Sides end year with fine wins

BANGOR CITY men’s hockey teams head into the Christmas break full of festive spirit after both recorded wins in their final games of 2018.

The firsts got the ball rolling with a gritty 2-0 triumph at Brooklands Manchester University IV. After a frantic, end-to-end start, a brief flurry in the Brooklands ‘D’ led to Paul McCallum winning a penalty stroke for City. Up stepped skipper Ash Hardaker, who fired the ball home.

The hosts came back at Bangor but were denied an equaliser by some timely defending and great reactions from goalkeeper Rayshauun Suen.

Bangor survived the scare and on the stroke of half-time netted a second from a slick counterattack, with Dave Paterson finding the net after the keeper halfsaved his initial effort.

A rousing half-time team-talk saw Bangor come back out determined not to budge to their opponents.

And that’s exactly what happened, as the City defence stayed on top throughout with the home side unable to break through their half-court press, and they hung onto their two goal cushion until the final whistle.

The win sees Bangor remain second-frombottom in NWHL Division Three, three points off Liverpool Sefton, who are above the drop zone.

Bangor City II completed a successful weekend with a superb 7-3 win over Macclesfield III.

City held the superiority going into half-time as they led 3-2 after an entertaining opening 35 minutes, with Arron Butterworth bagging two goals and Harry Collins-Jones also finding the net.

But the Blues took it up a gear in the second half, adding a further four goals from Patrick Wright, Marlon Allison, Ed Betteridge and Butterworth, for his hat-trick, saw City seal the three points in emphatic style, while the visitors scored a late consolation.

The win lifts Bangor off the foot of the NWHL Division Six table and above Macclesfield.

Both teams will return to action on Saturday, January 19, with the first team hosting Sale (2.15pm) and the seconds at Whitchurch (1.30pm).