Flint Town United F.C.

History

The club was founded in 1886 as Flint F.C. and initially played at Strand Park on the banks of the Dee Estuary. In 1890–91 they reached the first Welsh Amateur Cup final, losing 4–1 to Wrexham Victoria. Flint became founder members of the North Wales Coast League and won the inaugural championship in 1893–94 unbeaten in twelve games, finishing two points ahead of Llandudno Swifts. They were runners-up the next two seasons before resigning to join the newly formed Flintshire League.

By the turn of the century Flint had three teams: Flint Town, Flint Athletic and Flint UAC. In 1905 Flint UAC and Flint Town amalgamated as Flint Town. In 1909, as a Chester and District League side, they won the North Wales Amateur Cup by defeating Pwllheli 1–0. In 1924 the club left Strand Park for a new ground at Holywell Road, which could hold up to 3,000 spectators.

Led by Captain Emlyn Jones, Flint reached the 1925 Welsh Cup final but lost 3–1 to Wrexham. They won the North Wales Amateur Cup three times between 1931 and 1932. Flint Town played in the Welsh National League (North) through the 1920s, finishing runners-up to Oswestry Town in 1923–24. In 1930 they joined the newly formed Welsh League, winning the title in 1933–34 with 99 goals in eighteen games.

From 1937 to 1949, apart from the war years, Flint Town played in the West Cheshire League, while Flint Athletic continued in the Dyserth League, winning the title in 1938 and 1939.

Flint Town United

A new football club for Flint was created at a well-attended public meeting in the Town Hall on 27 June 1946, when the decision was made to merge Flint Town and Flint Athletic into Flint Town United. The club joined the Welsh League (North) for the 1949–50 campaign and ended up as runners-up to Holyhead Town, but had already lifted the Welsh Amateur Cup by beating Troedyrhiw 2–1 in the 1947–48 final. Under manager Billy Russell, the side became a strong force in the early 1950s, reaching its peak in 1954 by winning the Welsh Senior Cup.

Welsh international Billy Hughes, whose playing days were interrupted by the war, inspired the team as they defeated Holywell Town, Oswestry Town, Rhyl, Llanelly, and First Division Cardiff City in a 2–1 semi-final victory watched by 10,683 people at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. In the final, also at the Racecourse Ground, they beat third division Chester City 2–0 in front of 15,584 spectators. Within five years of those successful seasons, the club dropped down the league table and was relegated at the end of 1961–62.

The 1960s saw crowds dwindle, and the team depended on local players, with the only highlights being the youth side winning the Welsh Youth Cup in 1965 and the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1969. During the 1970s and 1980s, the club moved through different leagues, eventually becoming Welsh League (North) champions in 1988–89. In 1990, the Cymru Alliance was created, and that season Tony Martin was appointed manager with Les Davies as his assistant. Flint Town United became the first champions of the new league, also winning the North Wales Challenge Cup for the first time, and beat South Wales champions Abergavenny 2–1 in the only Welsh Non-League final. The next season, 1991–92, they narrowly failed to defend the title.