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On Saturday, the 3rds travelled to Jordanstown to face Annadale 3rds in
what promised to be a tough encounter. The return fixture earlier in
the season had seen the honours shared in a 3-3 draw. Bangor's task
was made that much harder as the match was being played on an unfamiliar
water-based surface. The decidedly inclement weather did nothing to
help either team!
The game started evenly, and despite the weather, the quality of the
hockey was high. The Bangor midfield of Parker, Snodden, McCausland & Reid
worked hard to cancel out their Annadale counterparts. The forwards
of McNaught and R Coughlin ran tirelessly looking for space, while the
defence of Elliott, M Coughlin, Douglas and Larmer contained any attack
the Annadale frontline posed.
As the game went on, Bangor began to take a fair degree of control. The
midfield passed the ball with speed and purpose, finding the Bangor
forwards in varying degrees of space. As a result, Bangor
began to create some clear cut chances, with R Coughlin unlucky not to
open the scoring from a McNaught pass. As Bangor continued to press,
Annadale were limited to counter attacks. The defence coped well,
with Elliott playing impressively well. Crawford in goal was having
a quiet game, but easily handled anything that came his way.
When Annadale began to put Bangor under pressure for the first real
time in the half, Bangor held firm and began to play a
counter attacking game themselves. Ironically, it was on the counter
attack that Bangor scored the opener, after good work from Reid and
Coughlin down the right, the cross fell to McCausland who finished with
aplomb, wrong-footing the keeper, for his first of the season.
With the team playing well and creating chances, Bangor were unlucky
not to add to their lead, with the Annadale keeper providing stubborn
resistance. The only downside to the first half was an injury to Douglas,
forced off at half time.
Bangor had every reason to enter the second half full of
confidence, but with a minute they had conceded an equaliser. A quick
free hit on the Bangor 25 yard line found Annadale with players free,
leaving Crawford no chance. The home side now had all of the
momentum, and Bangor struggled to contain the growing pressure. The
Bangor midfield worked extremely hard to stop attacks before they began,
but with the quailty of Annadale's players, they began to force several
corners. Once again, Bangor were forced to play on the counter
attack. R Coughlin and Savage found themselves isolated at times, but did
well to hold the ball up and give the defence a break. Ryan Elliott
was unlucky not to put the visitors back in front, making several charging
runs into the opposition circle. Several chances were created but
the Annadale keeper was in no mood to concede another.
As the game entered the final stages, both teams pushed for the
winning goal. Another Bangor counter attack ended with a cross,
finding Savage free at the far post. Unfortunately, the ball was pushed
narrowly wide. With time running out, Bangor were resigned to having
to settle for a thoroughly deserved point. However, with 2
minutes to go, the Bangor sweeper, Elliot, made one last charge forward
and when he found himself with the ball some ten yards out, he calmly
cracked it into the bottom corner to secure the visitors a 2-1
victory.
In all, it was a win that Bangor were delighted with. The youthful
team contained no less than 5 school boys, who have come of age
of late. On Saturday, the team played exceptionally well and got the win
their efforts deserved. The win pushes Bangor into a comfortable mid-table
position, where they can hopefully go and push themselves up the league.
Many thanks to C Savage & A Douglas for umpiring. |