Mold Alexandra FC
FOUNDED: 1878
NICKNAME: The Alex
GROUND: Alyn Park, Denbigh Road, Mold CH7 1FT
CONTACT: Gary Austin Mobile: O7597352637 email:
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COLOURS
First choice: All Blue
Second choice: Yellow shirts, Blue shorts, yellow socks
League position and current form
HISTORY
The first record of organised football in Mold goes back 1878/79 when a Mold team were defeated 8-1 in a Welsh Cup first round tie at Llangollen. Various Mold teams competed in the Welsh Cup up until the beginning of World War I, including Mold FC, Mold Alyn Stars, Mold Red Star, Flintshire Amateurs and Mold Town. During this period Mold FC reached the semi-finals twice.
The only other time a Mold team reached the last four was in 1924/25 when Mold Town were drawn to play Flint. Mold Town, then playing in the Welsh National League (North) had defeated Pontypridd in the previous round, 3-0 at Broncoed Park, Mold, in front of over 4,000 spectators.
It took two replays to separate the sides, Flint eventually going through to the final. All three matches were played at Wrexham, attracting total attendances in excess of 20,000, and in the same season Mold Town went on to win the League Championship.
Mold were a strong force in North Wales football in the 1920s, winning the NWCFA Challenge Cup in its first two years with finals against Bangor and Holywell.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of any Mold based football side was in the 1925/26 season when Mold Town became the first Welsh National League side to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup. In the earlier qualifying rounds Mold Town defeated Rhyl, Harrowby, Winsford, Chester and Eccles. Mold Town were drawn to visit Southport Central. They put up a spirited display, but a single goal separated the sides and Mold's historic FA Cup run had come to an end.
During the 1920s Mold Town were essentially a professional club playing at Broncoed Park, which was well equipped, with a grandstand and dressing rooms. But by the end of the decade the club was operating at a loss. One of the more unusual fund-raising events held was a singing competition at a local fair, with the first prize of a live pig!
Mold Town were disbanded in 1930 and at the same time the Welsh National League was broken up. During the 1929-30 season there were at least two other organised football teams in Mold, Mold Rangers and Mold Church Institute, but in December of 1929 a new junior club was formed. The club would be known as Mold Alexandra and their ground would be Alyn Park, Maes y Dre.
By the end of the season Mold Alex had played 20 matches, won 17, lost 2 and drawn 1, and the club joined the Mold, Deeside and Buckley League for the 1930/31 season. The Alex played their first competitive match at Chester Road, Flint, on 30 August 1930, where the visitors beat Oakenholt St David's FC by a score of 5-3. Later that season the first silverware arrived at Alyn Park when The Alex beat Glasinfryn FC 5-0 in the North Wales Junior Cup, on a treacherous pitch at Eirias Park. In the new club's second season the Flintshire Amateur League was won, along with the League Cup.
In 1937, along with Flint Town, the Alex joined neighbours Buckley in the West Cheshire League. In 1946 Mold Alex erected a stand for 300-400 spectators and in 1947 they became members of the Welsh National League Wrexham Area and did not leave the competition until 1990.
By the 1979/80 season the club were celebrating their 50th anniversary with a dinner at Theatr Clwyd where Joe Mercer was guest speaker. This was to be the start of a successful decade. The 1980s saw the club winning major trophies on a regular basis. Then, during a successful 1985-86 season, Mold Alexandra won the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) championship, the League Cup, the North East Wales Cup and the North Wales Coast Cup. The league title was retained in 1986-87, along with the North East Wales Cup. In 1989 they battled through to the semi-finals of the Welsh Intermediate Cup (losing to Aberystwyth Town) and their successes during the decade were enough for them to be invited into the newly formed Cymru Alliance in 1990.
The Cymru Alliance was set up as part of a regional pyramid structure which made it the top division for Welsh clubs competing in North and Mid Wales. The first season of Cymru Alliance football (1990/91) saw 14 clubs competing with Mold Alex for the league title but Mold's footballing successes of past years appeared a distant memory as they finished 12th with only Gresford and Penrhyncoch below them. Both Gresford and Penrhyncoch escaped relegation as the League decided to increase club numbers by promoting Brymbo and Llansantffraid from feeder leagues and relegating no one. The league title of the inaugural season of the Cymru Alliance went to local rivals Flint Town United who finished seven points clear of second placed Caersws. Mold improved their league position in the 1991/92 season finishing tenth even though they had 3 points deducted. This season also demonstrated the importance of clubs applying for international clearance for players who sign on, as mid Wales side Welshpool Town who should have finished top with 67 points, 12 points clear of second placed Caersws, had 66 points deducted for playing Billy Morris in 22 matches whilst he was serving a ban by the English FA.
