Bangor’s introduction to the Playr-Fit Championship has not been one for the faint-hearted. The month of August has seen the Seasiders tackle three of last campaign’s top six, and with three points out of a possible nine – coupled with displays that would arguably have warranted more – you would not find much cause for complaint with that return.
What now awaits is arguably the toughest test the Yellows are likely to face this season. On paper, this appears a mismatch; Portadown, who were cutting it up amongst the cream of the crop in Northern Ireland football last term, rolling the red carpet out for a team that is still in revival mode, having just achieved promotion back to the senior rungs from the intermediate game. But this is an unscripted sport, and theatre is par for the course.
Portadown challenge will call on Yellows to produce their very best version
The challenge facing Bangor this Friday night is a daunting one.
Let’s declare that straight away.
On the face of it, clashes between the newly promoted and freshly relegated teams in a division is always going to pitch a clear favourite at play.
None more so than when the side dropping down is one with such a storied and distinguished archive collection in the Irish League as Portadown.
Following their demotion from the Premiership, you can scarcely question the determination Niall Currie and his charges will possess to make an immediate bounce-back into the top-tier.
History lesson:
Ronnie McFall requires no fresh introduction in Irish League circles. He is one that has stood the test of time, with his enduring managerial spell at Portadown from 1986 to 2016 producing four Irish League winners’ medals and a lifetime of memories for Ports fans. The second-longest-serving post-war supremo of one club, after Guy Roux at Auxerre, won his second Shamrock crown on 71 points – 10 ahead of John Flanagan’s Bangor in second – in 1991.
As four-time champions of Northern Irish football under the era-transcending Ronnie McFall – a man whose near-three-decade uninterrupted stint in charge at Shamrock Park yielded unprecedented success – they have clinched the Gibson Cup more times than any other club from outside Belfast.
Stat attack:
When Larne clinched the most recent iteration of the Premiership, they broke a 21-year-long duck. A club from outside Belfast had not lifted the Gibson Cup since Ronnie McFall won his fourth and final title with Portadown back in 2002 – making them the non-capital team to have taken the crown the most in Irish League history.
But now, the task ahead of the Ports is to again restore their place among the top 12 outfits and the crème de la crème.
Achieving promotion to the top-flight back in 2020, when the campaign was forced into an early conclusion owing to Covid-19, they remained back at the highest level for three seasons before suffering heartbreak a few months ago.
Despite a valiant push that saw them take their survival hopes all the way to the penultimate matchday of the term – a feat that is made all the more remarkable given they had obtained only half a dozen points with their crusade nearly three-quarters gone – they found their place in the Championship sealed after a 3-2 defeat to Dungannon Swifts at Stangmore Park.
Stat attack:
In a week where Crusaders drilled nine without reply into the Carrick Rangers net at Seaview, fond memories were brought up by Portadown fans of their 11-0 success over Ballinamallard United back in 2013. That Shamrock rout was the biggest win in the top-flight for 47 years.
The Co Armagh club had, nevertheless, reinvigorated belief among the fans thanks to that closing 11-game streak.
Man in the hotseat:
A man who holds a degree of respect across both sides of the North Down divide like few others, a successful five-year stint in charge of Ards did not dampen the esteem with which Niall Currie is held among Bangor fans. After inspiring Carrick Rangers to promotion before helping Dundela rise up the second-tier table, Currie embarks on his second stint back at home town club Portadown – where he believes he still has unfinished business. Image from INPHO/Stephen Hamilton.
Portadown gained 17 points from that climax and, ultimately, that they were only seven points from safety seemed no bad thing.
But it still left them with work to do.
The season summary: Portadown (2022-23)
- Position: 12th-place (relegated from the Premiership)
- Ground: Shamrock Park, Portadown, Co Armagh
- Points: 23
- Goals for: 29
- Goals against: 88
- Top scorer: Paul McElroy (six)
- Manager: Niall Currie (since October 26, 2022)
In their re-acclimatisation to this rung of the pyramid, their intention is not to hang around for too long – and this their ambition in the market highlights.
