Is Friday night’s Welsh Cup beating of Caernarfon Town the greatest win in Holyhead Hotspur’s history?

JD WELSH CUP ROUND TWO – OCTOBER 19, 2024

Holyhead Hotspur 0 Caernarfon Town 0
(Holyhead Hotspur won 6-5 on penalties)

Does Friday night’s fantastic Welsh Cup victory over Caernarfon Town rank as Holyhead Hotspur’s greatest ever in the competition? Or indeed. the very best since the club formed in 1990?

Surely it has to be No1, as never before previously in 27 years of competing in the national knockout had the Holy Islanders recorded a win against a team two levels above them in the Welsh pyramid.

With Caernarfon fifth in the Tier 1 Cymru Premier League and Hotspur sixth in Tier 3 Ardal North West, Friday’s result has to be classed a huge upset.

Although the Canaries were coming off two highly disappointing home losses to Aberystwyth Town and Newtown, just nine days ago they had stunned the CPL by winning 2-1 at champions The New Saints as part of a six-match undefeated run to break into the top three.

Also, of course, Caernarfon had won their first ever match in European competition three months ago.

Hotspur, meanwhile, had collected just one victory in their last four matches.

The status gap strongly leaned in Town’s favour, but the Cofis’ struggles in the past week had levelled things out a little and suggested an upset was far from out of the question.

The clubs had met twice previously in the Welsh Cup, Caernarfon winning both ties – 3-2 at The Oval in 2003-04 and 3-1 at the New Stadium in 2005-06.

To assess whether this was Hotspur’s most prestigious Welsh Cup win ever, one needs to look back at previous giant-killings…..

2015-16: Holyhead Hotspur 2 Bangor City 1

This was probably Hotspur’s most famous Welsh Cup success before Friday night.

Taking on eight-time cup winners Bangor, Hotspur were in the tier 2 Cymru Alliance, while the Citizens competed in the Welsh Premier, although they were not pulling up any trees at this point.

More than 700 spectators were at the New Stadium on a windy Friday night and after a goalless first half, City took the lead through Matty Woodward.

However, late goals from Rhys Roberts and Dean Garmey earned the hosts the biggest win in their history up to that point.

Nonetheless, there was only one level between the teams, as opposed to two with the Caernarfon tie.

1997-98: Holyhead Hotspur 2 Rhydymwyn 1

Hotspur’s very first Welsh Cup tie at the start of 1997-98 produced a fabulous result as the then Welsh Alliance hosts defeated Rhydymwyn, who would be crowned Cymru Alliance champions that season.

1997-98: Llandrindod Wells 0 Holyhead Hotspur 4

Hotspur’s second-ever Welsh Cup tie delivered another giant-killing – a highly impressive four-goal success for the Welsh Alliance side at Cymru Alliance mid-tablers Llandrindod.

Holyhead lost narrowly 3-2 at home to League of Wales side Cwmbran in round three.

2009-10: Holyhead Hotspur 1 Newtown 1 (Hotspur won 4-3 on pens)

Hotspur’s first-ever Welsh Cup triumph over a Welsh Premier side.

Mark Williams’ Holyhead finished eighth out of 17 teams in the Cymru Alliance that season, yet were harshly relegated due to a Welsh football restructure.

Newtown ended the campaign in the lower reaches of the Welsh Premier.

This tie will always be remembered for Hotspur keeper Mike Doutch’s performance, as he made numerous big saves, including one in the penalty shoot-out, and then slammed in the winning spot-kick himself.

Both sides ended up with 10 men in the match itself which saw Obi Anorou edge Newtown ahead before Curt Williams levelled with a bullet header.

CONCLUSION

Some great results there for Hotspur, but how does beating Caernarfon this weekend compare?

Status-wise, the slaying of the Cofis has to be Holyhead’s biggest ever Welsh Cup result, however, the wins over Bangor City and Newtown may mean more to some suppoeters personally.

Incidentally, Hotspur’s overall Welsh Cup record is excellent – 69 ties, 43 wins – that’s a 62% win ratio.

In the 27 seasons Hotspur have competed in the Welsh Cup, 21 were as a Cymru Alliance/Cymru North team and the remainder as a Tier 3 outfit.

FRIDAY NIGHT’S REPORT…….

Holyhead Hotspur 0 Caernarfon Town 0
(Holyhead Hotspur won 6-5 on pens)

Hotspur won their first penalty shoot out contest in the Welsh Cup since famously knocking out League of Wales club Newtown in 2009-10.

“This is one of the biggest scalps for this club without a doubt – this is massive,” the words of Hotspur manager Darren Garmey after his team’s famous Welsh Cup win over Cymru Premier giants Caernarfon Town.

With strong winds a factor, Caernarfon missed chances to take the lead in the first half and the underdogs got stronger after the break, imposing themselves on the tie.

But at the end of 90 minutes it went to spot-kicks and Hotspur captain Alex Jones dispatched the all-important penalty to seal the shoot-out 6-5.

