Ballymena 4
Bangor 0
League (Irish League)

Match Report

Following on their two recent defeats, Ballymena braced themselves for a special effort last Saturday against Bangor at the Showgrounds.

The forwards played with more confidence and dash, and the whole team worked together as a unit, so that they found far less difficulty than was anticipated in keeping the points at home. In comparison with Ballymena, the Bangor team put up a mild show and scarcely ever looked like scoring.

Ballymena depended on the same team as turned out against Distillery, only that Cassidy and Murphy exchanged places, the former playing at inside right and the latter at outside left. Judging by the splendid football this pair served up, the exchange of places was fully justified and put a feather in the cap of the selection committee.

Bangor were unfortunate in being deprived of the services of Weir, their right back. He was injured at work on Saturday morning and had to be conveyed to hospital. Chivers, one of the halves fell back to this position.

Ballymena won the toss, and playing with the breeze they dashed for goal right at the start, Moore having to leave his charge and run for the ball after Ellis had miskicked. Ballymena were soon back in the danger zone and forced a corner, but play veered to midfield.

Starting pretty briskly, the pace accelerated in the opening minutes, and Ballymena's attack continued to gather in strength. McCambridge won the applause of the crowd for a great long shot which just topped the bar.

In the next minute Bassnett was laid out and the game stopped for a minute or so until he recovered. Good work on the Bangor right brought play well into the Ballymena end, and things looked lively when McKinney led in towards goal, but his shot, taken a yard or so from the upright, was entirely off the mark. At the opposite end McCambridge had another try for goal, Moore saving the shot on his knees.

Snappy play on the Ballymena right wing brought its reward when Kilpatrick, whose form was reminiscent of that displayed in his first match, crossed in a lovely centre, and James McCambridge deflected the ball into the net with a header.

Ballymena continued to play the winning game, the forwards working methodically and giving the Bangor defence a hot time. Again Kilpatrick got the ball across after some neat play on the wing, and Shiels headed behind. At this stage Kilpatrick sustained a leg injury and went to the line for fully eight minutes. During this period many Ballymena movements were lost when the ball went out to the right with no one there to take it.

At length Bangor forced play into the home end again, but the forwards were no match for the Ballymena defence, McNinch and McDiarmid playing a steady game which held them at bay. The other end of the field was soon the scene of action again, and Ballymena forced a couple of abortive corners.

Bangor also received a corner, with no more success. Then Jamie Shiels, who was playing a noticeable game, ran the ball almost up to the line about four yards off goal; suddenly he did an about turn movement, and scarcely before anyone realised what he was going to do he had the ball in the roof of the net for the second goal. It was a well taken goal at such an oblique angle, and redounded greatly to his credit.

So far Ballymena's efforts were meeting with due reward, contrary to their experience in the two preceding matches. Already they had established a comfortable lead with the game only about twenty minutes old, but they did not rest on their oars. They attacked while the attacking was good, and in comparison with their smart play Bangor's display was poor.

Shiels had a great chance of adding to the score when he beat Ellis and went straight for goal, but he shot too soon, and anyway, his direction was erratic. Later, when Murphy turned the ball in neatly Shiels just grazed the bar in a further attempt to score.

There was considerable excitement when Cassidy worked the ball past some opponents and slipped it to Shiels, who beat a couple of Bangor defenders and was going hard for goal when Ellis tripped him inside the penalty area. The spot kick was entrusted to Joseph Cassidy, who sent the ball trundling into the net far out of Moore's reach. Half a minute afterwards the whistle sounded for the interval.

Bangor were no more successful in the second half than they had been in the first. So far, Gough had hardly been troubled in goal, and this half he did not get more than two or three shots that could be called stiff. Immediately on the resumption the Ballymena forwards made tracks for goal again, and Shiels was almost through when he got wedged between two opponents.

The homesters forced a corner after Moore had made a good save, and afterwards another corner resulted, both being unfruitful. Good work by McCambridge let Murphy away on the wing, and ultimately he crossed in again to McCambridge, who was beaten for possession almost on the goal line.

Then Shiels dashed away again, leaving all opposition behind, but he shot the ball too far in front of himself and Moore ran out and cleared. Salisbury was injured in a tussle, and after the ball had been scrambled on the resumption of play Shiels and Joseph Cassidy rushed through the defence, and the latter netted Ballymena's fourth goal. This was just five or six minutes after the re-start.

Play was now all in Ballymena's favour, Bangor being compelled to play an entirely defensive game, D. Reid presented McCambridge with an excellent opportunity to score, but the latter skied the ball high over the bar, a feat which set the good-humoured crowd laughing. A short spell of attack by the Bangor forwards forced McDiarmid to concede a corner. The attack lasted for a few minutes more, but ended tamely when S. Stewart put a long shot over the bar.

The home forwards once more took play to the other end, where Cassidy gathered a pass from Kilpatrick, and shooting quickly with his left foot sent the ball whizzing just above the bar. Play veered to the Ballymena end, where there were several mix-ups, but eventually Bassnett eased the pressure, However, the visitors came back again, and McKinney sent in a long grounder, which went behind.

When Kilpatrick and J. Reid were having a tussle almost at the corner flag they came to loggerheads and the incident was assuming an ugly aspect when the referee intervened just in time to prevent a clash. Bassnett got another bat on the head with the ball and fell full length, but recovered quickly after attention.

In a Bangor attack Maloney shot hard for goal, but Gough was ready and coped with the shot. In the closing stages of the game S. Stewart and Chivers exchanged places on the Bangor team, but this had no noticeable effect on the play. Kilpatrick went off about ten minutes before the end owing to a leg injury. Right up to the end Ballymena held the balance of play.

Match report written by Ballymena Observer (15 November 1929)