FLASHBACK – 20 YEARS AGO: Last-gasp Walsh winner gives Bangor victory over Cofis

WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE – DEC 26, 2005

Bangor City 1 (Walsh 90+1)
Caernarfon Town 0

Report: Mike Smith, Citizens Choice

On this weekend 20 years ago Mike Walsh was the toast of Farrar Road after heading home a 91st minute winner against arch-rivals Caernarfon.

The Citizens finished 2005 with a welcome win over relegation-haunted Town. For the first time in living memory both sides were watched over by local managers. Bangor lad Mel Jones being the one who will have slept the better after his second successive win.

Midfielder Walsh was the deciding factor for the second time in eight days, his goal sealing a 1-0 triumph at Newtown on December 18..

City continued with the 3-5-2 formation, Paul Roberts dropping into centre midfield, Alex Hay playing up front alongside Carl Lamb.

Martin Beattie stepped in for Clayton Blackmore, but it was the visitors who made the early running as Craig Garside fired off target from distance on a couple of occasions.

Bangor’s first chance came inside 10 minutes when Paul O’Neill hurled a long throw from the right which found Lamb unmarked before the near post but his header flew wide.

On the quarter hour, Hay cut in from the left, fired right-footed but saw his shot blocked, then sent the follow up over the bar and into the Farrar End.

City won a couple of corners before the half hour mark but failed to trouble Town keeper Paul Pritchard in the bright red shirt. However, a fumble by the visiting stopper resulted in a third flag-kick as Roberts passed to Walsh and his low drive nearly crept in.

Caernarfon broke upfield through ex Liverpool striker Lee Jones, whose low cross seemed destined for the boot of Steve Watkin, but Walsh got a vital touch to concede a corner.

The game was switching end to end with neither side able to exert much of a grip.

Eifion Jones’ attempted overhead kick went straight to Andrew Price whose quick thinking freed Hay on the right, but his intended pass to Lamb was cut out by Jim McNulty.
The closing five minutes saw Roberts win a free kick to the right of the penalty area which was blocked before he cut in from the right and lashed over the bar left footed without unduly troubling Pritchard.

HALF TIME 0-0

With supporters settling after the change around Kenny Burgess latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box but fired well over. The former Cammell Laird winger went a touch closer with his second effort after good approach play from Lamb.

On 52 minutes, Hay won City’s fifth corner of the afternoon which Burgess crossed but the leaping Lamb could not find the target.

Hay went close for Bangor, Canaries midfielder Garside tested Price from distance, but neither looked like disturbing the netting.

Burgess seemed to have overhit a cross but O’Neill recovered and set up Roberts but Pritchard held cleanly.

As play swung to the other end, 24 year old John Rowley, a newcomer to the WP scene, shot for the bottom corner and thought he had won a corner but it was not to be.

The diminutive Dylan Owen lobbed a couple of high crosses onto the roof of the Bangor net.

Owen, one of the Wrexham old boys, tested Price with a low 25-yard drive.

Caernarfon went even closer on 70 minutes when Lee Jones crossed for Rowley to turn and fire on goal from point blank range. The ever alert Price was equal to the challenge and pushed the ball away for a corner.

Kyle Jones had to be alert to deny Cofi substitute Marcus Orlik, who replaced Waynne Phillips on 75 minutes.

Caernarfon had now switched to a three-man defence with Kenny Irons playing behind Jones and March.

A flurry of subs followed, with most notably for Bangor Ben Ogilvy and Mike Burke replacing Layton Maxwell and Burgess.

In the final minutes of the 90, Caernarfon forced three corners and stretched Bangor’s defence – most notably Beattie – to the limit.

A minute into the three of stoppage time City won their ninth corner of the game on the right. Seventeen year old Ogilvy crossed and Walsh headed home! The St Pauls End erupted, the Bangor crowd celebrated and within minutes the whistle blew with the blue horde happy.

BANGOR CITY
Andrew Price, Martin Beattie, Kyle Jones, Kenny Burgess, Paul O’Neill, Mike Walsh, Chris Priest, Layton Maxwell, Paul Roberts, Alex Hay, Carl Lamb. Subs: Ben Ogilvy, Mike Burke, Darren Gowans.

CAERNARFON TOWN
Paul Pritchard, Waynne Phillips, Jim McNulty, Kenny Irons, Eifion Jones, Dan March, Lee Jones, Craig Garside, John Rowley, Steve Watkin, Dylan Owen. Subs: Jason Sadler, Robbie Williams, Marcus Orlik.

ATTENDANCE: 701

WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THAT SEASON?

• Bangor finished ninth in the table, Caernarfon 13th.
• The January 2 return league clash at The Oval ended 1-1