Magnificent Seasiders - Seven in a row!

Bangor Ladies blitz rivals Ards Raiders in 10-goal thriller

Bangor Ladies Football Club in an almost complete reverse of the first 10 minutes, which saw them 3-0 down, blitzed rivals Ards Raiders at Londonderry Park, Newtownards last Friday (8th), with a magnificent 7 unanswered goals in a remarkable 10 goal thriller.

It was just one of the those classic games in football - when words could not justifiably describe the catalogue of events and the complete turn around of a football match - Bangor Ladies 3-0 down after 9 minutes, unleashed an attacking avalanche which simply buried their bewildered and stunned Newtownards opponents, rattling in an magnificent seven unanswered strikes, in the Seasiders' final league fixture of the 2006 NIWFA campaign.

Bangor Manager Andy Craig described it "as the best performance of the season by my team - one which had everything - drama, goals galore and of course a pinch of controversy - but to witness the comeback by my side - showing character, grit, fighting spirit and a blatant refusal to lose this game - I know what it meant to the players, to the town, and more importantly to the heart of the club."

With any two neighbouring football clubs, the rivalry is intense, although in many respects is considered healthy, however it does not afford the participants to be complacent or blunt the competitive edge of any game, in any sport where neighbouring sides clash - its all about pride, playing for the shirt and fighting for the bragging rights for the respective teams.

This local ‘derby’ match got underway, just after seven o’clock, with the bright September sun setting slowly behind the magnificent Scrabo Hill setting, Bangor Ladies in traditional blue and yellow, attacking the town end of the local Portaferry Road playing fields in Newtownards.

Although there was some home support, it was nothing to the contingent which had travelled down to Bangor in June, when these two sides last met, that time the Raiders took an early lead, only for the Seasiders to rally with an equaliser - both teams feeling at the time - there was definitely some unfinished business to take care of - and the day had dawned when that business would be addressed and concluded!
Squad: Peggy Bradley; Paula Dougherty, Trish Web, Kim Dockery, Jackie Price; Lisa Mahood, Christina McNamara, Cathy Duncan (Capt.), Carolyn Scott; Susan Cull, Deirdre Savage.
Subs: Joanne Williamson, Tanya Black.

In a bizarre opening nine minutes - the home side totally overran the visiting Seasiders - the first Newtownards attack, producing a well placed lob which sailed over Bradley’s head into the corner - followed just 4 minutes later - Bangor seemingly unable to get a kick of the ball against a lively sharp opposition, in a carbon copy of the first strike, once again Bradley was cleverly lobbed to make it 2-0.

Almost straight from the kick off the Newtownards side had struck again - this time bursting through the middle and a good finish saw the ball nestling in the corner of the net. The host contingent were obviously quite rightly elated, their Bangor opponents stunned and seemingly on the back foot, a dream 3-0 start and with a hour of the contest still left.

Dee Savage - rattled in a hat-trick

With Bangor reeling from the brutal start, a quick change in formation was not picked up at all and almost immediately from their fourth kick off in just over 10 minutes, the game was totally opened up with Christina McNamara attacking the left back time and time again.

With the visitors not conceding within five minutes of the restart, at last the Seasiders' could settle, Duncan and Mahood switched in midfield, the Seasiders started to play their trademark passing game.

Bangor’s Paula Dougherty made the first of the night’s crunching tackles - and with the tide slowly turning arguably the best goal of the night quickly followed - Dougherty started the move off with a quick exchange with Mahood and a clever ball through the midfield saw McNamara break down the right, skip past the left back and lash a fierce ball across the box where Cathy Duncan coming in unmarked at the back post met it sweetly, sending a piercing header into the roof of the net - 3-1.

Although this didn’t seem to unsettle the Ards side - it lifted the visitors game, Bangor continued to push their Newtownards opponents deeper and deeper - Deirde Savage was next to get on the scoresheet - again from good work down the right hand side. The Seasiders’ clubs top goalscorer drifting off her marker as a ball flashed across the eighteen yard box, Savage lashed an unstoppable low drive into the left hand corner - 3-2 and just maybe........ by contrast the home side for the first time in the match were rattled and it was starting to show.