In 1992 the Football Association of Wales formed the League of Wales which was sponsored by the photocopying giants Konica. The leagues sponsor meant that the league went on to be affectionately known by all those involved simply as 'The Konica' rather than 'Konica League of Wales'. This was the first time that a National League had existed in the Principality and was a momentus moment in Welsh Football. Mold Alex became one of the founder members of the League of Wales along with Aberystwyth, Afan Lido, Abergavenny, Bangor, Briton Ferry, Caersws, Connahs Quay, Conwy, Cwmbran, Ebbw Vale, Flint, Haverfordwest, Holywell, Inter Cardiff, Llanelli, Llanidloes, Maesteg, Newtown and Porthmadog. Disaster struck Mold after just one match at home to Inter Cardiff which the visitors won by the only goal of the game. Mold were dramatically thrown out of the Konica for failing to meet the ground criteria established for the fledgling league. With the help of landlords Synthite a stand was built, floodlights were installed by the then Borough Council, Delyn and Mold were reinstated. The committee at the time saw out the first season and then announced that they would be relinquishing control of the club. For a time it was feared that the club would fold but during an open meeting a large crowd gathered to discuss the next step. At the end of the meeting Mold Alex stalwart Dennis Parry agreed to be Chairman for one year and he formed a new committee to take the club forward to the 1993/94 season. During the summer recess of 1993 a roof was built over the stand, turnstiles installed and the standing cover, known to fans as the 'Tommy Wynn' stand, extended substantially.
1992/93 and Mold's first season in the Konica saw them finish in a creditable 13th place. The middle of the table that year was very close with only 2 points between Mold and Porthmadog who finished 9th. In the 1993/94 season new committee members joined the club but it became apparent that Mold's continued participation in the Konica was in doubt. Off the field the club was struggling financially due to the expense of running a club at that level and competition for spectators was high with so many local clubs in the league. Mold failed to improve on their finishing position from the first season but only slipped one place to finish 14th in a league of 20. The 1994/95 season proved to be Mold's last season in the top flight of the Welsh Pyramid System. Maesteg Park had already been relegated prior to the last game of the season and the other relegation spot would be occupied by either Mold or Llanelli. It all came down to the last day with Mold at home to Ton Pentre who were playing for a second place finish behind Bangor City who had already secured the Championship. Llanelli on the other hand were at home to the already relegated Maesteg Park. Sometimes when a club is already relegated they suddenly begin to play really well and chalk up some unexpected results but that wasn't to be the case for Maesteg as Llanelli ran out 6 - 1 winners even though Maesteg had gone in at the break 1 - 0 up!! At Alyn Park Mold fought hard against a well disciplined and talented Ton Pentre side and although Mold scored three times, four second half goals from Richard Haig sealed The Alex relegation as Ton Pentre finished the season with an away victory of 7 goals to 3.
Following relegation from the national league, the Alex faltered somewhat in the Cymru Alliance during the 1995/96 season. The club never really settled back in the north wales league and although they put in some creditable performances they were very inconsistent. In the first season back in the Cymru Alliance Mold Alex finished 15th with Ruthin, Llanidloes, Buckley and Carno finishing below them and Carno being relegated to reduce the Cymru Alliance from 19 clubs back to the 18 club league that it's constitution decreed. The 1996/97 season saw a slight improvement with Mold finishing 12th even though they had 3 points deducted which should have seen them finish in 10th place. Sadly for the Alex the close of the 1997/98 season saw Mold finish bottom and they were relagated from the second tier of Welsh football.
With relegation confirmed, the Alex first explored the idea of a merger with Mostyn F.C.. Eventually they rejected this idea and opted for relegation, expecting to be put back in the Wrexham Area League. However, with Chirk also relegated (third from bottom) and filling that spot, they were told that they should drop into the Welsh Alliance coast league. Mold appealed to the FAW but in an unsatisfactory episode the vote went against them.
