There was plenty of football during the week to report on, and the all-important end-of-season gathering to celebrate the success of Bangor’s senior men on a brilliant campaign from top to bottom last Saturday. All this comes under the spotlight in this week’s ‘Seasider Summer Weekly’, where Bangor Reserves had three matches in five days to finish their endeavours and where Bangor FC Ladies were on their travels in the league.
Trips to Warrenpoint Town and Lisburn Distillery were on the agenda for David Downes and his Under-20s before entertaining a touring team from across the Atlantic, while for Ethan Boylan and his Ladies side, they were in the west of the capital to tackle the challenge of Belfast Celtic. The annual spectacle that is the Awards Dinner produced lots of winners, while representatives of the club were also guests of honour at a special City Hall event last Tuesday night to celebrate their cup-filled escapades this term.
Firstly, while the senior men’s season is now all but concluded, the Reserves have enjoyed a busy climax to their endeavours with three fixtures in the space of just five days.
Their final two league encounters of the campaign saw them take trips to Milltown and Ballyskeagh, where Warrenpoint Town and Lisburn Distillery respectively lay in waiting as a strong close to their competitive action was pursued prior to a Thursday night special.
On Saturday, it was to prove a somewhat chastening affair at the hands of The ‘Point. In a clash of two teams sitting at opposite ends of Co Down, it was the already-crowned league champions who raced out of the traps and into an unanswered four-goal advantage at the interval.
Warrenpoint were ahead after merely 65 seconds when an unmarked front-man had time and room to shape his shot, placing beyond shot-stopper Scott Mashal into the bottom left corner, and had doubled their advantage with not even five minutes on the clock after a near-post header went in from a corner to the right.
Things were to get worse before they improved for manager Downes and his panel, with the hosts bagging their third goal after a deflected strike wrong-footed Mashal and made it an even bigger mountain for the yellow-shirted visitors to climb. That was on 27 minutes, and a short while later – after both benches were left visibly baffled as a striker in pale blue rounded the Bangor ‘keeper only to miss a totally vacant net from just a few yards out – a 25-yard curled stunner proved the pick of the Milltown men’s haul just after the half-hour.
The first half in south Down proved a testing and harsh affair for Bangor Reserves, who found themselves with a four-goal deficit to overturn at half time and in need of a big response in the second half against the division champions Warrenpoint Town Reserves. Image from myself.
Following a strong-worded but rousing team-talk by Downes and a few tactical tweaks, though, the situation bettered.
Substitute Callum Johnston inspired the first knockings of a fightback on heading home Charley Craig’s precise flag-kick delivery on 57 minutes, before Craig saw another of his crosses find the net 20 minutes from the end via the decisive last touch from a Warrenpoint defender. The pressure that Sonny Redford applied was key to forcing the error, and the reward for a renewed front-footed approach.
The homesters would make the last mark, however, when – with the Seasiders by now reduced to 10 men, after midfielder Curtis Kenny suffered an unfortunate ankle injury that cut short his participation and Downes having availed of all his allotted replacements – a fierce low drive a couple of minutes from the finish ensured they upgraded to a five-star goal count.
The weekend’s goings-on would be followed up by a fruitier prize a few days later. Riding the crest of a wave with that pleasing second portion of 45 in south Down, the second string traversed to Ballyskeagh hopeful of translating that forward momentum into a strong final say of their 2022/23 exploits. And that they did.
With Johnston again front and centre, it was his double either side of half time that booked Bangor the three points at Lisburn Distillery.
A 23rd-minute penalty kicked off striker Johnston’s game tally, turning that into a brace just after the hour to all but confirm the result in the end. A sending-off 25 minutes from time threatened to spell trouble for the Seagulls, but they swooped away with the maximum spoils in the bag and kept their shut-out intact through completing a 0-2 success.
And following that, they played out a pulsating end-of-season friendly with a travelling team from the University of Wisconsin.
It was high-tempo from start to finish, as three goals came within the opening 12 minutes of the affair. The hosts broke the deadlock around 150 seconds in, when some good out-muscling by Redford was followed up by a well-weighted cut-back from the right towards the near post – from there, Craig fired first-time into the top right corner.
Facing perhaps a different type of fixture from what they may have been used to this campaign, David Downes and his Bangor Reserves outfit had to contend against a high-energy and high-spirited University of Wisconsin team who played well as a collective unit. Image from myself.
Resistance was swift from the Statesiders, though, as they had then assumed the initiative within 10 minutes of going behind. The score remained at 1-2 going into the interval, but the goal glut restarted merely four minutes after the restart when a low drive from the visitors arrowed beyond goalkeeper Owen Ross and into the net.
A Johnston penalty 23 minutes from time reduced the arrears, but a three-goal salvo from the travellers – who had secured a 4-1 victory on Tuesday as part of their tour exploits – in the space of nine minutes widened the chasm before the referee signalled for time.
