Fresh Blood at Bangor – My Preview 2016/17
With the new season around the corner, there have been a lot of ins and outs this summer at Nantporth, most notably newly appointed manager Andy Legg, who replaced long serving manager Neville Powell. With the new Chester based consortium owners taking over, a lot is expected from the Citizens this season.
Fresh faces were needed at the club following the departures of key players, most notably Ryan Edwards and Dec Walker, which left a few eyebrows raised. But stability was quickly restored following the captures of Gary Roberts, Jaques Kpohomouh and local lad, Danny Gosset. All of whom have impressed during pre-season.
Overall, pre-season has been a success for the Citizens. Several new faces on trial, many being a success, most notably Kpohomouh. But results in general have been positive. A creditable draw against a strong Wrexham side, before a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Warrenpoint Town from Northern Ireland.
What about their chances this season? Following an extremely disappointing campaign last year, much more is expected from the Citizens this time around. A top 6 finish is a must, but it won’t be straight forward with the league continuing to grow in stature and other teams strengthening. Most notably Connah’s Quay, who’ve done remarkably well under the guidance of Andy Morrison, have brought in experienced WPL players in the likes of Ian Kearney and Michael Wilde.
From a personal viewpoint, qualifying for Europe should be the realistic aim. Our first 5 games of the season are all at home, so hopefully the club can string a few results together which should give us momentum. Seeing out games was a big problem last season, with several points being dropped due to a lapse of concentration, hopefully something Legg will solve.
Andy Legg himself said that we need several new faces at the club, so exciting times are ahead and hopefully it will be a successful season for the Bangor Boys.
