Wellington Recreation made the long haul down form Larne to the unfamiliar surroundings of the Valentines Playing Fields, in Castle Park. Usual home venue Clandeboye Park, was ruled out due to the scheduled league play-off between Bangor and Larne, a fixture embroiled in controversy. The home leg of that match however, has been postponed pending a decision from the IFA, in relation to the eligibility of the Larne player.
The ladies section of the Irish League Club therefore lined up in the sunshine against a Wellington team, who had inflicted the first ever league defeat on the home side when they visited Bangor last May, winning 3-0.
The Seasiders avenged that setback, later in the season, they won 4-2 away in Brookvale Park, Larne during the Seasiders' purple unbeaten 8 week spell in the middle of 2006.
Duncan battles in midfield against Wellington
Both sides would start this clash with genuine hopes of taking the three points - Wellington had started slowly this year with a defeat away to Saint Matthews and then a draw last week, home to Dungoyne, while Bangor boasted a played one/won one start to their campaign.
Squad: Peggy Mattews; Trish Webb, Kim Dockery, Christine Morrison, Julie Graham; Carolyn Scott, Cathy Duncan, Jenny Boyd, Valerie McKibben; Dee Savage, Lisa Mahood. Subs: Christina McNamara, Susan Cull.
The game started brightly, again the elements were to play a substantial part of the evening's proceedings - the unusually solid surface and glaring sun led to a number of early mistakes and mistiming of the ball.
The home side though had the first chance with some neat play in the middle of the park, Jenny Boyd joining Duncan in the engine room. A clever through ball presented Savage a half chance - which the keeper quickly gathered in.
With just 12 minutes gone, Dee Savage, back in the side after an injury in the club's opener at Clandeboye Park, anticipated the long kick, gambled on the bounce of the ball deceiving the back four and was again faced with a one-to-one with a fast approaching goalkeeper - but the Seasider kept her head and bravely got the touch to nudge it around her into the empty net.
With the Seasiders in the lead what followed was another spell of 15 minutes of frustrating football, Bangor arguably the better team, unable to get the ball to feet, reduced to hit and hope tactic's which gifted possession in midfield to Wellington, making the game scrappy and disjointed.
What a strike! Scott with the finish to make it 2-1
Some bright moments late in the half, Duncan created a great chance to increase the advantage, but dragged her effort wide; Savage's well-struck effort producing a instinctive good save and Mahood, wide on the right putting a good cross into the box which just needed the simplest of touches. Half time 1-0.
More misery in a dull second half, 20 minutes of dreary football, with no flow or pattern to the home side's play. Then a needless conceded corner lead to the equaliser - again a ball swung-in was half parried by Matthews, was knocked in at the far post by what looked like the forehand of a Wellington player - however the referee can only give what he sees and obviously he didn't see any infringement of the rules and gave the goal.
This shock turn around was probably just the medicine needed to jolt the local side into increasing their work rate and tempo. McNamara and Cull were sent on to restore some composure.
The change brought immediate didivend as strikers Mahood and Savage both had chances to regain the lead, as did midfielder Cathy Duncan carving open the visiting defence with some neat footwork but driving the shot wide of the upright.
Thankfully, the goal of the night followed, arguably of the season, from the left hand side, Scott who had been guilty of missing two half chances at the back post in the earlier, coming in from the left, took on a first time shot with the inside of her right foot and as soon as it had left her foot it had goal written all over it.
The ball, hit with serve and power sailed over the helpless goalkeeper, dipped before rippling into the middle of the visitors net to restore the Seasiders advantage.
McKibben challenges for the ball in the first half
Bangor played out the last 9 minutes without any real incident, despite playing well below par, though Wellington tried hard to respond. Seasiders Morrison, who is in her first full season with the club, lead the defensive unit with some influential play and her dominance for 5 minutes was enough to stifle any chance of the visitors getting back into the fixture.
Seasiders take all three points on Tuesday with a 3-1 win
Five left and Mahood got free on the right side, breaking down the wing and her cross found Scott arriving at the post factional ahead of the ball and unable to turn in what would have been a easy tap in.
The third goal and the one which killed off the game came from some neat work down the middle of the park - a Bangor player charging down blocked close in, and despite the appeal for a handball, the ball broke to the lively Dee Savage, who broke through and put the finish low down to the keepers right - and secured the points in what had been at times a dour struggle.
Young Jeni Boyd starter in midfield for Bangor
Manager Craig: "Once again a game featuring a catalogue of mistakes and poor decision making. We gifted Wellington endless possession, were often too slow to the ball, looked lack lustre and indecisive at times.
The highlight of a dour struggle and unremarkably match was the strike by Carolyn Scott which deserved to be the difference between the two sides. It was the one real moment of technical perfection out there in a dour contest for the neutral.
"The second half equaliser was again our own fault and again conceded from a corner - so we have to work on that on the training pitch - and if we start to eradicate the endless silly mistakes and play the way we can play - then we have a chance of maintain a high position in the league table - if we play like we did in this one - we'll get exactly what we deserve.
"It maybe an old cliche, but although we played as badly as I can remember in the first half - we ground out the 3 points with a knee-jerk reaction to the equaliser - playing the last ten minutes as a team with the determination which produced our best football last season.
"Our next game however, will prove to be our first serious test of the season, against the current league leaders, Newtownabbey Strikers away next Tuesday evening, the game kicking off at The Valley Leisure Centre at 7.30 p.m. All players are requested to meet at the Valentines at 6 p.m."
Bangor Ladies struggled to get past Wellington on Tuesday night
Last Edited on 5-May-2007 11:42 AM
