Well. The senior men’s 2022/23 Irish League season is over, in the league at least. And what a blast it has been – no less than when one has the authentic privilege of documenting the nine-month-long journey of a club that has completed a league-and-cup double. Bangor pulled the curtain on their crusade following a trip to Fortwilliam Park, where Tobermore United represented the last obstacle to overcome in this campaign of dreams.
A venue where the Seasiders were forced to get acquainted with the feelings of defeat back in January – feelings seldom seen in a term where so much of it has been characterised by victory fruits – the players entered keen not to let the hosts repeat the feat. While there was rotation at play within the starting side and substitutes, a strong panel was still fielded to conclude on a high, and the perfect ending on a dry spring evening morphed into reality.
Seeking to give the travelling supporters a final hurrah, some mild adjustments were made by manager Lee Feeney for this Tuesday night trek.
In goal, Marc Orbinson was preferred with James Taylor given an outright rest, while John Boyle was switched out in favour of Ryley D’Sena. The Australian, making his last dance of what has proved a hugely successful loan spell, donned the captain’s armband ahead of a return to his homeland and then back to Larne.
Local lad Sam Millar was in receipt of his debut at left wing-back, a 17-year-old Reserves mainstay afforded his first-team bow by Feeney, while Reece Neale joined Aaron Harris in midfield. Gareth Beattie was deployed opposite Millar to the right, while Tom Mathieson featured in behind a full-strength striker pair.
In the starting 11, there were five changes in all. Sam Millar earned his debut at left wing-back, Larne loanee Ryley D’Sena received the captain’s armband before he headed home to Australia, Reece Neale was deployed in a lesser-seen midfield tole and Marc Orbinson was preferred in goal with James Taylor rested. Image from myself.
With five tweaks in all from last Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ballymacash Rangers – Ryan Arthur, David Hume, Harris, Ben Arthurs and Neale brothers Reece and Adam remained – it was a still competitive team.
And on the bench, five Academy graduates in 18-year-old quartet Charley Craig, Kristian Trainor, Curtis Kenny and Callum Mills and 16-year-old Sonny Redford were present with veterans Darren Gibbons and Michael Halliday.
Five of Lee Feeney’s contingent of substitutes for this game were teenagers promoted from the Academy, with Charley Craig, Curtis Kenny and Callum Mills in line for debuts if they entered the fray. Image from myself.
Youthful energy and exuberance was promised as the sun continued to set over the grass Fortwilliam surface.
A guard of honour was conjured up by Tobermore, and D’Sena led the Bangor players out to the pitch to a fresh round of applause from both their would-be adversaries and the fans by the side.
A slightly early 6:58pm kick-off indicated by referee Stewart Long preceded a first half where the boys kitted in the blue away shirt showed their clinical edge.
Following a sixth-minute sequence where Arthurs drew a stop from Reds goalkeeper Morgan Moore before Mathieson hooked over the crossbar, the Seasiders drew first blood with 15 minutes played.
A long throw-in by Reece Neale was aided in its trajectory towards the penalty box by Arthur. From there, with Arthurs primed to connect, it instead found its way into the net via the head of back-tracking Tobermore skipper Gary Keane, who placed inadvertently beyond Moore’s flailing frame.
With a box packed with bodies equipped in their respective team colours, a second own goal of the post-split has counted in the Yellows’ favour – but, in a race that was going right to the wire, Arthurs still required one goal more to at minimum share the top goalscorer award with Ballynahinch sniper Neale.
It took merely three minutes for the Peninsula hero to set that record straight.
With 18 minutes gone, Beattie’s well-weighted side-foot was square into the path of ‘Big Ben’, sending the ball back into the danger zone after Tobermore thought they had cleared their lines.
From there, Arthurs swivelled around a touch-tight Rhys O’Mullan and was goal-side of the defender. He applied the exclamation mark by bulleting past Moore into the bottom right, propping himself up to the fabled 20-goal mark for league strikes this campaign.
29-year-old Neale became the first to hit those dizzy heights when he opened the goal account against The ‘Cash, and Arthurs – who wins his second league-and-cup double throughout his five years in yellow and blue – repeats the feat to strike a level pegging.
On the hunt for more, Orbinson’s reactions had to be sharp from Mark Edgar’s cheeky flick at the near post on 21 minutes, while 24-year-old goal centurion Arthurs almost steered ahead of Adam in the rankings seven minutes later but for Moore’s feet beating the ball away.
Ryan Arthur got the decisive flick-on that caused panic in the Tobermore penalty area, ultimately resulting in the game’s opening goal, and continued to get forward during set-piece sequences and make his presence felt. Image from Sarah Harkness.
