The 2010-11 WPL – The Bangor City season

The Welsh Premier League has been recently dominated by The New Saints with the club winning the title every season since the 2011/12 season. But in the 2010/11 their run was halted by a fantastic Bangor City side. Having seen the league reduced from 18 teams to 12, the season was truly the best of what Wales had to offer, with the exception of former champions Rhyl who were relegated due to being unable to gain a sufficient license.
Manager Neville Powell had amassed a squad with a good mix of youth and a few local lads. Players such as Dave Morley, Marc Limbert, James Brewerton and Paul Smith were going to be integral to the title win, while Sion Edwards, Chris Jones and Les Davies were producing the goals that would see them win their first 15 games in a row before clinching the title with a fantastic victory over The New Saints in their final full season at Farrar Road.

Their season started with an Europa League tie against Finnish side Honka Espoo, over the two legs Bangor came out as 3-2 winners which saw them awarded a tie with significantly tougher Portuguese side Maritimo, unfortunately Bangor lost 10-3 on aggregate. The league season started with a 2-1 over Neath, at Farrar Road before a 3-2 win over Bala Town the following week meaning the Citizens had 6 points from 6. Notable wins in the perfect 15 games saw a pulsating 4-3 win over The New Saints, which gave the fans belief that title could be coming back to Bangor.

A 8-1 home win in early December over Port Talbot Town, which saw the prolific Jamie Reed net five goals meant Bangor had put a real marker down in their challenge for their title and it looked like they could keep it going for the duration of the season. The first dropped points came in early January in the busy festive period, after a 4-2 defeat to Prestatyn Town. Three days after the defeat to Prestatyn, Bangor suffered another defeat after goals from Rhys Griffiths and Chris Llewellyn saw them go down 2-0 to Llanelli. Bangor came back with a bang after two defeats with a 6-0 win over basement boys Haverfordwest with Les Davies netting a brace. A 2-2 draw with The New Saints in mid January saw Bangor keep the gap at the top to six points. A 2-1 win at Bastion Gardens in February saw Bangor keep The New Saints at bay in the title race, before a 2-1 defeat at Farrar Road to Neath in early March saw Bangor drop valuable points.

After the defeat to Neath, Bangor went through a significant slump in form which saw them go winless for six games which included a 5-2 thrashing at Farrar Road by the hands of Llanelli. With only a few games to go, it was desperate time for Bangor as by now The New Saints had overtaken them to go top, with only three games to go. With the side from Oswestry visiting Farrar Road in the last game of the season, Bangor knew they had to win the last three. The run started with a 2-1 at Port Talbot during the Easter period before another 2-1 away win at Neath two days later saw them going into the final game one point behind The New Saints.

In front of a bumper crowd at Farrar Road, Bangor came into the game fired up knowing the size of the task in front of them, knowing it would be poetic to lift the title in front of the Farrar Road faithful in the last full season in the centre of the city. The game itself was a cagey affair with no team wanting to make the game changing mistake but in the 68th minute Craig Garside came up with the game changing moment as his goal sent the Farrar Road crowd into pandemonium. The citizens held out for the victory and the title was theirs, after a pulsating season which saw them take 45 points in their first 15 games, a mid season slump saw them only take 25 from the next 17 games but it was the last three wins on the bounce that saw them overtake The New Saints on the last day and win the Welsh Premier League and truly tell the character of the Farrar Road side.

Sadly Bangor City have not been able to replicate that title win and today sit in the JD Cymru North, having saw a troubled ownership under VSM and unable to gain a Welsh Premier League license after finishing second in the league after financial irregularites saw the FAW demote them. With the inception of Bangor 1876 following a decision from the supporters association, which saw fans wanting to protect football in the city, numbers at Nantporth have dwindled and many of the Farrar Road faithful now will be found at Treborth supporting the phoenix club. Whatever the situation at Bangor City, anyone associated with the club during that season will see it as one of the best in the club’s history, and gave the last full season at Farrar Road the send-off it deserved.