The fifth edition of Gone But Not Forgotten sees us head off to the land of the dragon for a little look at some Welsh sides who once graced the lush turf of the Welsh Leagues.
Ruabon Druids (1869 - 1923)
If Druids still existed they could lay claim to being the oldest club in Wales. That title currently belongs to Newtown FC who were founded in 1875. Six years previously, Plasmadoc FC were born in the village of Ruabon near Wrexham. After three years playing under this name the club merged with Ruabon Rovers and Ruabon Volunteers to form Ruabon Druids FC. Ruabon further cemented its place in Welsh football history when, in 1876, the Football Association of Wales was founded at a meeting in the village. This same year, Druids (as they were now commonly known) became the first Welsh side to enter the English FA Cup, although they withdrew without playing. They did, however, play the following season, beating Shropshire Wanderers in the First Round and eventually going out 8-0 to Royal Engineers in the Third Round. During their existence Druids won the Welsh Senior League on three occasions, the Welsh Amateur Cup once and the Welsh Cup eight times. The combination of their ground, Wynnstay Park, becoming unsuitable for the standard of football and World War I stopping football activities, led to the club suffering financially. They left their ground and combined with Rhosymefre FC, then in 1923 merged with Acrefair United to form Druids United and effectively end Ruabon Druids.
As a footnote. Druids United eventually amalgamated with Cefn Albion in the 1992, forming Cefn Druids who currently play in the Welsh Premier League.
Brymbo Victoria (c1900 - 1911)
The village of Brymbo, just West of Wrexham, has been represented by many teams over the years. Brymbo Institute started the ball rolling in 1890. For one year they were known as Brymbo Junior before Brymbo Victoria came into existence somewhere around the turn of the century. The names Institute,Green, Junior and Steelworks have all appeared after Brymbo since then but Victoria has recently popped up again with a reformation of the club as a North East Wales side in 2017 (although Brymbo FC are still playing in the Wrexham Area of the Welsh National League). The original Victoria era was very short-lived, with the club folding in 1911. However, during these 10 years the club saw unprecedented success winning the Wrexham and District League three times (1903,1904 & 1905(, with a runners-up spot sandwiched in there too. They were also beaten finalists in the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1908, winning the St Martins Charity Cup to make up for it.
Mid Rhondda (1912 - 1928)
South Wales has always been something of a rugby stronghold, so when Mid Rhondda FC were formed the same year as the Titanic went down, they were one of the earliest football clubs in the area. The club had a ready-made stadium in which to play, the 10,000 capacity Mid Rhondda Ground which had been built in the previous decade to provide an all round athletics and sports facility in South Wales. The club immediately applied, and was accepted, into the Southern League even though they didn't have an established squad. By 1919-20, already having the Southern League Division Two title in their records, they took the Welsh League by storm, winning the championship by beating Cardiff City into second place. To top it off, they also won the South Wales Cup with a 1-0 victory over Barry FC. The club played some challenge matches against big names from England in this period, beating Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Portsmouth in the process.
Unfortunately for Mid Rhondda, when the Football League incorporated the Southern League in to Division Three, the club were left in the Southern League and the team started to fall apart. To add to this the country's economic problems in the 1920s depressed the Rhondda area, meaning that fewer and fewer people had money to watch the team. The end came in 1928 when the debt-ridden club was forced to close.
Abergavenny Thursdays (1927 - 2013)
It's always great to come across teams that have, or had, unusual names, many of which have significant historical backgrounds. Thursdays are no different. Founded in 1927, the club got their (possibly) unique name from the fact that many Welsh towns at the time gave workers a half-day on Thursdays. This, in turn, led to many social clubs springing up to take advantage of the free time. The club's halcyon days started in the early 1950s with promotion to the top tier of the Welsh Football League in 1951. They won the Welsh League Cup the following year and proceeded to take the Welsh Division One title twice in succession from 1958 - 1960. The club then repeated this feat in the early 1990s, again winning back to back titles and gaining an invitation to become founding members of the League of Wales. Unfortunately for the club, the financial strains of the new league caused all sorts of problems, players left the club and they were relegated to Division One. A few seasons later they dropped down again after failing to win a single game which signalled the start of a severe decline which saw them drop down into the Gwent League system, from which they withdrew in 2013.
Borough United (1952 - 1969)
Formed by the merger of two sides, Conwy Borough and Llandudno Junction in 1952, Borough United had a short but very full existence. They played their games at Llandudno's old ground, Nanty-y-Coed and wore the same maroon and white colours as Junction had worn. As such they were seen as a continuation of the Llandudno side. They quickly became a force in the North of Wales, winning the Welsh League North in 1959 and 1963, a season in which they also won the Welsh Cup beating Football League side Newport County 2-1 over two legs. This victory led to the club qualifying for the UEFA Cup where they were drawn against Maltese outfit Sliema Wanderers. They drew 1-1 in Malta and then won the return leg 2-1, a game played at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground. This then set up a tie against Slovan Bratislava which Borough lost 4-0 on aggregate. No disgrace for a small part-time outfit up against a side who already had four Czech League Championships to their name. The end for Borough started in 1967 when they lost the use of Nant-y-Coed. They continued for a while in a minor Conwy League before folding in 1969.
