REVENGE MISSION AS CITY HEAD TO DRUIDS
Blues look to offset first draw of season with an away win
ANOTHER revenge mission is on the cards for Bangor City this Saturday when they visit Cefn Druids in a match being shown live on S4C (5.15pm kick-off ).
Druids were the last team to beat the Citizens in the Welsh Premier League when they triumphed 1-0 at Nantporth in October.
Since then Kevin Nicholson’s side have taken 13 points out of a possible 15 to move up to third place, while the Ancients, having a good season under former Bangor defender Huw Griffiths, lie fifth.
City stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to six matches with a 1-1 draw at Barry Town United last weekend.
A first-half goal from Welsh Premier November Player of the Month Dean Rittenberg was not quite enough to secure City three points at Jenner Park.
Out for revenge following a 1-0 home loss to Barry earlier in the season, the Citizens began in determined fashion, assistantmanager Gary Taylor-Fletcher forcing an early stop from Joe Massaro.
George Harry and Anthony Miley went close for the visitors before they grabbed a 27th minute lead.
Taylor-Fletcher played a lovely through ball for Rittenberg to put away his seventh goal in as many starts.
Barry came out with renewed urgency after the break and forced Matt Hall into a fine save from Luke Cooper before the dynamic Kayne McLaggon equalised from the penalty spot on the hour.
McLaggon then glanced a header over some five minutes later, before substitute Brayden Shaw shot inches wide from range just a few moments after coming onto the pitch.
In a double boost for the allblues, Bangor boss Nicholson was named November’s WPL Manager of the Month.
The Citizens won all of their four games in the league last month to complete phase one doubles over Connah’s Quay Nomads and Bala Town.
Nicholson said after the Barry match: “We were disappointed at the end as we felt it was a missed opportunity to win another game; certainly after how we had played in the first half, being in control of the game and deservedly leading 1-0 at half time.
“However, our second half performance was below the standards we set. We didn’t start the half at the same tempo as we did the first, we didn’t do the basics well enough and we seemed to lack the same energy in our play.
“We felt at half time that if we could go on to score the second goal then there would have been no way back for the opposition, but unfortunately we didn’t manage to get it.
“Barry are an organised team, don’t concede many goals and they worked very hard to get back into the game and got a goal back through the penalty. At 1-1, the game could have gone either way but we still felt confident of winning it all the way until the end but it wasn’t to be on the day - that’s football.
“It’s our first draw of the season. As the saying goes, if you can’t win it, then don’t lose it.
“All our focus, thoughts and energy will now go into preparing well for our next game at Cefn Druids, where the aim will be to produce a consistent 90-minute team performance.”
“If you can’t win it, don’t lose it”
Kevin Nicholson