PORTHMADOG’s stunning Huws Gray Alliance season now has them officially ranked as one of the division’s heavyweights.

The club once again performed well above expectations to finish the second tier campaign in second spot, which is a testament to the work done by outgoing manager Craig Papirnyk and his coaching staff.

It will now be all changes at Y Traeth during the summer as Papirnyk steps down to be replaced by Sion Eifion Jones, who is a highly respected young coach that has masterminded an incredible campaign at the helm of Port’s reserve side.

There is no doubt that Port are punching well above their weight, but there is a togetherness within the squad that is matched by their overall quality to produce on a consistent basis.

Influential presence Ceri James’ transition from midfield to centre half has resulted in a new lease of life for the player, with the mercurial talent of forward Shaun Cavanagh another notable highlight of what was a very successful individual season from the forward.

Goalkeeper Paul Pritchard has long been considered as one of the best stopper operating outside of the JD Welsh Premier League and he filled the void left by Richard Harvey exceptionally well, with the experienced Sion Edwards providing a calming influence and quality of delivery that few possess at this level.

Gruff John’s development throughout the season is another massive indication of the immense skill-set he possesses, with Julian Williams also remaining a key component in the success that came Port’s way.

With a new manager comes fresh ideas and undoubtedly some new faces, but if they can keep their core together and add more quality in the right areas then there is no reason to believe they will not be at the business end of the table once again, despite the introduction of Colwyn Bay and Llandudno to Tier 2 North.

They are an extremely well-run club who are progressing with every passing year, and Papirnyk deserves an enormous amount of credit for the structure put in place and bringing the right sort of characters to the club who were all pulling in the same direction.

It was a season that everyone at the club can be enormously proud of, and their best days could well be ahead of them.