We continue our series where we interview Flintshire-based clubs that compete within the Welsh football pyramid to see how they are performing during their respective 2023-24 season. In this blog, we interviewed Liam Evans, the manager of the fourth-tier club Mynydd Isa Football Club.
Club Information
- Village: Mynydd Isa, Flintshire / Sir y Fflint
- Founded: 2015 (as Ewloe Spartans)
- Ground: Argoed Sports & Social Club, Bryn-y-Baal
- Nicknames: Spartans
- Colours: Yellow shirts with black trim, black shorts, and yellow and black socks.
- 2023-24 League: North East Wales Football League Premier Division
- Club Website: https://mynyddisafc.co.uk/
- Club Twitter: @MynyddIsaFC
- Club Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mynyddisafc
- Club Instagram: n/a
- Club YouTube: n/a
Introduction
Mynydd Isa Football Club / Clwb Pêl-droed Mynydd Isa is a North East Welsh club that represents the eastern Flintshire village of Mynydd Isa. The village, which is contiguous with the large hamlet of Bryn-y-Baal, is part of the community of Argoed and the whole area has a population of approximately 5,900 inhabitants. Argoed is the name of the ancient township that covered the area since the Middle Ages and provides its name to the local secondary school, as well as the Sports and Social club where the football club plays. Mynydd Isa is situated between the county town of Mold and the town of Buckley (which it is also contiguous with), with the main A549 road, which connects the two towns, running through the south of the village.
Mynydd Isa has a great pedigree in Welsh football with the original Mynydd Isa FC being a well-known and successful name in northern Welsh football since its foundation in 1976. The old club mainly competed in the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) system but managed to rise to the second-tier Cymru Alliance during its history, and finished as high as fourth position at the end of the 2008-09 season. Sadly, despite its high league finish and finishing as the North East Wales FA (NEWFA) Cup finalists, the club had to fold following the conclusion of such a successful season, leaving the village without a senior club for many years. The current Mynydd Isa side was originally founded as Ewloe Spartans in 2015 and joined the North East Wales League, playing their home games at Sychdyn. However, a move to the Argoed Sports and Social Club (the original Mynydd Isa FC’s home ground) in the summer of 2016 meant the club changed its name to Mynydd Isa Spartans.
In their first season as Mynydd Isa, the Spartans gained promotion to the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) by finishing as runners-up in the 2016-17 North East Wales League behind league champions CPD Sychdyn. They then spent the next three seasons competing in the WNL Division One, finishing as high as sixth position in their debut season in the league. The club did exceptionally well in the 2019-20 Welsh Cup, reaching the first round proper by knocking out then third-tier sides Llanuwchllyn and Denbigh Town, before being knocked out by Cymru North side Llanfair United by a 3-5 scoreline. Since the reorganisation of Welsh football in the summer of 2020, the Spartans have competed in the North East Wales Football League (NEWFL) Premier League. However, for the start of the 2023-24 season, the club dropped the ‘Spartans’ part of their name to return back to Mynydd Isa FC as the senior team integrated with the village’s successful youth system (which was founded in 1984), alongside the veterans, and ladies teams together and changed their club badge accordingly.
Mynydd Isa FC currently plays in the North East Wales Football League (NEWFL) Premier Division, a fourth-tier league in the Welsh football pyramid which covers the northeastern region of Wales: Flintshire, Wrexham Borough County, and eastern Denbighshire. They were allocated to the league after the reorganisation of the Welsh football pyramid in the summer of 2020. Last season, in their second season competing in the fourth tier league, the Spartans finished in eighth position out of ten teams, concluding the season a point behind seventh-placed side Castell Alun Colts and four points ahead of ninth-placed Coedpoeth United.
