Bryansburn 1st XI made the short trip to Ards last Saturday to take on 1st Bangor OB in a NAFL 1B fixture and despite playing more than an hour with ten men only a last gasp equaliser denied ‘Burn all three points.
The first ten minutes both teams were cancelling each other out but in the 11th minute McGimpsey’s weak shot found Culbert who managed to hit the post from 8 yards out.
1st Bangor responded immediately with a long-range effort and only for the hand of the outstretched Doran the home side would have been in front.
McGimpsey and Maguire were finding it difficult to get close to the central midfield of Willis and Moore and in the 22nd minute the away side were to find themselves one nil down. A long ball put the ‘Burn defence under pressure and with Magee and Kane both colliding ex-‘Burn player Coard found himself in the box and was upended by Cooling and the referee duly pointed to the spot. As Cooling was adjudged to be the last man the referee had no hesitation in producing a straight red. The spot kick was coolly put away by Moore to put the home side one goal up.
This seemed to lift the tempo of the game and after a great run by Barr his lob was saved by the home keeper. On forty minutes ‘Burn were awarded a free kick 25 yards from goal. Up stepped September’s “Player of the Month” Maguire and he curled a ferocious right foot shot round the wall into the top corner of the net to leave the scores level at the break.
1st Bangor came out for the 2nd half and the left winger who had caused the away side problems all day made a great run only for a weak shot which never troubled Doran in the Bryansburn goal.
Bryansburn were defending deep and were trying to hit the home side on the break and after a great turn of pace down the left from Tumelty, the defender who just nipped in front of Culbert smashed the ball into his own net to put the visiting side in front for the first time in the game.
Magee had to be replaced after taking a heavy knock to the side of the head and for a few minutes the team had to be reshuffled with Captain and Centre-Forward Culbert moving into Centre-Half. This formation was soon changed again with McGimpsey moving into the Centre-Half role and Culbert back up front.
Bryansburn were defending well against the home side comfortably holding on to their lead and in the 87th minute they should have put the game to bed.
Tumelty’s trickery and quick feet ghosted past three defenders and as he was to pull the trigger he looked up and saw Malomo-Paris unmarked six yards out. However,
Malomo-Paris took one touch and somehow managed to pull his shot a few yards wide of the 1st Bangor goal.
This was to come back to haunt Bryansburn when in the 90th minute a corner from the left was headed into the roof of the away side net by the unmarked ex-Bryansburn player Ennis to leave the final score 2-2.
The result moves Bryansburn into third place with two games in hand and keeps their unbeaten run intact but despite playing so long with only ten men this has to be looked as two points dropped against a side languishing in the bottom half of the table.
The 2nds hosted Ballymena Premier League leaders Abbeyview in the Junior Shield 1st round and were beaten 4-2.
The visitors had the best of the opening 25 minutes but their first goal was a little fortuitous. A poor clearance fell to their Centre-Midfielder who played in the no.9 who finished well. This sparked Bryansburn into action and they began to get a grip on the game. The home side equalised when firstly Corr and then debutant Currie won vital headers to enable Thompson to fire into the roof of the net. ‘Burn began to press and had half chances to extend their lead but were undone on the stroke of half time when the visitors’ no.11 poked home from a seemingly offside position. HT 1-2.
Bryansburn worked hard to get an equaliser in the second half but Abbeyview were equal to their attempts. The visitors effectively killed off the game with two quick-fire goals midway through the second half, which saw their no 9 complete his hat trick. Bryansburn battled to get back into the game and the introduction of substitute Edwards saw more chances come their way. He was firstly adjudged to be offside when through on goal and then he pulled one back with a finish just outside the six yard box. He then could have made it a nervy finish for the visitors when he slotted in again only to be harshly blown by the referee for a foul. However the goal proved to be only a consolation and the game finished with Abbeyview holding on comfortably enough. FT 2-4.
The 3rd XI travelled to Abbey Villa lll and despite not playing that well still managed a comfortable 4-2 victory.
The home side pinned ‘Burn back early on and proceeded to play a lot of good football but despite carving out some decent chances they failed to test keeper Brady. At the other end Bryansburn were clinical scoring three goals and hitting the woodwork twice from five chances created, thus killing the game off by halftime with a 3-0 lead established. With their first decent attack the home keeper tipped a long-range effort from Cole against the bar. Bryansburn soon took the lead when Cardwell broke free on the right and squared the ball for Owens to control and stab home. Minutes later the lead was doubled when Cardwell beat the offside trap and from an acute angle he lobbed the keeper. Owens then hammered a fierce drive against the inside of the post before the third goal arrived. The home keeper fouled Cardwell and Dempster stepped up to slot home the resultant penalty.
As expected Abbey Villa came back strongly in the second half and after a period of pressure they pulled a goal back from a corner. However any hope of a revival was killed stone dead three minutes later when Murphy and Cardwell combined to tee up Owens who advanced to the edge of the box and drilled an unstoppable effort into the bottom corner.
At 4-1 the game was over and Bryansburn sat back and dealt with the home side’s attacking threat. Abbey Villa did exert a lot of pressure and create a few good chances but their finishing was woeful with Brady having little to do. The home side finally pulled a goal back with six minutes remaining but it was too little too late as ‘Burn seen the game out comfortably enough.
The 4ths picked up their first point of the season in a 4-4 draw with Stranmillis 37th OB ll. The result came in surprising circumstances with ‘Burn losing 4-2 with ten minutes to go and reduced to nine men following two red cards.
‘Burn created the better early chances early on with both Cairnduff and John Geddis missing chances but it was the visitors who took the lead after half an hour from a quick counter attack. This proved to be the only goal of the half.
Bryansburn got off to a great start in the second half when after three minutes Andy Geddis hit a fine cross shot from fifteen yards to equalise. Again though, Stranmillis took the lead when a long clearance was misjudged and their Centre-Forward took full advantage. ‘Burn responded well and Gilmer raced through for his first goal of the season to make the score 2-2. Cairnduff then went on a mazy run beating several defenders but ‘Burn were unable to capitalise.
The game seemed to have turned on its head with twenty minutes to go when stand-in keeper Patterson made a last ditch tackle just outside the box which resulted in his sending off as last man and the award of a hotly disputed penalty. Jones was booked for dissent and then dismissed leaving ‘Burn with 9 men. Fortunately Keable made a fine save from the penalty to keep the scores level but pressure told with Stranmillis scoring two goals in the next ten minutes to put them 4-2 ahead.
‘Burn threw caution to the wind pushing forward and from a corner, Proctor found himself unmarked to score with a fine header. With time running out Bryansburn were awarded a free-kick, which ran loose in the Stranmillis box to be seized on by Gilmer to steer into the roof of the net for an unlikely equaliser. ‘Burn held on for the final few minutes to earn a well-deserved draw.
All deserve credit for a battling performance with Gilmer leading the line well and A Geddis and McAllister showing well in midfield.
Training continues at Ward Park tonight (Thur) at 6.30pm and on Tuesday 8pm at Bangor Sportsplex.
Fixtures this Saturday: 1st XI V Donard Hospital (h), 2nd XI V Mossley YM ll (a), 3rd XI V Oakfield Breda (h) and 4th XI V Brentwood ll (a).
The Christmas Dinner has been booked in the Stormont Hotel for Saturday 19th December and there are now only three places left. Anyone interested can secure their place with a £25 deposit to be given to Alan Dempster asap.
All players are reminded that annual subscriptions are now due. Could those who have not yet paid please do so this Saturday.
