this century and an occasion to… Read more: It’s unfair to put blame at feet of Linfield and Cliftonville for Irish Cup Final crowd disorder - Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families
Let’s get a basic fact of life out of the way first – no one likes a price hike. No one likes a price hike in the same way that no one likes paying taxes, bills, debts, insurance and other such necessary… Read more: Irish League chiefs must improve provisions in place to attract younger fans and families - How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal
Changes to the intermediate football sphere in Northern Ireland have long been touted and, going by the Irish FA’s latest update on the topic, closer than ever to coming to fruition. From the 2026-27 campaign, a new ‘Conference Layer’ will be in… Read more: How the Irish FA’s new ‘Conference Layer’ for intermediate football can be big hit or own goal - Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great
There’s been a change in priorities for Ballymena United during recent years – albeit not necessarily the type supporters would’ve perhaps wanted. In 2019, the Braidmen were the second best team in the Irish League. Runners-up behind Linfield that year, and just… Read more: Steven McCullough’s crucial goal in relegation play-off seals him as a Ballymena United great - Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Finally, it’s Cliftonville’s year in the Irish Cup. An agonising waiting game ends at last and a drought that lasted 45 painful years is over in one burst of champagne rain. Since 1979, the Reds have contrived to fail in various ways… Read more: Ending Cliftonville’s Irish Cup drought proves Jim can fix it… now he must target league glory
Make a one-time donation
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
DonateDonate monthlyDonate yearly
Football Chatters 
Leave a comment