Recent Form
| Date | Competition | Opposition (h/a) | Result |
| 13th Jan | NEWFL Premier | Coedpoeth United (h) | 3-2 |
| 16th Dec | NEWFL Premier | Greenfield (a) | 3-2 |
| 18th Nov | NEWFL Premier | Penyffordd Lions (h) | 1-4 |
| 11th Nov | NEWFL Premier | FC Queens Park (h) | 1-1 |
| 4th Nov | NEWFL Mike Beech Trophy | Lex XI (a) | 4-1 |
At the time of writing, Mynydd Isa were situated in 4th position in the twelve-team NEWFL Premier Division. From their nine league games played, they had achieved five wins, two draws, and two defeats to accumulate seventeen points in their league campaign.
[IMAGE: Non-League Matters]
After finishing third from bottom with nineteen points last season, Mynydd Isa are having an excellent campaign so far and have almost matched their 2022-23 season’s points total. They started their league schedule with a superb 1-0 victory over last season’s runners-up Connah’s Quay Town before narrowly losing 2-3 to defending league champions FC Queens Park. They stayed undefeated for four league games achieving two wins and two draws between October and November before a 1-4 defeat to Penyffordd Lions in mid-November. However, since their second league loss, the Spartans have won their last two league fixtures. Their last game of 2023 saw them overcome Greenfield in an impressive 3-2 away result that saw them go 2-0 up at halftime through goals from Jack Aitken and captain Sam Wainwright, before Greenfield fought back to level the score. Ultimately, substitute Harry Lambert ensured they clinched the three points with an injury-time strike. Curiously, Mynydd Isa achieved the same scoreline in their first game of 2024 when they beat Coedpoeth United at home. They were initially 1-2 down at the break with Aitken scoring an equaliser within the first quarter of an hour, but late second-half goals from substitute Kieran Jones and Sam Wainwright confirmed Mynydd Isa started the new year on winning form.
FULL TIME RESULTS
— Mynydd Isa FC (@MynyddIsaFC) January 13, 2024
FIRST TEAM
MIFC 3-2 Coedpoeth United FC@JackAitken_7 ⚽@KieranJones27 ⚽@samwainwright9 ⚽
RESERVE TEAM
CPD Caerwys FC 3-2 MIFC@kobie_betts ⚽@Jcliptrot (pen) ⚽#uptheisa 🟡⚫ pic.twitter.com/ujlEh1GEx1
Sadly, Mynydd Isa have been eliminated from the NEWFA Cup and the NEWFL Premier Cup by FC Plas Madoc and Penyffordd Lions respectively, but they have progressed out of the NEWFL Mike Beech Memorial Trophy group phase. In a group containing Holywell United and Lex XI, the Spartans achieved a 100% record with scores of 7-0 and 4-1 to advance as Group D winners. In the round of 16 match, they are scheduled to face NEWFL Championship title contenders Acton FC at home in mid-January. They have also been drawn to host Castell Alun Colts in the NEWFA Horace Wynne Cup, which will be played in late January.
Questions to Mynydd Isa‘s Manager Liam Evans
Q. Firstly, how do you think this season has gone for Mynydd Isa in the North East Wales Football League Premier Division so far?
We’re not doing too badly but we can always improve! There seemed to be a lot of high expectations from outsiders after our pre-season schedule but I never really paid any attention to that as I knew we had the difficult task of incorporating both new players and pre-existing Mynydd Isa players into a new squad having taken over in the summer. We simply aim to win whatever competition we’re in, which I imagine is the goal of every club in our league! I believe we have two really strong teams and our reserves are doing well this season under the stewardship of Chris Evans. The league is so competitive and the toughest I have ever known it. Every team can beat each other and there are no easy games. We made a good start to the season beating last season’s runners-up Connah’s Quay Town 1-0 in our first league game. I think that and other positive results we’ve had this season against the top teams have really given us confidence that we can compete and give anyone a game in this league. We just need to make sure we take each individual game at a time and ensure we are more consistent and clinical if we want to be up near the top of the table come the end of the season.
