PSNI 3 v 1 Bangor

A spate of missed chances cost the fourths dear when they crashed to a 3-1 defeat against the PSNI last Saturday.

Amidst intermittent showers, Bangor dominated to an almost embarrassing degree yet a heady mix of extreme wantonness in front of goal and the capriciousness of luck saw them return home pointless.

It should have been so different. After ten minutes, the visitors had squandered two gilt-edged chances. To be personal, Wilson missed two chances. Almost identical opportunities in fact.

Twice, Campbell linked well with Irvine on the left to engineer ample space to cross. Twice he found Wilson free at the far post . Twice the ball was cleared.

The PSNI keeper was in exuberant form throughout the half. His parrying at short corners was precise and his reactions from close range very quick. In total Bangor earned 14 short corners and before the break Campbell, Parker and Patterson were all denied when well placed. Bangor's play was fluid and, whilst not razor sharp, was sufficiently quick to leave the home team struggling to gather any meaningful possession. And the score at half time, 1-0 to PSNI.

As so often happens, the team in the ascendancy finds territorial advantage to be a fickle fellow and on practically their first incisive break, the home team earned a short corner and the rebound from an initial shot was fired past McEvoy.

Understandably, captain Shields urged patience. Stranaghan interepted a PSNI pass forward. The ball was then quickly dispatched to the right, via Tweed, and to the stick of Patterson. The cross was early and although not exactly accurate, Wilson niggled at the defender to free the ball and slot into an almost empty net to equalise.

For the next 15 minutes Bangors play was efficiency personified. The ball was passed early enough to allow early despatch again. The right proved a particularly fruitful route, Douglas linking repeatedly with Parker and Halliday to manoeuvre space for the forwards to exploit. Halliday was in particularly sprightly mood, shifting the shape of play with cross field passes and pointed bursts of pace. And then what? PSNI did it again. Capitalising on a  speculative punt when under pressure they broke quickly and a cross from the right was deflected past McEvoy.

Suitably piqued by the injustice of it all, Bangor streamed forward in the final 10 minutes. Further short corners were earned, Stranaghan being unlucky on two occasions. First when a ripping strike flashed in narrowly above the blackboard and then when a shot was deflected past the post.

But again, sporting logic, perverse in its inconsistency, saw Bangor suffer. As they pressed, so PSNI identified the safety valve to break and score a third.

A bemusing outcome for the Bangor charges who took little consolation from their general all round play.

Man of the match was Sam Halliday and congratulations as well to Sam on being chosen as the Club Player of the month for October. Many thanks to Roy Mairs for travelling to umpire.