User:The94thMin/sandbox

Post-War Period (1945-70)

Success in the League and Cups

Success came immediately for Holywell Town, when in 1947 they won both The Alves Cup and the Waterfall Cup, and was further added to two years later when they won the North Wales Coast FA Amateur Cup. The Wellmen beat Barmouth 2–0 in the 1949 final held at Llandudno.

Further achievements came to Holywell when they joined the Welsh League (North) in the 1949–50 season. They finished a highly creditable fifth place in their debut season and achieved a further two top-half placements in the following seasons. However, it wouldn't be until the 1952-53 season when Holywell Town became the Welsh League (North) champions for the first and only time. The league success was all the sweeter as they held off a strong challenge from bitter rivals Flint Town United, and won by a margin of three points whilst scoring 119 goals in 34 league games. Two years later, the roles were reversed in the league as Holywell Town finished six points behind the Silkmen, although the club was awarded the Alves Cup by virtue of their final league position.

Holywell Town triumphed in the North Wales Coast Amateur Cup once more in the 1957–58 campaign, nine years after their post-war cup victory, by heavily defeating Gwalchmai 6–0 at Bangor City's Farrar Road ground. Twelve months later, they would return to the NWC Amateur Cup final, for the ninth time, to defend their trophy against a strong Porthmadoc side at Bangor. The match finished 1–1 with Holywell, who had missed an 11th-minute penalty, equalising in the 83rd minute through George Davies. This led to a replay being played a week later, and it was to become a dramatic affair. Twice Holywell led the replay only for Portmadoc to come back strongly and take a 3–2 advantage in the game, and despite having centre-forward Owen Davies injured, Holywell snatched an equaliser with the last kick of normal time. Although Holywell dramatically came back into the match and forced extra time, it proved too much for Holywell's ten men, however, and Port ran in five more goals to eventually lift the cup. The two sides met again in the 1963 final, although Holywell fielded an under-strength team in the final, with goalkeeper Reg Banton playing with a broken finger. Unsurprisingly, Portmadoc won the second cup final again by a 3–0 scoreline.

Record Attendance, Yet Trophyless 1960s

Success at senior level continued to elude the club throughout the 1960s. Holywell Town managed to reach the final of the Welsh Amateur Cup in the 1961-62 season, the first final appearance in the tournament since Holywell United's loss to Lovell's Athletic in 1927. The final was a repeat of the 1914 final when they took on Cardiff Corinthians, and sadly lightning struck twice for the Holywell side as the Corries won the fixture played at Newtown 3-2. It was also during the same season that the record attendance for a Holywell game was set in 1962 when 3000 spectators packed into Halkyn Road for a 1961-62 Welsh Cup sixth-round tie with Swansea Town. Despite the record attendance, the home failed to win the tie, with the professional English Football League side winning 2–1.

The club reached another cup final two seasons later when they got to the 1963 North Wales Coast Challenge Cup final, but fell to the legendary Borough United, who also won the Welsh League (North) title, the Cookson Cup, and famously the 1962-63 Welsh Cup in a quadruple-winning season for the Llandudno Junction side. Alas, success continued to elude the Wellmen during the first half of the 1960s.

Holywell Town maintained their membership of the Welsh League (North) for 17 consecutive seasons from the 1949–50 season until the 1965–66 season, when they finished bottom of the league and just one point behind 14th-placed side Blaenau Ffestiniog. Thereafter, Holywell Town left the Welsh League (North) and played in the local football leagues.

This template's initial visibility currently defaults to autocollapse, meaning that if there is another collapsible item on the page (a navbox, sidebar, or table with the collapsible attribute), it is hidden apart from its title bar; if not, it is fully visible.

To change this template's initial visibility, the |state= parameter may be used:

• {{The94thMin|state=collapsed}} will show the template collapsed, i.e. hidden apart from its title bar.
• {{The94thMin|state=expanded}} will show the template expanded, i.e. fully visible.