PRESTATYN Sports are showing there is still life at the club despite the high-profile departure of striker Ian Griffiths.

Losing such an influential figure so early into their Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Division One campaign has no doubt tested the resolve of the squad, but if their brief history has taught us anything it is that this is a close-knit unit littered with quality and fighting spirit in equal measure.

You cannot blame Griffiths for wanting to test his outstanding ability at a higher level in the Huws Gray Alliance with nearby rivals Prestatyn Town, and losing their first three games following his decision just showed how important he was to Mark Hughes and John Hargreaves men in the grand scheme of things.

One person’s departure brings with it another opportunities for others, and the management team have made two shrewd additions that have boosted the squad considerably during a critical stage in their development.

Ben Cawley and Dave Collins have both joined the third-tier side from the Seasiders, and they have scored four goals between them in their first two matches to give them plenty of cause for encouragement in terms of what they can achieve in the weeks and months ahead.

One club is not defined by a single player at any level of the game. Good players come and go, but Sports’ ability to fight through adversity with a fantastic mentality has been a key contributing factor in their incredible rise through the Welsh football pyramid since their inception.

Twenty-five goal a season strikers do not grow on trees, and it is going to continue to take a collective effort from the group to ensure they can firmly establish themselves within a division that is littered with ambitious clubs all pursuing the same goal.

Hughes and Hargreaves have done a brilliant job so far in installing an “us against the world” mentality similar to the one implemented by clubs managed by Jose Mourinho over the years, and no team will relish making the trip to their Gronant base which has been such a fortress for them in seasons gone by which another huge asset to have going forward.

There are going to be bumps in the road – something that they have probably never experienced before – but the way they have bounced back from their setbacks so far is a testament to their desire to pull together as a unit to strive for their long-term goals.

Griffiths was an immensely popular figure who has recently stated how much he owes the club for giving him back his desire to play again, and while his presence will be sorely missed there is nothing to suggest Sports cannot continue to progress and keep the good times rolling for everyone associated with the club.