THE race for promotion to the Premiership will take another turn this weekend as the Championship season heads into the final three games.
Just six points separate league leaders Portadown from fifth placed Annagh United, and such is the picture at the top of the division that Lee Feeney’s Bangor could find themselves in second or fifth spot by Saturday evening.
The Seasiders will need to leave Wilgar Park with a victory over Dundela on Saturday and hope that Institute drop points when they face an inform Annagh side if they want to move into second place.
Should Bangor suffer a defeat in east Belfast and Annagh win away at ‘Stute, Feeney’s men would see themselves drop to fifth position – but remarkably still be in the race for promotion.
With so much at stake, the Bangor manager is keeping his eyes firmly on this Saturday’s challenge.
“It will be a tough, tough game,” he warned.
“I’ve never seen anything like this league. The way each team is capable of beating each other is incredible and it makes for a very exciting season.
“As soon as Saturday’s match against the Welders was finished we were discussing how we will prepare for this weekend against Dundela.
“We will work on certain things in training this week and we’ve got a few ideas of how we think we can hurt Dundela and hopefully come away with a result.
“It is going to be important to focus the players’ minds and keep everyone calm on Saturday.”
The Seasiders lost out to Dundela in February, when a disjointed performance saw Bangor slip to a defeat under the Wilgar Park lights. A brace from Ben Arthurs wasn’t enough on that occasion as Jordan Jenkins bagged a hat-trick that proved to be decisive.
But Bangor will be hoping for a repeat of the previous encounter between the two sides when the Seasiders scored three without reply at Clandeboye Park to record a hard fought victory.
On that night in January, late goals from Lewis Francis, Scott McArthur and Adam Neale proved to be the difference against a then top of the table Dundela side.
Stephen Gourley’s team have endured a tough run of form in recent weeks, with just one point to show from their last three outings. That point came against Ballyclare Comrades when a late Jordan Jenkins strike salvaged a point for the home side.
The league’s joint top scorer added two more to his tally last weekend, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Duns from slipping to a narrow defeat in a seven-goal thriller with Institute.
