Deirdre causes Bangor to slip up against Omagh

Storm Deirdre looked to be the only winner on Saturday as many games around the province had to be called off. Despite the 2nds having to postpone their game against Portadown due to their pitch being waterlogged, the Bangor Utilities team deserve much credit for their sterling work in making sure the 1sts pitch was playable. With a big Christmas lunch and full clubhouse expected for this important Ulster derby, it was good that a good number of supporters travelled from Omagh to add to the festive occasion. Bangor fielded a similar team to that which came close to toppling league leaders Ballina the previous weekend. The notable changes to the starting fifteen were David Bradford and James Henly in the pack, and Oscar Yandall returning at out half.

Bangor kicked off with the wind at their backs, and playing towards the cricket end. Once again, they made a good start, and kept Omagh pinned down inside their own half. Early signs were also good as regards the set pieces, with Omagh struggling to get clean ball from either their scrums or lineouts. It didn’t take long before this early pressure resulted in a penalty to Bangor, which Liam Preston successfully converted. Not long afterwards, more solid play earned Bangor another penalty, this time on the opposite side of the pitch. Again Preston made sure of the points, putting Bangor ahead by 6-0.

Despite this good start, there was growing concern on the touchline that Bangor would need much more before half time, given the part played by the strong wind they would then be playing into. Although it should be said that Bangor’s handling with a wet and slippery ball was very good, the feeling was that maybe they should have let the wind do more work by kicking over the Omagh defence and into the corners. Nevertheless, Bangor were determined to keep the ball in hand, and this almost paid off when Adam Alexander broke free with David Bradford in support and just the Omagh fullback to beat. As Alexander drew the tackle, he passed inside to Bradford with the Omagh line at their mercy. To Omagh’s relief and Bangor’s dismay, the ball slipped from Bradford’s grasp as he ran onto it, conceding the knock-on and the chance for adding 7 points to their tally was gone. As if to rub salt into Bangor’s wound, a rare excursion by Omagh into Bangor’s twenty two won them a penalty which Scott Elliott successfully kicked, narrowing the scores to 6-3 which remained the case until half time a few minutes later.

As both sets of players dashed for the shelter of the changing rooms to have their half time team talk, there was a sense of inevitability that Omagh would make Bangor pay for not having used the conditions to help build a bigger lead. Within minutes of returning to the pitch and Omagh’s restart, the visitors were awarded a penalty on Bangor’s 10 metre line. Despite the distance from goal, Elliott’s kick was carried over to tie the scores at 6-6. Not long afterwards, another long range penalty was converted giving Omagh the lead for the first time at 6-9.
Although Bangor had the wind and rain in their faces, the forwards steadily brought play up the pitch – something their Omagh counterparts had struggled to do in the first half. Patience and more good work at scrums and rucks finally delivered the first try of the day when a concerted drive from the pack was finished off by a dive for the line by David Bradford. Preston was on much better kicking form today and added the tricky conversion to put Bangor back in front by 13-9.

Within another couple of minutes, Bangor were back inside the Omagh red zone when the referee indicated she was playing a penalty advantage to Bangor. Solid Omagh defending not only prevented Bangor from getting over their line, but also started to force them back by several yards. Inexplicably, the referee then announced that advantage was over, with which Omagh regained possession and cleared the danger with a long clearance kick. Now back deep inside their own territory, Bangor started the long slow progress back upfield. Again, they managed to get within striking distance of the Omagh line, but just failed to find the opening necessary to breech the tight Omagh defence. Omagh meanwhile, used the conditions to make the long yards with sensible kicking. Although these high balls were collected well by the Bangor receivers, it was difficult to make any significant clearance kick back upfield as the ball was held up in the wind. This was made all the more difficult when the ball was taken in the middle of their twenty two, hence forcing the player to try and run it out of defence. Unfortunately, the chasing Omagh backs were wise to this and caught Bangor while still deep inside their twenty two. With Bangor back-pedalling to provide support, Omagh turned the ball over and passed it quickly across their backline until Luke Hanson had the time and space to run in for the try in the left hand corner. The touchline conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but Omagh had regained the lead by a narrow 13-14 margin.

With still plenty of time remaining, Bangor stuck to their pack-based approach and tried to get back up into Omagh’s half where maybe a penalty would rescue their game. However, whatever slow progress Bangor made was quickly undone by an Omagh boot. With the onset of injuries and fatigue, Bangor’s use of the bench began to have an adverse effect on the scrums, with Omagh starting to have the upper hand. However, despite this change of circumstances and being back inside their own twenty two, Bangor dug in for a 5 metre scrum and secured their own ball. With uncanny speed, the Omagh backline broke from the scrum and caught Bangor as they tried to break away, forcing them back over their own line for another scrum, but this time for the attacking side. With just a few minutes left to play, Bangor now suffered the final ignominy of seeing the Omagh pack control the ball and steadily push the scrum over the line before Matthew Clyde dropped on the ball and got the decisive try. Bangor’s only crumb of comfort was that Elliott’s conversion attempt bounced back off the upright, leaving the margin between the sides at 6 points, and thus leaving Bangor with the consolation of a losing bonus point. Although a converted try for Bangor would have snatched the win in the closing phases, Omagh sensibly ensured they kept possession until the referee indicated time was up. As the ball was kicked into touch, the visitors were able to savour a rare victory at Upritchard Park, and one that keeps them well in contention at the top of the league table. For Bangor’s part, they dropped another position, and will have a tough job ahead of them when the AIL recommences in January.

While one had to applaud Bangor’s determination to fight back in this game, there was an audible sense of frustration that once again a combination of errors when close to scoring, and naivety with regard to gameplay, let chances go astray. By contrast, Omagh played the conditions well, and took whatever advantage they could. Next weekend should provide some respite from the pressures of the AIL, as Bangor host Dungannon in the SONI Premiership. However, as the AIL resumes with an away fixture at Omagh, the pressure will be back on straight away. With the expected return of some players from injury and unavailability, it is hoped that Bangor can reverse this weekend’s disappointment and start the second half of their AIL campaign with a much needed win.

Despite the disappointment on the pitch, it was a great day in the clubhouse. Special mention must be made of the Portadown 2nds team who, although their fixture against Bangor 2nds had been called off earlier in the morning, still made the journey to Upritchard Park and made a day’s outing of it! This, together with the excellent Christmas lunch which our special ladies put on for the Bangor regulars and Omagh visitors, added a real buzz in the clubhouse, and reminded everyone that rugby in Ulster still brings the best out in both players and supporters alike, and that the camaraderie is every bit as important as the competition. Many thanks to everybody who made the day such a success.