A midweek friendly against Lisburn Distillery saw Bangor slip to a two-goal defeat.
But beyond the result, Hugh Sinclair was able to give a runout to a number of his squad, including new signing Luke Fisher.
The 19-year-old started on the left wing while there were also a return for goalkeeper Paul Cairnduff. Defender Gareth Beattie made his first start of the season as he returns from injury while Ethan Boylan also made an appearance from the bench.
It was Fisher who contributed to the first chance of the match after only three minutes when his driven cross saw Ross Craig flick the ball into the grateful grasp of Jonah Nichol.
Jack Wasson limped off with a hamstring injury in the opening stages but his replacement Mark Cooling combined with Brandon Nelson to set up the lively Craig, but his low shot was held by Nichol from 16 yards.
Against the run of play, the visitors took the lead in the 14th minute. A Francis Dugan free kick from the right flank bounced around the Bangor penalty area before Michael O’Hanlon coolly lifted the ball into the roof of the net.
From then on, the Premier Intermediate League side seized control with Paul Cairnduff throwing himself to his left to keep out a Dugan header from a Paul Young cross.
Young capitalised when he found himself in space on Bangor’s left side as he flew past Adam Calvert but the forward’s dinked 20-yard effort clipped the crossbar with Cairnduff beaten.
Having picked up a knock just before the break, Ross Craig was replaced by Ben Arthurs and Bangor’s top goal scorer was straight into action flicking Cooling’s free kick into the midriff of Nichol.
Within three minutes of the second half kicking off, Distillery had doubled their lead. Substitute Nick Beta found himself in space at the back post to fire past Cairnduff at the foot of his upright.
The Bangor manager changed his side’s shape and introduced Chris Getty, Andy Long, Darren Gibbons, and for the first time this season because of injury, Ethan Boylan.
Those change injected a renewed vigour into Bangor’s play with Brandon Nelson seeing his low shot cleared off the line in the 61st minute.
Nelson, moved to a position on the left flank, found himself in space inside the Distillery penalty area but the face of Nichol kept out his poked effort as Bangor pressed forward.
Nichol again denied Nelson, this time in more conventional style in the 78th minute when he spectacularly tipped the Bangor man’s rasping 20 yard shot. From the resultant corner, Jack Mallin tried his luck from 18 yards but the dipping half volley rebounded clear off the underside of the crossbar as Bangor found themselves out of luck.
Bangor: Cairnduff (58′ Gibbons), Mallin, Calvert, Dickson, Beattie (69′ Boylan), Nelson, Wasson (7′ Cooling), Devine, Halliday (54′ Getty), Craig (37′ Arthurs), Fisher (58′ Long).