LINE-UPS

Hotspur: Guto Hughes, James Phillips, Kyle Murphy, Tomos Owen, Alex Jones (c), Ifan Emlyn Jones, Tomi Llywelyn (Jacob Godsman-Pilling 83), Jack Walsh, Cory Williams, Kane Roberts, Dylan Summers-Jones

Caernarfon: Stephen McMullan, Morgan Owen, Matty Jones, Phillip Mooney, Zack Clarke, Adam Davies (Matty Hill 82), Darren Thomas (Louis Lloyd 46). Sam Downey, Paulo Mendes, Stefan Edwards (Osian Evans 46 – Joe Faux 90). Ryan Sears (Gruff John 17)

HOLYHEAD HOTSPUR – WELSH CUP RECORD

1997/98
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Rhydymwyn 1
R2 Llandrindod Wells 0 Holyhead Hotspur 4
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Cwmbran Town 3

1998/99
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 6 Bala Town 0
R2 Owens Corning 1 Holyhead Hotspur 4
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Conwy United 3

1999/2000
R1 Corwen Amateurs 2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 (Corwen won 4-2 on pens)

2000/01
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Porthmadog 3.

2001/02
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 7 Prestatyn Town 4
R2 Halkyn United 5 Holyhead Hotspur 1.

2002/03
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 3 Castell Alun Colts 1
R2 Rhyl 5 Holyhead Hotspur 0.

2003/04
R1 Cemaes Bay 2 Holyhead Hotspur 3
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 3 Gresford Athletic 0
R3 Caernarfon Town 3 Holyhead Hotspur 2

2004/05
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Cemaes Bay 0
R2 Penrhyncoch 2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 (Hotspur won 4-3 on pens)
R3 Rhyl 9 Holyhead Hotspur 0.

2005/06
R1 Rhydymwyn 0 Holyhead Hotspur 6
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Caernarfon Town 3

2006/07
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Lex XI 1
R2 Llangefni Town 0 Holyhead Hotspur 2
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Presteigne St Andrews 0
R4 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Bridgend Town 1
QF Holyhead Hotspur 1 Welshpool Town 5

2007/08
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 3 Cefn United 2
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Bala Town 1
R3 Newi Cefn Druids 3 Holyhead Hotspur 0

2008/09
R1 Mynydd Isa 3 Holyhead Hotspur 3 (Hotspur won 6-5 on pens)
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Llay Welfare 1
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Pentwyn Dynamos 1
R4 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Newport YMCA 1 (YMCA won 6-5 on pens)

2009/10
R1 Overton Recreational 1 Holyhead Hotspur 2
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Newtown 1 (Hotspur won 4-3 on pens)
R3 Llangeinor 1 Holyhead Hotspur 6
R4 Llanelli 4 Holyhead Hotspur 0

2010/11
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Technogroup Welshpool 0
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Llangefni Town 0
R3 Haverfordwest County 3 Holyhead Hotspur 2

2011/12
R1 Llanrhaeadr YM 1 Holyhead Hotspur 6
R2 Buckley Town 5 Holyhead Hotspur 2

2012/13
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 6 Llansantffraid 2
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 5 Pwllheli 2
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Carmarthen Town 2

2013/14
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 0 Cefn Druids 3

2014/15
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 0 Conwy Borough 2

2015/16
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 8 Pentraeth 0
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Chirk AAA 0
R3 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Bangor City 1
R4 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Bala Town 3

2016/17
R1 Nantlle Vale 0 Holyhead Hotspur 3
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Llanrug United 1
R3 Prestatyn Town 2 Holyhead Hotspur 1 (aet)

2017/18
R1 Denbigh Town 4 Holyhead Hotspur 3 (aet)

2018/19
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Corwen 2
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 3 Ruthin Town 1
R3 Bangor City 4 Holyhead Hotspur 1

2019/20
QR2 Holyhead Hotspur 3 Holyhead Town 1
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Montgomery Town 2
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 0 Buckley Town 3

2021/22
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 1 Rhos Aelwyd 0
R2 Cefn Druids 0 Holyhead Hotspur 0 (Druids won 4-2 on pens)

2022/23
R2 Mold Alexandra 3 Holyhead Hotspur 1

2023/24
QR2 Holyhead Hotspur 2 Llysfaen 0
R1 Holyhead Hotspur 0 Bangor 1876 4

2024/25
QR1 Holyhead Hotspur 10 Valley Seniors 0
QR2 Holyhead Hotspur 4 Bethesda Athletic 2
R1 Llandudno Amateurs 0 Holyhead Hotspur 4
R2 Holyhead Hotspur 0 Caernarfon Town 0 (Hotspur won 6-5 on pens)

HOLYHEAD HOTSPUR WELSH CUP RECORD (up to Oct 19, 2024)

PLAYED 69
WON 43
DRAWN 0
LOST 26
GOALS FOR 174
GOALS AGAINST 121