Coleraine slump to defeat against Bangor

Coleraine missed out on the chance to go top of the league when they went down to a surprise 2-1 defeat against Bangor at Clandeboye Park on Saturday.

The defeat is the Bannsiders' second loss of the campaign.

The visitors began brightly enough but were rocked when their hosts opened the scoring midway through the opening half.

A free-kick into the Coleraine wasn't dealt with and when the ball was recycled Jay Boyd was left unmarked to head home from close range.

The home side doubled their lead just before the break and, again, it was a poor goal to concede from a Coleraine defensive point of view.

They coughed up possession in midfield, the ball was played forward to the willing Ben Arthurs who raced clear to plant a low shot past Aidan Harris.

Ruaidhri Higgins' side was given a boost shortly after the restart when Harry Lynch was dismissed after receiving two yellow cards.

That prompted Coleraine to increase the pressure on Lee Feeney's men and they were rewarded for their efforts when Zane Okoro pulled a goal back in the 55th minute.

The visitors piled on the pressure in the closing stages in the search for an equaliser but were frustrated in their efforts by a determined home defence.

BANGOR: Deane, Neale, Haughey, Hassin, Mulvenna, Arthurs, Lynch, Francis, Boyd (McGuinness ‘66 mins), Devlin, Morgan (Harrison ‘52 mins).

Subs Not Used: Grogan (GK), Owens, McArthur, O’Mahony, Burns.

COLERAINE: Harris, Jarvis, Boyle (Doherty '72 mins), Lyons-Foster, Patching, Cooper, Ives, Glackin (Shevlin ‘56 mins), Stewart (McDonald ‘56 mins), Okoro, McManus.

Subs Not Used: Hoey-Kemp (GK), Long, Watson, Brolly.

Referee: Christopher Morrison