Downes offered an interesting perspective on the inspirations that can be taken going forward.
“To be honest, that was the sort of game I’d have preferred playing in pre-season rather than necessarily at the end of the season,” he opined. “I thought that was a good lesson for us tonight in terms of the pace, the intensity, the physicality, trying to go up against that and work our way around that.
The quotes section:
“I thought that was a good lesson for us tonight in terms of the pace, the intensity, the physicality, trying to go up against that and work our way around that. A lot of the teams in our league set out to play football, sit off a bit and you’re given a bit more time on the ball… they’re forcing you to pick the ball up under pressure, and that’s where your first touch has got to be tip-top as you don’t the time or space for a second” – Bangor Reserves manager David Downes felt it was a handy learning experience for his team against the University of Wisconsin side. Image from Gary Carson.
“A lot of the teams in our league set out to play football, sit off a bit and you’re given a bit more time on the ball… they’re forcing you to pick the ball up under pressure, and that’s where your first touch has got to be tip-top as you don’t have the time or space for a second.
“They’d a lot of energy about them and they worked as a collective. The way that they pressed the ball asked questions of our players”
Bangor Reserves manager David Downes felt the pressure from the front the University of Wisconsin outfit applied was a fresh test for his panel
“They’d a lot of energy about them and they worked really well as a collective. The way that they pressed the ball asked questions of our players, and that’s something I’ll be looking towards developing in pre-season – receiving and retaining the ball under pressure.
“It was tricky as well because obviously tonight was our third game in five days, we’d played Distillery on the Tuesday night and if it were the other way round – had we played this team on Tuesday and then Distillery tonight – it still would have been tough. But they (the opposition) offered something a bit different in terms of their approach and, as I say, it asked new questions of our boys that I will be taking onboard for when pre-season starts back.”
All told, with each of the 28 matches they are obliged to fulfil done and dusted, Bangor end up in fifth-place with 48 points to their name.
Only Warrenpoint (87) can better an impressive ‘goals for’ tally of 82 – not far shy of three a game throughout this term – with an attractive ball-playing brand of football making for eye-catching viewing throughout the past nine months. It has been a season where progress has been made, and with youthful energy and exuberance about the squad, there is certainly a means to go on and, as was highlighted on the senior men’s final day, a pathway to go into first-team football.
Player spotlight:
A player who has caught the eye for his high standard of performances since making a recent return from injury, front-man Callum Johnston was very much on the goal trail this past week, netting four goals throughout the three games he featured in. With a high work-rate and ability to turn a game’s flow, he is one to watch going into a new campaign and will be inspired by this positive conclusion. Image from Joe McEwan.
Continuing on the path of progress, needless to say, is the stated intention going forward.
“You’re looking at the average age of our team too, they’re 16 and 17 going out as has often been the case this season against players who are a couple of years older than them,” added Downes following Thursday night’s fixture.
“We want to be producing players who are getting into the first-team, I think that’s what we as an Academy should be doing”
It certainly gives Bangor Reserves supremo David Downes a great feeling of satisfaction when players make the leap into Lee Feeney’s first-team
“We want to be producing players who are getting into the first-team, I think that’s what we as an Academy should be doing, and games like this where they’re taking on a different challenge are good ways to get them better prepared for making the step into senior football. If we can retain them for another year and they can get a bit stronger, then you can imagine how good they could still be.
“I thought that Sam (Millar) put in a real good shift tonight – he’s got that energy about him, constantly running up and down the left flank and giving 100 per cent effort in week in, week out.
“He’s consistent too, for me he rarely drops below an eight or nine out of 10 each week, and that’s contributed in the end to him getting the opportunity in the seniors’ final game of the season against Tobermore.
“There were six teenagers in the team that night and helping players from the Academy get the opportunity to play senior football, that’s what we’re setting out to do.”
What’s more, Bangor FC Ladies were in action on Wednesday night when they travelled to Whiterock Leisure Centre to tackle the challenge of Belfast Celtic.
With a positive performance in defeat the previous week when they played host to Ballyclare Comrades, manager Ethan Boylan hoped to channel some of the energy at Clandeboye Park seven days prior into this joust in west Belfast.
By the end, he was not to be left unfulfilled.
“The second half in particular, I thought we were really good,” praised Boylan.
“We knocked the ball about well, working well throughout the different phases of play and getting in at goal regularly”
Bangor FC Ladies boss Ethan Boylan saluted a commanding account in the second half against Belfast Celtic
“We knocked the ball about well, working well throughout the different phases of play and getting in at goal regularly.
“First half, we let down our guard a bit I felt. Conceding just before half time was frustrating after we had scored the two goals earlier on, and the team-talk during the break, we had to motivate ourselves again. But after the break, we started fast, we came flying out of the traps and we were the team in control of proceedings, we showed energy trying to win the ball back high up the pitch and it made for a good performance in the end where I saw a lot of flowing football” – Bangor FC Ladies boss Ethan Boylan was pleased with a flying second-half account from his team against Belfast Celtic. Image from Sarah Harkness.
