Newtown A.F.C.

The club has its origins in two previous clubs, both active from 1875; Newtown and White Stars. The latter won the 1878–79 Welsh Cup and in the aftermath an attempt was made to merge the clubs under the name Excelsior. The Newtown club folded into the Excelsior, but White Stars continued, and absorbed the Excelsior in 1880. After losing the 1880–81 Welsh Cup final, the White Stars disbanded; but a meeting at the Lion Hotel on 23 July 1884 re-established a Newtown association football club, featuring many of the players and officials who had been involved with the White Stars, and, in some cases, with the original Newtown club beforehand. The revived club won the 1894–95 Welsh Cup, beating Wrexham 3–2 at Welshpool, despite Goodwin in goal being ordered off for retaliation before the second half (while Newtown was 2–1 down), but in July 1900 it lost the use of the Cunnings, and, with diminished gates and additional expenses, there were fears for the future of the club. Another article from March 1901 referred to Newtown being defunct, and hoped that Newtown Excelsior would resuscitate the club. Newtown North End and Royal Welsh Warehouse Newtown emerged in the town in their place. In 1910, they were still inactive. No records exist of Newtown Football Club again until 1919. For most of the years since the 1920s the club operated in the Mid-Wales League, or the Central Wales League as it was sometimes known, winning the championship in 1975–76, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1986–87 and…