BANGOR 3-2 INSTITUTE , JJB Sports Premiership.

Clandeboye Park, Saturday 23rd August 2008
Match Report by Neil Watson 

Bangor produced a stunning 2nd half comeback to claim a memorable win on their first outing in the new JJB Irish Premiership. Having found themselves two goals behind after Paul Brown converted a penalty early in each half, all seemed lost for the Seasiders until Andrew Cleary made the most of a howler from the Institute goalkeeper. From then on Bangor never looked back. David Irvine equalised midway through the second half before stand-in captain Noel Anderson sent the Clandeboye Park crowd into wild celebrations with the winning goal in the 90th minute.

With it being Bangor's opening match of the league in a new era for the club, supporters were left contemplating a long season ahead after a very nervy and disjointed opening 20 minutes. Billed as an early season relegation match between the two favourites for the drop, Bangor struggled to find any sort of rhythm and at times were left chasing shadows as they played into a strong wind. Institute's early pressure paid off when Philip Lowry was tripped inside the penalty area by Andrew Plummer. The former-Ipswich stopper received a yellow card for the foul, but worse was to follow as Paul Brown stepped up and blasted the ball high into the net despite Plummer's best efforts.

Almost immediately Bangor were gifted a great chance to equalise when Dominic Melly's left wing cross picked out Dee Irvine. The midfielder was allowed all the time and space he needed by some poor marking, but with the goal at his mercy, Irvine pulled his left footed shot wide of the target.

The home side were still stuggling to get to grips with the blustery conditions and were finding it more and more difficult to mount any serious pressure on the Institute defence. It was the visitors who created the half chances mid-way through the half when Calvin Mooney saw his shot blocked by Glenn Hand before Paul Brown fired straight at Plummer from the edge of the penalty area.

Half-time: 0 - 1

With Marty Quinn's half time instructions still ringing in the Bangor players' ears, disaster struck when Neil Harkin somehow squeezed past Andrew Cleary and Glenn Hand before carelessly being scythed down from behind by Cleary. Paul Brown again stepped up to take the penalty, and again his effort was just too strong for Plummer who guessed the right direction.

Facing the prospect of an opening day home defeat, Bangor were gifted a way back into the match in the 52nd minute. Andrew Cleary, the villin only minutes before, quickly became the hero as his overhit freekick from just inside his own half was horribly misjudged by 'Stute 'keeper Michael Doherty allowing the ball to sail over his head and into the net.

This provided the spark Bangor had been looking for, and with the visiting goalkeeper short on confidence, the Seasiders looked to put pressure on the home defence with corner after corner. Marty Verner's inswinging efforts were causing all sorts of problems for 'Stute, with Jim McMenamin particularly unlucky not to get his head on the end of one such corner in the 58th minute.

Doherty was called into action by the quick thinking Verner as the Bangor forward fired in a rasping volley from 25 yards which the 'keeper did well to get his body behind.

The visitors served a reminder of their threat from set peices midway through the half. Sean Roddy watched on as Andrew Plummer saved expertly from his 25 yard freekick before Harkin sent his inswinging effort from the right flank just wide of the far post.

At the other end of the picth, Marty Verner seemed certain to score after he latched onto Noel Anderson's perfectly weighted through ball. As Verner shaped to shoot, he was denied by a superbly timed tackle by a covering defender.

Bangor's pressure was finally rewarded in the 74th minute through a superb individual effort from Dee Irvine. The midfielder, pushed further forward into a striker's role, gathered the ball on the left before outpacing a couple of defenders and sliding the ball across goal and past the helpless the Doherty.

The home side were now firing on all cylinders and it seemed to be a matter of time before they found the winning goal. That moment almost arrived in the 79th minute when Glenn Hand met Mell'y left wing cross to send a darting header back across goal and destined for the far corner only to be denied by a superb save from Doherty at full-stretch. Marty Verner thought he'd given his side the lead from the resultant corner, but his effort which had swung straight in was ruled out by the referee for a foul on Doherty.

Anderson and substitute Lockhart were now totally dominating midfield as they looked to unlock the visiting defence. It was Lockhart who started a fine move in the 86th minute which eventually saw Hand feed the ball forward to Verner inside the penalty area. With his back to goal, the striker laid the ball off to Ryan Tumelty who fired his shot into the ground and into the arms of a grateful Doherty.

As a creditable draw seemed more and more likely as the seconds ticked away, Noel Anderson had different ideas in his head as he quickly became a terrace hero with the winning goal. Collecting the ball on the edge of the Institute penalty area, Anderson was sent wide on the left by his marker. That wasn't enough to stop the midfielder continuing forward and drilling a left footed shot rifling past the sprawling Doherty at his near post.

Bangor could be forgiven for celebrating the goal like it meant more than three points, but after waiting nearly 13 years to have another go at the top flight in Northern Ireland, the Seasiders deserved to milk the occasion and celebrate a thrilling comeback.

Full-time: 3-2

Bangor: Plummer, Cleary, Boyd (Tumelty '70), Anderson, McMenamin, Gracey, Hand (Fitzpatrick '90+1), Irvine, McConnell (Lockhart '60), Verner, Melly. Subs not used: Walsh, Youle

Scorers: Cleary ('52), Irvine ('74), Anderson ('90) Booked: Plummer, Irvine

Institute: Doherty, Roddy, Cutmore, Seydak, Boyle, Quigley (Harkin '19), McClean, Campbell (Devin), Mooney, Brown, Lowry. Subs not used: Dean, Blackburn, Ryan

Scorer: Brown (pen '20, pen '47) Booked: McClean, Cutmore

Referee: Mr R Crangle