Ben Arthurs Returns After Three-Month Ban for Cocaine Test

Bangor’s second-highest goalscorer of all time will begin his ninth season at the club under a cloud, but with his suspension behind him.

Ben Arthurs has completed a three-month ban after an anti-doping test detected a banned substance in the aftermath of Bangor’s Irish Premiership defeat by Glentoran on 10 March.

The 28-year-old striker was stood down by the County Down club in April, when the Seasiders announced only that they were “unable to provide further details” while an investigation unfolded. The silence around the case has now been broken by UK Anti-Doping.

In a statement on Thursday, UKAD confirmed 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 sanction if they prove the substance was taken out of competition and not with the intention of enhancing performance. Arthurs admitted ingesting cocaine “for recreational purposes within a social setting”, and an independent expert concluded the drug was most likely used before the day of the Glentoran game, which Bangor lost 4-0.

The timeline matters. Arthurs was provisionally suspended on 7 April, meaning his three-month ban has now been fully served. He has already rejoined pre-season training and is eligible for selection when Lee Feeney’s side open their 2026-27 Irish Premiership campaign against Cliftonville at Clandeboye Park on 15 August.

For Bangor, it brings a complicated kind of relief. A talismanic forward is available again, but only after a case that dragged the club into uncomfortable territory and raised familiar questions about recreational drug use in football.

Arthurs, a mainstay at Clandeboye Park and a prolific scorer across eight previous seasons, now faces the task of reshaping the conversation around his name on the pitch, with the new campaign offering little time or space for missteps.