BANGOR City’s first season at Huws Gray Alliance level promised much, but ultimately fell victim to circumstances outside of the players’ control.

The club have endured another turbulent season off the field after debts of £80,000 were revealed, which saw the EuroGold Stadium closed for a brief period due to an unpaid water and electric bill.

This came at a crucial point in the season as they looked capable of pushing runaway leaders Airbus Broughton to the title, but a host of departures from influential squad members halted their overall progress.

There were massive expectations following the summer appointment of trophy lades boss Craig Harrison during the summer, but the Citizens struggled to adapt to the rigours of the second tier in the early stages which saw them drop way off the pace in relation to their pre-season objectives.

Harrison did not stick around to see how things would pan out and departed for a coaching job at Connah’s Quay Nomads, which strangely resulted in a turnaround in form under Stephen Vaughan Jnr.

The controversial figure left the club for Maltese Premier League side Mosta but made a return as chairman earlier this year, which was met with dismay by the majority of the club’s fan base, who are now in the process of forming their own side due to recent events.

One positive that can be taken from the season is the performances of some of the Academy stars that were thrust into senior action, which can give the club plenty of cause for optimism in the coming years if they continue to develop at their current rate.

Wide man Alex Boss was electric at times throughout the campaign, with striker Sam Jones also showing enormous promise before injury ended his season early.

Gethin Thomas was another product that really caught the eye late on, with the forward benefitting considerably from playing alongside the likes of player-manager Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Robbie Parry, who was excellent throughout.

The signing of Jordan Piggott was another huge asset to have, with the midfielder turning in some exceptional performances that saw him emerge as one of the best young prospects operating at this level.

Fourth place was not what City envisaged at the start of the season, and the recent turmoil has left more questions than answers, but Taylor-Fletcher’s presence at the helm is going to ensure they have a strong squad going forward providing there is a budget in place to attract the right calibre of players during the summer.

It has been a dramatic fall from grace for a side that should have been playing in Europe this season, so they need to regroup, stabilise all areas of the club and plan for the long-term in what promises to be a very testing division next time around.

This is something that would be welcomed by the City faithful, with the drama of the last few months undoubtedly taking its toll.