Newtown A.F.C. Explained

Clubname:Newtown
Upright:0.75
Fullname:Newtown Association Football Club
Nickname:The Robins
Ground:Latham Park
Capacity:5,000 (1,300 seated)[1]
Chairman:Nick Evans
Manager:Scott Ruscoe
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Newtown Association Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl-droed Y Drenewydd) is a Welsh football club based in Newtown, Powys, which plays in the . Newtown are one of only two clubs that can claim unbroken membership of the league since its formation in 1992, with the other club being Aberystwyth Town.

The club plays at Latham Park, Newtown, which accommodates 5,000 spectators. They are the only top flight football club in Powys.

History

The club has its origins in two previous clubs, both active from 1875; Newtown and White Stars. The latter won the 1878–79 Welsh Cup and in the aftermath an attempt was made to merge the clubs under the name Excelsior.[2] The Newtown club folded into the Excelsior, but White Stars continued, and absorbed the Excelsior in 1880.[3] After losing the 1880–81 Welsh Cup final, the White Stars disbanded; but a meeting at the Lion Hotel on 23 July 1884 re-established a Newtown association football club, featuring many of the players and officials who had been involved with the White Stars, and, in some cases, with the original Newtown club beforehand.[4] [5]

The revived club won the 1894–95 Welsh Cup, beating Wrexham 3–2 at Welshpool, despite Goodwin in goal being ordered off for retaliation before the second half (while Newtown was 2–1 down),[6] but in July 1900 it lost the use of the Cunnings, and, with diminished gates and additional expenses, there were fears for the future of the club.[7] Another article from March 1901 referred to Newtown being defunct, and hoped that Newtown Excelsior would resuscitate the club.[8] Newtown North End and Royal Welsh Warehouse Newtown emerged in the town in their place.[9] In 1910, they were still inactive.[10] No records exist of Newtown Football Club again until the 1919.[11]

For most of the years since the 1920s the club operated in the Mid-Wales League, or the Central Wales League as it was sometimes known, winning the championship in 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1986–87 and 1987–88 and on the strength of this record, the club gained entry to the English league system in the Northern Premier League.

In 1992 the club became rather reluctant founder members of the League of Wales. Since then it has finished runners-up in the league in both 1995–96 and 1997–98, and subsequently played UEFA cup ties against Skonto Riga of Latvia and Wisła Kraków of Poland.

Newtown Association Football Club are one of the oldest clubs in Wales, being formed in 1875 and are one of the founder members of the FAW. In addition, the club was also one of the founder members of the League of Wales, now known as the Cymru Premier.

The club has a long and proud tradition with the move in the late 1980s into the Northern Premier League being part of the progressive nature of the club.

Way back in 1877, Newtown took part in the first Welsh Cup tie on Saturday 13 October against Druids of Ruabon. Cefn Druids now former members of the Welsh Premier are derived from this club. Wrexham went on to win the competition but in the following season, Newtown White Stars beat the favourites Wrexham 2–1 in Oswestry and became the first club to receive the famous trophy, which had only been purchased a few months earlier. In December 1895 Newtown travelled to play Manchester City at Maine Road and shocked the City team by winning 3–2. Newtown's W. Parry scored all three goals for the Robins.[12]

In 2014 Newtown became the second Cymru Premier club, after The New Saints, to change their grass turf for a 3G pitch. During the 2014–15 season Newtown finished in the top six for the second consecutive season. They also took part in their first Welsh Cup final in 118 Years after memorable wins against Caersws, Bangor and Rhyl. However they lost the match 2–0 to The New Saints, despite it being played at Latham Park in front of a capacity crowd. After the cup final defeat, Newtown entered the European play-offs. During the play-offs, they won away at Port Talbot Town and won away at Aberystwyth Town to take a spot in the 2015–16 Europa League qualifiers.

In July 2015 Newtown faced Maltese opponents Valletta in the first round of qualifying for the 2015-16 Europa League. A last minute winner in the 1st leg at Latham Park gave the club their first European win and was followed with an away victory giving Newtown their first Europa League Win over two legs. Newtown faced Danish giants Copenhagen in the second round and were defeated over both legs losing 5–1 on aggregate. Newtown finished in the top 6 again during the following 2015-16 Welsh Premier League season and were also the only team to beat The New Saints at Park Hall, but eventually lost at home to Airbus UK Broughton in the play-off semi final. Newtown again reached the play-offs after finishing 7th in the 2016-17 Welsh Premier League season, but were beaten 3–2 away to Bangor City.

Honours

Current squad

[15]

Technical staff

PositionName
Manager Scott Ruscoe
Assistant Manager Nathan Leonard
Academy Manager Callum McKenzie
Goalkeeping CoachVacant
First-team CoachVacant
Physio Meg Randell
Sports Therapist Jack Clements
Kit Manager Dave Rose

Managers

Europe

Newtown have participated in UEFA competition five times.

