Antrim 2nds 4 v 5 Bangor 2nds

            SECONDS WIN THRILLER AT THE FORUM

 “A tale of two halves” is a cliché that is used often in sport nowadays, but this is the most apt description of last Saturdays Junior One fixture between the seconds and Antrim seconds at the Antrim Forum.  The first period saw a rampant Bangor side race into a 4-1 lead, but the home side dominated affairs in the second half with a brave fightback, but the seconds held on for a 5-4 victory and therefore continuing their recent good run of form.

 This was a fixture that Gareth Stranaghan’s charges did not need much motivation for due to their poor performance and ultimate defeat in the corresponding fixture early in the season.  From the outset the seconds pressured their opponents, and the skipper ought really to have opened the scoring just 2 minutes in after great work from Mulholland and McNaught on the left.  However the deadlock was broken soon after when Clarke fired a reverse stick effort goalward, Stranaghan applying the final touch from close in.  Clarke himself doubled the advantage minutes later after some fluent build up play from the Bangor side.  However the lead was soon reduced when Antrim won a short corner after some poor Bangor defending, and the home side duly scored from the corner.  The visitors pressed on and it was soon 3-1 when Scales scored the goal of the game.  Picking the ball up on the Antrim 25, the midfield man left 4 or 5 players in his wake as he dribbled towards the home goal and slapped past the hapless Antrim custodian.  Clarke then added another when he pounced on an Irwin short corner strike, firing the rebound high into the net.

 In the second half the home side altered their formation and, as was expected, made a real fight of it.  It was soon 4-3 when they scored two quick opportunist goals, albeit with a helping hand at times from the seconds.  As the home side pressed forward though in search of an equaliser, opportunities were opening on the break for the visitors.  Indeed that all important next goal came from one such break, and when the ball fell to McNaught in the middle of the circle and the keeper stranded, he made no mistake to make it 5-3.  Antrim pulled another one back 2 minutes from time from another short corner but it was too late.

 So a hard fought victory for the seconds in the end, the final whistle eventually coming as a relief.  Some splendid pass and move hockey in the first period had left their opponents all at sea and really the game should have been beyond their opponents reach.  This well organised Antrim side are made of stern stuff though, and always make life difficult for their opponents and this was certainly no exception.

 Man of the match vote went to Bill Clarke, Simon Scales a close second.  Many thanks also to Glenn Stranex for travelling to umpire.

 Team:  Thompson, Gowdy, McMillan, McCausland P., Toogood, Scales, Irwin, Mulholland, Clarke, McNaught, Stranaghan, McIlhagga.