And so it ends. So beckons the last fixture of a campaign that has not only made people dare to dream, but brought those dreams to reality. Bangor pull the curtain down on 2022/23 with a Tuesday night trip to Fortwilliam Park, where Tobermore United play host on a night in which the management and players will receive the serenade they deserve for their efforts.
The pressure and stress have been relieved and the supporters will traverse knowing that the ceremony and fanfare of Saturday is behind them; as far as this final day – the 43rd and final outing of this lengthy crusade dating back to mid-August – is concerned, the emotions do not need to stir. Closing it out on a victory would, albeit, be a fitting conclusion to a season where winning has been a constantly ongoing theme.
Hark back not far shy of a year to the way last term concluded.
A busload and more of sad faces and down spirits following a defeat in the relegation/promotion play-off second leg.
Lots was riding on that clash in east Belfast, especially after Bangor clawed back a two-goal deficit in spectacular fashion in the first clash versus Knockbreda, and it ended in broken hearts and bitter disappointment with a 2-0 defeat.
Bangor’s players, led by Gareth Beattie and John Boyle – the latter has achieved his sixth NIFL promotion with his third different club – walk out to receive their medals from NI Football League Chief Executive Gerard Lawlor and get their hands on the Premier Intermediate League trophy following their home match against Ballymacash Rangers on Saturday. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Added-time strikes by Ben Arthurs and Zac Fletcher at Clandeboye Park brought quite the outpouring of life and noise into a packed ground, yet despite beginning at Breda Park with authority, a lack of clinical edge invited the hosts to sucker-punch at the start of the second period and keep the Seasiders in the third-tier.
12 months on, though, the hurt has all but evaporated.
And last Saturday, you were not wiping the smiles off anyone.
That draw with Ballymacash Rangers in the final home outing of this latest adventure, where Jordan Morrison’s late penalty cancelled out Adam Neale’s second-half opener, was a result both teams would have taken before kick-off.
For west Lisburn club The ‘Cash, their play-off place is all but secured. If a tie did it in theoretical terms – by now holding a three-point advantage to Queen’s University with an insurmountable goal difference prior to the sides’ final-day meet at The Dub – the Students’ reverse away to Limavady United later on in the afternoon made it mathematically certain.
Meanwhile, an unbeaten home record in Premier Intermediate play was signed off for the Seasiders of north Down.
A sixth goal in six matches for Neale, who has scored one in each, further props him on top of the scoring reckoning in third-tier play this term – one ahead of strike partner Ben Arthurs and, in turn, becoming the first player in the division to prop himself up to 20 finishes.
Karl Devine may have missed two-and-a-half months due to injury, but that was never going to dampen the midfielder’s spirits nor diminish his role in helping a double-winning season come to fruition. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Attentions turned to what was on offer in the Social Club following the match in a toasting of a journey that will be remembered for a long time.
Midfield maestros Lewis Harrison and Aaron Harris pose with the Premier Intermediate League and the Steel and Sons Cup trophies following Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 draw against Ballymacash Rangers at Clandeboye Park. Image from Sarah Harkness.
But despite the top two divisions now being closed out, the alcoholic beverages flowing like fountains did not signify the final day of the season in the PIL. No, there remains one more matchday to go.
Three days on from that vivacious night, the focus is on this trip to Tobermore.
Nine months on from the first competitive fixture, when eventual third-placed finishers Queen’s visited Clandeboye Park for the first round of the Irish Cup on August 13, 2022, the campaign has come to its denouement.
Yet for Andrew Law’s homesters, they find themselves still fighting for position.
Perched in sixth-position, they missed the chance to leapfrog Moyola Park at the weekend but still retain one more opportunity to do so.
- Position – sixth-place
- Points – 32 (26 matches played)
- Goals scored – 38
- Goals conceded – 42
- Top scorer – Declan Martin (10 goals)
- Clean sheets – five (all Morgan Moore)
The Reds, who the great George Best once played for in the Irish Cup, qualified for the top half in the post-split – meaning, thus, that three institutions from the Co Derry/Londonderry region were accounted for among the league’s front table – and would be in line to overtake bitter rivals The Park should they claim all the spoils on offer and the Castledawson club fail to do likewise at the Rathmore Road Showgrounds in Limavady.
