TO say that Bangor City’s initial few weeks in the Huws Gray Alliance have been a culture shock is a massive understatement.

The Citizens were touted by many to run away with the second tier after appointing trophy-laden manager Craig Harrison and signing a host of high-profile names in a bid to get back to the JD Welsh Premier League at the earliest opportunity, but things have not gone according to plan so far for the ambitious club and its now restless fanbase.

With three defeats in their opening seven matches, all coming within the last five contests, City are now eight points behind early pacesetters Airbus Broughton having played a game more than their promotion rivals, with the Wingmakers extending that to 11 should they win their match in hand.

That is a formidable gap, even so early in the season, and if they are going to have any hope of clawing it back over the winter they must do it not as individuals, but collectively as a team that has so far flattered to deceive.

Whether or not they thought that collectively the squad would be good enough to just turn up and win games is up for debate, but City have quickly found out that the second tier is an unforgiving place and if you are not at your very best each and every week then you will undoubtedly get punished.

Harrison’s men have found that out to their cost, but there is still time to turn it around providing the group realise the dogfight they are in and react in a positive manner.

Individually, and indeed on paper, the Citizens have the most talented squad in the league, but all that counts for nothing if you are not willing to pull together as a unit and show the right attitude to get results on a consistent basis.

The HGA is the hardest and most difficult division in the Welsh football pyramid to predict, with each team capable of beating the other on any given day, that is why any good run of form and prolonged set of positive results would see City improve their chances of promotion and Harrison will need every bit of his vast experience to oversee a complete change in mindset within the group and stop their slump.

Their Huws Gray Cup clash with Gresford Athletic will come as somewhat of a relief and break from the pressures of the league, but with Conwy Borough, Flint Town United, Penrhyncoch and Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochant in their upcoming future they must get their act together quickly otherwise a campaign that promised much could descend into chaos.

They have a lot of class, of that there is no doubt, but avoiding complications further down the line is now priority number one and this is going to take a lot of courage, hard work and desire from everyone associated with this historic club.