TOALSBET.COM COUNTY ANTRIM SHIELD
Bangor 0
Carrick Rangers 4
Heatley ‘15, ‘45; Forsythe ‘36; Gibson ‘78
PREMIERSHIP side Carrick Rangers notched up four goals as they cruised to a routine victory over a much-changed Bangor in the opening round of the County Antrim Shield on Tuesday night.
Lee Feeney handed a debut to goalkeeper Evan Ovendale with the Welshman was one of seven changes from Saturday’s side. The Bangor manager’s preparations had to be adjusted in the warm-up after Ben Cushnie pulled up with a hamstring injury and he was replaced in the starting 11 by Caomhan McGuinness.
It took 15 minutes for the visitors to open the scoring when the experienced Paul Heatley beat Bangor’s offside trap to run clear and lash the ball past the exposed Ovendale.
Bangor’s new goalkeeper was busy and he was at full stretch to push away Kyle Cherry’s angled volley after 32 minutes.
The pressure applied by the ‘Gers paid off as they doubled their lead minutes later. A well worked free-kick from a central position allowed Kurtis Forsythe to blast into the top corner from 16 yards with the help of a deflection.
The outcome was all but sealed on the stroke of half time in almost identical circumstances to the opening goal. Another long ball over the top of a static Bangor defence allowed Heatley to run clear and slide in his second goal of the evening.
Bangor were able to find more of a footing in the second half, with the addition of Matthew Ferguson giving the Seasiders more of a focal point in attack.
The closest the hosts came to reducing the deficit was a sweetly struck 30-yard shot from Caomhan McGuinness that dipped over Ross Glendinning and rattled the crossbar.
Instead it was Carrick who extended their lead after 78 minutes when Danny Gibson was positioned at the back post to nod home from a couple of yards.
Four could have been five late on but Ovendale did well to keep out Josh Andrews after the substitute had run clear after capitalising on a slip in the Bangor defence.
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Substitutes: Ferguson (Rea 46), Beattie (C McGuinness 61), Davidson (S McGuinness 61), Beverland (Owens 68), Harrison (Neale 68).
Not used: Fry, Garrett.
Booked: C McGuinness
Carrick Rangers: Ross Glendinning, Forsythe, Surgenor (C), McCullough, Buchanan-Rolleston, Reece Glendinning, Cherry, Maciulatis, Gibson, Heatley, McGuckin.
Substitutes: Kalla (Reece Glendinning 63), Graham (Cherry 71), Given (McGuckin 71), Andrews (Heatley 74).
Not used: McAuley, Stewart, Allen.
Booked: Cherry