The weekend’s derby match saw the sides share the spoils in a goalless draw. Nominal hosts Moyola, competing their home fixtures at Fortwilliam Park since the start of February while work is undertaken at their Mill Meadow home stage, knew success would all but seal fifth-spot – but, as of now, it still hangs in the balance as they embark on a testing trip to tackle the Roesiders. Tobermore will smell opportunity.
They will further look back to the last time they welcomed Lee Feeney’s battlers in yellow and blue to this venue.
Back at the tail end of January, it was a second-half brace by tricky winger Owen McKeown that gave the red-shirted hosts a 2-0 success, in turn inflicting what to date is Bangor’s solitary league defeat all season.
History lesson:
The slip-up against Tobermore United in January has somewhat went against the trend for results against this opposition for Bangor. A 3-0 victory in March was the outcome of the second meeting, while goals from Ben Arthurs, Reece Neale (left) and Jack Upritchard helped them to a 3-1 win in August 2021. Kyle Woods delivered the only goal of the game in the Seasiders’ most recent success away from home to Tobermore, back in January 2022. Image from Gary Carson.
Then under Adrian Whiteside’s tutelage, while it has since only served as a bump in the road for the Seagulls – since being knocked out of the Irish Cup by eventual finalists Crusaders, Feeney’s panel have since embarked on an active 14-game unbeaten streak – it was a key point in the term that allowed minds to refocus.
Marksman Arthurs shed some light on the significance of that result during a subsequent victory away to Banbridge Town in March.
“I think Tobermore might’ve been a wee wake-up call, remind us not to take our eyes off the ball and we’ve got to keep focused on what’s ahead and all that,” the 24-year-old explained.
“We’d a few of those last season where we took our eyes off the ball and it cost us, and this season we’re not making the same mistakes, keeping focused and taking it as it comes.”
The quotes section:
“I think Tobermore might’ve been a wee wake-up call, remind us not to take our eyes off the ball and we’ve got to keep focused on what’s ahead and all that… We’d a few of those last season where we took our eyes off the ball and it cost us, and this season we’re not making the same mistakes, keeping focused and taking it as it comes” – Bangor striker Ben Arthurs admitted in March that the defeat to Tobermore United at the end of January may have been a blessing in disguise.
Lessons have been learned to the point where successive draws over the past week with Limavady United and Ballymacash are the first time Bangor have went two league games without victory all season.
Stamping their authority with three points at the last fits in with the mindset Kilkeel supremo Feeney has revelled in.
As a matter of fact, a win to nil would put the seal on a few milestones.
The first-ever 25-clean-sheet season in the club’s 105-year history, as well as a 70-point finish and a successful atoning of that prior slip-up.
But, of course, Tobermore have weapons in their arsenal who are capable of doing damage.
With Declan Martin’s goal splurge during the first half of the campaign seeing him beyond the barrier into double digits, Law will perhaps look to the vibrant inside-forward to light their fire having drew blanks in each of their last two.
Form guide (PIL last five):
- 29/4/23 – Moyola Park 0-0 Tobermore United
- 25/4/23 – Ballymacash Rangers 1-0 Tobermore United
- 22/4/23 – Limavady United 0-1 Tobermore United
- 15/4/23 – Tobermore United 2-3 Queen’s University
- 8/4/23 – Tobermore United 2-1 Dollingstown
And adding to his 10 finishes – he shares a pedestal alongside Armagh City’s Conor Mullen and Michael Gallagher of Lisburn Distillery in joint-seventh – former Moyola Park wide-man Mark Edgar and PIL Team of the Season representative Daniel McIlhatton are level on four apiece, while teenager Daniel Barfoot (three) and veteran Gary Keane (three) equally give fresh perspectives on where they get their goals from.
Player to watch:
Someone who has been there and done that, and marked himself out as an authoritative presence on the pitch in the past, Tobermore United’s experienced midfielder Gary Keane will aim to assert himself on the pitch once more and push forward to register shots at goal – a trait where he ranks as a leader by example. Image from Sarah Harkness.
