In our latest interview, we discussed the season so far with goalkeeper Leon Jones

As someone from Bangor, what's it been like to be part of Bangor 1876 this season?
From the second I heard of the new club I was very excited. I was secretly hoping I’d get asked to join so when I got the phone call from Mel I was buzzing. I knew dropping down a few leagues would be worth it in order to be part of this new adventure. The potential is there for us as a club to climb the leagues. The support the team has had has been amazing, the high attendances just show how much people want to watch football in Bangor. It’s great to see so many familiar faces every Saturday supporting the team.

How would you describe the team spirit at the club?
This is without doubt the best group of players I’ve played with. There are so many big characters in the team but everyone gets involved and has something to offer with regards to the banter, we all seem to bounce off each other. I believe this helped us a lot at the beginning of the season as we all got along so quickly and clicked as a team, which helped us focus more on the football. This also helps when we play as you can always see the lads encouraging one another, trying to get the best out of each other to help the team succeed. At the moment, we keep in contact through our group chat where we do quiz nights and fitness sessions, and it’s definitely helped to lift the mood a little.

Two games that many fans and players often mention when talking about their highlights of the season are the ones against FC United and Penycae. What were these matches like from your perspective as a goalkeeper?
The FC United game was a difficult one really, having only trained with the team a handful of times before the game. I personally remember at kick off the chant ‘we are Bangor aye’ being chanted from the stands gave me goosebumps. I knew it was going to be a hard game, so the main focus for me was just get into routine and try enjoy it as much as possible. I’d say the occasion outweighed the result. With the Penycae game, I knew it would be a battle. For me the game was intense, end to end stuff which meant I couldn’t switch off. However, I prefer games where I’m busy as opposed to ones where I don’t do anything for 20 minutes at a time. I remember the last minute goal Matty Lock scored as I was up for the corner. It’s the only time I've got involved in celebrations all season. But my highlight of that game was saving a penalty in the shoot out, and when we eventually won it, seeing everyone buzzing, fans running on the pitch, everyone falling all over each other. Definitely not something I’ll forget any time soon!

Are there any other games this season that have been particularly memorable from your perspective?
Other than the Penycae game, which is a favourite, there are a few but the Welsh Cup game against Ruthin was a very memorable one. I believe I had a good game that day, definitely the best I’ve played all season. The team as a whole gave a good account of themselves and fought to the bitter end. On another day, that result could have definitely gone our way but it’s important to remember this is our first year together as a team. If we are giving Tier 2 teams a tough game then I’m happy, and I’m excited for more tough games like that to show what we are all about.

Apart from Treborth, which have been your favourite grounds that you've played at this season?
Menai Bridge Tigers’ ground was one that stood out. With the pitch being so small and narrow the fans were much closer than normal which made the atmosphere even better. When we came out before kick off, we were met with a massive cheer and I just knew it was going to be a great game. With it being a derby game, it was great to see so many of the supporters coming to watch! But no ground compares to Treborth.

What's it been like having had an enforced break from football recently due to the Coronavirus situation?
This break has been absolutely terrible. I am really missing football and so are the rest of the lads. We are all keeping fit, so whatever happens we are ready to get back to it. But at the moment it is important we all stay home, stay safe, and look after each other, and hopefully soon we’ll be back to normal!

Read our other recent player interviews:
Dylan Summers-Jones
Cameron Barry
Jamie Petrie
Jamie Thomas