Annadale 5ths 2 v 6 Bangor 4ths

  Number Nine Notched Up

And so it continues. On Saturday at Lough Moss , the 4ths recorded their ninth consecutive victory and now sit atop Junior League 4 with a four point gap between they and closest rivals Kilkeel.

Annadale, normally the most resilient of opponents, have suffered from a lack of personnel this season , but it was the paucity of play early on which caught the eye . There was little by way of shape to proceedings. Bangor, like an early T model Ford , required several turns of the crank, before they advanced with any real conviction.

Their progess this season has been characterised by quick passing and incisive movement through the midfield. Here it was all very pedestrian initially, with Annadale also relying too much on the speculative. Yet, after 10 minutes the visitors were two goals ahead. Dornan, calmly efficient throughout, linked with Ferguson to free Watterson.

Advancing on the circle he had the option of squaring to Kelly but instead astutely slipped the ball under the advancing keeper. Five minutes later, Shields gleefully pinged home a short corner. Suitably buoyed by this, Bangor began to display some fluency. There was more interaction between Midfield and attack with Murray on the right benefitting from some useful ball. And yet it was not exactly fluent, more like the heavy movement of a mammoth awakening from a lengthy slumber.  Then it was three, Parker following up on a deflected shot to flick home on the reverse side.

There is always the possibility that, when a team is in such a rich vein of form , confidence can manifest itself in complacency, or even worse, arrogance. Little chance of that though with captain Shield coordinating events. A 3-0 lead was deemed to be positive but not conclusive and the call was for the decisive goal to be Bangors. 3-1 and soupcons of doubt emerge . 4-0 however and the gap becomes conclusive.

Ten minutes into the half Watterson followed up on his own initial effort to slot home.

Annadale did respond, reducing the deficit with a well constructed  move on the right, but within minutes Parker had nabbed another goal . Annadale duly responded but in a final push, a smooth move on the right culminated in Kelly turning sharply to score his first goal for the club.

A competent, if not coruscating display.

Man of the match -  D.Stewart