It was seventh heaven for Bangor on Saturday, as two months on from a bitter reverse away to Tobermore United, the same opponents fell under the sword at Clandeboye Park where the Seasiders’ seventh straight victory since then shot them beyond the 50-point barrier. It took until the final game of last campaign to strike that marker; merely 19 were required this time around as the eight-point advantage at the summit is upheld.
What this outcome also confirms is that the Yellows will head up the standings going into the split. Just a point was required to mathematically guarantee such a status, but given that a notably insatiable desire to scoop up the maximum spoils on a week-in, week-out basis exists within the camp, the squad was never likely to settle for even honours.
Bangor entered this clash with a line-up comprising only one alteration from the previous Saturday’s victory over Dollingstown.
In a fixture by and large played under warm and sunny conditions, Lee Feeney switched in Ryley D’Sena on the right side of defence here, with John Boyle occupying the centre-most spot of three in place of the benched Ryan Arthur.
20-year-old Australian D’Sena, the youngest player in the XI, was making his first start since the Irish Cup sixth round defeat to Crusaders having recently overcame an injury setback.
The Larne loanee featured alongside the typically dependable Boyle and David Hume in the rear-guard in the hope of adding to a record-breaking clean sheet tally this term, while goal centurion Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale unsurprisingly spearheaded the side at the top end.
In Tobermore’s first visit to North Down since August 2021, new boss Andrew Law laid out a team comprising tricky winger Owen McKeown – the Reds’ two-goal hero in the January 28 Fortwilliam Park duel – but curiously had just the one substitute, Dylan Kelly, to use as a joker.
Referee Niall Devlin led both sets of players out with a blinding sun beating down, signalling for a precise 3pm kick-off.
Ciaran McCloy got things rolling for the visitors, and for them the burgeoning stages were as bright as the big ball of gas above.
The match’s first shot on target came on three minutes, when Mark Edgar’s 25-yard free kick was safely gobbled up by James Taylor, while after a lengthy dry spell at both ends of the pitch, United skipper Gary Keane found the former Glenavon veteran in his way on 21 minutes as he let fly from a similar position.
Bangor’s players rallied each other to up their level, and it was not so long until they found a way to shift up from second gear.
Reece Neale’s right-sided corner was guided inches wide by Boyle, who placed his header only just the wrong side of the left-hand post on 24 minutes. It foreshadowed a quickfire goal blitz that put the hosts where they wanted to be.
Merely a couple of minutes later, one of the form players in the team just now in midfielder Aaron Harris weighted a perfectly cushioned ball into the path of the 101-goal Arthurs. With Tom Mathieson doing well initially to knock down for the former Lisburn Distillery captain, it was two of the most functional cogs of the system of late to fashion the chance.
Arthurs took the ball in his stride and barely broke a sweat in sliding it beyond Tobermore stopper Morgan Moore into the net. The 24-year-old knows little bounds; this was his sixth goal in three matches, and, as in the previous couple against the Dollybirds and Banbridge Town, it was the game’s deadlock-breaker.
Though ‘keeper Moore was key to preserving the shut-out in round one for the Co Derry/Londonderry outfit, he could not work similar magic during this spell.
Within 120 seconds of Kircubbin favourite Arthurs’ first finish, it was a far less frequent scorer who turned it from one to two.
Harris was again the architect, this time with a delicious floated ball into the box, and it was his midfield colleague Lewis Harrison who got his boot on the end of a swooping inswinger and side-footed coolly past an off-his-line Moore.
Stat attack:
- Lewis Harrison has scored two goals for Bangor since joining in January 2020, both coming against sides managed by Andrew Law. His disallowed goal at Portstewart on December 10, 2022, meanwhile, was against a side managed by Johnny Law.
The captain was over a year removed from his last strike – and Law knew all about it, since it was his Limavady United side on the end of it back on March 19, 2022 – but he had his spot picked before even connecting and wheeled away with the jubilation you would expect from one so desperate to hit the target.
