Plenty of tries but no win at Omagh

Having slipped up against Omagh at home earlier in the AIL, it was hoped that this would be an opportunity to correct some of the issues from that game and prepare them for the return AIL fixture later in January. Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way. Once again, despite a good attacking start, Bangor were unable to convert a number of scoring opportunities in the opening minutes. Had these resulted in points, the outcome could have been quite different. As it was, it was Omagh who took their chances from two quick tap penalties, running through to score two converted tries. They followed this up with another try after 30 minutes of play to lead by 19-0, and giving Bangor lots to do. Things started to look up for Bangor as a clever chip and chase by Oscar Yandall saw him score an unconverted try, then Craig Burton managed to slip out of his tackler, get back on his feet and score, this time with the conversion. As the half time whistle came, Bangor had worked themselves back to a more respectable 19-12, with plenty to play for in the second half.

Things didn’t start well, when a poor drop-out was pounced on by Omagh who then powered through for their bonus point try in the corner. Undeterred, Bangor fought back with a Nathan Graham try after good work by Thomas Boyd. As play moved from one end to the other, both sides added another try to their tally, Bangor’s coming through Jamie Clegg, making the score 29-22, and still just a converted try between the sides. However, this was to be the best Bangor could manage, as Omagh cut loose through a leaking Bangor defence, quickly adding another four tries to finish a convincing 49-22 ahead.

Bangor’s losing bonus point just manages to lift them off the bottom of the league, ahead of City Derry on points difference. With a short break now before resuming the AIL later in January, Bangor will be hoping to iron out the small problems that have proved so costly in recent games, while also welcoming back players who have been unavailable over the Christmas period. It certainly won’t be an easy visit back to Omagh, but it will be important to come away with the points if Bangor are to mount a serious challenge in the second half of the league.