With only a couple of changes in the Bangor team list – Ryan Latimer returning at wing forward and Jules Storey coming in at full back – the coaches were giving their players the chance to redeem themselves after their poor display against Malahide. Despite some heavy rain just prior to kick-off, the Upritchard Park pitch was in great condition and the skies had cleared to give a bright afternoon, with only a little wind, which Bangor played with in the first half.

The spectators’ nerves were immediately jangling as Ross McCloskey put his kick-off straight into touch. However, the resulting scrum on the half way line saw the Bangor pack demolish their opponents, raising hopes of more dominance to come in this area throughout the match. However, Bangor soon found themselves pushed back into their own twenty two, and were guilty of trying to play too much rugby in this danger area. Thankfully, they eventually managed to work their way back up-field and were rewarded with a kickable penalty after 10 minutes. Up stepped Nathan Graham, but his kick drifted just wide of the posts. However, just 2 minutes later, he had another penalty opportunity and, on this occasion, the kick was good, putting the home side ahead by 3-0.

Bruff aren’t lying in second place in the league without good reason. Although they were finding the scrums hard work, their lineouts were secure and their backs were fast and sure-handed. In fact, they enjoyed most of the attacking opportunities, save for a few Bangor counter-attacking breaks. In defence, Bangor worked hard to keep Bruff at bay, often winning turnovers at the vital moments. However, the referee was particularly hot on the off-side rule, which culminated in a yellow card for Jack Cooke for one offence too many. From the resulting penalty, Bruff’s Dave O’Grady converted the kick from in front of the posts to level the scores after 30 minutes of play.

Although there had been a few stoppages, to many on the touchline it seemed like the referee had lost track of time, as the clock ran well over the allotted 40 minutes. Bruff, however, were to be thankful for this as they capitalised on some slack Bangor tackling to allow Paddy Clery to drift through for a soft try on the right hand side. The conversion was unsuccessful, but as the referee finally blew for half time, Bangor found themselves 3-8 down.

Within just 3 minutes of the start of the second half, Bangor’s scrum came to the fore once again, winning them another penalty. As in the first half, Graham’s kick was wide of the mark, but then got another bite at the cherry when Bangor were awarded another penalty quickly afterwards, and this was successfully converted to narrow the gap to 6-8 after 5 minutes.

Bangor worked hard to maintain their momentum, and showed great patience as they moved into the Bruff twenty two. The forwards then surged towards the line, but were held at bay by Bruff’s solid defence. Again, patience was the name of the game, and as the Bangor pack repeatedly drove forward, it was scrum half Lewis Bret who squeezed through the melee of bodies to score to the right of the Bruff posts. This time Graham judged the conversion well and slotted home his kick to put Bangor ahead by 13-8, with 27 minutes of play remaining.

As expected, Bruff came right back and after 22 minutes were awarded a penalty directly in front of Bangor’s posts. The simple kick reduced Bangor’s lead to just 2 points, and put the visitors within another successful kick to snatch the victory. Once again, the Bangor faithful were put through the wringer as the home side dug in and defended in earnest. To their credit, they kept their shape and control, thwarting the Bruff attack on several occasions. However, with just 2 minutes of normal time remaining, Bruff were awarded a penalty, surprisingly arising from a tiring Bangor scrum. The kick looked good, but the wind caught it enough to push the ball onto the left hand upright and bounce safely into Bangor’s hands. However, there was still time for a last moment of drama when, as the game entered its final play, the referee signalled another penalty for Bruff, but was playing advantage as the visitors had possession. Bruff decided to chip the ball over the advancing defence for their winger to run onto, but this was well read by Bangor and they gathered the ball and kicked it into touch. As the players looked towards the referee, maybe to have the penalty brought back, he blew his whistle for the end of the game and Bangor could finally celebrate their close, but vital victory.

While it’s great to win hard games such as this, the quality of Bangor’s play was still well short of what their supporters know they are capable of. There were many periods of play where Bangor seemed to be determined to make things hard for themselves, and too few of the exciting breaks out of defence that we have seen in the past. This performance was undoubtedly an improvement over the Malahide game, however there is still some work to be done. With another tight game expected at Omagh next weekend, hopefully this week’s training sessions will see some of the remaining gremlins ironed out.