It was then that the club took a brave decision. Refusing to take up their place in the geographically spread Welsh Alliance, they chose to field one team in 1998-99, in the middle (First) division of the Wrexham Area League (level 4 in the pyramid), the place previously filled by their reserve side. To rub salt in the wounds, the FAW then ejected Alex from the 1998-99 Welsh Cup, after the first round draw had been made, because their level 4 status made them ineligible. The enforced exile at level 4 lasted just one season, as the Alex clinched promotion back to the Premier Division with a game to spare.
Thus Mold Alexandra were back where they believed they should have been twelve months earlier, rebuilding at level 3 in the pyramid. Following three successful seasons back in the Welsh National League, which saw them win the Premier Division Cup in both 2001 and 2002, the Alex won the championship of the Premier Division in the 2001-02 season, losing just one of their twenty eight league fixtures, finishing four points clear of second placed Penycae and were promoted back to the Cymru Alliance. Following promotion back to the Cymru Alliance some of the clubs key, experienced players retired and the team found it hard to compete now they were back where they wanted to be. This was reflected by a 12th place finish in 2002/03 and the club was left to consolidate for the next season.
In the summer of 2003 it was announced that their ground at Alyn Park, which has been their home for over 80 years and has been rented for the last 50 years from local chemical company Synthite for a peppercorn rent, was to be redeveloped for housing. Synthite are proposing to buy a new site for the club which will be leased to the Alex and which will allow the club to build a stadium meeting the highest League of Wales standards.
2003/04 saw Mold's demise continue finishing third from bottom just two points ahead of Cemaes Bay and thirteen ahead of Amlwch Town who were relagated. After narrowly avoiding relegation for several years on the trot, 2004/05 proved to be the last time Mold would see Cymru Alliance football for three years.
At the beginning of the 2005/2006 in the first season back in the Welsh National Premier League Mold finished in ninth position. The following season Brymbo clinched the title but could not move up to the Cymru Alliance and Mold finished third behind Cefn Utd who were also unable to move up a level to the Cymru Alliance. The 2007/08 season saw Mold reach the League Cup final but the club lost to Brymbo 3-2 finishing the game with nine men after Craig Roberts and Gary Burns where sent-off. After the home of the 2007/08 Welsh national Premier League champions Brymbo failed a ground inspection by the Cymru Alliance Management Committee, Mold were invited to take promotion after finishing second. This was confirmed at the Cymru Alliance AGM held at Llandudno in June 2008. In addition to gaining promotion at the end of the 2007/08 season Mold Alexandra won the Welsh National League's Presidents Cup on 9 August 2008 beating league champions Brymbo 5-1 at Brymbo, the scorers for Mold where Gary Burns (15), Owain Roberts (20), Darren Pritchard (65), Wayne Craig (86) and Dave Bryan (89) and for the record Brymbo's came from Shaun Edwards (27).
In their first season back in the Cymru Alliance in the 2008/09 season the club finished in a creditable 10th position with all of the squad from their previous year's successful campaign staying together. At the start of the 2009 season Mold had started to assemble a stronger squad with the realisation that due to the restructuring of the Welsh Pyramid system, as many as 10 teams could be relegated from the Welsh Premier League. In effect this meant that only a place in the top 7 would secure a place in the Cymru Alliance the following season. Unfortunately in 2009-2010, due to the re-organisation of the top tier of Welsh Football the club was relegated back to the Welsh National Premier League even though they did not finish in the relegation zone. During that last season in the Cymru Alliance, Mold lost the talented Gary Burns to a terrible injury. Playing in an unfamiliar position that day at Berriew in mid Wales, he sustained a horrendous leg injury, broken in seven places and was taken from the field of play by ambulance destined for Shrewsbury hospital. Gary had to endure 3 operations before the doctors were happy that his injury had been set correctly.
The 2010-2011 season, playing back in the Welsh National Premier League, began without many of the core players from the previous season who had opted to remain playing in the Cymru Alliance and left Mold for other local sides. Forced to rebuild the squad the club found it difficult to attract players and still play in the Welsh National Premier League. Their 2010/11 campaign saw the Alex drop into the bottom 3 at the midway stage but a change in management and an influx of new players saw them finish in a comfortable mid table position.
The club continue to play at Alyn Park the home of Mold Alex since 1929 and over recent years the ground has held the Mold bonfire display, fairground, stunt show and circus
