THEY might be plying their trade in the Huws Gray Alliance, but Rhyl versus Bangor City is still the biggest clash on the Welsh domestic football scene.

The two storied sides will take on each other once again this Friday night on what is expected to be a mouth-watering encounter at the Belle Vue Stadium, with both aiming to extend a sensational run of recent results following a poor start to the campaign.

This has always been one of the best attended games in the country regardless of the standard they are playing in, and this weekend promises to be no different with two fan-bases that have seen their fair share of triumphs and turmoil over the years set to bring more than 1,000 to the ground to view the game.

Only Caernarfon Town are managing to pull in crowd of this nature on a consistent basis in the JD Welsh Premier League, which is sorely missing the presence of the North Wales giants since their respective relegations.

The Lilywhites have won a total of four Welsh Cups and two WPL championships during their superb history, and things now look to be on the up following a different start to the season under the new management team led by director of football Eddie Maurice-Jones.

They have won their last six games in all competitions and boast plenty of strength in depth within a squad that is firing on all cylinders at the moment, with the likes of Gareth Partridge, Reece Fairhurst, Kristian Pierce, Mike Pritchard and goalkeeper Jonathan Hill-Dunt really catching the eye during their winning run.

City also boast a significant amount of success over the years with three top-flight titles to their name, in addition to eight Welsh Cups and even an FA Trophy final appearance back in 1984.

It has not been easy in recent months after they were demoted following their failure to obtain an FAW Domestic Licence which resulted in the departure of manager Kevin Nicholson, assistant Gary Taylor-Fletcher and almost all of the squad that had finished second behind The New Saints.

After a disappointing start to life in the second tier under Craig Harrison, his departure to Connah’s Quay Nomads seems to have galvanised the group, who are on a nine-game winning run in all competitions, scoring 18 in their last five and conceding none in that time.

Another hugely intriguing element to the game is the arrival of a new manager Gary Taylor-Fletcher at the VSM Stadium, with director of football Stephen Vaughan Jnr announcing he is stepping down from the post to take up a post in Malta.

The Citizens also possess plenty of match-winners in the form of Jacob Farleigh, Les Davies, Marc Williams and Alex Darlington and it will be fascinating to see how they match up against the Lilies formidable rearguard.

With so much drama involving games between the two fierce rivals in the past, there can be little doubt of the fixture’s significant both for their chances going forward this term and its status within the domestic calendar overall.

Both are probably too far behind Airbus Broughton to catch the runaway leaders, but a positive result against their arch enemies can give them a massive morale boost ahead of a busy series of fixtures leading up to and beyond the festive season.

It is sure to be another superb occasion between two sides that are bang in-form, and Friday’s upcoming spectacle is sure to be further proof of just what the Welsh Premier League is sorely missing.