BANGOR City put their lengthy winning run on the line when they travel to fierce rivals Rhyl on Friday night.

The Citizens open a new era with the latest chapter of their stories history against the Lilywhites following the appointment of Gary Taylor-Fletcher as their new manager this week, and sports reporter Dean Jones takes a look at some key elements to the game that could provide them with their tenth triumph in a row.

Neutralise Mike Pritchard:

The Lilies’ forward is one of the best playmakers in the Huws Gray Alliance with the ball at his feet and he sets the tone for them in the final third, so City must either cut off the supply to Pritchard or ensure that he does not get the space required to have a significant impact on proceedings.

This can be done either individually or collectively using their centre halves and the midfield duo of Jake Phillips and Yalany Baio, but Pritchard is adept at finding space in the right areas and he will need to be monitored constantly if they are to come away from their trip with three points.

Limit Reece Fairhurst’s influence:

The defender is a huge threat both from set-pieces and with his superb diagonal delivery from long balls, and the Citizens’ forwards will need to work hard and defend from the front to stop this from having a detrimental effect on the overall outcome from their perspective.

Marc Williams, Les Davies and to a lesser extent Alex Darlington will need to close down Fairhurst quickly to avoid

Make full use of wide areas:

Both sides look evenly matched all over the field, but one area that Taylor-Fletcher may look to exploit is on the wings, where Robbie Parry and Jacob Farleigh have been in relentless form of late.

The explosive duo have a tremendous nous for beating their man and putting in quality deliveries consistently, so getting the ball at their feet early and often will maximise their chances of another famous win against the Lilywhites.

Beware of the midfield threat:

Much of the good things that comes from Eddie Maurice-Jones’ side originates from the middle of the park, where they have players who are not afraid to get on the ball and make things happen.

The likes of Kristian Pierce, Gareth Partridge and Matthew Cook all have the ability to dictate proceedings if they are given the opportunity, with James Murphy also a threat creatively when he drops back to receive the ball from a more prominent forward position.

Their driving runs from midfield must be tracked at all times as they have the ability to hurt you both with probing passes and their impressive long range shooting, which has been demonstrated on countless occasions so far this term.