Trearddur Bay FC Preview
On Saturday (13 December), Newport City face a 196-mile trip up to North Wales, and
Bangor – but their opponents are actually even further afield.
Trearddur Bay post a big test for The Steelmen in the Welsh Cup, with a place in the
Quarter-Finals up for grabs for the winner.
Here is a look at our opponents, and how they made it this far...
THE CLUB
Trearddur Bay F.C. was initially formed in 1989, but were a strictly Sunday league team
until 2008, when they made the switch to full-time Welsh Leagues football.
It didn’t take long for them to make themselves known; in their first season in the
Anglesey Leagues, they won the treble, including the notable North Wales Coast Junior
Challenge Cup.
By 2011, the club had been promoted into the Gwynedd Leagues, and in 2012/13 went
one further and secured promotion to the Welsh Alliance League Division Two, now
known as the fourth tier.
The Beach Boys were rejected promotion to the second-tier Cymru Alliance in 2016 due
to missing the licensing criteria, and withdrew altogether from Alliance Leagues set-up
in 2019.
After a brief spell known as Trearddur Bay Bulls – caused by a merger with nearby
Bryngwran Bulls – they once again folded in 2020.
But the next iteration of the club was to be the most successful yet. Starting in the fifth
tier of the North Wales Coast West League, two consecutive promotions catapulted
them into the renamed Ardal North West, where they ply their trade alongside former
top tier sides Bangor City and Prestatyn Town.
The team is currently owned by Warrington native Richard Lennon, and has been
steadily backed over the past few years to push for a Cymru North place.
However, the club has effectively been in exile for the past two seasons. Their former
home, Lon Isallt, has laid dormant for the duration, as the side have been based at
Aberffraw FC (24/25) and Bangor City (25/26) in recent years, with plans to generate a
new facility.
This is why the game on Saturday will kickoff at the later time of 5pm – landlords
Bangor face fellow Cymru South side Trefelin at 2pm, and the game was originally
slated to be played at the Bangor City Stadium.
Instead, the game was moved to Treborth Playing Fields on the site of Bangor
University at short notice, another ground used by the town’s football team in the past.
Last season was a particular highlight, with the team achieving a fourth-placed league
finish and even getting to the Semi-Finals of the FAW Amateur Trophy, the very same
competition Newport won in 2024. They ultimately lost to eventual winners Port Talbot
Town.
THE TOWN
At last count, the population of Trearddur Bay was around 1,600, with 44 percent of
residents originally from England.
Located just south of Holyhead, it is recognised mainly for its picturesque beachfront
and coastal views, making it a popular holiday destination in Anglesey.
There are two beaches, two golf courses, and plenty of opportunities for aquatic
pursuits: kayaking and sailing are particularly popular around the area.
If you thought that sounded fishy, you would be right: Trearddur also hosts the annual
Anglesey Oyster & Welsh Produce Festival.
THE FORM
Trearddur sit in fourth, the same position they came last season, but that only tells half
the story.
The Bay have lost four league games this season, but two of those were in August.
Worryingly for City, they have won their last seven in all competitions, conceding just six
goals during that time.
Their route to this round has been circuitous – after receivng a First Qualifying Round
bye due to their opponents, Caergybi, disbanding before the tie was played, wins over
Llangefni Town, Berriew and Broughton United led them to a tie with Glynneath Town in
the previous round, where they ran out 5-2 winners away from home.
Their last match was a narrow 3-2 win against Porthmadog, courtesy of a 95 th -minute
penalty from Tom Hilditch.
Hilditch is the main goalscoring threat for the North Walians, with ten league goals and
nine in the Welsh Cup alone.
Another man to watch is the German dynamo Christoph Aziamale, who has 13 goals
across all competitions so far this season.
THE MANAGER
Bay boss Campbell Harrison is a very experienced campaigner at this level.
He played for Cemaes Bay and Porthmadog, and has previous managerial background
with Holyhead Hotspur.
But arguably his most impressive achievements have come representing Ynys Môn. He
was a gold-medalist with them as a player in the 1999 Island Games in Gotland, and
then repeated the feat as manager in the 2019 Inter Games on home soil.