Arthur’s back-post header was well-held by Moore on the stroke of the half-hour, but a piece of invention by both a current and former team-mate of the centre back’s 60 seconds after was to prove too hot to handle.
Former Ballyclare Comrades star Mathieson was a lively presence in the pocket, and his end product on the 31st minute was a peach.
Skipping one way then the other to leave the opposition defender out-foxed, the one-time Northern Ireland youth international picked his spot and was not to be denied. He slid the ball low between the onrushing Moore’s legs, the ball nestling in the back of the net for his third goal of a promising first campaign with his home town team.
The 23-year-old, who this term previously converted versus Strabane Athletic and Portstewart, feels like a player who the supporters are yet to see the best version of for an extended period.
But when the Bangor lad is on his game, he is a menace to contain.
Stat attack:
- Tom Mathieson waited until the final day of the season to deliver his first goal on the road for Bangor. His previous two were both at home, against Strabane Athletic and Portstewart, and he now bags one away.
Chances kept flowing for the visitors. Reece Neale stung Moore’s palms after being played in by a crafty Mathieson on 38 minutes, while ex-Crusaders ace Mathieson himself chased a second after timing his run to perfection only for O’Mullan to deflect it away for a corner.
Player spotlight:
It was a lively first half from the fleet-of-foot Tom Mathieson in Tobermore, unafraid to take his man on and making good on his chance in front of goal when he capped his season off with an outstanding low finish. He linked up well with Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale and was menacing when afforded room to drive with the ball. Image from Sarah Harkness.
In a first half featuring next to no refereeing flashpoints, Long signalled for the interval.
Deeming there to be no need for any additional time, the leading official sounded his whistle with Bangor in cruise control.
The champions both started and ended their season with three-goal leads or more at half time. That said, it feels like a long time ago since the Seasiders led by five against Lisburn Distillery in August.
As it always is in a position such as this, the focus for Feeney is on seeing it out. For opposite number Andrew Law, meanwhile, it was to cause a dent to their adversaries’ aspirations of a 25-clean-sheet crusade and see where any sort of inroad could take United thereafter.
To start the second period, the chances still bore down on Moore’s upright. Within the hour, a couple of carbon-copy chances were supplied and spurned that would have made it four.
Adam Neale was thanking the heavens!
Both involved Sam Millar crossing from the left. Both involved Ben Arthurs getting ahead of his man for front-post headers. Both involved Morgan Moore averting the ball’s passage in.
Player spotlight:
With 20 league goals apiece to close out the season, the first year of Ben Arthurs and Adam Neale as a strike partnership has been hugely successful – and outstanding to the point where they have out-scored eight of the PIL’s 11 other teams by themselves. Image from Sarah Harkness.
To save any more high drama, both Ben and Adam were hauled off with 62 minutes gone. The top scorer accolade in the PIL is theirs to share, and it feels apt that it should be so.
Stat attack:
- For the second time in four years, Bangor’s title-winning crusade has been marked by two players having breached the 25-goal barrier. In 2019, it was Ben Arthurs (38) and Michael Halliday (28); in 2023, Arthurs (31) is joined on that threshold by Adam Neale (27) at the top of the club charts.
There were still chances to come, though, with Harris’ inswinging delivery finding Halliday – introduced alongside Redford in place of that devastating duo for a double-act split by all of 27 years of life – who glanced a flick-on goal-bound, only to find Tobermore’s third-tier Team of the Season representative Daniel McIlhatton on the white line to send the ball away clear.
The next time the ball would be in the net, it was Orbinson left to scoop it out. 21 minutes were left of the contest when Bangor’s clean sheet was broken by main marksman Declan Martin, who delivered goal No.11 of his term to end a record-breaking shut-out total at 24.
Stat attack:
- In the end, a clean sheet total prided in by the goalkeepers’ union at Bangor ends up four more than the previous record. As much as the players on the pitch deserve their dues, Neil Gillespie’s first season as Goalkeeping Coach with the Seasiders is as equally worthy of praise and acclaim.
Thereafter, on 76 minutes, Owen McKeown drew a smart stop from the former Ballygowan defender Orbinson. A stalwart in centre back turned safe pair of hands, the 28-year-old was on his guard to deny a figure who was the toast of Tobermore a little over three months ago when his double stopped the Seasiders in their tracks.
Action returned to the goal the travellers were firing at with 11 minutes of time left, when the outstanding Millar – he had previously been on senior sub benches against Cliftonville and Limavady without seeing his name in lights – side-footed just over from Beattie’s ball.