“First half, we let down our guard a bit I felt. Conceding just before half time was frustrating after we had scored the two goals earlier on, and the team-talk during the break, we had to motivate ourselves again.
“But after the break, we started fast, we came flying out of the traps and we were the team in control of proceedings, we showed energy trying to win the ball back high up the pitch and it made for a good performance in the end where I saw a lot of flowing football.”
“We’ve been working on those sorts of things in training, switching from one side to other through midfield”
Bangor FC Ladies manager Ethan Boylan was pleased to see one facet of his system work particularly effectively
Adding on the variety of his side’s style of play, which included floated balls as well as clever interplay along the ground, the 32-year-old stated: “We’ve been working on those sorts of things in training, switching from one side to other through midfield.
“It was a route that worked for us tonight and it’s good to see that it’s paying off in games.”
The visitors started with intent, and – in a reversal of roles from the 4-2 reverse at the hands of Ballyclare, where they were a couple of goals down within the first 15 minutes – they had a two-goal advantage inside a quarter-hour thanks to astute finishes by Amber Dempster and Olivia Brown.
Player spotlight:
Despite not playing in her natural midfield position, it was a sterling account provided by Janine Jess at the heart of defence alongside Sarah McKillen against Belfast Celtic. She picked the right moments to step out and had her bearings checked positionally to intercept and tackle. Image from Joe McEwan.
The hosts laid down their gauntlet and showed speed on the counter, making an inroad just before the referee called for the interval thanks to a looping free kick from distance that sailed into the back of the net.
That seemed to only serve to fire Bangor up, though, given that the second period was barely a minute old before Dempster restored the Seagulls’ cushion – her first attempt was parried, but the flight of the ball meant it rebounded back off her shin and diverted into the bottom left.
An amazing curled finish 64 minutes in, courtesy of Toni Stewart’s left boot from the best part of 30 yards out, strengthened the Seasiders’ command of the tie with a wonder strike that left the Belfast Celtic shot-stopper rooted.
The job was finished 12 minutes from time as Dempster, moments after having what she first thought was her hat-trick goal disallowed due to offside, beat the high line and drilled venomously in at the ‘keeper’s near post. That clinched her third match ball in four games and brought her active scoring streak to 11 in four.
In the end, it was a 1-5 away victory and a third win in five outings across all competitions.
Such a positive start, it is hoped, can be backed up by further successes in both league and cup settings next week.
First, Bangor travel to The Bluebell to tackle Lisburn Ladies Swifts in the second stage of the Super Cup on Monday night, before another hurdle in the NIWFA Championship will be on the horizon as St James’ Swifts brace to have the red carpet rolled out at Clandeboye Park. Kick-off in both encounters is at 7:30pm.
On Saturday evening, the annual Bangor Awards Dinner took place in the Social Club, where the best individual performers of the season were recognised on the back of a stellar season.
Bangor captain Lewis Harrison receives his Directors’ Player of the Year award from Board member Neil Watson during last Saturday’s annual Awards dinner. Harrison also picked up the Manager’s Player of the Year award jointly with John Boyle, making it two individual honours for the 24-year-old who has led Bangor to great things this term. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
To summarise those who took home the main prizes, goalkeeper supreme James Taylor scooped up the CBSC Drew Kelly Memorial Cup when he was voted the Supporters’ Player of the Season, while Jamie Glover notched up Young Player of the Year and Lewis Harrison earned both the Directors’ and Manager’s Player of the Year accolades.
Harrison shared the latter with star defender John Boyle, as Ben Arthurs clinched a fifth successive Top Goalscorer award – topped off by a shirt presentation after his breaching of the 100-goal barrier – and Ballygowan rock David Hume claimed the Players’ Player of the Year award.
Scooping up his award alongside Bangor assistant Dean Gordon, popular centre back David Hume earned the accolade for Players’ Player of the Year, having displayed a routinely high standard of performance all season and evidenced his class and composure on the ball in playing out from the back. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Bangor supremo Lee Feeney received physical recognition for a double-winning crusade, while goal machine Adam Neale was the recipient of a prize recognising his call-up to the Northern Ireland Regions Cup squad back in October.
And, last Tuesday, several of the players, as well as members of the board and other representatives from around the club, were invited to a reception at City Hall which recognised their double-winning escapade.
The trophies were on display as a physical mark of the success experienced by the Seasiders this campaign, and the club were given a formal congratulations for the happiness that they have brought to the region and those who have travelled week in, week out following them.
“Thrilled to host Bangor FC this week in recognition of their achievements in winning the Steel & Sons Cup and the Premier Intermediate League title, securing promotion to the Championship! Congratulations!” tweeted Mayor of Ards and North Down Council, Councillor Karen Douglas, on the event.
Featured image from myself.
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