Ruabon Druids (1869 - 1923)
If Druids still existed they could lay claim to being the oldest club in Wales. That title currently belongs to Newtown FC who were founded in 1875. Six years previously, Plasmadoc FC were born in the village of Ruabon near Wrexham. After three years playing under this name the club merged with Ruabon Rovers and Ruabon Volunteers to form Ruabon Druids FC. Ruabon further cemented its place in Welsh football history when, in 1876, the Football Association of Wales was founded at a meeting in the village. This same year, Druids (as they were now commonly known) became the first Welsh side to enter the English FA Cup, although they withdrew without playing. They did, however, play the following season, beating Shropshire Wanderers in the First Round and eventually going out 8-0 to Royal Engineers in the Third Round. During their existence Druids won the Welsh Senior League on three occasions, the Welsh Amateur Cup once and the Welsh Cup eight times. The combination of their ground, Wynnstay Park, becoming unsuitable for the standard of football and World War I stopping football activities, led to the club suffering financially. They left their ground and combined with Rhosymefre FC, then in 1923 merged with Acrefair United to form Druids United and effectively end Ruabon Druids.
As a footnote. Druids United eventually amalgamated with Cefn Albion in the 1992, forming Cefn Druids who currently play in the Welsh Premier League.
Brymbo Victoria (c1900 - 1911)
The village of Brymbo, just West of Wrexham, has been represented by many teams over the years. Brymbo Institute started the ball rolling in 1890. For one year they were known as Brymbo Junior before Brymbo Victoria came into existence somewhere around the turn of the century. The names Institute,Green, Junior and Steelworks have all appeared after Brymbo since then but Victoria has recently popped up again with a reformation of the club as a North East Wales side in 2017 (although Brymbo FC are still playing in the Wrexham Area of the Welsh National League). The original Victoria era was very short-lived, with the club folding in 1911. However, during these 10 years the club saw unprecedented success winning the Wrexham and District League three times (1903,1904 & 1905(, with a runners-up spot sandwiched in there too. They were also beaten finalists in the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1908, winning the St Martins Charity Cup to make up for it.
Mid Rhondda (1912 - 1928)
South Wales has always been something of a rugby stronghold, so when Mid Rhondda FC were formed the same year as the Titanic went down, they were one of the earliest football clubs in the area. The club had a ready-made stadium in which to play, the 10,000 capacity Mid Rhondda Ground which had been built in the previous decade to provide an all round athletics and sports facility in South Wales. The club immediately applied, and was accepted, into the Southern League even though they didn't have an established squad. By 1919-20, already having the Southern League Division Two title in their records, they took the Welsh League by storm, winning the championship by beating Cardiff City into second place. To top it off, they also won the South Wales Cup with a 1-0 victory over Barry FC. The club played some challenge matches against big names from England in this period, beating Nottingham Forest, Derby County and Portsmouth in the process.
Unfortunately for Mid Rhondda, when the Football League incorporated the Southern League in to Division Three, the club were left in the Southern League and the team started to fall apart. To add to this the country's economic problems in the 1920s depressed the Rhondda area, meaning that fewer and fewer people had money to watch the team. The end came in 1928 when the debt-ridden club was forced to close.
Abergavenny Thursdays (1927 - 2013)
It's always great to come across teams that have, or had, unusual names, many of which have significant historical backgrounds. Thursdays are no different. Founded in 1927, the club got their (possibly) unique name from the fact that many Welsh towns at the time gave workers a half-day on Thursdays. This, in turn, led to many social clubs springing up to take advantage of the free time. The club's halcyon days started in the early 1950s with promotion to the top tier of the Welsh Football League in 1951. They won the Welsh League Cup the following year and proceeded to take the Welsh Division One title twice in succession from 1958 - 1960. The club then repeated this feat in the early 1990s, again winning back to back titles and gaining an invitation to become founding members of the League of Wales. Unfortunately for the club, the financial strains of the new league caused all sorts of problems, players left the club and they were relegated to Division One. A few seasons later they dropped down again after failing to win a single game which signalled the start of a severe decline which saw them drop down into the Gwent League system, from which they withdrew in 2013.
Borough United (1952 - 1969)
Formed by the merger of two sides, Conwy Borough and Llandudno Junction in 1952, Borough United had a short but very full existence. They played their games at Llandudno's old ground, Nanty-y-Coed and wore the same maroon and white colours as Junction had worn. As such they were seen as a continuation of the Llandudno side. They quickly became a force in the North of Wales, winning the Welsh League North in 1959 and 1963, a season in which they also won the Welsh Cup beating Football League side Newport County 2-1 over two legs. This victory led to the club qualifying for the UEFA Cup where they were drawn against Maltese outfit Sliema Wanderers. They drew 1-1 in Malta and then won the return leg 2-1, a game played at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground. This then set up a tie against Slovan Bratislava which Borough lost 4-0 on aggregate. No disgrace for a small part-time outfit up against a side who already had four Czech League Championships to their name. The end for Borough started in 1967 when they lost the use of Nant-y-Coed. They continued for a while in a minor Conwy League before folding in 1969.
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