Mountain Rangers face a Caernarfon Town All-Stars XI next Friday

Newly reformed Mountain Rangers men’s football team will compete at Anglesey League level in the 2019-20 season – and to help build for an exciting campaign ahead they have a special match lined up next weekend.

Rangers will take on a Caernarfon Town All-Stars team at Y Cae Gors, Rhosgadfan, this Friday, July 5, kick-off 7pm.

Confirmed as playing for the Canaries are: Mark Owen, Neil Perkins, Chris Joyce, Kev Lloyd, Dylan “Midge” Owen, Llion Jones, Kev “Bach” Roberts, Rhys Roberts, Jay Gibbs, Mark Jat, Neil Jat, Shaun Cavanagh, Gareth Bych, Gwyn Peters, Richard Owain Davies and Jason Sadler.

The return of the men’s team is the final piece in the jigsaw for the comeback of CPD Mountain Rangers.

They have already re-started running junior sides and last season introduced a women’s team for the first time. The ladies competed in North Wales League Division Two and got stronger as the season went on.

Rangers have started preparing early for the 2019-20 campaign, with four quality players in Kim Broadbent, Efa Carlotta Santaca Jones, Sara Williams and Jessica Lane added to the ever-growing squad.

CPD Mountain Rangers was formed in the 1920s and their well-known pitch featured in the cult S4C comedy series C’mon Midffild.

Rangers were founder members of the Caernarfon and District League when it formed in 1950. They won the league title in 1969/70, 1974/75 and 1975/76 and were Division Two champions in 2008/09. They were promoted to Division One the following season, finished eighth, but have not competed since.

After finishing second in the Caernarfon and District back in 1991/92, Rangers rose to the Gwynedd League and were runners-up twice in 1992/93 and 1994/95, but dropped out at the end of 1995/96, returning to football in the C&D for just a single season in 1997/98.

The club also ran a reserve side in the C&D for four seasons between 1992/93 and 1995/96.

Following a successful comeback in 2008/09, where they lifted the C&D Division Two crown, the first team lasted just one season in the top division.

Managing the team this season will be Alex Philp, a renowned author on the history of Caernarfon Town. He will be assisted by Irfon Hughes and Dilwyn Vaughan Thomas.

Quite fitting, then, that Alex’s new team’s preparations for 2019-20 include a glamour friendly with the Canaries this Friday.

Rangers’ membership of the Anglesey League was confirmed the league’s AGM on June 28.