The Crazy World of Bangor City

Bangor City's Nantporth Stadium
Bangor City's Nantporth Stadium

It's safe to say that Welsh domestic football is a weird and wonderful place. From an amateur student side qualifying for the Europa League to an English team dominating the top flight, the principality has its fair share of interesting stories.

But recent goings on at Bangor City have taken a somewhat darker turn. The club has been in turmoil for years, with a series of owners coming and going, leaving fans baffled and incensed at the poor management.

Things came to a head in 2016 when the club was bought out by Vaughan Sports Management (VSM).

The company is owned by the infamous Vaughan family, who are widely blamed for driving former English Football League clubs Chester City and Barrow to liquidation.

Bangor is one of the largest, and most historic clubs in the entire Welsh system. The club has competed in European competition for decades, enjoying fixtures against the likes of Napoli and Atletico Madrid.

So when VSM took a controlling stake in the club three years ago, the Bangor faithful were understandably worried.

But on the pitch at least, things seemed to going well. Under an exciting young coach Kevin Nicholson, assisted by former Blackpool forward Gary Taylor-Fletcher, the club finished the 2017/18 season in second place, earning European qualification and a spot in the Scottish Challenge Cup to boot.

Former Leicester City striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher played for and managed Bangor
Former Leicester City striker Gary Taylor-Fletcher played for and managed Bangor

But then came the bombshell; despite Bangor's position in the league, they would be relegated to the second tier. Financial irregularities meant Bangor could not be awarded the necessary licensing to continue in the top flight.

They were kicked out of the Europa League and the Scottish Challenge Cup and relegated to the Welsh second tier.

Nicholson departed, but Bangor played on with Taylor-Fletcher at the helm. An experienced squad saw some success on the field, but more misery was to follow. The club was subject to winding up petitions in the High Court and in January were briefly evicted from their home stadium after non payment of bills.

The worst was yet to come. In May, the Welsh FA announced Bangor were guilty of multiple rule breaches and would be subject to a 42-point deduction, meaning the former Welsh champions would be relegated for a second successive season.

A successful appeal reduced the deduction by half to a mere 21 points, meaning Bangor will remain in the second tier, saved from relegation by goal difference alone.

But the saga is by no means over. Despite the club being subject to a transfer embargo, Bangor have announced multiple foreign signings, with players arriving from Italy, Spain and Malta.

How these players will support themselves in a strange country without any income from football is something of a mystery, but not one that chairman/manager Stephen Vaughan. Jr has shed any light on as of yet.

Long-suffering Bangor fans seem to have decided enough is enough. The Supporters' Association voted overwhelmingly to form a new club, Bangor 1876, which will start this season in the Gwynedd League at tier 5.

It may be a step down for fans who once watched their club taking on some of Europe's best, but the way things are going, the new club could soon be playing at a higher level than the old one.