At this point Dockery, Webb, Price and Dougherty had the measure of the Raiders attack and had them pushed up to half way, Bangor encamped in the Ards half, were unstoppable - the visitors snatched the sixth goal of the first half to make it unbelievably 3-3, Susan Cull, partnering Savage up front, caught a superbly weighted pass out of defence from Dockery, on her chest and with her second touch made absolutely sure with a clinical half volley - all square - but this one was far from over - it was really just about to kick into another gear.

Lisa Mahood - recorded strikes in both games in 2006

Bangor by now were playing purely on adrenaline - the Newtownards side were now the side reeling and it was as if the game had been turned on its head - yet another goal - again Savage stabbing home her second of the evening, to give the visitors the lead for the first time in the game, after some good play from Duncan who was firing on all cylinders in midfield.

Half time 3-4 - and a chance for everyone to catch their breath for the first time in what had been an absolutely enthralling and entertaining forty minutes.

The Seasiders made the point of coming out early from the break, anxious to get back into the rhythm of a game which had saw them record 4 goals on the bounce and looked to continue where they had left off - and from the moment the ball rolled forward to start the second half - it was relentless blue and yellow domination.

It was almost a complete reverse of the events of the first 10 minutes, only this time it was Bangor who steamrolled over the Raiders. Dee Savage, getting behind a stunned defence to grab her treble, completing her third hat-trick of the season, making it 5-3 for the visitors.

Duncan (8) fired in a double - Dockery in a different class

Kim Dockery playing at the heart of a defence was totally in a different class from anyone on the pitch, playing at her own pace, passing and controlling with ease from the back, her vision at times breathtaking and her talent as always flamboyant and majestic.

Then a rejuvenated Lisa Mahood added a sixth-in-a-row strike in the eighth minute of the second half, as the young Raiders seemed to abandon ship; the Newtownards club’s former top goalscorer ironically came back to haunt her ex. team-mates, scoring after breaking through to go one-on-one with the goalkeeper who she left for dead, Mahood sliding ball low into the right hand side. 6-3.

Bangor at this stage - were ordered to sit back, take the foot off the pedal and try and keep possession of the ball - taking any opportunity of another turn around, in this amazing game out of the equation.

Tanya Back came on for Cull up front and for fifteen minutes this tactic seemed to slow the game down and looked to have killed off the contest, but credit to the home side who dug in, despite the battering of conceding six times in succession, tried hard to respond.

Seasider Jackie Price at left back, with a mistimed tackle gave the home support a glimmer of hope and the referee had no hesitation, pointing to the spot, despite an appeal that the challenge was outside the box - however justice was seemed to be done as the Newtownards striker facing Bradley, blasted the ball against the post - only for the referee to stand by as the same player illegally, collected the rebound and tried to turn the ball in -thankfully the effort was quickly stifled by a resolute Bangor defence.

The final icing on the cake for the visitors, came almost immediately after the introduction of Ballywalter teenager Joanne Williamson, who quickly settled.

A through ball, again Dockery who was pulling the strings found the tenacious Duncan, just inside the Newtownards half and nothing was going to stop her advance, she burst through shirking off two tackles, leaving the Raiders in her wake, calmly passed the ball into the net for the magnificent seventh and final goal!

A tremendous all round team effort, and one which will go into the record books as the club's greatest comeback, a fantastic 7-in-a-row goal fest and a performance which had everything good about the team when under pressure - self discipline. The side been steadily improving all season and we had seen glimse’s of that in the club's lengthy and impressive unbeaten run when the goals started to fly-in 7 against the Banks, 7 against Knockbreda, 4 v. Wellington and now 7 in Newtownards.

Christine McNamara was again very impressive

McNamara and Duncan were unstoppable; Bradley, Dougherty, Webb, Williamson and Price after the shaky start impassable; Mahood, Savage, Cull, Black, Scott unbreakable - and finally Kim Dockery - just unbelievable!!

Bangor Ladies Football Club would like to endorse the standard of play by the Ards Raiders team and congratulate their young rivals, on their achievements this season and on the manner in which the game was played; thankfully once again the ugly side of the rivalry was left off the pitch - on the field generally it was enthralling and another good advert for women’s football - just as it should be.

For this year anyway, its the Seasiders who can boast and brag about the result - next season it may well be a totally different story - I guess it’s a good bet - both sets of players are already thinking about that one.........but until then.......Bangor Ladies will certainly quite rightly indulge in the joy of an amazing and thoroughly deserved victory over their Newtownards rivals.

Last Edited on 27-Feb-2009 3:14 AM