The bumper Cymru North season preview as Holywell Town, Flint Mountain and Mold assessed
Holywell Town are defending their Cymru North crown. (Image: Sam Eaden/FAW)
The Cymru North season will kick off on July 26 with 16 teams battling it out over the next nine months for a place in Wales’ top flight.
Across 480 fixtures there will only be one side who can finish top, lifting the trophy and taking their place amongst the biggest and best clubs in the country.
Last season saw Holywell Town claim the title finishing three points ahead of Flint Town United in a back and forth title race. However it was The Silkmen who secured a place in this seasons JD Cymru Premier as Holywell failed to gain a tier one licence, leaving them hunting a second consecutive first place finish this term.
Here is a look at each club that is set to take part in this years edition of the competition.
Title contenders
Colwyn Bay will be looking to bounce back to the top division at the first time of asking following their relegation last season. A 1-0 win on the final day against Barry United wasn’t enough to survive the drop as they finished two points behind Aberystwyth Town in 11th place.
The Bay have added real quality to their squad including the astute loan signing of Gwion Dafydd from TNS. The 19-year old broke through the ranks at Caernarfon Town and spent the second half of last season at the Cymru Premier outfit. Dafydd was also capped by Cymru C as they defeated England C back in March. They’ve also added JD Cymru North young player of the season nominee Sol Forde from Flint Town to bolster their defence.
Last years champions Holywell Town will be looking to make it back to back titles after missing out on promotion due to licensing issues. They lost only once last season in the league conceding only 17 goals across the 30 fixtures.
Manager Johnny Haseldin who won JD Cymru North manager of the season will be hoping his top scorer Jamie Breese can add to his tally of 22 goals from last season. The club also have player of the season nominee Jake Cooke in their ranks, with the 24-year old netting 17 goals in 26 appearances last season.
It will be anything but easy as they will face another gruelling race to regain their crown, in what is guaranteed to be another entertaining season of football.
Another of the title chasing sides from last season, Airbus UK Broughton finished six points behind the champions in third place last season. The Wingmakers scored 84 goals last time out second only to Flint Town across the campaign.
The club have one of the best youngsters in the league in the shape of Kaiden Cooke. The 17-year old made an impressive 28 appearances last term scoring eight times and assisting on three occasions.
Dark horses
Mold Alexandra finished fourth in the league last season as the best of the rest in terms of the league standings. There have been major ins and outs at the club during the transfer window including the transfer of top scorer Jake Roberts to Holywell Town.
Player of the season contender Danny Warren has also left to join Airbus leaving the club 34 goals light after the two departures.
Bangor 1876 had an impressive first season back in the second division with manager of the season nominee Mike Johnstone guiding the club to a fifth placed finish. They will need the goal scoring form of Corrig McGonigle to continue after the 27-year old finished second in the goal scoring charts with 26 goals last season.
Denbigh Town secured a sixth place finish last season with a young squad of talented attackers despite being tipped for a relegation battle following promotion. They’ve utilised the loan market well again this transfer window to secure the return of Owen Davies from TNS who scored 10 goals for the club last campaign. They’ve also acquired youngsters Paris Grey from TNS and Ian Roberts of Bala Town for the upcoming season.
Ruthin Town secured what many expected with a seventh placed finish last season with 42 points positioning them in the middle of the pack. They ended last term on a good run of five games unbeaten with four victories and will look to take that form into the new season.
Dave Evans has added to his squad raiding relegated Chirk AAA with Ryan Williams, Matty Williams, Jack Edwards and Josh Evans all making the switch to the Memorial Playing Fields.
eighth placed Guilsfield also placed as many expected in the middle of the field with forward Ivan Matthews finishing fifth in the goalscoring charts with 20 goals. The Guils will be looking to improve on their position this season with them keeping a large majority of the squad at the club.
Outsiders
It was a solid first season in the division for Caersws as they finished ninth in the table thanks to a final day 5-0 win against Llanidloes Town. The clubs top scorer Neil Mitchell has departed which was a big blow to the club, but they moved swiftly to replace him with Chirk AAA top scorer Max McLaughlin following their relegation.
Gresford Athletic secured a 10th placed finish comfortably clear of the drop zone. Another side that will be looking to improve on their position this time out, The Colliers have some great young talent in their squad including Haci Ozlu and Toby Keenan-Gallagher who managed 25 goal involvements between the last campaign.
Manager Eddie Maurice-Jones has added further depth to his squad including the additions of Joe Ormrod formerly of Mold Alexandra and Matthew Worrall from Denbigh who hit 13 league goals last season.
Finishing one place and one point behind Gresford last season were Buckley Town. The Bucks lacked a clinical goalscorer last season with no one in their side hitting double figures. They will be hoping the signing of Danny Holland from Llandudno will help after his 11 goal season last campaign.
One of the most impressive performances of last season came from manager of the season nominee Jordan Hardaway of Llandudno. At the beginning of the season the club had no first team and no ground to play their games but despite the early adversity, Hardaway guided The Seasiders to a 12th-placed finish nine points clear of the drop.
The impressive feat was helped by the performances of 18-year old Harvey Bennett with the youngster contributing 12 goals and two assists in the season. The club have added to their squad with the additions of veteran striker Mark Cadwallader from Aberystwyth Town and defender Anthony Stephens who made 26 appearances for promotion winning Flint last season.
The final remaining side from last seasons competition Prestatyn Town survived the drop by a single point last time out despite a three point deduction. The club went on a run of eight games without a win to end the season but it was enough to finish in 13th place.
The clubs top scorer Tom Weir has made the switch to Colwyn Bay and it looks as though the club could be set for another difficult season. They have acquired Sam Duffy formerly of Mold Alexandra after the 22-year old managed eight league goals last campaign, but still lack the overall quality of most sides in the division.
New faces
Ardal North West champions Flint Mountain will enter the competition after their title-winning campaign last season. With an impressive rise since being formed in 2009 Mountain will be looking to maintain their place in the second division under Aden Shannon.
They will need the goals of veteran forward Mike Hayes who finished second in the league scoring charts with 23 goals and the creativity of youngster Jack Sconde who racked up 14 assists.
Joining them are Ardal North East champions Penrhyncoch guided by Gari Lewis. The Roosters have a squad of talented youth and experienced personnel that will be vital in helping them in their attempts to beat the drop this season.
A defensively solid side who only conceded 21 goals in 28 matches
during their title winning campaign, they will be hoping that their defensive solidity can remain to help them in their fight to keep their spot in the division.
Llay Welfare are the final side to enter this seasons competition following their penalty shootout victory in the Ardal North play-off final against Llanuwchllyn. Another defensively solid outfit who had the best defensive record in the Ardal North West league last season conceding only 33 goals in 30 league games.
They will need a similar defensive solidity to survive in the second division in what is expected to be a difficult campaign for The Welly.
