A RIP-ROARING game at Clandeboye Park brightened up a grey, rain-soaked afternoon, as the home side inflicted the morning leaders' first defeat this season.

In a see-saw game which had just about everything: thrills, spills, goals, penalty kicks and a red card, with the result in doubt right up to the end, the one black note was a broken leg for Bangor defender Jonny Watterson who was stretchered off the pitch on 68 minutes and taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken right fibula.

After a quiet start, with both teams testing each other out, the game sprang to life with two goals in quick succession.

On 16 minutes the visitors were off the mark after midfielder Steven Hughes sprung the Bangor offside trap with a pass down the right to Darragh Hanaphy who sent the ball across the area for fellow front man Daniel Hughes to fire home from six yards.

Two minutes later at the other end Bangor forward Andy Morrow slid the ball low across from the left where an alert Gary Rafferty smashed a low twelve yard shot inside the left upright.

On 26 minutes Newry were down to ten men when referee Cecil Floyd - after consulting his assistant - showed a red card to Newry defender Ricky Copeland for an elbow in the face of Rafferty a couple of yards inside the box.

Bangor skipper Garth Scates slammed the spot kick into the roof of the net to give keeper Gareth Buchanan no chance.

Both sides had narrow misses before the break. Bangor midfielder Glen Bowers bringing a great diving save to push a netbound 25 yard drive round the foot of the post on 35 minutes.

Three minutes later a curling 22 yard free kick just outside the Bangor box by James Hand beat the Bangor wall and keeper Paul Cairnduff to rebound off the right post.

It was all square again four minutes after the interval when home defender Mark McQuillan brought down Darragh Hanaphy in the area. James Hand fired the ball into the bottom left hand corner.

On 74 minutes Dwayne Beattie - who had come on for Jonny Watterson six minutes earlier - sealed the game on 74 minutes when the teenager got on the end of a superb dipping cross from nippy Gareth McLaughlin to head home at the far post from a couple of yards.