Annadale 2nds 3 v 4 Bangor 2nds

Despite the picture postcard layer of snow in Bangor, the 2nds travelled last Saturday to Lough Moss in Carryduff to face Annadale 2nds for the third time this season. With a one-nil victory each in the two previous encounters, Annadale’s helping them progress to the Irish Junior Cup final and Bangor’s setting up the chance of a league double, there was much interest in the match. Captain Stranaghan reminded the players as much in his team talk and asked for extra effort to ensure that Bangor’s current push for a top-three league place was maintained.

The match started brightly, both teams working hard and endeavouring to play fast attacking hockey, albeit with the home team initially having much of the possession, but both sets of defenders were alive to any threats in the first ten minutes. Bangor gradually took a foothold in the match and began to combine their solid defence with some clever forward play, troubling Martin and Wilson in the centre of the home defence. Macafee was closest to opening the scoring in this period but his firm strike was deflected wide by the Annadale keeper. Mid-half however and Bangor did in fact take the lead, Stranaghan finishing high into the net off a well rehearsed move from McNaught’s free-hit. This goal seemed to open the game up a little and it wasn’t long before Bangor took adavantage, Macafee getting a well deserved goal after pouncing on a ricochet in mid-circle and firing the ball into the bottom corner. No doubt the home side wondered what had happened and they began to press their sweeper into midfield in search of a way back into the game. This tactic worked, though not in the way that they hoped, pulling a goal back past a helpless Thompson after Gowdy had shown signs of a career change into estate agency. Despite this setback, the Bangor rearguard of Cox, McCausland and Toogood held firm in the face of the home team’s push for an equaliser before half-time. Instead, it was Bangor who got the game’s fourth goal, McNaught scoring his second ever reverse stick shot in more than twenty years of hockey, after good perseverance by Stranaghan and Macafee in the opponent’s circle just before the half-time whistle.

Although his charges were playing well and giving the extra effort he’d called for, Stranaghan reminded everyone at half-time that nothing could be taken for granted and that the same level was needed in the second period to secure the two league points that would propel his team above Annadale into third place in the league table. The second-half began much in the same vein as the first, Annadale pushing forward without much attacking threat, in part due to the tigerish midfield play of Irwin and Scales, disrupting the home team’s play and supporting the forwards as often as possible. Chances were created and not taken by both sides before Annadale found themselves back in the game, a goalmouth scramble somehow ending up with the ball trickling over the line in what seemed slow motion as Thompson lay prostrate on the ground. Soon after though, Thompson kept Bangor ahead with a reflex save, pushing the ball over the bar after Bangor, probably for the first time in the game, had been carved apart at the back by the home team. This scare pushed Bangor forward again and, sure enough, Stranaghan scored his second and Bangor’s fourth after a flowing move involving Macafee, McNaught and a defence splitting pass from Lyall had created the opportunity. Again, after establishing a two-goal lead, Bangor seemed to drop off the play slightly, however they continued to pose problems on the counter attack and seemed to be in control defensively. A disputed short-corner award for the home team though set up a nervous last few minutes when, despite Gowdy’s bravery on the line, the score was reduced to 4-3 in the visitor’s favour. Those nerves could have been settled though but for a point-blank save by the home keeper from McNaught’s last minute strike, nevertheless with the full-time whistle sounding Bangor had secured the much sought after league double against arguably one of the best teams in Junior 1 over the last decade.