PICTURE shows Llanllyfni FC winning the Gwynedd League in 2014/15.
THIS WEEK, I’ve already focused on two great Anglesey-based clubs which sadly no longer exist. Now, I turn my attentions to a side which previously played over the bridge in Gwynedd.
Llanllyfni Football Club, first formed in the summer of 2005, was a club based in the small village of the same name located near Caernarfon. There is no official recollection of a club existing in the village before this time but there is strong evidence to suggest that other clubs have used their King George V (Playing Field) before they were formed.
Most of the squad who played in the senior side’s very first season were members of the successful Llanllyfni junior side which won the under 12’s Gwyrfai League back in 1992.
According to the club’s website, which is still live, Llanllyfni has always been a very football orientated village and most of the village’s lads played weekly for various clubs during previous seasons – discussions arose between friends regarding the possibility of starting a football club and Llanllyfni FC was born.
During June 2005, Kevin Sheret and Llyr Huws took the reins and following weeks of hard work Llanllyfni Football Club was registered on the eleventh hour and were about to take to the pitch in their yellow and black strip which became so iconic during their existence.
After appointing various officials and a management team, it was confirmed that Llanllyfni would be the last of three new clubs entering the Safeflue Caernarfon & District League that season.
The team was lead to victory by their manager, Kevin Sheret, in their first friendly match against Rhiwlas in July. Rhys Roberts scored the clubs first ever goal as the team comfortably ran home 2-0 winners.
On the August 13 2005, Llanllyfni Football Club arrived on the football scene with a bang in their first official outing. League title favorites Caernarfon Borough were the visitors to King George V (Cae Brenin Sior V) field and were comfortably beaten by 3 goals to 1 – with Iwan Wyn Williams scoring the clubs first competitive goal.
They went on to win their league and the Safeflue Shield in their very first season of existence.
In fact, despite only being around for 13 years or so on and off, Llanllyfni FC enjoyed a great amount of success during that time.
In 2007/08, the club won the Gwynedd League by seven points, with Chris Parry being selected at the League’s Player of the Year) and then performed well in the Welsh Alliance in the following campaign before having to briefly call it a day at the start of the 2009/10 season.
The Gwynedd club then returned to action in 2010/11 and again with fantastic success as they were crowned Caernarfon and District champions for a second time – becoming the fourth team in the history of the league to do it by going unbeaten all season (after Penrhos United 58/59, Llechid Celts 64/65 and Bontnewydd 87/88).
The most recent success in the club’s history came in 2014/15 when they were crowned Gwynedd League champions after a tense four-way race at the end of the season (which also involved Y Felinheli, Llanystumdwy and Bontnewydd), came to a head. They won 3-0 at Bontnewydd on April 18 and a 2-0 success away to Felinheli on May 12 ended up sealing the championship under manager Michael Williams.
Pivotal to their success over the years were the likes of attacker David Parry, who captained the side and scored 21 goals in 27 appearances when they last won the GL title. Defender/coach Chris Parry was another highly-talented player within the ranks.
In the years that followed their most recent success, Llanllyfni began to struggle.
The club pulled out of the Welsh Alliance in 2017 and struggled tremendously in the Gwynedd League in 2018/19, losing all 22 matches. That was, unfortunately, the last time this once great club was seen.
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