Travelling to The Dub chasing another three points for the books in the Premier Intermediate League, Bangor went in expecting a battle – and were not left feeling short. The victory fruits were mercifully secured in a clash with PSNI that had supporters anxiously shuffling on the sideline for long spells, striking decisively while the iron was hot but equally inviting their relegation-threatened hosts back into it as they forged forward eyeing an inroad.
The penultimate matchday before the split, while it was not the Seasiders at their fluid and flowing best, to still be able to weather the storm and collect three points in a tense scenario must inspire some confidence ahead of an Easter Tuesday bash with Moyola Park that rounds off the pre-split schedule. All the same, such is the demanding climate around the place that Lee Feeney will be wanting more this midweek coming.
On an overcast afternoon in south Belfast, Feeney had mentioned in the week that he planned to freshen up the squad going into a tight schedule.
He wasn’t lying. Usual starting wing-backs Reece Neale and Seanna Foster were benched in favour of Jamie Glover and Gareth Beattie respectively. Dylan O’Kane entered alongside Lewis Harrison in the centre of the park while Aaron Harris dropped out. Scott McArthur assumed the attacking midfield position as Tom Mathieson was rested outright, while David Hume was swapped for Ryley D’Sena to the left of the back-three.
Five changes in all from the previous week’s draw with Queen’s University, albeit the same formation upheld in the same ultimate push for success. There was the added artillery of Jordan Hughes and Michael Halliday among the substitutes, too – strength was not lost.
As for the Police’s starting side, Kilkeel chief Feeney’s opposite number Glenn Taggart had the familiar faces of Ben Gordon and Louis Blackstock in his team – both are Bangor youth graduates – and an attacking style of play primed.
The belief must very much have been elevated in the wake of three wins in their previous five, and they would have went in aspiring to take the Seagulls prisoner.
Referee Jonathan Reid led the respective teams out to the playing surface and signalled for kick-off at the later time of 3:04pm.
It was PSNI who set the ball rolling hoping to throw away the key – but they would in fact be trapped in their cell while the visitors laid siege.
On six minutes, a left-sided corner was whipped into the back post by O’Kane which the advanced John Boyle was unfortunate not to direct home. The 36-year-old, though, did garner another flag-kick on the right flank, and this time the ball found its destination.
Stat attack:
- John Boyle is the leader for minutes played in the Bangor team, with a total of 3,135 minutes played having not missed a game since his debut.
O’Kane provided an outswinger and found the darting run of Ben Arthurs, who flicked the ball across for strike partner Adam Neale inside the six-yard area; the Ballynahinch front-man made no mistake and hooked in from close range to open the scoring with seven gone.
If things had not been falling as smoothly for Adam in recent weeks, it certainly did this time around and the 29-year-old was in fine fettle to react. It was his 15th goal in league play.
And the storm continued to swirl, with PSNI goalkeeper Ben McCauley kept busy indeed.
The shot-stopper denied Arthurs on nine minutes after Glover had raced beyond a couple of sliding interventions to arrow a peach of a cross in from the left byline, while some on-point positioning merely 60 seconds later allowed him to drop and gather as McArthur pulled the trigger from 20 or so yards out.
A Ryan Arthur header from O’Kane’s delivery was once more collected by the authoritative McCauley on 14 minutes, before Beattie generated a serious moment of tension at his own end when he diverted a fizzing Police delivery into the box gratefully over James Taylor’s crossbar. It was a vital interception that had to be spot on, and it was.
Player spotlight:
His versatility has been a notable asset since joining Bangor in January 2022, and Jamie Glover again put that on display as a constant danger from left wing-back. Racing and driving at opponents with the ball, the 22-year-old was also able to supply quality crosses into the box on his preferred left foot and was a source of chance creation. Image from Sarah Harkness.
Nerves had dissipated into joy just a minute later. Starting from the edge of Bangor’s half, McArthur pounced on a loose ball along the ground and galloped into clean space ahead.
Carrying with purpose, the Bangor native picked just the right moment to unleash Arthurs, who picked out where he was going to run and duly received in his stride. Setting up a placed shot, the new goal centurion had another one in the bag when he slid low past McCauley and into the bottom left.
16 minutes gone and the advantage had been doubled. That goal also shot ‘Big Ben’ back into sole command of the league’s scoring charts – Limavady United line-leader supreme Alex Pomeroy had pegged level with his counterpart in yellow and blue – as his 17th strike, composed at that, ensured there was a slightly more comfortable margin on the scoreline.
