Really great to see some fresh names on North Wales football’s honours board in 2024-25

As a football fan who has lost a lot of enthusiasm and intensity in recent years I do take pleasure in seeing the big prizes spread around these days.

This season, I was delighted to see Crystal Palace lift the FA Cup and Newcastle United the Football League Cup.

I have no particular affection for those clubs, but it was such a long time since they had won anything of note, it was heartening to see them in the silverware.

Even as a Manchester United follower of 48 years, I wasn’t too deflated they lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur, another long-term under-achiever worthy of their day in the sun.

Disappointment has become quite commonplace for United supporters in recent seasons, but there were so many good times in the 1990s and 2000s, it’s easier to take the rough with the smooth and be grateful for what you had.

And when you have ‘second teams’ like Wrexham, Leeds United and Celtic, there’s still plenty to smile about.

However, my life these days is mainly all focused on local football. It’s my ‘happy place’ and somewhere the game still offers some magic.

So, as an ardent fan of North Wales football, I’ve been overjoyed to see a few clubs with bare trophy cupboards in recent decades boost their rolls of honour this season.

My interest in the Cymru Premier has waned season-by-season since it became a 12-team league and one club has pretty much dominated it since 2011-12.

However, Tiers 2 to 5 remain as enjoyable as ever, and witnessing a few new names on the winners’ rostrum in 2024-25 has been especially pleasurable.

These achievers pleased me in particular

PENMAENMAWR PHOENIX

Phoenix had not won a league title since being crowned Vale of Conwy champions in 1989-90, but how they made up for that this season.
Aaron Keating’s side not only lifted the North Wales Coast East Premier Division championship, they did it as invincibles – no losses in 28 games.
Added to that, Pen landed the NWCFA Intermediate Cup for the first time since 1925 – a 100-year gap – and won their first-ever Cookson Cup.
Phoenix lost just two of their 43 games in all competitions in 2024-25 – both to Tier 3 teams – won 35, drew six and netted 155 goals.
Their finest-ever season was something truly special.

BLAENAU FFESTINIOG AMATEURS

Blaenau have a proud and distinguished past, perhaps the highlight being the 1971–72 season when they won the Welsh League, North Wales Coast Challenge Cup, Alves Cup and Cookson Cup.
A new club, Blaenau Amateurs, was formed in 1980, but since winning the Gwynedd League title in 2008-09, success had been fairly thin on the ground.
However, this season the Cae Clyd outfit roared back to prominence, landing the Tier 5 North Wales Coast West League Division One title by an 18-point margin and getting their name on the NWCFA Junior Challenge Cup for the first time.
Blaenau are back! Well done to Gerallt Michelmore’s side.

BRICKFIELD RANGERS

What a fantastic season for Brickfield Rangers!
The Wrexham club was more renowned for its off-the-field awards until this campaign, when their first team lifted their first-ever league title and it was a big one – the Tier 3 Ardal North East championship.
Seeing off the challenge of numerous strong teams to finish top of the tree, Gareth Wilson’s men sealed the big prize in style with a 6-0 caning of Radnor Valley in front of their supporters at Clywedog Park.
As reward for their success, Brickie have gained promotion to the Tier 2 Cymru North for the first time in their 39-year history.
The icing on the cake for this great club was well and truly applied in 2024-25.

RHOS UNITED

Another respected name which had not needed the key to its trophy cabinet in a long while is Rhos United.
However, this season it all came good as they won the North Wales Coast East Division One title with an unbeaten record of 19 wins and five draws in 24 matches, and scooped the REM Jones Cup, beating Penrhyn Bay in a thrilling final.
With quality signings in pre-season added to their already good squad, 2024-25 saw Rhos well and truly deliver.
The club had not won a league title since 1981-82 before this season turned into one of major achievement.

CAERGYBI

Although they had won three trophies since forming in 2017-18, Caergybi had not claimed silverware in five seasons and probably felt 2024-25 was the time to deliver.
And the Holyhead side did just that, making a welcome return to the honours board by winning the Cwpan Menai Tractors Cup.
Dale Moffat and James Jones’ team beat Llangoed and District 2-0 in the final, having earned revenge in the semi by knocking out a Blaenau Ffestiniog outfit which defeated them 5-1 in the NWCFA Junior Cup Final.
In a season where ace striker James Ryan, who scored in the Tractors final, brought up 200 career goals, Caergybi were in the spotlight often and got what they fully deserved.