So a bottom-left strike by the former Linfield Swifts hotshot and the advantage perched at two with 27 minutes gone. In a half where chances did not arise with free-flowing regularity, a clinical touch to make the most of those that emerged felt most satisfying.
Indeed, while Bangor were largely in control of possession and direction for the rest of the half, only a rather tame Reece Neale shot from Arthurs’ well-worked lay-off could have been counted as a legitimate opportunity to make further inroads into the scoreline. Moore swooped down speedily to clutch from Harrison’s former Blues team-mate on 42 minutes.
Devlin saw no need to add any further time. A few seconds after the turn of 45, the referee sounded his whistle for the interval.
Kilkeel supremo Feeney would have been happy with the advantage but, being the ever-demanding personality that he is, he would have aspired for a greater frequency of creation in front of goal in order to truly put proceedings to bed.
Law, whose Roesiders fell to an early Arthurs penalty back at August’s tail end, is a boss who has given the Seagulls a lot of food for thought over the years – such as a masterminded 4-2 success when the Co Down institution visited the Limavady Showgrounds in last April’s post-split – and given that he prides his panels on slick attacking play, it was not unreasonable to expect his new employers to produce more of the same.
But Bangor started the second half with the right intent. And it was not a grip they would ultimately relinquish.
Mathieson kicked off for the home team at 4:01pm and, around 30 seconds into the second stanza, Arthurs skewed a bouncing ball not that far away from the top right. On 51 minutes, Moore – now situated at the Hawthorne Court end of Clandeboye’s artificial pitch – made a first meaningful save of the half when he parried Seanna Foster’s low drive wide.
Tobermore laid their intentions when McKeown sought to add to his individual tally versus this team but, on 53 minutes, could not catch Taylor sleeping as the 38-year-old pushed out.
Harrison evidently had the taste for it, given it was the 23-year-old who, on 56 minutes, came closest to adding that all-important third. And my, he was close.
The ball fell invitingly for the Belfast maestro and his strike was as beautifully sublime as the way he had first set himself to release, but what was not on his side was good fortune – his rasping low drive struck the inside of the right-hand upright with Moore beaten, but it refused to go in as the spin of the ball arrowed it beyond the opposite post and out for a goal kick the former Moyola Park shot-stopper was grateful to take.
A rather agonising outcome that drew hands on heads from all of a Seasider disposition, and not the last time that goal’s woodwork would be left rattling. Sandwiched either side of a Harris take that Moore got down to gather, spirited substitute Jordan Hughes’ attempted delivery from the left byline clipped the crossbar with 61 minutes gone.
The goal-bound looks kept coming. On 63 minutes, a brilliant D’Sena ball from the inside-right found Arthurs by the back stick, although the Peninsula front-man could not guide his header on. Hughes, with 73’ played, was left wanting when Moore used his whole expanse to tip over – but that acted as a precursor to the finish that finally did kill things off.
The lively one-time PIL Player of the Season Hughes was spritely off the bench, and won a flag-kick to the right. The 32-year-old took it himself and sparked a scramble in and around the 18-yard box, with Tobermore frantically trying to clear the danger only for the ball merely being returned to sender, before fellow replacement Gareth Beattie netted a gorgeous second goal of his season so far.
Like a daisy plucked from the air, right wing-back ‘Beats’ directed delightfully into the right side of the goal. The ball had not left the ground by the time the long-serving defender picked his spot, and with a first-time side-foot on his favoured right peg, he called the game.
With 15 minutes remaining, all that was left to do was preserve a 14th clean sheet in league play.
Carbon-copy misses from Harrison (80’) and Dylan O’Kane (88’) – the latter a like-for-like replacement for the effervescent Harris, with the east Belfast duo of Jamie Glover and Michael Halliday also introduced – in which they jinked by a handful of challenges to fire slightly beyond the left-hand post made sure the chances stayed at the end Taylor and his defence would have preferred them to.