But the Seasiders did not want to rest there. Indeed, McCauley pulled off some heroics on the very next attack when he completed an astonishing double-save, firstly to deny O’Kane from distance and then Neale from closer in when the rebound fell kindly inside the area.
Of all the top-drawer stops the ‘keeper was required to make, that sequence appeared the pick of the bunch.
He then turned Beattie’s driven effort past the post on 20 minutes, before Boyle – who will be wondering how he has not marked the scoresheet this term – found the winter arrival from Harland and Wolff Welders there to leave him frustrated again on 27′ as a rasping drive was blocked by the stopper’s upper body.
On the stroke of the half-hour, meanwhile, Taylor was immersed in the action when a long-range tester by Henry Capper called on the former Glenavon ace to keep his guard up. The 30-year-old Capper delivered a stunner from a similar range versus Banbridge Town in the week, but a good clutch ensured he did not repeat the feat.
Nevertheless, PSNI came out to play for the rest of the half. Only one more real opportunity of note arose, and it was again on Taylor’s goal – the 38-year-old was swift off the mark to hold off Billy Cassells on 40 minutes.
Reid saw no need to add any additional minutes to the regulation 45′. Time was called on a breathless first period.
When both teams turned up for the start of the second stanza, it did not follow the same notes that had first been played.
Quite a different tune, in fact, given a shot-shy opening was finally broken when Arthur fired comfortably clear of McCauley’s bar 10 minutes after the restart. PSNI defender Nicholas Turkington made it a trading of spurned chances when he came close from a right-sided free kick, and would have despaired at turning a side-footed effort from the back post wide when he had time and space.
It took until 70 minutes before another attempt could be registered in a half where things did not ebb and flow, as McArthur clipped a rising hook not far over the upright after Arthurs’ header laid the 23-year-old off.
Player spotlight:
While he may had only started one of the previous seven matches prior to kick-off at The Dub, Scott McArthur is not one who leaves supporters wanting for effort, and an energetic performance backed up by a lovely weighted assist for Ben Arthurs capped off an impressive display from the Ballymena League champion. Image from Sarah Harkness.
And on 74 minutes, at the opposite end, the ball was in the back of the net to send a few nervous looks around the ground.
Quite who got the final connection was the subject of some debate at the time as a corner was whipped in from the right flank – it even looked as if the flag-kick had first seemed to sail over everyone before settling in the bottom left – but a glancing headed touch from centre back Ryan Woods was ruled the decisive one as PSNI worked a way back into it.
The 20-year-old’s second of the season kick-started the game’s flowing juices, too, as chances began to resurface at a more sustained rate.
On 78 minutes, a guided ball from Beattie by the byline was somehow placed over from just a few yards out. Feeney, who had introduced Hughes, Harris and Halliday in an alliterative triple-sub just prior to the Police’s deficit-cutter, barely took his eyes off the rest of it.
Silence enveloped The Dub when a late lunge – arguably a necessary one from Arthur, who was yellow-carded – presented Tony Tumelty with a centred dead-ball, but an aura of calm surrounded Taylor who barely broke stride in gathering the attacker’s 25-yard drive.
That was with 88′ on the clock. Thankfully for those of a Bangor persuasion, it was PSNI’s last chance, with Reece Neale coming off the bench to register a couple of goal-bound looks in added time. The left wing-back firstly directed an aerial attempt wide from Beattie’s cross, while Hughes’ parried shot was rescued by the long-serving Beattie once more only for Neale to guide over the crossbar.
After four minutes additional, an end to proceedings was spelt by Reid who blew up to confirm another three points to bring back to north Down.
The goal-cam perspective from Bangor’s victory over PSNI at the weekend, putting them within seven points of the title. Video from Darran Gilpin.
While not the most stylish of successes, with loose giveaways and presentable openings at both ends, the reward alone was enough to bring satisfaction and smiles on faces from the side and on the pitch.
But there also equally lies the knowledge that, given it was flat for long spells, there is not much licence to be a blunt instrument with exclusively top-six opposition awaiting from here.
O’Kane was keen to stress the importance of the result but knows there is room for improvement in the last half-dozen outings.
“Aye, I think we made it harder for ourselves than it needed to be in the end, but at this stage it’s all about getting the three points isn’t it?” the midfielder stated after the finish.
“We expected a tough battle against a team fighting relegation and we got one right enough.
“We know today (performance-wise) wasn’t good enough, wasn’t up to the standards that we set ourselves, but we’re ready to go and make that up when we play again on Tuesday. But as I say, it’s three points, another win and it was important that we went and got that.”