Just recently, Currie snapped up Ballymena United forward Kenny Kane after the 24-year-old was made available for transfer on Warden Street, and he joins defenders Ross Redman and Dougie Wilson in swapping The Showgrounds for Shamrock Park.
He made his debut in a line-up comprising a swathe of other summer arrivals last Saturday against Ballyclare Comrades, but despite one of them – former Dungannon Swifts captain Ryan Mayse – taking just three minutes to break the deadlock, the east Antrim institution roared back and snatched a superb 2-1 success.
Therefore, in the wake of seeing their early perfect record cut having secured victories over Dergview and Institute in their opening couple of matches, the Ports are especially hungry.
It feels like Bangor will have to be on top form to avoid feeling the subsequent wrath of a wounded animal.
The form book:
- 5/8/23 – Dergview 2-3 Portadown
- 12/8/23 – Portadown 1-0 Institute
- 19/8/23 – Ballyclare Comrades 2-1 Portadown
In addition to those hitherto named, Portadown’s recruits have consisted largely of players dropping down from the Premiership to help inspire their bid to return to the big time.
With their resources boosted by the captures of Gary Thompson (Crusaders), Caolin Coyle (Dungannon Swifts), Dale Montgomery (Newry City) and Eoin Bradley (Glenavon), as well as seasoned shot-stopper Aaron Hogg’s arrival from Carrick Rangers and flying forward Eamon Fyfe’s loan move from Coleraine, talent is not in short supply.
Player spotlight:
A Portadown native who needed little persuasion to remain with the club when they dropped down to the Championship, midfielder Luke Wilson is a player who is versatile enough to occasionally be deployed in defence and is multi-faceted enough to perform a variation of roles when his services are called upon. Image from Paul Harvey/Ballyclare Comrades media.
But talent is no substitute for hard work and endeavour, which is the message Currie will certainly have been laying out.
For Lee Feeney and his Seasiders, there has been heart to take.
While defeat to Dundela last time out swiftly cut short a burgeoning early streak following the derby delight of beating Ards, the Bangor boss has found plenty of positivity early doors.
He felt his team earned their just rewards in the North Down Derby bash – since revealed as the highest-attended fixture in the second-tier since records began – for an inspiring display in defeat away to Ballyclare on the opening day.
Kilkeel supremo Feeney hailed the attitude and application during that testing trial with the Red and Blue Army, keeping a clean sheet while remaining efficient in attack as Adam Neale helped home the winner in front of a 1,300-strong crowd.
However, the 45-year-old felt a big-style response was needed following a ‘frustrating’ reversal last time out against the Duns.
“I’m just frustrated, disappointed,” he told Rory McKee of the County Down Spectator in a forthright post-match reflection of the encounter.
“That’s not us… every department of the game, we were second-best.
“We gave ourselves a lot of work to do in the second half, going 2-0 down and giving two silly goals away”
Bangor manager Lee Feeney bemoaned the deficit that his players had to recover from against Dundela last time out
“We gave ourselves a lot of work to do in the second half, going 2-0 down and giving two silly goals away.
“And you mentioned second balls, we just didn’t pick up second balls, and there was nothing – nothing – in that game which we were better than them at.
“This football club here, we don’t shy away from the battle. We show the quality, we pick up second balls and we didn’t show that tonight.”
The quotes section:
“That’s not us… every department of the game, we were second-best. We gave ourselves a lot of work to do in the second half, going 2-0 down and giving two silly goals away. And you mentioned second balls, we just didn’t pick up second balls, and there was nothing – nothing – in that game which we were better than them at. This football club here, we don’t shy away from the battle. We show the quality, we pick up second balls and we didn’t show that tonight” – Bangor manager Lee Feeney‘s post-match reflections implied he will be desperate to see a reaction from his boys against Portadoiwn. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Having been in the Clandeboye Park dugout for over three years now, Feeney has an intrinsic understanding of the squad at his disposal.
