Borough United were a minor Welsh football club based in Llandudno Junction who caused a shock by winning the Welsh Cup in 1963 before performing much better than anticipated in European football.
The club was formed in 1952 by a merger of two struggling neighbouring clubs Llandudno Junction (who had previously been successful in their league but had fallen into financial difficulties) and Conwy Borough. The new club represented something of a continuation for Llandudno Junction as they continued to play at their Nant-y-Coed ground and wear their maroon and white strip. They were soon established as a strong side in the Welsh League North, winning the title in 1958–59 and 1962–63. In the latter season, the club also recorded their Welsh cup triumph, with victories over Rhyl, Denbigh Town, cup holders Bangor City and Hereford United setting up a final with Football League side Newport County In the two-legged final the club won 2–1 at home and drew 0–0 at Somerton Park to secure the win. [1] [2]
As a consequence of the success the club qualified for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and faced Sliema Wanderers of Malta in the first round. A 0–0 draw in Malta was followed by a 2–0 success at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham — a more suitable venue than the tiny Nant-y-Coed ground with its single stand and spartan changing rooms — to set up a tie with ŠK Slovan Bratislava of Czechoslovakia. Borough were defeated 1–0 at Wrexham before losing 3–0 in Bratislava. The results were no disgrace, as the part-timers of Borough United had played well against a club that fielded five full internationals. Their win against Sliema Wanderers was the first time a Welsh club had won a round in a major European Competition. [3]
The club enjoyed financial support and administration from a local businessman J.R. "Bob" Bithell, a successful haulage contractor, garage owner and builder involved in construction of buildings such as the Crosville Garage in Llandudno Junction, Vale Laundry, the Drill Hall in Conwy as well as dozens of homes. Bithell supported the construction of the stand at the Nant-y-Coed ground, changing rooms and toilets. He paid for much of the kit and helped players with travel costs especially when Borough played in Europe. Bithell also had several coaches at the time (Blue Coaches of Llandudno that had formally been Royal Blue Coaches, Oswald Road Garage, Llandudno Junction) and his coaches did much of the team transportation when playing away.[ citation needed ]
The club continued as a top five side in their league until 1967 when they were evicted from their Nant-y-Coed ground by its owners, the Irish Oblates of Mary Immaculate order, and were ultimately forced to eke out an existence in the very minor Vale of Conwy League. They lasted in this competition until 1969 when they folded.
Conwy County Borough is a county borough in the north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrative centre.
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.
Betws-y-Coed is a village and community in the Conwy valley in Conwy County Borough, Wales, located in the historic county of Caernarfonshire, right on the boundary with Denbighshire, in the Gwydir Forest. It is now a very popular visitor destination in the Snowdonia National Park. The population of the community as of the 2021 census was 476, a decline on the previous census.
North Wales is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, wholly within the region. Its population is concentrated in the north-east and northern coastal areas, with significant Welsh-speaking populations in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any exact definition or administrative structure. It is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other definitions exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
The Conwy Valley line is a railway line in north-west Wales. It runs from Llandudno via Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog, and was originally part of the London and North Western Railway, being opened in stages to 1879. The primary purpose of the line was to carry slate from the Ffestiniog quarries to a specially built quay at Deganwy for export by sea. The line also provided goods facilities for the market town of Llanrwst, and via the extensive facilities at Betws-y-Coed on the London to Holyhead A5 turnpike road it served many isolated communities in Snowdonia and also the developing tourist industry. Although only a little over 27 miles (43 km) between Llandudno and Blaenau Ffestiniog, the journey takes over one hour, largely due to the sinuous and steeply graded nature of the route taken. Most of the stations along the line are treated as request stops.
Llandudno Junction, once known as Tremarl, is a village in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It is part of the ancient parish of Llangystennin, and it is located south of Llandudno. It adjoins Deganwy and is to the east of the walled town of Conwy, which is on the opposite side of the River Conwy. The population is 6,722 (2011) and is part of the community of Conwy, and comprises the wards of Marl and Pensarn. The built-up area of Llandudno Junction and Deganwy had a population of 10,658.
Holywell Town Football Club is a Welsh football club from Holywell, Flintshire. They are nicknamed 'The Wellmen', and play their home games at the Achieve More Training Stadium, Holywell. They currently play in the Cymru North, the second tier northern and central regional league in the Welsh football pyramid.
The Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Football League was a football league formed in 2011 following the split of the Clwyd Football League, which itself was formed in 1974 as an amalgamation of the Dyserth and the Halkyn Mountain League. The Premier Division was in the fifth level of the Welsh football league system in North Wales. The league folded in 2020 due to a reorganisation of the Welsh football league pyramid, with many teams joining the North Wales Coast East Football League.
Conwy Borough Football Club are a Welsh football club based in Conwy, playing in the Ardal NW which is at tier three of the Welsh football pyramid. Between 1977 and June 2012 they were known as Conwy United.
Levi Alan Mackin is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He has played in the Football League for Wrexham.
The Welsh Rugby Union Division One North is a rugby union league in Wales first implemented for the 1995/96 season. The league was known as Division Four North before the 2008-09 season. Division One North, Two North and Three North are self-contained leagues within the larger Swalec leagues, and clubs can not be promoted to or demoted from the two leagues.
Llandudno Junction FC are a football club based in Llandudno Junction, playing in the North Wales Coast East Football League Premier Division in Wales.
Glan Conwy Football Club are a Welsh football club playing in the North Wales Coast East Football League Division One. They are a member of the North Wales Coast Football Association.
Dwygyfylchi is a village in Conwy County Borough, Wales. It is part of the community of Penmaenmawr which has a population of 4,353. The electoral ward of Capelulo which includes Dwygyfylchi had a population of 1,485 in 2011. It forms part of the historic county of Caernarfonshire.
Llandudno Ladies Football Club are a Welsh women's association football club based in Llandudno Junction, Conwy County Borough. They currently play their home games at Maesdu Park and play in the Adran North.
The North Wales Coast East Football League is a football league in Wales, at tiers 4 and 5 of the Welsh football league system in north Wales, founded in 2020. The league is under the control of the North Wales Coast Football Association. The league replaced the former Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Football League, and covers the north east of Wales. A corresponding North Wales Coast West Football League was also established at the same time.
Morfa Conwy is a spit formed originally of marshy sand, north of the western end of the modern A55 entrance to Conwy in Conwy county borough, north-west Wales. A widely used corruption of the place name is Conwy Morfa, likely to have come about from the nearby Conway Marsh changing to Conway Morfa. The North Wales Coast Line railway once had a stop at 'Conway Morfa'.
Llandudno Albion Football Club was a Welsh football team based in Llandudno, in Conwy County Borough, Wales.
The Vale of Conwy Football League was a football league in North Wales. It was formed in 1922 and ceased operating at the end of the 2001–02 season.