NAFL Premier Division
Immaculata 2–0 1st Bangor Old Boys
A RESURGENT Immaculata secured a well-deserved win after assertively besting 1st Bangor Old Boys at Grosvenor 4G on Saturday.
Securing a 2-0 win, Immaculata were back up to full strength, with many injured players returning to play, as well as fresh faces starting for the squad.
The first half had Bangor battling not only a determined opponent, but also the weather, as strong winds blew against them, draining power from a lot of their shots.
Immaculata began their attack instantly, with two chances taken by captain Padraig Adams and Gary McVicker by the third minute, narrowly going wide, while the next going just over.
Bangor attempted to recoup with a header on goal in the fourth minute, but Immaculata’s defence ensured it would be their last open chance at goal for the following 20 minutes of play.
It was clear the pressure was being felt by Bangor, who were also being frustrated by the wind, with Luke McKee conceding a hand-ball in the sixth minute which after the ensuring free kick, possession returned to Bangor, with Connor Caldwell making an attempt to get past Immaculata’s defence, only to be closed down and kick the ball into the outside right of the net.
Michael Fisher slides in to make a challenge
In the 12th minute, Bangor’s Luke McKee received a yellow card for a bad tackle on Michael Fisher, and Immaculata’s Padraig Adams used the chance to launch a kick at goal which missed by centimetres.
Immaculata’s Francis Dugan played exceptionally well, taking accurate chances and keeping the Bangor defence sharply on its toes, taking a shot on goal in the 19th minute which went just wide of Bangor’s net.
Bangor attempted to rally many times but just couldn’t get through the Immaculata defence, with excellent defensive play by Colm O’Riordan ensuring Bangor’s attempts were rejected time and time again.
The final 25 minutes of the first half were completely dominated by Immaculata who kept up an unceasing attack on Bangor, with Gary McVicker, Ben McCaul and Francis Dugan ensuring the game was played almost entirely within Bangor’s half of the pitch.
Attempts were made to ward this off, with notable defending from Bangor’s Luke McGrugan, but it wasn’t enough to hold the Mac back as Francis Dugan manoeuvred around two defenders to score Immaculata’s first goal in the 36th minute.
The 38th and 43th minutes saw Immaculate capitalise on their goal with successive strikes: Padraig Adams’ going just wide, and Joseph McClenaghan’s being caught by Bangor’s goalkeeper Alister McVeigh.
Seconds later, Immaculata’s James Haughey scored another goal for the side by finishing through the legs of Bangor’s defence and landing it in the back of the net.
At half-time Bangor made their substitutions, with Edward Begley coming off for David Shaw, and Connor Caldwell being replaced by Svetovar Zdravkov.
1st Bangor OB goalkeeper Alistair McVeigh gets there ahead of Ben McCaul
The second half began with Bangor’s goalkeeper Alister McVeigh attempting to block yet another surge from James Haughey, only for it to accidentally connect with Haughey’s face to the dismay of spectators who heard the enormous crack of the incident. Thankfully, Haughey was soon back on his feet as Immaculate continued to press their advantage with Brian McCaul landing a volley which was only just caught by Bangor’s goalkeeper.
From the 56th minute onward, Bangor again attempted a comeback primarily led by Luke McGrugan, with two shots on goal in the 58th minute which went just wide of the mark, as Immaculata proved that their defence was just as strong as their constant attack had been.
By the second half, the wind had also died down, meaning Immaculata did not have to suffer the inconvenience endured by Bangor in first half.
In the 63rd minute, Immaculata’s Joseph McClenaghan received a yellow card for a rough tackle in which he also injured himself, and was then substituted for Emmet Fallon.
The following minutes of play saw both teams battle it out as each attempted to gear themselves into attacking positions, with many good runs made by Immaculata’s Michael Fisher up the left-wing, with Fisher also solid in defence when a shot on goal by Bangor’s Beau Tosh was deflected by Fisher’s body, who was lying on the ground from a previous tackle.
In the 70th minute, Immaculata subbed Gary McVicker for Logan Brady, and goal-scorer Francis Dugan was replaced for Terence McDonald.
During the final 10 minutes of play, both teams continued their attempts to force the other on the defensive, with a foul by Immaculata’s Terence McDonald on Matthew Lee resulting in Bangor’s Connor Ogle launching a heroic attempt on goal which was deftly saved by the Macs’ goalkeeper, Daire McAuley.
The closing minutes were again dominated by Immaculate who attempted two more attempts at goal, only to be denied by the efforts of Bangor’s goalkeeper Alister McVeigh, with the final whistle confirming Immaculata’s victory.
Speaking after the game, Immaculata’s manager Brian McCaul spoke about the impact of the win.
“The last few games we were down the bare bones, we got a point from a draw with Derriaghy, but we’re getting players back from injury, and I’m pleased with how we played today, I’m very happy with the win,” he said.
“We talked about it before the game, to try and get a lead before half time, so we could play against that win in the second half, and to be honest, it went really well, and it gave us that confidence to go into the second and be able to absorb a bit of pressure without having to go out and really fight for the win.
“Today a few of the boys in midfield got a couple of knocks, but nothing serious, and we’ve had some new boys come in who weren’t in the squad five weeks ago but now are starting every week. With getting boys back, and these new signings, we’re a healthy squad now and I’m hoping for a decent run of it.”
Commenting on their recent performances, McCaul stated that with Immaculata now out of the running for the cups, and with the side back to its old strength again, they could get down to focusing their efforts on the league.
“We had a bit of a drumming last week,” he reflected.
“We got beaten down in Armagh 4-0 (in the Intermediate Cup), but now we’re out of all the cups, we can focus on our outside chance for the league and focus all our energy on that.”
IMMACULATA: D McAuley, P Adams, M Fisher, C Slane, B McCaul, C O’Riodran, F Dugan (T McDonald 70), J McClenaghan (E Fallon 63), B McCaul, G McVicker (L Brady 70), J Haughey.
Goals: F Dugan 36, J Haughey 44
1st BANGOR OB: A McVeigh, L McKee, W Moore, F Keenan, E Begley (D Shaw GT), J Shaw, B Tosh, M Lee, C Caldwell (S Zdrakov HT), C Ogle, L McGregan.
