By Neil Watson
BANGOR supporters enjoyed more good news this week as Ben Arthurs penned a new three-year contract with the Seasiders.
Arthurs, Bangor’s second highest goal scorer of all time, was on target during the season opener over Cliftonville and the 27 year-old has told of his desire to play his part in the future of the club.
Speaking after signing his new contract, Arthurs said: “I couldn’t be happier to commit another three years to Bangor.
“I joined the club in 2018 and I have already made so many core memories in my life here. I’ve got a lot of love for the club and I want to continue doing all I can to make sure we can continue to grow and be successful.”
Arthurs, and his goal scoring prowess, have played a key part in Bangor’s recent successes and their rise back through the footballing pyramid. The Kircubbin man has won the Ballymena Intermediate League, the Premier Intermediate League and the Championship as part of the Seasiders’ journey back to the top flight of local football – and for him that meant Sunday’s win over Cliftonville felt all the more special.
“It was an amazing feeling”, admitted the striker as he reflected on Bangor’s winning start to the season.
“It is surreal when you look back at the days in the Ballymena Intermediate League. The Premiership felt a long way off at that stage, but brick by brick we’ve kept building and got this far,” he said.
“With no disrespect to the teams we were playing at that stage, we’ve gone from playing much smaller clubs to some of the biggest in the country and we’re now up against the best players in front of big crowds.
“That’s when it really sinks in about what has been achieved and it’s something I’m really proud of.
“It was brilliant to see such a great number of fans in Clandeboye Park. I know from my own perspective that the bigger the crowd, the better the occasion feels and I really think it helps raise our performance levels.
“Beating a seasoned Irish League team like Cliftonville is really a dream start to the season for us,” explained the former H&W Welders forward.
“I would have been absolutely delighted if we had won the game and I hadn’t scored – winning is much more important than scoring goals – but the adrenaline when the ball hit the back of the net was unbelievable.”
Now Bangor’s focus turns to a trip to the Oval on Saturday (3pm) to face Glentoran, before Crusaders come to Clandeboye Park three days later (Tuesday, 7.45pm). After a dream start, Arthurs says his team mates want to show that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan.
He continued: “We want to prove ourselves in the Premiership. If we can turn up and apply ourselves and keep working hard, then there is no reason why we can’t get more results.
“One win won’t get us the respect that we want, we’ll need to earn that over the course of the season.
“We’ve competed well with Premiership teams in cup competitions over the last couple of seasons but the challenge is now to do that consistently. While beating Cliftonville was brilliant, it was just the start of a tough season.”