Q. What has been the best performance or result from the club so far this season?
Performance-wise, our best performances have come against Rhostyllen so far this season. We lost out to them on penalties in the Welsh Trophy at their place, but the performance was outstanding given the mass number of personnel changes with key players and myself being unavailable due to a wedding. My assistants Dave Roberts and James Hollyoak took charge of the game and they couldn’t believe we didn’t win the game in normal time. Their goalkeeper proved why he’s one of the best in the league that day. We then put in an excellent defensive performance against them at home in the NEWFL Premier Cup weeks later and flipped the script on its head by being more clinical in a 2-0 win! Your performances don’t always guarantee positive results in this league, so that was pleasing to see against a top side who are right up there this season.
[IMAGE: Mynydd Isa Facebook]
We’ve had some great results this season but personally, our best result was beating Greenfield 2-3 before Christmas due to the circumstances of the game itself. Everything that could go wrong went wrong with us having multiple withdrawals before the game and having to make three substitutions due to injuries! Our goalkeeper Harry Wilkes suffered a head injury in the first half and substitute Mike Fleetwood had to superbly don the gloves once again for the remainder of the game! The character the players showed after being pegged back to 2-2 was superb, and they really dug in before 17-year-old Harry Lambert popped up with the winner in stoppage time. With the league so competitive and tight, a win there is so important as it is such a tough place to go.
FIRST TEAM FULL TIME ⚽
— Mynydd Isa FC (@MynyddIsaFC) December 16, 2023
Greenfield FC 2-3 MIFC@JackAitken_7@samwainwright9
Harry Lambert
An added time winner wins it! The lads showed great character to regroup after losing three key players injury during the game including our goalkeeper. Get in there! #uptheisa 🟡⚫ pic.twitter.com/wjQt5yamAX
Q. Who do you think have been the standout players so far, and is there any individual player who you think the readers should keep an eye on this season?
We’ve got a really talented group of players who definitely have the ability to play in the higher leagues. We have a nice blend of new and pre-existing players and added a bit of experience to the squad that was desperately needed. More importantly, they are all good lads and great role models for the young boys and girls coming through at the club.
[IMAGE: Courtesy of @MynyddIsaFC]
I don’t really like to single out individual players as it is a team game and I could mention so many because they all deserve it, however, my captain Sam Wainwright has had a great start to the season with 9 goals in 15 games with the majority of those coming from midfield. He is a player I’ve worked with before and has taken on the added responsibility of the captaincy this season. He is a very important player for us.
[IMAGE: Brian Prydd via @MynyddIsaFC]
Another standout is a player that I’ve never had the privilege of managing before, Jack Aitken. He had a lot of interest in him from other clubs during the summer and it was essential for us to keep him. He adapted brilliantly to a new position at the start of the season but has really found his feet in recent weeks by playing back in the centre of midfield. Since the positional switch, he’s added goals to his game to back up his superb attitude and work rate that he’s shown all season.
Q. What are the club’s aims for this season, and likewise, what are the long-term aims for the club?
Our aim is to get as many points on the board and see where that takes us in the league. We’ve not had the greatest of luck in the cups this season, so we’ll have to have that on our side for the remaining competitions we’re in! The reserves are in the hunt for the league and cup so it should be an exciting end of the season for them too. Again, we just need to take it a game at a time and see how the table settles come the end of the season. There’s no pressure on the lads other than to give their best for the football club. It’s all about building the club up year by year.
[IMAGE: @MynyddIsaFC]
Our long-term aim is to become a Tier 3 club ultimately. Our facilities rival that of any current Tier 3 club in our area and that is a testament to the hard work of our chairman Jon Hutchinson, James [Hollyoak], the football club committee, and the Argoed Sports Association. If we can achieve that on the pitch, it will be a superb achievement and will give our youth section something to aspire towards.
Q. Mynydd Isa recently dropped the “Spartans” part from their name and changed the badge before the start of the season – what were the reasons for the changes?
James brought his Ewloe Spartans side across under the Mynydd Isa banner in 2015. Since then, there was no official association with the youth section after the previous senior setup had folded leaving the village without a senior football team. As the years progressed, we started to align ourselves more closely with the U19s coming under the Spartans banner in recent times. James should take all the credit for the amazing work he’s done to build the foundations and he worked tirelessly with the previous chairman Billy Kemp to build a positive working relationship between us both. Our chairman Jon has carried on this work and in the summer, the decision was made to rebrand the entire football club (including the senior section) under one club emblem and structure. It was an exciting decision for all involved, and we now have a pathway from U5s up to the first team that a club of this size needs and deserves!
