Bangor FC

[Dutch Uncle]

18 months back I gave an update my local team Bangor FC – here in Northern Ireland that is, not Bangor City in the Welsh leagues. A few years ago I had given a little summary of recent shenanigans here, slightly reminiscent of our descent to the Conference. At that time at least one poster foolishly suggested he would like an update at some stage, so here the latest.

Bangor have traditionally been a yo-yo club between the top two Divisions in Northern Ireland, and as recently as 2015 lost a playoff for a place back in the top league. Off field mismanagement resulted in two successive relegations – one because the application to play was not entered in time, and suddenly Bangor were in the 4th tier and non-league.  In 2019, I reported that they finally regained their place in the 3rd tier (needed to win their league AND win two playoff matches). Their first season in tier 3 was aborted with COVID and the following season no tier 3 football was played. The next season they finished 2nd and lost a playoff for a place in the second tier. In 2022-23 they finally managed it in style winning the title with 3 matches to spare.

How would they fare back in Tier 2, also called the championship over here? I almost felt a tiny bit like Rovers getting back into our Championship, but tbf absolutely nothing at all could get close to that.

Well, the top championship team is promoted to the NI Premier League (teams like Linfield, Glentoran and Larne), and the runners up have a playoff against the second bottom premier team. Last season Bangor missed out on the playoff match in the final minute of added injury time of the final league match (Leicester away and Birmingham equalising in injury anyone?).  This season they have started like a train and after 16 games have a 9-point lead at the top of the table, but there is long way to go (38 match league season), and they are away to their nearest rivals next weekend. There is real local excitement and talk of possible investment.

Latest table:
https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/northern-ireland/nifl-championship/standings/#/McWGUsOn/table/overall

[BobG]

Do you get down to any of the  matches Dutch?

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

Not yet,but may well do soon. I know one of the club board well and he has invited me. Home crowds about 1k but ground official capacity is under 2k I think.

[Bentley Bullet]

I've heard you can have a wonderful time on a day trip to Bangor. You can have lunch on the way, and all for under a pound, you know.

[Sprotyrover]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

[Dutch Uncle]

I've heard you can have a wonderful time on a day trip to Bangor. You can have lunch on the way, and all for under a pound, you know.

Fiddler's Dram actually wanted to write the song about Rhyl, but it wouldn't scan and they needed a place with two syllables so they chose (the other) Bangor

[Dutch Uncle]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey in North Wales

The only Rovers players I could find who have a connection with the Northern Ireland Bangor are David Larmour and Zeke Rowe.

[roversdude]

Anyone notice the NI contingent at Rovers v County, they apparently really enjoyed it and plan to be back for the Grimsby game

[Chris Black come back]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey

The only Rovers players I could find who have a connection with the Northern Ireland Bangor are David Larmour and Zeke Rowe.

Davey Larmour! Does whatever a Llama can.

That’s a blast from the very distant past.

[Dutch Uncle]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey

The only Rovers players I could find who have a connection with the Northern Ireland Bangor are David Larmour and Zeke Rowe.

Davey Larmour! Does whatever a Llama can.

That’s a blast from the very distant past.

After not scoring for us in more than 20 games, 'llama man' went on to become an important player for Linfield with more than 100 goals for them, and being called up to the full Northern Ireland international squad on one occasion.

[essexrover]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey

Dunno if that's just a typo but Total Network Solutions (previously Llansantffraid FC) were originally from the town of that name near the border with England & now as The New Saints are based in Oswestry. Never been in Anglesey.

[essexrover]

18 months back I gave an update my local team Bangor FC – here in Northern Ireland that is, not Bangor City in the Welsh leagues. A few years ago I had given a little summary of recent shenanigans here, slightly reminiscent of our descent to the Conference. At that time at least one poster foolishly suggested he would like an update at some stage, so here the latest.

Bangor have traditionally been a yo-yo club between the top two Divisions in Northern Ireland, and as recently as 2015 lost a playoff for a place back in the top league. Off field mismanagement resulted in two successive relegations – one because the application to play was not entered in time, and suddenly Bangor were in the 4th tier and non-league.  In 2019, I reported that they finally regained their place in the 3rd tier (needed to win their league AND win two playoff matches). Their first season in tier 3 was aborted with COVID and the following season no tier 3 football was played. The next season they finished 2nd and lost a playoff for a place in the second tier. In 2022-23 they finally managed it in style winning the title with 3 matches to spare.