One element of last Friday’s 2-1 loss that would have softened the blow of his analysis would have been the combination for the goal. Ben Cushnie, within 20 minutes of his introduction as a half-time substitute, registered a debut assist from a corner that Ben Arthurs guided in, the 25-year-old thus notching up his first goal of the season.
The attack has been fit and firing to start the return to senior status, and chance creation is not a department where the Yellows have lacked either.
Stat attack:
Ben Arthurs may not achieve the feat this season, but after scoring his 107th goal for Bangor against Dundela last time, he sits merely 36 shy of Andy Morrow in second-place on the all-time Seasider scoring charts.
Cushnie, Arthurs, Adam Neale and Scott McArthur each have enjoyed direct involvements in a goal to date – and each have the penchant about them for causing trouble and disruption, which will have to come into force again here.
Difference maker:
After notching up his first goal of the season last time out against Dundela, the appetite of a goalscorer is always to add to their tally, and that will be no less true for Ben Arthurs, who got his scoresheet up and running with a headed finish from Ben Cushnie’s corner. Image from Jordan Connolly/Life Through A Lens NI.
Last week also saw good news on the injury front.
The absences of defensive duo Gareth Beattie and David Hume was mercifully brief, with the 31-year-old ‘Beats’ coming back into the fray as a substitute after sustaining a pulled hamstring while centre-back Hume, who had commitments elsewhere against Ards, was introduced just 22 minutes in.
Both players are candidates to start this Friday, while teenage trio Lewis Francis, Ben Walker and Sean Brown continue to assume a mantle of responsibility beyond their prodigious years in their stride.
The popular Ryan Arthur, who has not played a minute as yet due to an ankle injury, is still working his way back into action.
When the Carrick man returns, his command of the backline and vocal nature – not mentioning his set-piece prowess – will be a significant boost to the arsenal.
For now, though, the focus is on getting a result.
| Playr-Fit Championship | Matchday Four (25-26/8/23) | |
| Ards | vs | Harland and Wolff Welders |
| Dergview | vs | Annagh United |
| Dundela | vs | Ballinamallard United |
| Institute | vs | Ballyclare Comrades |
| Newington | vs | Knockbreda |
| Portadown | vs | Bangor |
A fixture list that always appeared a baptism of fire on paper, with three of last season’s top six plus the Ports making up August’s schedule, to come out with four or six points from 12 would be likely lauded by the Seasider following.
In order to etch that record into stone, Bangor must relish being the underdog.
While carefree may be an incorrect choice of word, some due diligence must be exercised and a confidence that Feeney has never found in short supply will have to be front and centre.
He once fell on the wrong side of Currie in a Steel and Sons Cup Final – the Portadown native, who has inspired Ards and Carrick Rangers to promotion from this league in the recent past, was between the sticks for the Seagulls’ Reserves in 1994 – but the ‘Golden Child’ has learned a lot in the interluding span.
He needn’t expend his time on rally cries. The players, who he knows so well, so relish the Friday night lights on their own turf.
Now, it is about exacting the thrill on someone else’s lawn.
Seasiders book Final say at Blanchflower after climactic win over Comrades
There was midweek delight to be had for Bangor FC Ladies, who shone in the spotlight and booked their place in the PwC Super Cup Final.
Having tasted defeat thrice before to Ballyclare Comrades this term, it was the Seasiders who held the edge in the fourth and final encounter of the sides, as a 3-2 victory sealed a place against Lisburn Rangers in the decider.
The hosts did all their damage in the first half, racing into a three-goal lead at the interval through Amber Dempster’s brace and a crucial close-range finish from Lydia Clarke right on the stroke of half-time.
And while Ballyclare gave a rousing reaction in the second period having struck twice to tee up a grandstand finish, firstly through a long-distance free-kick and then from the penalty spot, Ethan Boylan’s team kept their calm amid the storm and held their lead until the last few peeps of the chief official’s whistle.
A momentous occasion in itself, being the first Final the team has reached since the team’s renaissance back in 2019, the priority now for Boylan is to enjoy and savour the emotions.
