Bangor finally got back on the winning track and lifted themselves off the foot of the Premier League with a comfortable 3-0 win over Raphoe on Saturday.

Getting some points on the board was absolutely essential for the Seasiders and now they can hopefully move on to collect as many points as possible in the next few weeks against the so-called lesser teams in the division.

This Saturday Kilkeel come to Ballykillaire and with a win, a clean sheet and almost a full squad Bangor must look to build on the win over the Donegal side. After that come Mossley and North Down twice so there is ample opportunity to have completely ruled out worries of relegation before Christmas.

The only bad news for Bangor over the weekend came in the form of the Irish Senior Cup draw which has handed them the most difficult assignment possible. Come January they will have to go to Dublin to face Pembroke Wanderers - the trophy holders and suppliers of many of the current Ireland team. But that's for another day and a good run of wins before Christmas will increase confidence ahead of the cup.

The Raphoe game was moved from Donegal to Londonderry at the very last minute because of a waterlogged pitch but Bangor didn't let that alter their focus. It was a must win game and the team played with the utmost dedication. This was best portrayed by the mature performance of Mark Lappin in midfield who let his team-mates bomb forward while helping to protect the Bangor back four from any Raphoe counter attack. His midfield colleagues Michael Harte and Michael Manogue also both played well. Harte distributing the ball beautifully at times and  Manogue using his boundless energy to consistently link defence to attack.

But in the first half Bangor could find no way through. In fact, despite the Seasiders dominance of possession it was John Tormey who had to make more saves than his opposite number. A couple of penalty corners failed to break the deadlock and the sides went into the interval all square.

Thankfully, from a Bangor point of view, that changed just 10 minutes into the second half. As Raphoe visibly tired and Bangor's pace started to pay off the breakthrough finally came. Skipper Adam Reading won a free near halfway and took the opportunity to launch an attack with a quick free. This sent young Conor Savage racing into the circle and as he was crowded out by defenders and goalkeeper the ball dropped to Simon Hunter and finished from a tight angle to make it 1-0.

And the second followed shortly after. James Mottashaw and Manogue linked up well on the right and when the ball came to Gareth Morton he did what he does best - one quick touch and an early shot lashed past the unprepared goalkeeper to double the lead.

Morton got his second and Bangor's third just five minutes later when Bangor scored a fabulous team goal on the counter attack. Raphoe had a penalty corner but after Tormey's initial save the ball was moved the length of the pitch by Harte, Lappin, Dave Edwards, Manogue and finally Hunter for Morton to deflect home at the back post. It was a goal to leave any coach purring and coach Harry McNeill looked like the cat that got the cream.

That knocked the stuffing out the Donegal side and as the game became very loose in the closing stages Bangor did have other chances but couldn't add to their tally. At times they resorted back to some of the bad habits that had been ignored for much of the game. That and tiredness in executing the final pass possibly saved Raphoe from a much more comprehensive defeat.

But it was a result Bangor would happily have settled for given their shambolic start to the season and it must now be a springboard to better things over the coming weeks and months. After all, they should still be aiming for finishing at least sixth in the Premier League and the best team in Ireland are waiting come the New Year.

 

 

Written by Simon Hunter