How would they fare back in Tier 2, also called the championship over here? I almost felt a tiny bit like Rovers getting back into our Championship, but tbf absolutely nothing at all could get close to that.

Well, the top championship team is promoted to the NI Premier League (teams like Linfield, Glentoran and Larne), and the runners up have a playoff against the second bottom premier team. Last season Bangor missed out on the playoff match in the final minute of added injury time of the final league match (Leicester away and Birmingham equalising in injury anyone?).  This season they have started like a train and after 16 games have a 9-point lead at the top of the table, but there is long way to go (38 match league season), and they are away to their nearest rivals next weekend. There is real local excitement and talk of possible investment.

Latest table:
https://www.flashscore.co.uk/football/northern-ireland/nifl-championship/standings/#/McWGUsOn/table/overall

I like this

[Dutch Uncle]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey

Dunno if that's just a typo but Total Network Solutions (previously Llansantffraid FC) were originally from the town of that name near the border with England & now as The New Saints are based in Oswestry. Never been in Anglesey.

Whoops Essex, coming originally from South Wales I have less knowledge of North Wales than people from anywhere else in the UK 

I think my aging mind was probably thinking of Llanfair PG (the abbreviation for the 58 letter village in Anglesey) - terrible mistake

And many thanks for you kind comments

[BobG]

Did Gary Brabim end up there?

He actually ended up at Total Network Solutions/The New Saints on Anglesey

Dunno if that's just a typo but Total Network Solutions (previously Llansantffraid FC) were originally from the town of that name near the border with England & now as The New Saints are based in Oswestry. Never been in Anglesey.

I remember visiting what was Oswestry FC (Oswestry Town?) sometime in the 70's when Rovers drew them in the FA Cup.

Does this 'new' club based there mean the old club has folded? Or was it taken over?

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

TNS and Oswestry merged in 2003

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswestry_Town_F.C.

[VivaRovers]

I remember visiting what was Oswestry FC (Oswestry Town?) sometime in the 70's when Rovers drew them in the FA Cup.

Does this 'new' club based there mean the old club has folded? Or was it taken over?

BobG

The Oswestry Town that Rovers faced joined the Welsh pyramid in the early 1990s and went on to reach the top tier Cymru Premier for a few seasons. But in 2003 they merged with Total Network Solutions FC (formerly Llansantffraid). They kept the Total Network Solutions name, and a place in the Cymru Premier,  but the club relocated over the border from Llansantffraid to the outskirts of Oswestry to play at Park Hall. A few years later Total Network Solutions (the business) was bought out, so the club changed their name to The New Saints (full name: 'The New Saints of Oswestry and Llansantffraid').

There was briefly a new Oswestry club, FC Oswestry Town in the 2010s, but they folded in 2020. There's a new team in Llansantffraid, Llansantffraid Village, who are now in the third tier in Wales.

[BobG]

Thank you Glenn!

BobG

[Draytonian III]

I’ve been to Clandeboye Park, not to watch Bangor but their tenants Ards vs Glentoran

[BobG]

Bizarrely I have a vague memory that Kevin Olney scored that Cup game. I know we won anyway.

BobG

[Dutch Uncle]

I’ve been to Clandeboye Park, not to watch Bangor but their tenants Ards vs Glentoran

Well there is some chance the Glens will be visiting again next season. If that works out give me a shout if you are over for that one. Michael Halliday still on the books at Bangor, but not usually in the match day 18.

[Ye-Aul-Tavern]

TNS are in the group stages of the Europa Conference League. I saw them lose to my local team, Shamrock Rovers last week. Incidentally, I was also up North for the Larne game in Windsor Park 3 or 4 weeks ago. We (the other Rovers) now have seven points which should be enough to get us to the next stage. I managed to bag a ticket for the away end in Stamford Bridge too so looking forward to that next month. Could be a bloody cricket score but a rare away trip for me as the father of a toddler.

[Avsuptem]

I've heard you can have a wonderful time on a day trip to Bangor. You can have lunch on the way, and all for under a pound, you know.

And on the way back she lay flat on her back and pissed in a bottle of cider.