BANGOR City have been rocked by the news that manager Craig Harrison has departed the club to take up the first team coaching role at JD Welsh Premier League leaders Connah’s Quay Nomads.

The appointment during the summer was seen as a real coup by the Citizens, who had plenty of work do after their demotion from the JD Welsh Premier League after failing to obtain an FAW Domestic Licence, but things did not go according to plan during what was a baptism of fire during the initial stages of their time in the second tier.

Harrison, who has won everything in the Welsh game during a prolific spell with The New Saints, has managed to steady the ship in recent weeks, which makes the decision an even bigger blow to an ambitious club that have been through some testing times in recent weeks.

Steven Vaughan Junior has now been tasked with ensuring that City do not lose the momentum gained in recent weeks, and their loyal fanbase will once again have more questions about the long-term stability of the club going forward following the loss of the most successful manager

For Harrison to leave and take up a coaching role elsewhere is a strange move. The need for a full-time position was a reason being the shock move but as Neil Gibson showed with his move back to Huws Gray Alliance basement dwellers Prestatyn Town, the itch to manage and make the decisions does no go away easily and it might be hard for him to play second fiddle to Andy Morrison during the initial stages of the position.

This news will also come as a great shock to the playing staff, many of whom arrived at the VSM Stadium to play under Harrison, and it remains to be seen how many of them will want to play for the City shirt now the manager they signed for has gone.

The likes of Jacob Farleigh, Chris Mullock and Robbie Parry are all disciples of Harrison and Vaughan Jnr will need to keep the most important players at the club focussed on the task in hand to avoid further complications down the line.

In all honesty, the chances of the Citizens catching runaway leaders Airbus Broughton were slim even with Harrison at the helm. With 14 points already separating the two sides even at this early stage another season of consolidation in the HGA is likely, so that is one positive in the sense that they can get their house in order for the remainder of the season and have a summer of stability to make sure they hit the ground running next time around.

Harrison’s tenor at City will be viewed as somewhat of a failure, especially given the investment made in the playing squad and the lofty pre-season expectations, so maybe a fresh start is the best thing for both parties that will do them both good in the long run.