Bangor 4s 6 v 2 Portrush 2nds

4THS BLAST CONTINUES

Well, what a start . The 4thXi, after two consecutive narrow misses in Junior 4, had intended to start this campaign with intentions very evident. And indeed they have.!!  If you are of the opinion that things musical provide necessary accompaniment to daily life, then this start resembled the cacophonous flurry of early 70s Mott the Hoople.

There was still the happy murmur of Bangor spectators in the air as the 4ths lined up alongside visitors Portrush 2^nd Xl. The 1stXl victory over Garvey , which saw them proceed to the semi finals of the seasons first cup competition, had given all a fillup. From the outset the 4^th Xl maintained the momentum of the previous week . Tweed, starting at centre midfield, generated an impetus which rarely flagged in the first half. Bangors distribution was crisp and accurate, neatly building from the back through midfield.

Twice in the opening exchanges openings were created. Cooke flicked narrowly wide and Wilson narrowly failed to pick up on an astute pass from Mairs. In truth, as the half progressed, it became clear that Portrush, whilst somewhat obdurate , were not blessed with the combination of personnel to unduly trouble the Bangor rearguard.

When the visitors did break, it was not with any great incisiveness or speed, Stranaghan and Brennan dealing comfortably with their forays. Mid way through the half, Bangor opened the scoring. Following a neat move on the right, Stranaghan accurately placed a short corner in to the bottom left hand corner. It ought really to have been 2 before the break . Wilson proving to be as elusive and irritating as always, fairly slalomed into mid circle before failing to connect at the right moment. Then Hamill flashed a shot narrowly wide.

Benefiting from an exchange of personnel, which allowed the angle of attack to change, Bangor did confirm the superiority within 10 minutes of the second half beginning, Firstly, Todd , following a phantom like drift to the circle, deftly nudged a pass from Shields past the keeper. Then, Tweed followed up on an initial shot from Ferguson to make it 3-0.

Then, as with last week, Bangor allowed their opponents a sliver of hope. A somewhat speculative run from the left winger went largely unchallenged and suddenly from mid circle, a reverse shot eluded Smyth in the Bangor deal. It was indeed only on of three times the keeper actually touched the ball throughout.

The three goal lead was then restored , courtesy of Todd who followed up on a goal line flurry to firmly shoot home. Tweed converted again within minutes to stretch the lead and then with some 5 minutes left a swift break on the left culminated in a Mairs shot being deflected. Wilson gleefully followed up to earn just reward for his tireless prompting. In truth, it could have been more. Watterson, so decisive last week in converting 3 out of 4 chances was equally as profligate here, unluckily spurning a succession of chances.

As the final whistle beckoned, the visitors reduced the deficit to 4 goals but all in all, another cohesive team performance

Man of the match – jointly shared between N.Brennan and A. Tweed

Many thanks to Adam Reading and Mark Daniels for umpiring