Player spotlight:
Playing in the centre of a back-three rather than his usual position on the right, John Boyle was no worse off from his consistent best. The 36-year-old Warrenpoint man was once again an authoritative and commanding vocal presence, a true lieutenant for Lee Feeney on the pitch, and always had his bearings covered from a positional point of view. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
When Devlin peeped his whistle for full time, a shut-out was just what Bangor had banked.
And, needless to say, the three points too.
The total has been bumped up to 52 points from a possible 57. Such standards of excellence are being revelled in by all at the club.
After the game, Harrison was a picture of satisfaction after helping the good times to roll on by the seaside.
“Well, you’ve got to start somewhere,” the midfielder, who previously had a would-be goal at Portstewart disallowed in December, explained. “It’s another one ticked off and another three points on the board, good to make sure of ourselves being top for the split as well.
“Isn’t it Queen’s next week? Aye, (it’ll be a) tough game, they’re second-place, a good team in good form, but we’re confident and we’ll be up for it.”
Harrison, who joined Bangor as a 20-year-old in January 2020, added that to get one back on a team who had already put them down a peg was a satisfying achievement.
“Ha, did you hear even before kick-off the tunes they were playing? Absolutely blasting, you could hear them through the walls and everything!” he smiled.
“But look, they’d have come in wanting to do the double on us and they’d have been feeling good about their chances, so I guess it was nice to get our own back today, but as I say we’ll just keep ticking them off, taking each one as it comes.”
“It’s another one ticked off and another three points on the board”
Bangor captain and goalscorer Lewis Harrison on the significance of the victory against Tobermore United
It is, indeed, Queen’s University that will make the trip to Clandeboye Park next week. The Students, who defeated Dollingstown by a solitary early goal at The Dub on Saturday, will enter desperate to bring the points back to south Belfast.
| Premier Intermediate | 25/3/23 | ||
| Banbridge Town | 1 | 2 | Armagh City |
| Bangor | 3 | 0 | Tobermore United |
| Lisburn Distillery | 0 | 2 | Ballymacash Rangers |
| Moyola Park | 5 | 0 | PSNI |
| Portstewart | 0 | 2 | Limavady United |
| Queen’s University | 1 | 0 | Dollingstown |
For Bangor, it is likewise meaningful; at worst, a home victory in five days’ time would open up a nine-point gap at the top of the Premier Intermediate League, and a simultaneous clean sheet would ensure the most perfect of perfect pre-split home records – 11 games, 11 wins, 11 clean sheets. Now that is tantalising.
The focus will turn to that duel with James Lavery’s white-shirted charges on April 1. But what is certain is that these Seasiders are no fools.
It was a busy Saturday indeed at Clandeboye Park. Prior to the senior men being let off their leash at 3pm, Bangor Reserves were in action when they entertained Loughgall’s equivalents.
Despite the bulk of the chance creation coming from the hosts, a sublime hat-trick by the Villagers’ Ben Harvey ultimately helped the Co Armagh visitors to a share of the spoils in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
“They kicked on from there, we were disappointed to lose the lead but we fought back and we got the equaliser”
Bangor Reserves captain Callum Mills on the resilience displayed to work back into the game after going behind
In usual chief David Downes’ absence, Oliver Haslam and Ian Boal led from the touchline and would have been delighted by the start their troops made. Within 45 seconds, the vivacious Kristian Trainor had the Yellows ahead courtesy of a delicate chip over opposition goalkeeper Timothy Martin, set up by as inch-perfect a through-ball as they come by Ross Ferguson that the 18-year-old winger made sure to reward in full.
It was two on 17 minutes. Daniel Larmour – grandson of Seasiders great Angus Larmour – supplied a threaded ball from the inside-right which Charley Craig was all too keen to take up. He pipped Martin to the post, rounding the shot-stopper and slotting into an open goal.