In defence, they have punched in clean sheets in two of their last three fixtures, hence the credit must also go to shot-stopper Morgan Moore and a stern backline in front of him.
| Premier Intermediate | 2/5/23 (Post-split 5/Section A) | |
| Limavady United | vs | Moyola Park |
| Queen’s University | vs | Ballymacash Rangers |
| Tobermore United | vs | Bangor |
As his work at Limavady evidenced, Law is a highly accomplished coach with a particular eye for playing attractive football.
A response to his last sojourn to Clandeboye Park, when Arthurs, Lewis Harrison and Gareth Beattie hit the mark either side of half time to leave their visitors empty-handed, would be a welcome return for the home chief.
| Premier Intermediate | 2/5/23 (Post-split 5/Section B) | |
| Banbridge Town | vs | Armagh City |
| Portstewart | vs | Dollingstown |
| PSNI | vs | Lisburn Distillery |
For Feeney, this Tuesday will just be about finishing up on a note that is a means to go on for the summer and beyond.
Meanwhile, Ethan Boylan secured his first victory in charge of Bangor FC Ladies on Monday when they progressed in the Co Antrim Cup.
A first-half hat-trick from line-leader Amber Dempster set the Seasiders on their way to a 5-2 victory over Rosario YC, with Toni Stewart and Katie Magowan also hitting the target to make sure of their advancement to the next stage.
Player spotlight:
Playing down the wing on Monday night, Toni Stewart displayed alertness to react to a rebounded shot at goal and composed herself quickly to lift the ball over the Rosario goalkeeper for Bangor’s fourth goal of the game. She was lively throughout and made a tricky array of forward runs that caused issues for the Rosario defensive line, and got behind on several occasions to link others into play. Image from Joe McEwan.
While a penalty just after the half-hour halved the deficit to 2-1, and a finish on the stroke of half time that reduced it to 4-2, south Belfast outfit Rosario could not claw back the margin in full following Dempster’s opener on 17 minutes.
Three well-taken curling efforts told the table of a treble that took the striker just 19 minutes to complete, before Stewart’s alert rebounded strike on 40 minutes and Magowan’s speedy reactions after Megan Gore’s enterprising drive from distance struck the bar put seal on a result that puts Bangor into the competition’s last-eight.
A glamour date with a Premiership giant like Glentoran, Linfield, Cliftonville or Crusaders may well be in the offing as Boylan prepares to use this outcome as the ignition for more winning results in the league.
“Yeah, tonight I thought was pleasing, it was a good performance. It was a good team effort, players worked well for each other and in the end, through to the next round… I couldn’t really ask for much more,” reflected the 32-year-old.
“It was a good team effort, players worked well for each other and in the end, through to the next round… I couldn’t really ask for much more”
Bangor FC Ladies manager Ethan Boylan was pleased to secure his side’s safe passage into the next round of the Co Antrim Cup
“Obviously it was a difficult opener in the league last week against Lisburn, but tonight I thought we knocked the ball about well, played good football and we got the result that we wanted.
The quotes section:
“Obviously it was a difficult opener in the league last week against Lisburn, but tonight I thought we knocked the ball about well, played good football and we got the result that we wanted. We’d a bit of control in midfield, we were able to hold onto the ball in key areas, put pressure on (the opposition defence), won it back when we needed to and worked our way up the pitch, created plenty of chances to score. That’s us through to the next round of the cup, we’ll see who we get and we’ll try and go on a cup run” – Bangor FC Ladies manager Ethan Boylan was pleased with the performance against Rosario. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
“We’d a bit of control in midfield, we were able to hold onto the ball in key areas, put pressure on (the opposition defence), won it back when we needed to and worked our way up the pitch, created plenty of chances to score. That’s us through to the next round of the cup, we’ll see who we get and we’ll try and go on a cup run.”
“It’ll now be about taking the positives from here back into the league and refocusing ourselves, we’ll be hoping to carry on that and get a good run of form”
Bangor FC Ladies manager Ethan Boylan has quickly set his sights on continuing the winning feeling against Comber Rec on Wednesday evening
Looking ahead to Wednesday night’s NIWFA Championship visit to Parkway, where Bangor will tackle Comber Rec (7pm kick-off), Boylan added: “Yeah (it’s a bit of momentum), we play Comber, it’ll now be about taking the positives from here back into the league and refocusing ourselves, we’ll be hoping to carry on that and get a good run of form.”
Featured image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
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