Bangor striker Ben Arthurs is free to play again after completing a three-month anti-doping ban, meaning he will be available when the Irish Premiership season kicks off on 15 August.

The 28-year-old was tested after Bangor's 4-0 defeat by Glentoran on 10 March. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed that the sample returned an adverse analytical finding — the official term for a result showing a prohibited substance — for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. BBC Sport

Arthurs admitted to using cocaine recreationally in a social setting. An independent expert concluded that the substance was most likely taken before the day of the game, not on it. Under UKAD rules, athletes can receive a reduced three-month suspension if they establish the substance was used out of competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance. Arthurs met that threshold.

He was handed a provisional suspension on 7 April. Bangor, the County Down club, then issued their own suspension, which they revealed on a Monday night and described as relating to an isolated disciplinary matter. BBC Sport

The club lifted that internal suspension in mid-June after an internal review, clearing Arthurs to return for pre-season. Belfast Telegraph

For Arthurs, the timing matters. The 2026-27 campaign will be his ninth at Bangor, where he sits second on the club's all-time scoring chart. Last August, fresh from signing a new three-year deal, he said he had no plans to leave. BBC Sport That commitment is about to be tested by a season in which he returns not from injury or a transfer saga, but from a ban that made national headlines.

Lee Feeney's side open at home to Cliftonville at Clandeboye Park on 15 August. Whether Arthurs starts or comes off the bench, his return adds a proven goalscorer to a squad preparing for a new campaign.

The episode also serves as a reminder of the anti-doping framework that governs the Irish game. The Irish Football Association hosts dedicated anti-doping and integrity pages on its website under rules and regulations, and a suspension list is publicly accessible. The rules that caught Arthurs are the same ones every player in the league is subject to — regardless of whether a substance is taken to gain an edge or simply on a night out.