Penrhyncoch

Penrhyncoch go into the new campaign in Cymru North, the second tier of the Welsh pyramid, having earned their way back up as champions of the Ardal North East League in 2024, a year after dropping into the Ardal system altogether. The climb back was immediate rather than drawn out.

The club was formed in 1965 and has spent most of its life shuttling between the middle tiers of Welsh football rather than settling in one place. In 1998, financial strain pushed the committee to walk away from the Cymru Alliance and drop back into the Mid Wales League, a voluntary retreat rather than a relegation. They found their level there and won it three times, in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2015-16, before working their way back up again.

Two runs at the FAW Trophy final, in 1996 and again in 2024, bracket most of that history, and between them stands Jonathan Foulkes, who passed 700 appearances for the club and is spoken of at Cae Baker as its defining figure. Kevin "Bones" Jenkins, a former chairman known locally as "Mr Penrhyncoch", carries a similar weight off the pitch.

Cae Baker itself has been home only since 1975, when the club struck a lease with Ceredigion County Council; 250 seats and standing room for 700 more keep it modest, in keeping with a village side that has never chased size for its own sake. Gary Lewis now takes charge of team affairs, with Martin Harris as chairman.

Playing again at Cymru North level puts Penrhyncoch back among the clubs of mid and north Wales they know from the Mid Wales League years, ties that carry more history for Penrhyncoch than any single fixture against the bigger names further down the table.