Bangor Ladies manager Rory Hamill admitted it was disappointing not to make progress in the NIWFA Championship Cup on Friday night, but he felt their clash with Ballymena United Women could easily have swung in a different direction.
Three first-half goals for the Sky Blues ultimately settled the issue at Clandeboye Park, with Olivia Marshall’s second-half strike unable to spark a late fightback from the Seasiders.
Ballymena hit the opener after 10 minutes through Rebecca Curry, and Chelsea Millar doubled their lead just two minutes later, leaving the hosts with a mountain to climb. Bangor found their feet after that setback, but they were dealt another blow on the stroke of half-time when Jennifer Montgomery found the net to make it 3-0 to the Braidwomen. Former Ballymena striker Hamill conceded that moment proved pivotal in the wider context of the contest.
Top scorer Marshall responded on 65 minutes, slotting home with a composed finish for her ninth goal of the season, but that proved to be as good as it got as Bangor were knocked out at the first hurdle in their opening cup outing of the campaign.
In the aftermath, Hamill was frustrated to see clear-cut appeals for a penalty waved away in the opening stages and lamented the fine margins that worked against the Yellows.
“It was disappointing,” said Hamill. “We obviously wanted to progress into the next round of the competition, which unfortunately hasn’t happened for us.
“I didn’t think we were as fluid as we normally are. We were playing a Ballymena team with a lot of physicality, and they used that to their advantage.
“In the first five to 10 minutes, I actually thought Olivia was getting a lot of joy, making runs down the left-hand side. I also thought we should’ve had a penalty for handball early in the game. If we had scored first, it would’ve given us a platform to go and win the match.
“They got the first goal and then, for their second, their centre-half got up and just had the better of our defence. With them going 2-0 up early on, it was always going to be tough.
“I thought we responded well, but then the third goal just before half-time was a real sucker-punch. You’re thinking at that point you’re going in 2-0 down and looking to start the second half strongly and get the next goal, but that third goal was a major setback.”
Bangor had entered the match buoyed by a statement 7-0 victory over Mid Ulster Ladies in their previous league outing and had also recorded a 1-0 win over Ballymena at the Showgrounds in early April.
There was no repeat of that success this time, however, and Hamill insists the team must learn from the defeat as they turn their attention back to league matters.
With influential players such as record goalscorer Amber Dempster and versatile forward Toni Stewart unavailable, their eventual returns will provide a significant boost. That will be especially important with three demanding away fixtures on the horizon: a trip to Ballymoney United followed by a double-header against Strabane Athletic in the Irish Cup and league.
“We were missing a few big players,” Hamill added. “Amber Dempster was a big miss because of the way she holds the ball up and brings others into the game.
“We were also missing Toni Stewart, who brings a lot of energy in midfield and helps link the midfield and frontline together. She adds a lot of fluidity to our play.
“In saying that, our goal came from a really nice piece of flowing, passing football that Olivia did really well to finish off.
“Looking back, it’s another learning curve for us and we have to take those lessons forward.
“As I say, it was disappointing, but you can also look at it another way. We now have two fewer games to focus on because we won’t be in the semi-final or final, so our attention turns fully to the league.
“That’s where our focus is now — trying to build momentum and get that fluidity back into our game.”