“The need for growth, for development, for change, is fundamental to life.” John Dewey
— Mynydd Isa Football (@Isafootballclub) January 11, 2023
Introducing our new shield which now unifies our youth team,senior team, vets & ladies team.
A shield that represents the growing links of all our teams.Welcome to the new era of #mynyddisafc pic.twitter.com/ymMkdTc68g
Q. With the senior club formally merging with the village’s youth teams, how important is it for the club to have secure links with the youth system, and has the senior team benefitted from this in recent seasons?
The link with the youth system is so important and was the main selling point of Dave and I coming on board in the summer. The football club has revolutionised itself over the last 15 years and now is one of the largest in North East Wales with over 500 players registered. Having that pathway for our youth players to progress makes us unique in our league and gives us a constant supply of talented, local players to work with.
What did we get up this weekend…..erm, only this 👇🏼
— Mynydd Isa Football (@Isafootballclub) June 26, 2023
Hosted 168 youth football teams from #NorthWales & the #NorthWest
Gave 1650 young people the opportunity to experience the buzz of playing in a tournament.
Let’s go again – 22/23 June 2024. The Triple Trophy Tournament.
💛🖤 pic.twitter.com/THukRLKOJU
The majority of our players have come through the ranks or have strong links to Mynydd Isa. This season alone, we have seen at least eight players under the age of 19 make an appearance for our first or reserve team this season and we endeavor to keep that going. Last season, the two teams probably had the youngest average age of any in our leagues and it’s important to give our young players that platform to play for their local club.
Q. How critical is it for the club to be a main community hub for the village, and what plans are in place to help the club further integrate with the community?
The football club is vital for the community. Jon and the committee work tirelessly to provide inclusive footballing opportunities to the local area. We have over 400 boys and girls, 40+ teams, 80+ coaches, and countless volunteers all from our local community! The investment by the Argoed Sports Association in the facilities, including our 3G pitch, has been fundamental towards our growth as a club and, as such, our club is thriving with the women/girls section becoming one of the largest in the area in recent years. For us to continue our trajectory, we desperately need the support of NEWFA, FAW, and the local council to help us improve our facilities further in order to satisfy the growth and demand of our local community.
Q. Finally, if someone was considering coming to the Argoed Sports Club to watch or follow the team for the first time, what do you think is the club’s greatest asset to encourage them to return?
I think the fact that we have excellent facilities and free entry is a great incentive to come and watch. We have two standing shelters, a 50-seater stand, and hardstanding pathways that make access inclusive for all. We have local players who have come through the youth system and a team that gives everything for the local community. The standard of the league is always improving and the quality of teams we are playing week in and week out is of an excellent standard. It has been really pleasing to see an increase in attendance this season. We are well supported by the local community and our coaches, youth players, and volunteers who brave all conditions to support the lads. Their support is much appreciated!
[IMAGE: Mynydd Isa Facebook]
We have also partnered with the Argoed Social Club this season and are well looked after for our post-match hospitality. The bar is open during and post-match and is situated right on the site which is a huge benefit for the club, something that other clubs aren’t fortunate to have at this level. Amanda and the team are so welcoming and have been brilliant for us this season. If you are in the area, come and give us a watch and join us for a drink in the social club after the game!
A massive thank you to Liam Evans, the manager of the North East Wales Football League Premier Division side Mynydd Isa FC club for answering our questions on their 2023-24 season so far and their future goals. We wish all sections of the club the very best of luck for the rest of the season, the whole of 2024, and the seasons ahead! Remember you can find Mynydd Isa’s social media accounts in the links towards the top of the blogpage.
If you have any comments, suggestions, reactions, or even your own answers to the above questions, please write them in the comments box below. Likewise, you can either email us at the94thmin@gmail.com or send a message at @The94thMin on Twitter/X.
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