Ben Arthurs Returns to Clandeboye Park After Ban
Ben Arthurs will walk back into Clandeboye Park next month with a three–month ban behind him and a spotlight firmly trained on what comes next.
The Bangor striker has completed a suspension imposed after an anti-doping test detected a banned substance following an Irish Premiership match against Glentoran on 10 March. The 28-year-old was provisionally stood down by the County Down club in April, with the Seasiders at the time saying they were "unable to provide further details" while the case was investigated.
Those details are now clear.
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed on Thursday that analysis of Arthurs’ sample produced an adverse analytical finding for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. Under UKAD regulations, athletes can receive a reduced three-month ban if they prove the substance was used out of competition and not to aid performance.
Arthurs admitted taking cocaine “for recreational purposes within a social setting”. An independent expert concluded the drug use most likely occurred before the day of the Glentoran game, which Bangor lost 4-0.
That distinction proved decisive. With his provisional suspension backdated to 7 April, the forward has now served the full term of his punishment. He has already rejoined pre-season training and is eligible to play when Lee Feeney’s side open their 2026-27 Irish Premiership campaign against Cliftonville at Clandeboye Park on 15 August.
It will mark the start of Arthurs’ ninth season at Bangor, a club where he has long been a central figure and sits second on their all-time goalscoring list. The return of such a prolific striker would normally be framed simply as a boost to Feeney’s plans; this time, it comes layered with scrutiny in a league only beginning to live with the realities of formal anti-doping controls.
Doping control was introduced to the Irish Premiership and Women’s Premiership in 2024, in a programme jointly funded by the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL). The move brought the domestic game into line with wider UK standards and has already produced a high-profile case before the end of its first full year.
BBC NI approached the IFA and NIFL for comment.
When Cliftonville arrive on 15 August, Bangor supporters will not just be watching to see if their No. 9 still has his usual sharpness in front of goal. They will be watching to see how a player, and a league, handle the new era they have stepped into.
