After suffering a shock defeat against bottom-of-the-table Randalstown a few weeks ago, it was hoped that the three week break to this fixture would enable Bangor to reset and ensure that opportunities to pick up maximum points from winnable fixtures would not be squandered again. Although suffering the loss of a couple of players through injury, Bangor were able to field a strong side with plenty of attacking capability. Ballymoney’s precarious position just one place from the foot of the league table made them a potential banana skin as they were now fighting to avoid finishing in the dreaded relegation play-off position.

Right from the opening whistle, Bangor displayed the crisp passing and ball retention that had been evident at the start of the Randalstown fixture. However, there was little go-forward movement and, as Bangor struggled to get out of their own half, Ballymoney were quick to pounce on a defensive lapse and ran through for the opening try under Bangor’s posts.

Although unexpected, and against the run of play, this shouldn’t have been a cause for concern. However, things didn’t improve shortly afterwards when Ballymoney’s determined attack broke through again for their second converted try.

With the score now 0-14, and only a quarter of the game played so far, Bangor knew they had to score next in order to stop the rot and get back on terms. On the half hour mark, another good passing move saw Ryan Young joining the back line and finding just enough space along the touchline to get around the final defender and score in the corner. Rhys Larmour was unlucky with his conversion attempt as the ball bounced back off the upright.

Spurred on by this try, Bangor continued to push forward and were rewarded in the final minute of the first half with their second try, this time coming after several powerful drives were finished off by Ollie Cain. With Larmour’s successful conversion, the half time score was a more respectable 12-14.

Bangor got the second half underway and were unfortunate that Larmour’s drop-kick was just too long, which handed possession back to Ballymoney on the half way line. The visitors then kept play inside Bangor’s half until their pressure forced Bangor to concede a penalty on their own 5 metre line. Although Bangor fought well to repel several Ballymoney drives, they were unable to prevent another try which, although unconverted, had put their opponents into a 12-19 lead.

Almost from the restart, things went from bad to worse for Bangor after a loose pass in the middle of the pitch was easily intercepted by the Ballymoney centre who sprinted away and touched down under the posts for their bonus point try and a 12-26 lead.

With 30 minutes left to play, there was still time for Bangor to do something about this deficit. Again, they looked to get the ball wide and run for the corner. A strong run down the right hand touchline looked to have been pushed into touch by the Ballymoney defence, but somehow the ball was kept in play and Ollie Cain was on hand to gather and scramble over the line for the score. Another difficult conversion was missed, but the scoreline had narrowed to 17-26.

Perhaps the realisation of what they needed to do had finally dawned on Bangor, as they picked up the tempo and created more direct lines of attack. It didn’t take long before the forwards were on the charge again. From a lineout inside the Ballymoney twenty two, Bangor formed a solid rolling maul that Ballymoney struggled to deal with. As it moved ever closer to the Ballymoney line, Thomas Boyd broke off and crashed over for Bangor’s bonus point try and, with Larmour on target this time, had brought the score to 24-26.

With less than a quarter of the match remaining, the tension was palpable, but Bangor now felt that the wind was in their sails. As Bangor continued to press forward, Ballymoney dug in to protect their narrow lead. Then, with just 5 minutes left to play, Andy Smyth managed to break free from a couple of Ballymoney defenders as play approached the Ballymoney twenty two. Managing to stay on his feet, Smyth set off on a charge for the line. Although Ballymoney scurried to cover the danger, Smyth was too strong and dived over under the Ballymoney posts for what looked to be the winning score for Bangor, especially as Larmour was on hand to add the extras.

For the first time in the game, Bangor were in front by 31-26, and looking to snatch the victory. All that was needed for the remaining few minutes was some prudent game management. Unfortunately, that proved too difficult. A long kick into Bangor’s twenty two didn’t look dangerous, but instead of simply kicking it downfield or into touch, Bangor looked to run the ball back. As the footwork faltered, Ballymoney were quick to pounce and managed to turn the ball over. A couple of phases later, Ballymoney had the ball at a ruck, just in front of Bangor’s posts. Bangor tried to set their defence, but Ballymoney were more alert and, as a gap opened up, they ran straight through to touch down under the posts and level the scores at 31-31. The conversion was a formality and, as it coincided with the referee’s final whistle, Ballymoney could celebrate a remarkable 31-33 bonus point victory. As for the Bangor players, they could hardly comprehend their loss.

While there will be optimists who applaud picking up two bonus points despite losing, the reality is that three more valuable points and a victory were lost. To add insult to injury, this isn’t the first time Bangor have been in this position. The first, at CIYMS, might have been unfortunate; the second at Randalstown was careless; but a third time, at home, and also against opposition who were in the bottom three, is something even the most optimistic should feel hard to accept. As the season now enters its closing stages, Bangor’s remaining three fixtures are against teams sitting above them in the league table, and points may well be hard to come by. One can only hope that the trip to Dromore next week can produce yet another surprise result.