Anyone remember Trearddur Bay striker Tom Hilditch’s dad playing for Bangor City?
Did you know that Grassroots North Wales Footballer of the Year Tom Hilditch’s dad once played for Bangor City in Europe?
Back in summer 1998, Liverpool-based winger Darren Hilditch signed for the Citizens and stepped straight into European football, featuring in both legs of a Cup Winners’ Cup tie against FC Haka of Finland.
City lost the home test 2-0, a game that signalled the end of European matches at Farrar Road and went down 1-0 at Tehtaans Kentta Stadium.
It was nonetheless an exciting baptism in Welsh football for the Kirkby lad who was to enjoy another career-high for the all-blues that season.
Playing away at Cardiff City in an FAW Premier Cup group clash, Hilditch scored a wonder goal to clinch Bangor a 1-0 victory at the Football League Division Three club.
Working the ball onto his left foot about 20 yards out, Hilditch curled in an absolute beauty to secure the League of Wales visitors a tremendous result at Ninian Park.
The Liverpudlian’s effort won BBC Wales Goal of the Month and also made the final eight contenders for Goal of the Season. It can still be viewed on You Tube.
Despite showing plenty of promise, the then 21-year-old Hilditch had left City by December 1998.
Manager John King stepped down, goalkeeper Lee Williams became player-boss and Hilditch, along with a few team-mates, moved on.
Hilditch joined LoW club Conwy United, where he played for 11 months under Stan Allan before embarking on a brief spell at lowly top-flight outfit Rhayader Town.
That signalled the end of Darren’s spell in Welsh football, but the family link was reborn 21 years later when son Tom, 21, joined Prestatyn Town, netting 20 goals for the Seasiders in Cymru North.
Tom went on to represent Flint Town United and Porthmadog before this season landing at Tier 3 Ardal North West club Trearddur Bay, where he is in fantastic form, having bagged 21 goals for a team which has qualified for the Welsh Cup quarter-finals.
As for Darren Hilditch, born April 29, 1977, he began playing football around the age of six, developing his skills for school teams such as Pingwood and Roughwood, as well as Kirkby Schoolboys.
He spent four years with the Everton Centre of Excellence before taking on the challenge of senior high standard Sunday football in the Liverpool area.
Among the teams he turned out for were Manfast, Fantail, Sandon, Britannia and Melling Vics.
The Bangor opportunity came out of the blue, followed by those stints at Conwy and Rhayader, while in Saturday football he wore the colours of sides like Knowsley United, Lucas Sports, Prescot Cables, TFI (Tapes for Industry) and St Helens.
In an interview four years ago, Hilditch described future Wrexham, Swansea City and Leeds United star Lee Trundle as the greatest he played alongside, back in those Sunday League days on Merseyside.
As for his greatest goal, Darren did not choose the Bangor winner that sank Cardiff, but instead a stunning, Trevor Sinclair style overhead kick for Fantail against Eagle and Child.
Links between Liverpool-area football and North Wales are never far away and it is nice in the case of the Hilditch’s, to have reported on the careers of dad and son.
BACK IN TIME
Bangor City line-ups v FC Haka in the 1998-99 European Cup Winners’ Cup.
Home leg (0-2): Lee Williams, Gareth Williams, Michael Fox, Mark Allen, Mike McLoughlin, Noel Horner, Darren Hilditch, Jamie Taylor (Paul Langley 83), Sammy Ayorinde, John Garnell, Danny McGoona (Neil Wenham 53)
Away leg (0-1): Lee Williams, Paul Mooney (Phil Gibney 90), Michael Fox, Mark Allen, Noel Horner, Darren Hilditch, Archie Lloyd, Jamie Taylor, Sammy Ayorinde, John Garnell, Paul Langley