Midleton misery

It’s always a sign of how Bangor’s game has gone when comments like “Good luck with your match report!” come thick and fast in the clubhouse afterwards. Actually it’s quite simple – Bangor were outplayed in almost every area of the pitch, made repeated mistakes when under no pressure, and appeared non-plussed by Midleton’s superior gameplay. Of course, it could be said that the preparations prior to this game were less than perfect, firstly it was Lewis Bret’s departure for New Zealand, then Jamie Clegg’s injury during the warm-up, and the various positional changes that other injuries and tactics had necessitated. Nonetheless, Bangor’s starting line-up was certainly competitive and should have been a good match for their opponents. Having won their previous three meetings, and sitting well ahead of Midleton in the league, Bangor would have been confident of a positive result.

In perfect playing conditions, and with a slight breeze at their backs, Bangor got the game underway. As things turned out, this was to be the furthest Bangor would get into the Midleton half for almost 30 minutes. Good running, passing and secure possession saw Midleton take control and it was little surprise when they scored their first unconverted try after just 13 minutes, followed shortly afterwards by a successfully converted penalty. Although now 0-8 behind, Bangor’s solid defence was managing to keep them in the game. Hopes were then raised when an attack started by Mark Widdowson down the left wing broke through the Midleton defence before a well-timed off-load found captain Desi Fusco who used his strength to drive through the tackles to score in the corner. Widdowson’s difficult touchline conversion was wide of the posts but, with just 5 minutes of the first half remaining, the 5-8 scoreline would have been gratefully accepted by the home side before regrouping and setting about overturning the remaining deficit. However, the visitors took immediate advantage of some half-hearted tackling to run through for a converted try, and extend their lead to 5-15 at half time.

Although disappointed to have now slipped to a 10 point deficit, Bangor have shown that this is not an impossible target to recover. However, Midleton were obviously disappointed not to have built a bigger lead after dominating most of the game so far, and started the second half as they finished the first. Although it took just 2 minutes for them to go further ahead by way of another penalty, Bangor quickly cancelled this out with a Widdowson penalty, making the score 8-18 after 9 minutes of play. However, this was a good as it was to get for Bangor. As the game entered the final quarter, Midleton’s sustained pressure eventually paid dividends with three further tries, two of which were converted, earning them a vital bonus point in the process.

It’s ironic, but this time last season Bangor travelled to Midleton needing a win to help prop up their efforts to stay in AIL 2C. They narrowly won that game with a bonus point, relieving the pressure on themselves while also putting Midleton into the danger zone at the lower end of the league table. Let’s hope this isn’t a case of role reversal with history repeating itself. With two weeks before Bangor face Seapoint at Upritchard Park, the hope is that the coaching team and players can implement the improvements necessary to pick up a vital win and allay these fears.