“Did I think we’d get the calibre of this particular player? Never in my wildest dreams” – 1876 chairman Nick Pritchard on club’s exciting new signing

“Did I think we’d get the calibre of this particular player? Never in my wildest dreams” – CPD Dinas Bangor City 1876 chairman Nick Pritchard’s words after the Tier 3 club announced a huge signing tonight.

They promised a big name addition today – and they delivered!

Four-time Cymru Premier League title winner Declan McManus is the latest addition to CPD Dinas Bangor City 1876.

The 31-year-old Scot has landed at Bangor City Stadium with the aim of inspiring the Tier 3 club to glory and developing its thriving academy.

Forward McManus has played for a host of Scottish clubs – Aberdeen, Greenock Morton, Alloa Athletic, Raith Rovers, Dunfermline Athletic, Ross County and Falkirk, as well as Fleetwood Town in England, Northern Ireland’s Coleraine and record 17-time Cymru Premier champions The New Saints.

He has also won a total of 12 caps for Scotland across under-17, U19 and U 21 levels.

McManus won the Scottish League One title with Greenock Morton in 2014–15, also being named League One Player of the Season, and landed the Scottish Championship and Scottish Challenge Cup with Ross County in 2018-19.

In 2019-20, he netted 19 goals in 26 appearances during a loan spell at Falkirk.

McManus joined The New Saints in 2021 and over four seasons bagged 71 Cymru Premier goals in 83 outings. He was part of title-winning squads in 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

The striker won the CPL Golden Boot in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Bangor City 1876 chairman Nick Pritchard said: “Did I think we’d get the calibre of this particular player?

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a player of this calibre would come to us while we were at Tier 3, but I think from having discussions with him over the last few days, explaining to him how important he would be to us in the Academy, and helping him with career after he leaves football, we were kind of lucky to get him in because he saw our vision, he saw what it is that we want to create in the stadium, he saw the fact that we want to progress in the Welsh Cup and that is why we are making this investment at this point, and he saw the vision that we want to get into Europe and the Welsh Premier.”