Comrades have it all to do against Bangor

“They gave us a hard time in the recent Steel Cup tie at Dixon Park where we sneaked a win with a late strike,” said Reds’ manager Eddie Hill.

“During the second half they had us under quite a bit of pressure, so they will be smarting from that defeat, and coming here as favourites means that we face a tough battle,” he said.

Putting their Steel Cup exit behind them, Ballyclare turned on the style to ease to a 5-1 win over title-chasing Institute on Saturday.

“The lads were really hurting following the cup defeat,” confirmed Hill. “So much so that on Monday evening at Seaview they all opted for a training session the next night as usual.

“I can tell you that on Tuesday and Thursday they worked their socks off, and they vowed that they would make it up to the fans on Saturday.

“Some team changes were enforced through injury and suspension, but Daniel Smith’s patience was rewarded with a start in midfield, while Mark Wilkinson has been performing well with the Reserves, and they stepped up to the plate, while the return of Johnny McClurg from America was like signing a new player.

“Chris Trussell had his best game for some time, and stretched his lead on the top scorer’s chart with his 10th strike of the season, so here’s hoping that he does it again against his former club on Saturday.”