Quinn can't believe misfiring Bangor
It was an afternoon of utter frustration for Bangor manager Marty Quinn as he watched his charges carve out chance after chance on Saturday, only to fail to register one goal.
It saw the Seasiders come away from the Newry Showgrounds with one point instead of the three.
Victory could have sent Bangor fourth in the Premiership, but it wasn't to be.
"I feel so frustrated. It was a game we should have won by four or five clear goals. We missed a bagfull of chances," Quinn said.
"Instead of shooting for goal, we tried to walk the ball into the net, we made one pass too many and too often our shots flew wide of the target. All it would have taken was for us to score one goal – but we messed up in the final execution .
"I would probably have settled for a share of the spoils on the way down to the game – but in the end it was two points dropped instead of one point gained. We did everything right, playing well in the final third of the field, getting the ball behind their defence, but when it came to putting the ball in the net, we just couldn't do the business.
"What makes it all the more galling is the fact that, if we had won, we would be sitting only be three points behind League leaders Glentoran on a day when they and Crusaders were held to draws and Linfield lost at home."
Disappointed Newry City boss Gerry Flynn admitted his team were fortunate not to have taken a drubbing.
"We could have had no complaints if we had been beaten two or three nil. The only good news is that we came out of a game in which we were second best with one point instead of none.
"We had a long discussion in the dressing room after the match about why our standards had dropped since we played Bangor 11 days earlier at Clandeboye. That was a game which was exactly the reverse of Saturday's. We were clearly the better side and should have won, but were held to a 1-1 draw."
Bangor's catalogue of misses began on 10 minutes when Bangor captain Noel Anderson saw his five yard header from Nathan McConnell's cross scraped off the line by defender Ross Black while seconds later McConnell glanced a four yard header from Dom Melly's cross from the left past the post.
Midfielders Darren Lockhart and Melly saw overworked Newry keeper Paul Murphy save well, before striker McConnell's overhead kick from six yards flew past the upright on 20 minutes.
Perhaps the visitors' best chance in the first half came on the half hour when Ryan Tumelty's through ball saw Verner waltz around a couple of defenders only for his 10-yard shot to rebound off a Newry defender to Noel Anderson. But the Bangor skipper was thwarted as Newry centre half Emmett Friars hooked the ball off the line with a spectacular overhead kick.
Newry were certainly more in the game after the break. But Bangor spurned another golden chance on 59 minutes when the lively Verner sent a pass through to Ryan Tumelty for the young winger to send the ball low across the face of the goal, but Melly failed to get a toe to the ball.
Bangor might have paid for their wastefulness on 71 minutes as left back Dean Youle headed a swerving Kevin Keegan corner off the line at the far post, and on 81 minutes Bangor’s 18-year-old keeper Andrew Plummer had to react lightning fast to block a rasping Alan Davidson drive from 10 yards.
Seconds later at the other end Verner beat three men to slide the ball to Bangor sub Mark Magennis his low shot from the edge of the box clipped the outside of the left upright.
Newry: Murphy, Gowdy, Black, Davidson, E Friars, Clarke, Garrett, Collins, Morgan (Havern 76), L Feeney (Moran 76), S Friars (Keegan 64).
Subs. not used: Curran, Doherty.
Bangor: Plummer, McKee, Youle, Anderson, Fitzpatrick, Gracey, R Tumelty (Magennis 74), Lockhart, McConnell (Morrow 71), Verner (Irvine 82), Melly. Subs. not used: Walsh, Hand.
Referee: Mr Mark Petch (Deganwy, Wales).
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Tuesday 14 February 2012
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