Having suffered a disappointing defeat against Queens just 5 days ago, Bangor now hosted Rainey in the SONI Premiership Div 2. The new club utilities team had done a good job in preparing the pitch and, although very cold, the playing conditions were good.

From Bangor's kick-off, the home side looked to be the more settled, and running the ball with confidence. To complement their attack, the defence made their tackles count, preventing any significant Rainey attack. In the set pieces, the Bangor lineout showed some improvement, but at times still looked shaky. the scrum, however, was secure from the outset and as the game progressed it was Bangor that looked to be dominant, turning over a number of Rainey scrums.

It was not until the 30th minute of the first half that the deadlock between the two sides was eventually broken. As a gap in the Bangor back line began to open up, the experienced ex-Ulster full-back Ricky Andrew saw his chance and broke through at pace. With the Bangor defence now back-pedalling, the Rainey attack took full advantage with Bernard Mullan finally running through to score beside the posts. The conversion was added by Scott McLaine, putting the visitors ahead by 0-7. A speculative but unsuccessful drop goal attempt by Andrew brought the first half to a close, with the game still very much in the balance.

The second half was almost a repeat of the first, with both sides cancelling out each others attacking opportunities. However, as time went by, it was becoming obvious that Bangor were finding it hard to find that little extra spark to get their attacks moving. In the end, it was Rainey who got the only score of the half when a penalty on Bangor's twenty two was successfully kicked by McLaine to extend their lead to 0-10, which they then held onto until the final whistle.

Although this extends Bangor's current poor run of results, it was encouraging to see improvements in certain aspects of their game, in particular with regard to their defensive shape and tackling. With a number of first choice players either being rested or unavailable, it is hoped that their return for the start of the second half of the All Ireland League will improve the effectiveness in attack. However, before that, the remaining away fixture in the SONI Premiership is to be played against Belfast Harlequins on Saturday 14th January.