Player spotlight:
A particular stand-out for his account in the second half, it was a promising senior debut indeed for Sam Millar at left wing-back. Allowing Reece Neale to move slightly further infield in a bit of tactical readjustment by Lee Feeney, Millar’s surging runs and high-quality delivery meant he was a regular and sustained progressor of play throughout. Image from Sarah Harkness.
With rapid line-leader Craig, gifted midfielder Kenny and tricky technician Trainor in amongst the action too, it was the first of those three who almost restored Bangor’s three-goal lead in spectacular style.
Craig darted the length of the pitch, cutting into the centre to let fly, and the goal-getting ace saw his ambitious attempt loop not far over having had a try 30 yards out from Moore’s goal.
The teenager was the architect once more when he linked in evergreen east Belfast icon Halliday.
A lovely cross-field pass found the childhood hero of many a Glenman and near equally as many a Seasider by this point, although the target-man supreme was not quite able to guide home from six yards out.
That was two minutes from the end of regulation, and Long did not see much need to add more when he called time on the contest.
An amicable encounter where the man in the middle’s notebook never needed to come out for cautions, it had proved a fitting final page in Bangor Football Club’s intermediate chapter.
New adventures beckon. New challenges lie in wait, and the players and supporters can wait little longer before tackling them.
But, in the immediate here-and-now, to conclude this record-breaking and memory-making escapade on a winning note is as satisfying a way to do it.
It was all smiles at the final whistle on a job done right.
The goal-cam perspective following Bangor’s final-day victory over Tobermore United at Fortwilliam Park. Video from Darran Gilpin/Bangor FC Social Media.
And in the mind of midfield general Harris, it was on the players to end on their own terms.
“I think when we went in, we had it in our heads that Tobermore were the only team that had beaten us (in the league) this season, we weren’t going to let them do it twice and even though we’ve won the league, our focus was always on the three points,” commented the summer arrival from Lisburn Distillery.
“We wanted to go out and end the season on a high. It was good that we went in and did that and finish the season the way that we wanted to, it’s what we’ve become used to and ending the season like this, it’s a good feeling definitely.”
The quotes section:
“I think when we went in, we had it in our heads that Tobermore were the only team that had beaten us (in the league) this season, we weren’t going to let them do it twice and even though we’ve won the league, our focus was always on the three points. We wanted to go out and end the season on a high. It was good that we went in and did that and finish the season the way that we wanted to, it’s what we’ve become used to and ending the season like this, it’s a good feeling definitely” – midfielder Aaron Harris said there was a determination to finish the job at a venue where Bangor had earlier tasted defeat. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
With six teenagers included in the matchday squad – Millar, Kenny and Craig leaving with a senior debut under their belt – Harris praised the influence of the promoted young guns, and felt they added a different dimension to the team.
“A few of the young players came in tonight and they did well, brought a bit of fresh blood and new energy to the game,” the 32-year-old continued.
“A few of the young players came in tonight and they did well, brought a bit of fresh blood and new energy to the game”
Aaron Harris paid tribute to the new dimensions the youngsters in the side offered on Tuesday
“Davy’s (Downes, Reserves boss) got them playing good football and it’s a jump and a new level, but I thought they came into the team, adapted quickly and they all put in good shifts.
The quotes section:
“Davy’s (Downes, Reserves boss) got them playing good football and it’s a jump and a new level, but I thought they came into the team, adapted quickly and they all put in good shifts. It’ll give them that motivation, that there’s a route to the first-team there and they’ll know if they keep working, then the chances will come” – Aaron Harris hailed the standard of coaching in the Reserves and praised how the young players adapted to a senior environment. Image from Sarah Harkness.
“It’ll give them that motivation, that there’s a route to the first-team there and they’ll know if they keep working, then the chances will come.”
The Belfast favourite added in summing up: “We’ll have a break for a few weeks now, we’ll refresh ourselves and then it’ll be straight back into it in the summer with pre-season. It’s my first season here and I’ve enjoyed it.”
You could tell by the look on Millar’s face at half time just how much he was relishing getting his shot at the senior level.
“I’m enjoying it out there, so I am,” he enthused in passing. “All about the experience too, just got to keep going.”
“I’m enjoying it out there, so I am. All about the experience too, just got to keep going”
17-year-old Sam Millar was delighted to be mixing it in the senior side for the first time against Tobermore United
Having been a vital cog at left-back in the Under-20s all season, capping it off with a couple of highlight-reel moments – a thoroughbred corker in a recent 4-0 success over Distillery’s second-string equivalents, for instance – he put himself firmly in Feeney’s eye line with a display that can very much be built on.
| Premier Intermediate | 2/5/23 (Post-split 5/Section A) | ||
| Limavady United | 1 | 1 | Moyola Park |
| Queen’s University | 4 | 5 | Ballymacash Rangers |
| Tobermore United | 1 | 3 | Bangor |
All in all, a 70-point tally is in the bag and a 22nd victory out of a possible 27 is all but sealed.
