SHORT LIVED EUPHORIA FOR THE FANS

The 1997-98 season began with City fans full of hope and expectation that this was to be the year that the club finally regained its place at the pinnacle of Welsh football. During the summer, the club had made the bold move of bringing in what was seen as the dream managerial partnership of John Hulse and ex-Everton and Scotland goalscoring legend Graeme Sharp to revive the club’s fortunes. Liverpudlian Hulse’s knowledge of the North Wales soccer scene was well known. Sharp needed no introduction whatsoever, and his high media profile guaranteed maximum publicity for Bangor City. Sharp was given a cruel introduction to League of Wales football on the opening day of the season when, in a match that was televised live, City were thrashed 3-0 by Barry Town in the FAW Invitation Cup. In the League, however, it was a different matter. Six straight wins and a draw in their first seven games had put City on top of the table, until once again arch-nemesis Barry Town thrashed City 1-4 at Farrar Road to remind everyone who was in charge. After a second defeat the following week at Newtown, the attractive free-flowing football that had typified City’s earlier performances was replaced by a style characterised by grit and determination. Although City suffered eight more defeats in the league during the season to finish in a disappointing sixth position – nine points adrift of European qualification, their no-frills brand of football took them through to two cup finals, one semi-final and one quarter final.

City’s Welsh Cup run got off to a flying start on a hot October afternoon in Welshpool, where the travelling fans were treated to a seven goal blitz by City, with Cup hero Kenny MacKenna scoring a hat-trick. After disposing of Flint and Aberystwyth, both away, City reached the 5th Round, and a home tie on March 14th against historical rivals and neighbours, Caernarfon Town. Expectations were high amongst the large crowd of a classic cup tie between the League’s "auld enemy", but it turned out to be a somewhat dour affair, with City winning by two goals to nil. In the Semi Final at the Belle Vue Stadium, Rhyl, City had avoided being drawn against Barry, but still had a very tough battle ahead against high-flying Newtown. Newtown dominated the proceedings and took a 1-0 lead which they held for most of the game. City, in typical bulldog fashion, never gave up, and a Marc Lloyd Williams equaliser in the dying minutes took the game to extra time. The goal transformed City, who dominated the extra-time period, but it took a spectacularly embarrassing own goal to book City a place in the Welsh Cup Final at the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham, against Connah’s Quay Nomads. It certainly wasn’t what the Welsh media had hoped for, as the bookmakers expected an attractive Barry v Newtown final as opposed to two teams with the worst disciplinary records in the League for that season.

It was not a pretty final by any stretch of the imagination, but in terms of drama, blood and guts, it was one of the most exciting Welsh Cup Finals in many a year. Bangor’s Chris Whelan was sent off just six minutes into the game after kicking an opponent, leaving ten City men on the park for over two hours of football. With City’s main playmakers being hacked out of the game by some brutal Nomads tackling, the best the boys in blue could hope for was to try to keep a clean sheet and make it to extra-time and penalties. A string of spectacular saves by ‘keeper Dave Williams kept City in the game, but finally, after 75 minutes, Nomads scored and the tie was effectively over. However, Kenny McKenna, and the 1500 City fans behind the goal had other ideas. With just 20 seconds remaining on the clock, and roared on by fantastic support, City mounted one last effort and McKenna rose above a sea of players in the penalty box to head home a dramatic equaliser, just as the Welsh FA representatives had put the Connah’s Quay colours on the Welsh Cup! In extra-time, the City players dug deep into their reserves to find some extra energy and forced the Nomads to defend in numbers, but with a man missing in central defence, they constantly left themselves exposed to the counter-attack. Dave Williams once again came to the rescue with some brilliant saves, and in the end it took the dreaded penalty shoot-out to bring the match to a conclusion. Williams saved his best till last, saving two of Connah’s Quay’s penalties to give City the trophy for the first time in 36 years.

Six days previous to the Welsh Cup Final, City had entertained Barry Town in the Final of the Gilbert League Cup, which, after the toss of a coin, was played at Farrar Road. It was a repeat of the 1997 Final, which had been played at Aberystwyth. In that game, City had been desperately unlucky to lose, thanks to some bad refereeing decisions and Barry enjoying more than their fair share of good luck. City had a relatively comfortable journey to the ‘98 Final, having disposed of Porthmadog, Conwy and Caernarfon along the way. City fans wanted revenge for the previous season’s defeat, but with the clubs having already met 4 times during the course of the ‘98 season, with Barry having scored an embarrassing 14 goals, that wish seemed very unlikely. However, once again, Bangor dug deep into their resources, and as if to prepare themselves for the Welsh Cup Final ahead, outplayed and outclassed Barry. However, as had been proven time and time again in previous encounters, Barry had all the luck. With the score at 1-1 after extra-time, the match went to a penalty shoot-out which Barry won. All the City faithful could do was to take consolation from the fact that the Barry fans who had made the journey to Farrar Road were very muted in their post-match celebrations, because they knew that, once again, they hadn’t deserved to win.

Forty eight hours after their Welsh Cup triumph, City were again in action, this time in a North Wales Coast Challenge Cup Semi Final. However, with the squad depleted from injuries and exhaustion after their epic battle two days previously, it was a team made up of reserves and youth players that took the field at Y Morfa, Conwy. Their opponents were Colwyn Bay from the English Unibond League. Bay, whose constant belittling of the League of Wales has won them few friends amongst North Wales soccer fans, were keen to reinforce their argument. On the night, however, City’s young and very inexperienced players totally outplayed and outclassed Colwyn Bay’s first team. Bay scored two lucky goals to put them through to the final, but the moral victory surely belonged to Bangor, whose team on the night played at a standard the equivalent of two divisions below the League of Wales. In the FAW Invitation Cup earlier in the season, City comfortably qualified from the group stages into the Quarter Finals, with 10 points from 6 games, which included 4 points taken off Swansea City. However, they were drawn against an impressive Newtown in the Quarter Final, and despite home advantage lost a thrilling match by 3 goals to 5.

Just days after the heroic Welsh Cup Final win, City fans were stunned into silence and disbelief when boardroom shenanigans saw the resignations of not only Graeme Sharp and John Hulse, but practically the entire First Team squad. After three seasons in the wilderness, and constant upheavals, City had returned to the centre stage all too briefly, and any thoughts amongst the fans of long-term stability and restructuring within the club were consigned to the dustbin.