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| The most significant happening in
football terms during the tail end of the last century and the direct result of
the senior club’s decision to drop local players was the setting up of the
town’s only current club - Blaenau Amateurs FC - in 1980.
On the 7th of July,1980 a meeting was held at the North Western Hotel to discuss the formation of a new football club. Chaired by Gwilym Penniel Roberts the meeting was a great success and the present BLAENAU AMATEURS FC was formed and officials elected to administer the club. These were: President - John Cadwalader Jones (then Queens Hotel landlord) Chairman - David Emlyn Griffiths (Haulfryn) Vice- Chairman - Austin Roberts (Glanwern) Secretary - Robert Ll.Roberts(Wynne Road) Assistant Secretary - Philip Roberts (Llan Ffestiniog) Treasurer - Rob Harris (North Western Hotel) Assistant-Treasurer - Mrs Rob Harris Committee - John Williams, David Coleman, Ken Hyde, Brian Jones, Glyn Crampton, Gwilym Price, Gary Jones, Emyr Williams and Gwilym Thomas. Of the above named, only Robert Roberts is still with the club and has been club secretary throughout the life of the club. Gwilym Roberts was elected as Manager for the first season and the club successfully applied for mastership of the Vale of Conwy Football League, gaining entry to Section A. Aided by numerous cash donations - the first noted as being from Glyn Crampton - the club started its first playing season, with the following squad being named for the first League fixture sway at Conwy British Legion: Kevin Spencer Hughes Carl Davies Gareth Jones (Porthmadog) Gwilym A.Roberts Rob Harris Andrew Roberts Robert Llywelyn Roberts Gareth Roberts Selwyn Hughes David Benjamin Williams Robert Thomas (Porthmadog) Glyn Jones Clifford Williams (Penrhyn) Dylan Roberts All of the above have now retired from active play; the last to hang up his boots being goalkeeper Kevin ‘Spens’ Hughes who remained as the club’s number one custodian for twelve years broken only by a short spell with Machno United. Out of a possible 186 league matches he missed only five with three of those during a season as manager. His loyalty and dedication on the field helped the club to victory on numerous occasions and his heroics between the posts sometimes staved off a heavy defeat against more experienced opposition. David ‘Benj’ Williams returned to the club for a season to play alongside hie son Keith, who had trials for Arsenal and Glyn Jones became manager for a period, pulling on his boots once or twice during the end of season fixtures. The first match ended in success, a 5-1 win for the Amateurs, but the club took time in establishing itself and it was not until the 1983-84 season that the club gained its first honour in the form of the League’s Frank Tyldesley Trophy which they successfully retained the following season and regained in 1986-87. The most successful season so far on record was the 1987-88 term when the club won the Vale of Conwy League title by two points from Penmaenmawr in a very tight finish. Having completed the season as runners-up the previous year, it was an even greater pleasure to take the championship unbeaten and to complete the double by winning the League’s Challenge Cup - then sponsored by the North Wales Weekly News - in a final against near-neighbours Dolwyddelen. This success, coupled with the fact that they were by now amongst the top clubs in the Vale of Conwy League, prompted an application to join the Gwynedd League. The application was successful and their membership of that League commenced at the start of the 1988-89 term. To be continued…………. |
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