“We expected a tough battle against a team fighting relegation and we got one right enough”
Dylan O’Kane on the challenge posed to Bangor by PSNI on Saturday
Bangor complete the double over Taggart’s charges, but a trend of being made to fight for the win was reflected in both meetings. It was Arthurs and Neale who registered one apiece in the first tussle, a rain-drenched October night, and that double-act bore fruit once more here.
With 56 points from 63 on offer so far, keeping that vein in-sync is the game-by-game priority.
Next up on the title mission is a trip to the only venue the Seasiders have tasted defeat at in league play this term.
Awaiting them on Easter Tuesday (3pm kick-off) at Fortwilliam Park are Moyola Park, who will in turn travel to Clandeboye on Saturday as part of a double-header across this week.
| Premier Intermediate | 8/4/23 | ||
| Banbridge Town | 0 | 2 | Limavady United |
| Moyola Park | 1 | 0 | Lisburn Distillery |
| PSNI | 1 | 2 | Bangor |
| Tobermore United | 2 | 1 | Dollingstown |
Castledawson club The Park, who are temporarily ground-sharing with Tobermore United as of the start of February, will be eager both to close their pre-split and start their post-split with intent at their opponents’ expense.
Bangor must rise to the challenge the first-ever Irish Cup winners pose to deliver the goods.
Earlier in the day, meanwhile, Bangor Reserves were four-star as they despatched Lisburn Distillery at Clandeboye Park.
A brace by Charley Craig came amid strikes by Callum Johnston – he kept cool from 12 yards – and Sam Millar that sealed a 4-0 success, seeing the Seasiders make a welcome return to winning ways after a humbling loss to league leaders Warrenpoint Town the week before.
With David Downes opting to rotate his team, nerves were cooled when Craig opened the scoring on 24 minutes. Adam Ambrose, deployed in an advanced midfield role behind the strikers rather than his oft-seen position as one of the line-leaders himself, drew a parry from the Whites goalkeeper that fell kindly for in-form Craig, who intuitively lifted the ball over the shot-stopper to find the net for the first time.
Two minutes later, the lead was doubled by Johnston, who kept composed indeed after a trip in the area compelled the referee to point to the spot without delay. The striker would place low and far into the bottom right, the ‘keeper rooted.
“Let Callum take it,” shouted manager Downes from the touchline. Based on his technique, you could see why.
Shortly after the interval, 18-year-old Craig completed his double-act when sent behind by an inch-perfect Kristian Trainor through-ball. A striker with a devilish turn of pace, he used that to his advantage to escape the defensive line and get one-on-one with the goalkeeper, capping it off by finding the bottom right.
It was arguably the pick of the goals that completed the scoring on 68 minutes, mind. Millar, a left-back by trade, put his boot through it and then some when he found the roof of the net with a venom-filled first-time drive.
Player spotlight:
It was a typically industrious show from Sam Millar (second from right), a player on senior boss Lee Feeney’s radar and a consistent performer at Reserves level throughout the season. He scored a gorgeous goal during Bangor’s defeat of Lisburn Distillery and put in a shift on the attacking and defensive ends. Image from Sarah Harkness.
Falling kindly as the ball bobbled after a corner, teenager Millar – who was named on the bench when Bangor hosted Cliftonville in the Co Antrim Shield back in September – delivered an energetic account and rewarded that with a goal.
“I think we needed that first goal,” said Craig following the match. “It wasn’t the best start, we made a few mistakes but then getting that goal and then the penalty to make it two so soon after. We controlled the game and things started to click a bit more afterwards.
“Personally, I’m happy to get two more goals, it was two good finishes and I’m out to score more”
Charley Craig reflecting on adding two more goals for his season tally
“We had to work hard, took hard work today and it’ll take hard work again next week against Ballymacash. We have to go into games with the right frame of mind, took a bit to get going today but we had two quick goals there at half time and to be honest it could have been more.
“Personally, I’m happy to get two more goals, it was two good finishes and I’m out to score more. Sam’s was some strike, first-time and got the right connection to make it four.”
The result keeps Bangor in fourth-place, but lifts them up to 39 points and leaves them still with fate in their own hands as regards a second-position placing.
The Seasiders are at home to Ballymacash Rangers’ equivalents this Saturday coming, with kick-off at 11am.
Meanwhile, following the Moyola match-up on Easter Tuesday, there is a quiz night at the Social Club to help raise funds for Bangor FC Ladies ahead of the new campaign.
The event starts at 7:30pm, with a maximum of six people permitted per table and an entry fee of £5. Come on down, if you are available.
Featured image from Sarah Harkness.
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