On the occasion of the Centenary of the North Wales Coast Football Association in 1994, Gareth Davies of Holyhead edited and compiled a centenary book entitled “A Coast of Football Memories 1894-1994.” This is a fascinating miscellany of articles which opens with an overview of the situation before the NWCFA was founded and, together with extracts from local newspapers, paints a vivid picture of football in the Bangor area in the first quarter-century of football in the city and its environs.

Football in the north west of Wales became organised later than was the case in the Wrexham area in particular – Wrexham itself being established in 1872 with Druids established three years earlier. We know that the game became organised in Bangor in 1876, as was the case in Caernarfon but, interestingly, the North Wales Chronicle reported in October 1872 that a club had been formed in Porthmadog.

Until 1890 when leagues were introduced, the Welsh Cup was the mainstay of competitive football, introduced in the 1877-78 season with Bangor entering in the first season of competition. During its early seasons, the Cup was dominated by Druids. In the twelve seasons prior to Bangor winning the trophy in 1888-9, Druids won the Cup five times, having appeared in eight finals and went on to win it Another team from the same area, Chirk AAA also shone, winning it five times between 1887 and 1894.

Bangor’s triumph in 1889, against Northwich Victoria at the Racecourse attracted some 4,000 spectators but was scarcely reported in the local newspapers however a couple of papers reported as did the Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald “..On Monday evening, at the Albion Hotel, the members of the Bangor football team were entertained to dinner in honour of their having won the challenge cup…” The North Wales Chronicle commented “..The Bangorians have accomplished a most successful career during the season. The cup team have emerged out of the football arena without a single defeat, being victorious all along the line but a reserve team have been defeated on two occasions, namely, at Rhyl, where they were beaten by four goals to two (played on a field which, according to a contemporary, is in size more like a billiard table than a football course), and at Carnarvon, where they were defeated by two goals to one. These were the only defeats, and which in no way checks the prosperous record of the cup eleven; but the Rhyl team and a local contemporary took the defeat of the Bangorians in a true braggadocio style. The time came for the Rhylites to again "cross swords" with the local team and on this occasion the Bangor eleven, with the exception of David Jones, confronted the Rhyl team. As expected, the Rhylites were defeated, and such a defeat!—twelve goals to none! It is perhaps needless to say that the brag and bluster was immediately suppressed. The Carnarvonites twice visited Bangor during the season,and on each occasion were defeated. In one of the encounters the Carnarvonites had the pleasure of perceiving the Bangor cup team (minus two or three) going through the same ordeal as was gone through with the Rhylites, with slight difference, the result being 13 goals to 0." It appears that history is repeating itself with our current team!

It was 1896 before Bangor lifted the Cup once more beating Wrexham 3-1 at the Council Field, Llandudno before a record crowd of 7,000. In the meantime there had been developments in relation to setting up a league competition. The local team were suffering from a lack of competition with the Chronicle complaining “..With the exception of the matches in connection with the Welsh Association Challenge Cup and the Easter contests, no other fixtures of importance were played at Bangor during the past season. The Bangor eleven are unable to meet a foe worthy of their steel in Carnarvonshire, and I hope that the Bangorians will meet in friendly rivalry such clubs as Chirk, Wrexham, Rhostyllen. Druids, and other well-known Welsh teams during the next season. This is the only way in which more life can be infused into local footballers..”

After unsuccessfully applying to join the Welsh League, with clubs around Wrexham not wanting to travel, Bangor was one of a number of clubs which met on 22 March 1893 in Rhyl to form the North Wales Coast League. Gareth Davies reports that Bangor had an amazing 75 players registered at the end of September 1893.

The 1895-6 season was one of Bangor’s finest. Having become the first team to win the North Wales Senior Cup in 1894-5, beating Llandudno 2-1, they went through the following season unbeaten. The playing record was P29 W21 D8 L0. The record included the retention of the Senior Cup beating Rhyl 2-1. The match was marred by bad behaviour by the Rhyl players and spectators, the referee requiring a police escort from the ground!

Bangor were runners-up in the league the following season and were also second best to Llandudno in the Senior Cup. They won the Senior Cup once more in 1898 beating Holywell 2-1.

As the century closed, the decision had been taken top enter the Combination League (Cheshire and Lancashire) with the reserve team remaining in the North Wales competition.

In July 1900, the Chronicle reported “….the season of 1898-99 had been one of interest and importance in the history of the Bangor Football Club, being the first season in which the club took part in the Combination Competition. At the close of the season the club had attained a prominent position in the Combination table. In dealing with the various cup ties, the secretary reported that the North Wales Coast Association Cup had for the fourth time found its resting place in Bangor, and in honour of the victory Mr W. Douglas Jones, one of the vice-presidents of the club, entertained the team to a dinner. With regard to the second team it was stated that they had done well in the Coast League, and after a keen struggle only lost the championship by goal average. During the season the first team had played 41 matches, won 22, drawn 7, lost 12, and the second team's performance showed that they had played 17 matches, won 11, and lost 6. During the season there were 212 members on the "books, out of which 154 had paid their subscriptions..”

The North Wales Express also marked the club’s progress boasting “… Bangor proves to have been by far the most successful of the three Welsh clubs-namely, Rhyl, Llandudno, and Bangor-which last year for the first time entered the Combination,…...They secured a creditable place in the Combination, and had they won two more matches would have been placed third, next to Liverpool. The number of matches played was 41, and of these 22 were won, and 7 drawn…”

Quite a way to end the century on the pitch!

Photo credit: “A Coast of Football Memories 1894-1994” Gareth Davies, Author and publisher.

Read Dafydd Hughes's recent article 'Back to the future: football in Bangor since 1876': click here.

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