TO say it was an eventful first season back in the Huws Gray Alliance for Conwy Borough would be something of an understatement.

A strong start was followed by a poor run that eventually resulted in manager Gareth Thomas leaving his post, but there were signs of life thereafter as the Tangerines secured their Tier 2 North status in comfortable fashion.

The appointment of Warren Gibbs from Glantraeth galvanised a talented group to go on an impressive run of form at the turn of the year, and they have proven to be more than a match for the best sides in the division on their day throughout the season.

The debate on whether prolific striker Corrig McGonigle can transition his scoring form to the second tier is now mute following an exceptional campaign from the player, who netted 19 times in the league thanks to a series of clinical displays.

His striker partnership with Dean Seager continues to be a source of great encouragement for the club, and the acquisition of defender Anthony Marshall from Llandudno at the start of the season proved to be an inspired signing from Thomas.

The youngster developed as the campaign went on and this experience will aid his development considerably, and he benefitted enormously from the presence of Guto Hughes and Gerwyn Jones alongside him who were both outstanding during the season.

Cory Williams’ sensational end-of-season form can be seen as another cause for optimism as it has taken the forward some time to make his presence felt this season, with the midfield quartet of Leigh Craven, Tom Creamer, Gethin Maxwell and Bryan Roberts providing a much needed sense of urgency and composure on the ball during critical moments.

Borough recently announced the appointment of former reserve team boss Russ Williams as their new manager as Gibbs moves to director of football, further enhancing the structure behind the scenes that can only be a good thing going forward.

Williams knows the set-up inside out and is a popular figure, so with the right sort of recruitment during the summer they can improve on their 11th placed finish next year, providing some of their key names resist what are sure to be substantial offers from elsewhere.

After a period of significant underachievement, the last two seasons have been more like the good old days for Conwy Borough FC, and they will need to work even harder to ensure this is a trend that continues long into the future.