Having spent the past 16 years plying his trade in the Irish League, from breaking through at Glenavon to tasting Premiership title glory with Linfield, Mark Haughey is looking to pass on his vast experience after sealing a summer switch to newcomers Bangor.

The 34-year-old won four Gibson Cup crowns and two Irish Cups during an eight-year stay at Windsor Park before returning to the Lurgan Blues, where he came through the youth ranks prior to emerging as a senior star, in 2021.

His second stint at Mourneview Park was impacted by setbacks with Haughey sustaining an ACL injury in December 2022 which required surgery and he was limited to only 19 Premiership appearances across the last three seasons.

However, a move to Bangor has given Haughey a new lease of life and proven he still has plenty to offer in Northern Ireland’s top-flight.

placeholder image — Mark Haughey enjoyed a trophy-laden spell with Linfield. (Photo by Inpho/Stephen Hamilton)

He made his debut in the closing stages of a narrow defeat to Glentoran earlier this month and registered a first 90-minute showing since December against Ballymena United last weekend.

Haughey’s presence could prove crucial to helping bring on the likes of former Glenavon team-mate Harry Lynch – the teenager also joined the Seasiders this summer – and with many Bangor players getting their first sustained taste of the Premiership, he’s more than happy to pass on lessons learned throughout a successful career.

“I’ve a lot of years and a lot of experience in the game and it’s something that I want to bring anywhere I go, no matter where I play,” he told the club’s website. “If I’m not playing, then it’s to try and push other players in the squad and try to help as much as possible.

“I’m always trying to help out, especially the other defenders – if I’m not playing, I’m always trying to talk as much as possible and give them wee bits of advice and seeing what I can see and helping them out.

“I obviously still want to be involved as much as I can and be playing as much as I can – I came on off the bench against Glentoran and then had a start against Ballymena.

“So, from my side, I’m trying to help out as much as possible and try and play as much football as I can.”

Bangor are adjusting to life back in the Premiership, marking their return for the first time since 2009 after winning last season’s Championship title, and enjoyed a dream start by beating Cliftonville 3-1 on the opening day.

Lee Feeney’s men have since endured three consecutive defeats ahead of Saturday’s home clash against Dungannon Swifts, but Haughey feels it’s too early to judge where each team is at.

“I think when the league started against Cliftonville, everybody saw the performance that we can put in and the result that we got,” he added. “All the performances have been good bar maybe the last one against Ballymena.

"It’s a tough league and there are some other teams who haven’t got a result yet as well and it’s still very, very early.

“I think it’s only when you come to Christmas time when you’ve had a lot of games that you can really assess where you’re at and what you need to do in terms of getting as many points as possible.”