Bangor played the return league fixture at home against Ballyclare on Saturday, minus a number of players whom were unavailable.

It was hoped that the young Bangor men were going to ruffle a few Ballyclare feathers, and seek revenge for the loss to them earlier in the season.

From the first kick off, it was apparent that Ballyclare were a strong physical side, and Bangor were going to have to ensure they performed well defensively, to hold out the strong Ballyclare ball carriers.

The young Bangor men certainly offered Ballyclare a competitive game, and were not there just to make up the numbers.

The first 20 minutes of the game was a competitive affair. Unfortunately during this period Bangor missed a number of tackles, which afforded Ballyclare some try scoring opportunities, which they successfully capitalised.

However despite the conceded tries, Bangor kept their heads up, and played some clever rugby in the Ballyclare half of the pitch, utilising the wind with some effective kicking. Unfortunately Bangor were just not able to convert this territorial advantage into points.

As the game progressed, Ballyclare’s physical dominance proved too much, and eventually they racked up 40 points. This resulted in the last 1/4 of the match being played as a friendly.

Unfortunately Bangor picked up a few knocks and injuries, which meant players had to step up and play in different positions. Credit to all of the young men, who persevered until the final whistle, and were still smiling at the end of the game.

Final score 0 - 40. This genuinely was not a true reflection of the game, and how Bangor competed.

This was the final league game of the campaign, which has been a tough transitional season for the lads. There are certainly still areas of the game were improvement is required, particularly defensively. However there is no doubt the team have learnt a lot so far, and will continue to strive for improvement. The team have laid a good foundation to build on.

Bangor’s next fixture will be on Saturday 15th February at home vs Malone.

Thank to everyone for their continued support.