Harvey reduced Loughgall’s arrears with a 30-yard wonder strike that Marc Orbinson had little chance of stopping, while right at the start of the second stanza the 19-year-old bagged two further well-taken drives in two minutes – minutes 50 and 52 – to totally turn the tide.
It was confirmed by the hour that he would be taking home the match ball, but a victory was by no means guaranteed. It certainly wasn’t when half-time sub Adam Ambrose pounced on some dallying in defence, pressing punishingly to win the ball high up and then clinching a second goal in three games with a composed close-range finish.
The Under-20s pushed hard for the winner. Curtis Kenny was millimetres off-target with a worked free-kick strategy, while Ambrose was unfortunate to see the ball spin just too far ahead of him while clean through in the dying embers, but the fixture ended on even terms.
“Two dropped I think, I thought (after we went behind) we were all over them,” admitted skipper Callum Mills afterwards on whether he felt that points been won or lost on Saturday morning.
“Two (points) dropped I think”
Bangor Reserves captain Callum Mills on whether he felt it was a point gained or two dropped for his side
“To be fair, the Loughgall goals were all really high-quality, especially that first one that I suppose gave them a bit of confidence and belief. They kicked on from there, we were disappointed to lose the lead but we fought back and we got the equaliser and we kept the pressure up.
“(I was) gutted when Adam [Ambrose] couldn’t quite connect at the end when the ball just spun a bit too far away from him – and the free kick routine that was just wide too, we pushed at them but we’ll have to settle for a draw.”
The result leaves the second string still in third-place on 36 points, two off the leaders Warrenpoint Town who they travel to this Saturday coming. Kick-off at Milltown is at 11am.
In the rest of the weekend’s Academy action, Isaac Caldwell’s Under-18s played out a goalless draw with Newhill, the Under-17s claimed a 3-0 success over Shankill United and the Under-15s eased to a 6-0 victory over Downpatrick, while the Under-13 NL and SBYL sides, the Under-12 boys and the Under-11s all unfortunately tasted defeat.
The club wishes to again congratulate the Under-14 and Under-15 teams, who added more silverware to the club’s cabinet and presented their trophies in front of an eager set of supporters before Saturday’s senior match-up with Tobermore.
The Under-14s were SBYL Supplementary Cup winners, completing a league-and-cup double for the season, while the Under-15s claimed the SBYL Second Division title having gone through an undefeated campaign. It follows the trend of a highly successful crusade throughout the Academy ranks this term.
Meanwhile, sandwiched between the two matches was the We Care, You Matter team’s latest event in the Social Club.
Event spotlight:
The We Care, You Matter team, which includes (l-r) Lee Purcell, Kenny Greenhill and Paul Cain, organised a gathering in the Social Club with the message of encouraging conversation over hot beverages and sweet delicacies. Image from Sarah Harkness.
Everything from tea, coffee, biscuits and cheesecake were on offer that even enticed the players and management to take a glance. Encouraging chat and conversation, this was present in abundance with the event’s appeal again attracting a crowd along.
The players warmed up wearing Action Mental Health t-shirts, which promote talking about the theme of mental health and wellbeing, while the club will also this week sign the WhiteRibbon NI charter which pledges never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. The We Care, You Matter team are doing excellent work around the club, and their events and gatherings are well worth looking out for.
Finally, a limited number of tickets remain for the screening of the ‘Yer Men in Spain’ documentary in the Social Club this Friday, March 31.
The event, which features a full viewing of an insightful programme on the Northern Ireland national team’s World Cup escapade in 1982, also features a question and answer session with legends Billy Hamilton, Gerry Armstrong and George Dunlop, as well as the NI Screen film archivist Evan Marshall.
A light supper will also be provided on what should be a richly entertaining end-of-week evening. Tickets for this night out can be purchased via the embedded link – but you are advised to act fast!
Featured image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
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