Six years ago this week one of North Wales’ greatest football clubs kicked its final ball under their original name

This week marks the sixth anniversary of the final game ever played by the former Rhyl FC.

On March 7-8, 2020, a football season cut short by the pandemic came to an end across Wales.

Among the final Saturday fixtures was Rhyl FC v Gresford Athletic at Belle Vue in the JD Cymru North League.

Despite taking the lead through Aaron Hassall, the Lilywhites team managed by Eddie Maurice-Jones ended up 2-1 losers to a Gresford outfit led by ex-TNS and Bangor City Cymru Premier title-winner Nicky Ward.

Joe Chaplin and Nathan Williams bagged the all-important goals for the Colliers, who avenged a 3-1 home loss to Rhyl earlier that season.

Although not known at the time, this fixture would bring an end to 142 years of football for Rhyl FC, who withdrew from footballing activities in April 2020 and had its entire footballing record for the 2019–20 season expunged. It was formally dissolved 18 months later in October 2021.

Rhyl FC had won four Welsh Cups, three Cheshire County League titles and been crowned Welsh Premier League and Cymru Alliance League champions twice in its proud history.

During its period of inactivity a phoenix club now known as CPD Y Rhyl 1879 was formed on 6 May 2020,

Due to the entire 2020-21 season below Tier 1 being cancelled due to lockdown, 1879 did not make their debut in Tier 4 until the start of the 2021-22.

They have since been promoted to Tier 2 after winning the North Wales Coast East Premier Division and Ardal North West titles and this season reached the Welsh Cup semi-finals.

FINAL RHYL FC LINE-UP – MARCH 7, 2020

Rory Crowther, Ben Nash, Reece Fairhurst, Danny Sullivan, Aaron Hassall, David Macintyre, Sam Molyneux, Conor Harwood, Ilan Ap Gareth Jones, Tommy Creamer, Ben Burrows. SUBS USED: Ben Lockley, Arkadiusz Pisorkski, Mason Blackwell-Jones. Unused subs: Thomas Weir, Ollie Staveley.