Bangor 5ths 4 v 2 Cookstown 6ths

ANOTHER FINE WIN FOR FIFTHS

After last weeks defeat to Banbridge, Bangor 5^th XI with home advantage, were looking to test their bounceback-ability against a Cookstown 6^th XI which consisted of a number of school 1^st XI players, who stayed after their successful match against BGS in the morning, and a few more experienced men.

From the start Cookstown failed to get to grips with Bangor’s pacey attacks, and within what seemed like no time Bangor were cruising with a comfortable 3-0 lead. This ten-minute period was a show of clinical finishing, and proof that it isn’t always pretty goals that win the game, Bob Espey twice beating the keeper from close range to open his account for the season, and Simon Harper got his fourth goal in four games.

Just when some were expecting a rugby score, the visitors got into the game, their tricky schoolboy, who was playing on the right of midfield, had a tough time getting passed Nathan Brennan, but when he did he was creating chances, twice from the right he set up their winger for a shooting opportunity but twice Dave Stewart in the Bangor goal thwarted his effort.

Bangor’s squad had been depleted by injury, Calum Togneri breaking a collarbone in the schools match before, and a few players carrying niggling injuries. This meant when Matty Neill-McCready found himself limping, a less than fit John Mitchell entered the fray, and with in ten minutes of the restart his leg injury forced him upfront, with the injured Matty taking the place of the more injured Patrick McCalister!

In the second half there were a lot more chances for both teams, Paul Scott went close after a driving run from midfield. Simon Murray and Matty both went close from short corners before from another short Mitchell rebounded an effort inches over the top right hand corner of the goal.

After a wait of three and a half games and a few good chances, Paul Scott got the goal he quite clearly wanted, and took it with style, a typical opportunistic run saw him break free in the area and with some intricate play on the right between Thomas Crawford and Murray, Paul took a touch to control the ball and then slammed a shot low to the right of the keeper into the goal via the post. Having just scored a contender for goal of the season, Bangor rested on their laurels and let the other team play. This was a bad habit picked up from last year in a lower league, where the competition isn’t as good. So Cookstown accepted Bangor’s invitation to attack, and made themselves two goals, taken well, albeit passed a pedestrian home defence.

Stewart unhappy with losing his clean sheet, geed up his defence and they saw the game through. Finishing 4-2 and Paul Scott grabbing a deserved Man of the Match.

Many thanks to Patrick McMillan for umpiring