Irish Senior Cup : UCD 0 v 1 Bangor

BANGOR PROGRESS IN IRISH SENIOR CUP

The Seasiders made hard work of a game they dominated for long spells but had Simon Hunter's strike and a string of fine saves from the evergreen John Tormey in goal to thank for getting them through.

It's been several years since Bangor won a game in the Irish Senior Cup and now that they have overcome that psychological hurdle they can hope for a longer run in the competition. They will now face Leinster side Three Rock Rovers at home on Saturday February 7.

Three Rock are sitting third in their league and will prove a significant step up in standard from UCD. But Bangor haven't lost at home all season and the Dubliners know they will be severely tested at Ballykillaire.

On Saturday Bangor's preparation was affected by two of the regular team being unable to travel to Dublin because their wives had just given birth. But the squad could cope without Michael Harte and Simon Scales, who were both needed more by their wives bedside.

So it was with a slightly makeshift side that Bangor took to the pitch against UCD and this showed in the opening exchanges. The students started the stronger, had the first good chance and won the game's first penalty corner.

But as the first half wore on Bangor became better and started to test the UCD defence. Skipper Adam Reading had a number of efforts saved from penalty corners, as did Gareth Morton and almost all five strikers who took to the pitch had decent chances to open the scoring but couldn't.

UCD still threatened on the counter attack but it was all one way traffic as it got closer to half-time and Bangor should really have gone into the interval with a two or three goal cushion. Their profligacy continued in the second period with David McClune going closest when one-on-one with the UCD goalkeeper. Bangor's second half performance started to tail off and it was beginning to look like they may have blown their chance until Hunter stepped up to score what was to prove the winner.

The move that led to the goal was started by the hard working Morton on the right flank. He won the ball off a defender, fed it to McClune, who in turn passed to Hunter. The striker then beat his man, shifted the ball wide of the advancing goalkeeper and fired the ball past a helpless defender on the line.

If Bangor thought the floodgates were to open now they were sorely mistaken. They only had one other notable chance when McClune set up Jamie McAuley but his effort was well saved by a diving goalkeeper. And it was UCD who increasingly came into the game.

If it was Hunter's goal that won the game, then it was Tormey's performance in goal that ensured he would be the game's only goalscorer. The former captain made several superb stops from open play and penalty corners and one breathtaking triple save that left the UCD forward's stunned at their failure to equalise.

As the pressure increased on the Bangor defence in the closing minutes the men in front of him stepped up their game - particularly Mr Consistent Reading and late call-up Andrew Gowdy. And it was these three who ensured that Bangor held on, got over the line and ensured their place in the next round.

Both sides played the final 10 minutes with only 10 players and their eleventh man in the sin-bin. It was not a bad tempered game by any means but when Chris Campbell was hit callously by a stick and then reacted angrily a pair of yellow cards was always going to the result. Campbell and the team will hope that it does not lead to another suspension for the midfielder.

This week Bangor are in Anderson cup action and travel to play Senior One side Portadown. They should be able to brush the lower league team aside but the players would do well to remember that they lost to the same opposition in the Kirk Cup just 18 months ago.A repeat of that would severely dent their hopes of making the quarter final stage of the competition.