18th Old Boys' campaign ends in defeat

18th N’abbey OB 1

EIGHTEENTH Newtownabbey Old Boys finally brought their season to a close with this narrow defeat away to Bangor Swifts.

Not for the first time, the managerless Monkstown side were struggling to field a team and on Saturday, this really did look like the 18th ‘old boys’, with caretaker boss John McElhone, one day short of his 47th birthday, playing the entire 90 minutes, while there was also a rare start for secretary Stuart Courtney.

Newtownabbey had only won five matches all season, but two of those victories were against Saturday’s opponents Bangor Swifts, albeit at Cloyne Crescent – but this time, it was Bangor who should have made the ‘swift’ start, racing through only to screw the ball wide of the gaping goal.

Teenage netminder Gavin Robb held Bangor at bay with a neat one-on-one save before the home side made the breakthrough with a sublime outside-of-the-foot finish on the half-hour, right into the top corner of the net.

Eighteenth went close through Simon Bennett and Brian Greer before levelling matters just after the break; Gary Porter racing through to give the keeper no chance with a neat finish which no doubt his old mate Ross Oliver would have appreciated.

While Brian Greer, operating in an unfamiliar midfield role, had a couple of offerings, it was Bangor who grabbed the winner courtesy of a back-post header 10 minutes from time.

And with the ‘old boys’ understandably starting to tire, a fresher Bangor could have made the margin more emphatic but for a magnificent reflex save late on from young Robb.

18th Newtownabbey OB; G Robb – Courtney (Elliott), McElhone, Clarke, A Robb – R Greer, B Greer, Bennett, Porter – Spence, Cook