Early omens were not good for the Reds when heavy traffic delayed their arrival at Farrar Road with the scheduled 2 p.m kick off delayed by fifteen minutes.
Already hit by a spate of injuries the visitors brought in Scott Evans for his first senior start, but were still without some key players, and things went awry as early as the eighth minute.
Stuart Jones, sent off last season in the Welsh Cup for a foul which led to the award of a penalty, must have felt a sense of déjà vu when he again conceded another when his challenge on Jamie Reed was adjudged to be unfair, but this time only received a yellow card, and David Morley easily despatched the kick past Craig Richards.
Jones atoned somewhat for his earlier indiscretion by clearing a dangerous ball into the area by Reed, who was to prove to be a thorn in the Reds side all afternoon, but was not so clinical at the other end when the Reds got into the Bangor box, blazing over the bar when the chance presented itself.
The home side were dictating the play with their opponents on the back foot, and they went further ahead on 36th minutes following a clearance by Peter Hoy which was brilliantly controlled by Reed who turned Wyn Thomas before firing low across Richards into the bottom corner.
As if the Reds did not have enough problems, Jones was forced off the field injured four minutes from the break, Andy Legg coming on in his place, and with almost his first touch brought down Reed when he seized on a Craig Garside pass, but Richards was able to retrieve the situation.
Alan Bull was denied by the Reds keeper when he saved at his feet following a cross into the middle, while Rhys Griffiths headed wide of the home goal and Bangor keeper, Paul Smith, was first to a floated ball by Owain Warlow, also back in the Reds side.
Hardly in the contest in the first half, the visitors did display more enterprise in the second without really posing a threat in front of goal, and with Jordan Follows on in place of Jason Bowen, at least added to their attacking options.
Warlow went down in the box under a challenge, but the referee waved play on, before Follows had a shot blocked when Legg set up the chance and Wyn Thomas directed a header off target, as did Craig Moses when he met a Legg throw in.
James Brewerton did well at the far post with a clearing header when Legg delivered in a free kick, but the Reds went closest to scoring when Warlow unleashed a fierce shot on target which was brilliantly pushed over by Smith.
Evans found Wyn Thomas with a cross, but again the header failed to trouble Smith, and despite the visitors pressure, it was Bangor who had the chance of increasing their lead when they were awarded a second penalty following a Legg tackle on the dangerous Reed when he got into the area in the 77th minute.
This time, Bull took the kick, but his feeble effort was easily saved by Richards, and the Reds could well have made their opponents pay for this lapse when Griffiths was put clear on a run, but failed to find the net, dragging his shot wide with only Smith to beat.
A Chris Thomas delivery to the head of Griffiths again failed to produce a result, and Thomas himself shot over the bar when Griffiths returned the compliment by heading the ball down into his path.
The home side might then have well gone three up after Les Davies found himself in acres of space on the left, and although he sent his effort beyond the advancing figure of Richards, a last ditch clearance off the line by Antonio Corbisiero saved the day for the Reds.
The match ended with the visitors probably lucky not to have suffered a far heavier defeat, but things do not get any easier for them with the visit of champions The New Saints to Stebonheath next Saturday in a live televised game, kick off 3.45 p.m.
Latest News from Llanelliafc.org The Online Home of the Reds
