Portrush 2nds 3 v 1 Bangor 4ths

Weary end to Year for Fourths

Well, well, well. It may not be as dramatic a capitulation as Tony Blairs in the face of Eurpoean manoeuvering  but the Fourth eleven have certainly caused a few eyebrows to raise in recent weeks. Their tally of a meagre one point from a possible 6 is not such a stark statistic when considered in the wider context of 19 points gained from a possible 24. What is more disconcerting is the collective lack of self belief that seemed to envelop the side at Portrush on Saturday.

Earlier in the season Bangor had entertained Portrush at Ballykillaire and won emphatically . Here , the visitors were attempting to regain that lost momentum, albeit on a somewhat bumpy shale surface. Vagaries of bounce are one thing, those of mood quite another. Bangors fortunes fluctuated with the unpredictable roll of the ball.

In the opening exchanges , the visitors were relatively bright, seemingly responding to captains Shields persistent refrain to “keep it simple on this surface”.

Twice, well struck punts from McCalister found their way to the front line. First, Kelly linked with Watterson to create a half chance. Then Campbell, turning neatly under pressure, nudged forward to Wilson, whose quick progress was only halted by a tackle close to the by-line. Portrush were not idle of course. Indeed , their basics were particularly sound and their distribution crisp. They were the first to earn short corners and from the second of these, Stewart , normally so astute when moving of the line, took a somewhat circuitous route in a n attempt to clear the ball. Instead , he ended up prostrate mid circle , conveniently facing goal which afforded him a clear view of the ball rolling into the net.

In response Bangor did stir. There was no tickling of the aesthetic bone but sufficient semblance of endeavour to put Portrush on the back foot. Following a break on the left a snap shot from Watterson was deflected into the path of Cooke. With nimble footwork, Cooke evaded one challenge, then sashayed to create space for a shot. It was emphatic and accurate. For ten minutes Bangor seemed to be gaining the initiative. Shields was making particularly purposeful forays , whilst Burgess and Garland combined well to create space on the left.

And then, the  home side scored again, just before half time. During the break, Shields called for greater urgency but as the second half progressed a strange sense of lethargy seemed to permeate the Bangor play. There was effort, after a fashion, but little of the urgency of tackle required to harry teams . The passing was erratic and, on a number of occasions the distribution very much awry. Indeed , it took a third home goal to arouse Bangor from their semi-somnabulistic state. With barely ten minutes remaining Bangor forced the plat a little. Trhe right proved the most fruitful avenue, first Cooke firing over a cross which Wilson narrowly failed to connect properly with. Then Watterson saw  slap shot deflected wide and a Shields short corner effort was kicked away.

3-1 to Portrush at the close then , a fair reflection of the pattern of pair and a not so festive drive home for the Fourths.

Man of the Match – C.Burgess

Many, many thanks to  Mark Russell for travelling to umpire.