SeasonCompetitionRoundClubHomeAwayAggregate
1996–97UEFA CupPR Skonto FC1–40–31–7
1998–99UEFA Cup1Q Wisła Kraków0–00–70–7
2015–16UEFA Europa League1Q Valletta2–12–14–2
2Q Copenhagen1–30–21–5
2021–22UEFA Europa Conference League1Q Dundalk0–10–40–5
2022–23UEFA Europa Conference League1Q HB Tórshavn2–1 0–12–2 (4–2 p)
2Q Spartak Trnava1–21–42–6
Notes
NameCompetitionGoals
Jason OswellUEFA Europa League2
Henry CowansUEFA Europa Conference League2
Tom GoodwinUEFA Europa League1
Matty OwenUEFA Europa League1
Luke BoundfordUEFA Europa League1
Lifumpa MwandweUEFA Europa Conference League1
Aaron WilliamsUEFA Europa Conference League1
Romilly BrownUEFA Cup1

Rivalries

Newtown share a local rivalry with Caersws who are only around 5 miles away and often attract big crowds when the teams meet. In the Cymru Premier Newtown have derby matches against fellow Mid-Wales clubs Aberystwyth Town and The New Saints.

League record

SeasonLeaguePositionPldWDLFAPts
1959–60Mid Wales League7th261259735429
1960–61Mid Wales League6th2410311644223
1961–62Mid Wales League6th201028544222
1962–63Mid Wales League7th221129495224
1963–64Mid Wales League8th249411516222
1964–65Mid Wales League6th2410410644924
1965–66Mid Wales League9th269710606225
1966–67Mid Wales League8th2612311605627
1967–68Mid Wales League4th261538764933
1968–69Mid Wales League4th261565683936
1969–70Mid Wales League11th3010416627324
1970–71Mid Wales League11th286715467719
1971–72Mid Wales League11th265912345019
1972–73Mid Wales League13th263617——12
1973–74Mid Wales League11th267514324819
1974–75Mid Wales League2nd261844——40
1975–76Mid Wales League1st282035863343
1976–77Mid Wales League4th2815310544533
1977–78Mid Wales League7th289109504328
1978–79Mid Wales League1st302523772252
1979–80Mid Wales League3rd301938684041
1980–81Mid Wales League3rd261655531837
1981–82Mid Wales League1st262132772445
1982–83Mid Wales League2nd221273522531
1983–84Mid Wales League6th281486673836
1984–85Mid Wales League5th281378705333
1985–86Mid Wales League3rd261565653036
1986–87Mid Wales League1st242022671642
1987–88Mid Wales League1st242022722142
1988–89NPL First Division9th42151215655957
1989–90NPL First Division14th42141216496254
1990–91NPL First Division13th42131217687551
1991–92NPL First Division14th4215621609551
1992–93League of Wales18th389920558736
1993–94League of Wales6th3818911524863
1994–95League of Wales4th3820810784768
1995–96League of Wales2nd4023116692580
1996–97League of Wales5th4022513744971
1997–98League of Wales2nd3823961014778
1998–99League of Wales6th3213109453549
1999–00League of Wales8th3414614494148
2000–01League of Wales4th3418412683758
2001–02League of Wales13th3491114354438
2002–03Welsh Premier League10th3412616485442
2003–04Welsh Premier League10th3212515435041
2004–05Welsh Premier League10th3413714495546
2005–06Welsh Premier League16th3410618426131
2006–07Welsh Premier League16th326620306324
2007–08Welsh Premier League13th3491015476637
2008–09Welsh Premier League10th34101014465440
2009–10Welsh Premier League13th34101113545741
2010–11Welsh Premier League9th3281113405535
2011–12Welsh Premier League12th327520448223
2012–13Welsh Premier League9th3210715445437
2013–14Welsh Premier League5th3212614465842
2014–15Welsh Premier League6th3210814526538
2015–16Welsh Premier League5th3211912465442
2016–17Welsh Premier League7th3212911594145
2017–18Welsh Premier League8th3212416525540
2018-19Welsh Premier League5th3213712535646
2019-20Cymru Premier6th2510510253035
2020-21Cymru Premier7th3212614575342
2021-22Cymru Premier3rd3215611503551
2022-23Cymru Premier6th3212515495641
2023-24Cymru Premier4th3213514494644

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Newtown AFC | Latham Park | Football Ground Guide.
  2. Newtown clubs . Wrexham Guardian and Denbighshire and Flintshire Advertiser . 13 September 1879 . 8.
  3. Civil Service v White Stars, Newtown . Wrexham Advertiser . 6 November 1880 . 8.
  4. Establishment of football club . Montgomeryshire Express . 29 July 1884 . 5.
  5. Newtown v West Bromwich Albion . Wrexham Advertiser . 18 October 1884 . 3.
  6. The Welsh Football Cup . Montgomeryshire Echo . 20 April 1895 . 5.
  7. News: 21 July 1900 . Newtown Football Club . Montgomeryshire Echo . 5.
  8. News: 30 March 1901 . Football Notes . 11 April 2024 . Montgomery County Times and Shropshire and Mid-Wales Advertiser . 6.
  9. Web site: Montgomeryshire & District League Tables 1904-05 . 2024-04-11 . www.welshsoccerarchive.co.uk.
  10. Web site: Newtown . 1910-03-29 . The Montgomeryshire Express and Radnor Times . 2024-04-11 . newspapers.library.wales.
  11. Web site: Football . 1919-09-19 . Llangollen Advertiser Denbighshire Merionethshire and North Wales Journal . 2024-04-11 . newspapers.library.wales.
  12. http://welsh-premier.com/rel_club.php?cid=13.
  13. White Stars
  14. White Stars
  15. Web site: First Team . Newtown AFC. 7 August 2023.

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