BANGOR 2-1 CLIFTONVILLE OLYMPIC
Steel & Sons Cup, Clandeboye Park
Saturday 29th August 2007
Match Report by Neil Watson
Bangor booked their place in the quarter
finals of the Steel and Sons cup with a deserved victory
over Cliftonville Olympic thanks to second half goals from
Glenn Hand and Andy Morrow. Despite the Olympic equalising,
Bangor’s victory never looked in doubt, and but for some
poor finishing and good goalkeeping, the score line would
have looked more comfortable.
Having failed to beat the Wee Reds in the
Intermediate Cup last season, Bangor were out to prove a
point from the start and were awarded a free kick on the
edge of the visiting penalty area after Glenn Hand had been
scythed down in the 3rd minute. Paul McDowell’s clever free
kick resulted in chaos in the 6-yard box, but the danger was
eventually cleared before a Bangor player could capitalise.
Some neat passing between Morrow, Bell and
McDowell created an opening for Hand, but his shot from an
acute angle on the right fizzed just over the crossbar in
the 14th minute.
The Olympic’s best chance of the half
arrived in the 18th minute when Jardine did well to get his
head to Boyd’s left wing cross, but the forward could only
send his 10 yard effort wide of the left post.
After a slow start, the visitors were
beginning to find their rhythm with Gowdy forcing Ryan Brown
1 into a smart save after the winger had cut in from the
right flank.
Bangor’s best move of the first half would
have been rewarded with a goal, but for a fine save from
Paul McKane in the 26th minute. Having gathered the ball in
midfield from the defence, Andy Morrow beat his marker
before sliding the ball wide to Glenn Hand. The impressive
winger whipped a perfect cross into the box where Paul
McDowell was well placed to send a header towards the top
corner forcing McKane into action.
On the stroke of half-time, McKane was again
called into action to deny Paul McDowell from 18 yards.
Having been awarded a free kick on the edge of the visiting
area, McDowell’s well struck low shot was beaten away by
McKane low to his right.
Half-time: 0 – 0
Bangor began the second half like a team
inspired with James Bell and Paul McDowell being denied by
McKane in the opening 5 minutes.
Only a minute later and McDowell was denied
a brilliant goal by a combination of McKane and crossbar.
Gathering the ball 25 yards out, McDowell clipped a
delightful shot towards goal where the back-peddling McKane
just about got a fingertip to the ball to push it onto the
crossbar before the danger was cleared.
The breakthrough finally arrived for the
home side in the 53rd minute in bizarre circumstances. James
Bell’s corner from the right was cleared only as far as
Glenn Hand 20 yards from goal. The Bangor man, under the
attentions of his marker, bravely got his head to the ball,
sending a looping effort high over Paul McKane’s head and
into the back of the net.
McKane was certainly the busier of the two
goalkeepers as the former-Carrick stopper had to be alert to
keep out efforts from Irvine and Morrow.
The woodwork came to the visitors aid once
more in the 63rd minute after Glenn Hand’s inviting right
wing cross had been diverted onto the post by a defender.
Despite Bangor’s superior number of efforts
on goal, the home-side found themselves back to square one
in the 75th minute thanks to a goal from Ciaran Carson after
a bad mix-up in the Bangor defence. A long thump up field
brought Ryan Brown 1 racing from his goal to clear the
danger, but a breakdown in communication resulted in Paul
Harbinson heading the ball back towards goal gifting Carson
the simplest of opportunities to walk the ball into the
empty net.
Bangor regained the lead 2 minutes later
thanks to an individual piece of brilliance from Andy
Morrow. Having collected the loose ball just inside the left
corner of the penalty area, the Bangor captain’s twisting
and turning left his marker on the ground, before he curled
the ball waist high across goal and into the corner of the
net.
Paul McDowell was unfortunate not to add to
the lead a minute later when his effort from close range hit
the post from Hand’s cross.
A catalogue of missed opportunities from
Paul McDowell in the closing stages saved Cliftonville
Olympic from a hammering as the normally deadly frontman
failed to add to his 12 goals this season. Having been set
up after an inviting cross from Bailie, McDowell blazed over
the bar from 10 yards before McKane held the same man’s 12
yard shot a minute later after a knock down from Irvine.
McDowell’s luck wasn’t to change moments
later after being played through by Irvine down the right.
The striker delicately chipped the ball over the advancing
McKane but was unlucky to see the ball bounce clear off the
post to deny what would have been a fine goal.
The woodwork again denied McDowell with the
last kick of the game when the striker blasted the ball
against the crossbar from 10 yards after good play from
Morrow.
Full-time: 2 – 1
Bangor: Brown 1, Rosson, Bailie, Munn, Bell,
Harbinson, Hand, Irvine, Morrow, McDowell, Brown 2 (Beggs).
Subs not used: Forsythe, Emerson.
Scorers: Hand (’53), Morrow (’77) Booked:
Rosson , McDowell
Cliftonville Olympic: McKane, McLaughlin,
Boyd, Devine, Bannon (Manning), Carson, Burns (Beattie),
Gowdy, McMullan, Jardine, Duffy. Sub not used: Cathill
Scorer: Carson (’75) Booked: McLaughlin,
Gowdy, Bannon
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