“I think, take the semi-final element out of it, they’ve (Ballyclare) turned us over three times, and they were close encounters, especially with the last being 4-3 and we walked away, we were really disappointed,” the manager explained.
“I think tonight, actually, it fully clicked. I think the first half, we were superior; I wouldn’t say we overcommitted but they gave it their all in the first half and ran out of steam a bit.
“You can’t beat a Cup Final. I’m not really concerned with who we play, to be honest; it’s more about the occasion so we’ll just go and enjoy ourselves”
Bangor FC Ladies supremo Ethan Boylan insists enjoying the occasion will be his team’s priority mission
“But I’m genuinely just delighted for the girls; throughout, they’ve put so much effort in.
“You can’t beat a Cup Final. I’m not really concerned with who we play, to be honest; it’s more about the occasion so we’ll just go and enjoy ourselves.”
The quotes section:
“I think, take the semi-final element out of it, they’ve (Ballyclare) turned us over three times, and they were close encounters, especially with the last being 4-3 and we walked away, we were really disappointed. I think tonight, actually, it fully clicked. I think the first half, we were superior; I wouldn’t say we overcommitted but they gave it their all in the first half and ran out of steam a bit. But I’m genuinely just delighted for the girls; throughout, they’ve put so much effort in” – manager Ethan Boylan saluted the effort that his players put in.
Boylan must have been in seventh heaven given how lightning-quick his panel were out of the traps on Wednesday night.
Bangor drew first blood with 21 minutes gone. It was a perfectly weighted ball over the top that Dempster was all too keen to latch onto, and she was composure personified to round an off-her-line Comrades goalkeeper and slot stylishly into an open net.
If that was the 30-year-old’s calmness under pressure on display, her second 13 minutes later showed just how loose the shackles on the striker were.
From what appeared an improbable angle, Dempster made it look so effortless. She curled a free-kick from the right flank with just the right weight and placement that it nestled in the bottom left corner; of the plethora of finishes this goal machine has churned out, she really was saving her best for last.
The third strike was a comparatively scrappier one, but Clarke has risen up to deliver on the scoring stakes in the injury-enforced absence of Olivia Brown – and she flicked into the net from a few years out to make it a 3-0 lead by the halfway point.
And despite a second stanza where Ballyclare visibly upped the ante and made it a one-goal game, the Seasiders held out to ensure their date with destiny.
Captain Sarah McKillen may have conceded the spot-kick that led to the Co Antrim outfit’s second goal, but rest assured – this was at the very back of her mind as she reflected back.
“Buzzing. We’re absolutely buzzing,” the 25-year-old centre-back beamed. “To get to a Final, it’s such a big moment and a big occasion for the club.
“We’d been on their heels and pushing them all the way and, tonight, it’s really satisfying to finally get a win over the line”
Sarah McKillen admits that there was an added satisfaction behind the triumph over Ballyclare Comrades this time around
“We’re really satisfied. The last time we played them, we were beaten 4-3 and it was a close game, we’d been on their heels and pushing them all the way and, tonight, it’s really satisfying to finally get a win over the line.
“It feels a long time ago from it was double-digits.”
On how she has found her first season wearing the yellow and blue of Bangor, former St James’ Swifts and Comber Rec ace McKillen smiled: “Brilliant. It’s been brilliant. It’s probably the first time in a few years I’ve properly enjoyed my football, to be honest; it’s a great bunch of girls, it’s great to be a part of and when we’re out there, we fight for each other.
“We were super, going into a 3-0 lead at half time, and that’s the character of us as a whole”
Bangor FC Ladies centre-back Sarah McKillen was buzzing to secure a winning outcome in the PwC Super Cup semi-finals
“In the first half, I think you saw that. We were super, going into a 3-0 lead at half time, and that’s the character of us as a whole; to be able to come out and get on the front foot and then see it out when it got nervy.
“I’m buzzing for all of us, now to enjoy the occasion.”
The showpiece will take place at Blanchflower Park in east Belfast on September 9. Kick-off on that Saturday night is at 7:30pm.
Featured image from Sarah Harkness.
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