The focus, and it will dawn on us before we know it, will be on a fresh step and a return to senior football.
| Premier Intermediate | 2/5/23 (Post-split 5/Section B) | ||
| Banbridge Town | 1 | 2 | Armagh City |
| Portstewart | 5 | 1 | Dollingstown |
| PSNI | 3 | 1 | Lisburn Distillery |
For now, though, it will be about living life in the moment.
And what a moment to live in.
There were also victory fruits to savour for Bangor FC Ladies, too, as they were on cloud nine in their success over Comber Rec on Wednesday.
Boss Ethan Boylan claimed his first league win in emphatic style, soaring to a 9-2 victory at Parkway to make it two triumphs in the space of just 48 hours in midweek.
Buoyed after the Seasiders advanced from the Co Antrim Cup win a 5-2 home defeat of Rosario, they doubled up thanks in large part to Amber Dempster’s second hat-trick in as many matches and secured their first three points of the 2023 NIWFA Championship term.
Toni Stewart added her second of the season, while Claire Oakley is joint with the 23-year-old winger after delivering a clinching brace off the bench. A stunner from Emilia Quinlan also stood out in the goal reckoning, and Lydia Clarke netted just a couple of minutes following the left-back’s corker to complete the away side’s goal front.
Stat attack:
- A run of 14 goals scored in just 48 hours is testament to the standard of attacking play Ethan Boylan has instilled in the squad, but two sub-20-minute hat-tricks by Amber Dempster is nothing short of exceptional.
Having been kept scoreless by the Peninsula hosts for the first half-hour even though most of the play had been in the opposition half, a double by Dempster and a confident curler from Stewart laid a three-goal cushion by the interval.
Former Linfield ace Dempster had her treble sealed on 50 minutes against her one-time employers, and made her haul four-strong just three minutes later in a critical first 15 minutes of the second half.
High-class finishes from Quinlan and Clarke had made it seventh heaven before Comber Rec pulled a couple of goals back, but that seven-strike cushion was restored by the end thanks to two poacher-like takes by Oakley late in the evening.
The standard of attacking play left 32-year-old fan-favourite-turned-touchline-supremo Boylan well impressed as he shared his thoughts on what had ensued after the full time whistle.
“I thought that was really good tonight,” Boylan, a player not unaccustomed to goal gluts at the peak of his powers, beamed. “We were at it from the first whistle, we played some really good football and kept our position on the front foot from the start.
“I was impressed with the way that we didn’t settle with what he had (after Bangor scored first). People might look at the scoreline and think it was simple, but it’s easy when you go 1-0 up to drop your guard and bits of laziness to enter your play, and we didn’t do that at all.
“We were at it from the first whistle, we played some really good football and kept our position on the front foot from the start”
Bangor FC Ladies manager Ethan Boylan was pleased to see his players lay the gauntlet down early against Comber Rec
“We kept hungry and stayed on top of ourselves, pushing to win the ball from the front and score more goals from working hard, and we did that. We were clinical in attack and going forward, it was outstanding, and to have that winning mentality is important.
The quotes section:
“I was impressed with the way that we didn’t settle with what he had (after Bangor scored first). People might look at the scoreline and think it was simple, but it’s easy when you go 1-0 up to drop your guard and bits of laziness to enter your play, and we didn’t do that at all. We kept hungry and stayed on top of ourselves, pushing to win the ball from the front and score more goals from working hard, and we did that. We were clinical in attack and going forward, it was outstanding, and to have that winning mentality is important” – Bangor FC Ladies boss Ethan Boylan hailed the drive and desire of his players against Comber Rec. Image from Sarah Harkness.
“It was a stiff test on Monday night (against Rosario) and so to come and deliver a performance like that – with the two games only 48 hours between – is really pleasing.
“It was a stiff test on Monday night and so to come and deliver a performance like that – with the two games only 48 hours between – is really pleasing”
Bangor FC Ladies boss Ethan Boylan felt his team managed the quick turnaround in fixtures professionally indeed
“We’ll focus now on next Wednesday against Ballyclare, it’s a first league win and we go on from there.”
That clash against the Comrades at Clandeboye Park next week will kick off at 7:30pm.
Featured image from myself.
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