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Bangor fifths were hosts to Portrush 2s in Junior League
4 in what was
the only home game of the weekend. A premium 2:30 start meant the
squad for the game was a strong one. Before the match Bangor were
propping up the table with 1 point and Portrush were one place above
them with 2. This was an excellent chance for Bangor to get off the
bottom.
Right from the pushback Bangor looked like a side determined to win
the match. The midfield of Porter, McManus and Coughlin were
controlling the play from the start doing exactly what had been asked
of them, simple passing and linking effectively with the forward line.
Bangor's domination did not go unrewarded for long as the home side
scored the early goal they had been hoping for. Clever work down the
right wing from Ryan Elliot and an excellent finish got his, and
Bangor's first, goal. The breakthrough seemed to open the floodgates
for more Bangor goals as the home side upped the tempo still further.
Elliot scored another before his third goal arrived, which was the
move of the game. Neat interplay between the forwards Aiken, Eccles
and Elliot was finished off with a low reverse snapshot by Elliot. The
ball fizzed into the bottom corner past the bemused visiting keeper.
A good finish by Eccles after missing a few clear chances earlier in
the game, saw Bangor take a 4-0 ahead by half time.
Bangor knew that Portrush would be pushing forward more in the second
half and indeed this was the case. The visitors changed shape in
midfield and introduced more attacking options to the fray. Despite
this, Bangor retained the upper hand at the start of the half and
managed to extend their lead further. Dunne started the move in the
Bangor half, expertly dealing with a Portrush attack, and Robin
Coughlin finished it with a fine strike.
The Bangor defence were then put under enormous pressure for a ten
minute spell. However the defence of Agnew, Martin and Dorman
repelled all attempts on goal and Crawford made an excellent save from
a short corner to preserve the clean sheet. As they soaked up the
Portrush pressure, Bangor were able to play on the counter attack, and
it proved to be a very successful tactic. First Elliot notched up his
fourth goal and Bangor's 6th before Adam Watson set up Eccles to score
Bangor's 7th.
In such a commanding position, Bangor began to forget their defensive
duties and Portrush gained a consolation goal after a well taken short
corner effort. The open nature of the game meant chances continued to
be created at both ends. After conceeding a goal, Bangor scored yet
again, straight from the push back. Ryan Tait benefitted from some
lacklustre Portrush defending to score Bangor's 8th. To their credit,
despite the scoreline, Portrush continued to press forward and secured
a second goal from another short corner routine.
The final say had to go to the home side though after such a sparkling
performance. Bangor's 9th, and final goal, came after a move between
Porter and Aiken, with the former grabbing his first goal of the
season. A great match for Bangor 5ths which can hopefully give them
confidence to climb the league table.
Many thanks to Timmy Campbell for umpiring and for Mark Campbell and
Adam Douglas for doing a half each as umpire. |