In 1946, former soldiers who had been demobilised and returned home from fighting in
World War II established the club at Halkyn Road, where it has played its home games ever since. It was also around this period that the moniker of
The Wellmen was adopted by the club, a nickname which the club still uses to this day.
Post-War Period (1945-70) Success in the League and Cups In 1947 Holywell Town won both The Alves Cup and the Waterfall Cup, and 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 in fifth place in their debut season and achieved a further two top-half placements in the following seasons. In the 1952–53 season when Holywell Town became the Welsh League (North) champions for the first and only time. They won by a margin of three points against
Flint Town United whilst scoring 119 goals in 34 league games. Two years later 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. Between the two North Wales Amateur Cup finals with Porthmadoc, the record attendance for a Holywell game was set in 1962 when 3000 spectators packed into Halkyn Road for a
Welsh Cup sixth-round tie with
Swansea Town. Despite the record attendance, the home failed to win the tie, with the Swans winning 2–1. Success at senior level continued to elude the club, despite reaching both the
Welsh Amateur Cup Final in 1961–62, losing 3–2 to
Cardiff Corinthians and the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup Final two seasons later, losing there to
Borough United. Holywell Town maintained their membership of the
Welsh League (North) for 17 seasons from the 1949–50 season until the 1965–66 season, when they finished bottom of the league just one point behind
Blaenau Ffestiniog. Thereafter, Holywell Town left the Welsh League (North) and played in the local football leagues.
Return to Prominence and Becoming Founding Members (1970-92) The Clwyd League Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Holywell played in the local football league system, most notably in the
Clwyd League system which, as its name suggests, had teams from the old northeastern county of
Clwyd. In the 1975–76 season, the club was competing towards the bottom end of the Welsh pyramid but managed to win that season's
Welsh League (North) Division 5, before clinching the Clwyd League Division 3 title in the following season (as well as the
North Wales Coast Junior Challenge Cup) and somehow got themselves immediately promoted to Division 1 for the start of the 1977-78 campaign. In their debut season in Division 1, Holywell finished in an impressive fourth place in the table, positioned behind local rivals
Courtaulds Greenfield,
Flint Town United, and Point of Ayr, and conceded just 21 goals in 26 league fixtures (the league's second-best defence that season). The Wellmen continued to play in the top division of the Clwyd League system for the next nine seasons, achieving a runners-up spot in the 1980–81 season behind the undefeated league champions
Connah's Quay Nomads. However, in the 1986–87 season, the club finally earned some silverware when they won the Clwyd League Premier Division title as well as triumphing in the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup competition to earn a league and cup double. Throwing off the disappointment of cup final defeat in 1964, the Wellmen played local rivals and defending cup holders
Mold Alexandra (at
Flint) and won the cup 1–0, thanks to a goal after 78 minutes scored by Merfyn Edwards. For the next few seasons, Holywell Town continually challenged for the Welsh Alliance Division 1 title, and ultimately promotion to the
Cymru Alliance, but fell just short on every occasion. In the penultimate game of the
2011–12 season, a 1–3 defeat to title rivals,
Holyhead Hotspur, ensured that the
Ynys Môn-side snatched top spot and promotion away from the Wellmen, by a winning margin of just a single point. The Harbourmen also defeated Holywell 2–1 in the final of the Mawddach Barritt Cup, to leave Holywell frustratingly trophyless for the season. For the start of the
2012–13 season, Mike Thomas was replaced as Holywell manager by their club captain, Johnny Haseldin, who adopted a player-manager role. To aid him in his first management role, Haseldine brought in both John James and Andy Lewis (who were at
Denbigh Town in the 2011–12 season) into his coaching staff, with Craig Knight remaining in his role from the previous season. After losing their first two games of the season, Haseldin and Holywell went on an incredible run throughout the young manager's debut season and maintained an undefeated away record throughout that entire season. Holywell dropped away from a potential title challenge, and ultimately consoled themselves with another third-place league placement, and five points behind league champions
Caernarfon Town. The Wellmen also reached the semi-finals of the FAW Trophy competition, and the final of the Cookson Cup competition, but lost both ties to fellow Welsh Alliance title rivals, Caernarfon Town, at neutral venues; 1–3 at
Llandudno in the FAW Trophy, and 0–1 at
Conwy after a late winner for the Cofis in the Cookson Cup.
Welsh Cup history The 2013–14 season will be long remembered by Wellman supporters, not for their league performance, but for the cup exploits of the side. In the
Welsh Alliance League, Holywell yet again found heartbreak in failing with their main aim of gaining promotion to the
Cymru Alliance. They finished the season in second place to local rivals and league champions
Denbigh Town who remained undefeated throughout their league campaign. However, Holywell did manage to score over 100 league goals in the season for the first time in recent history, and the team's top scorer Sam Jones picked up the Welsh Alliance Division 1's top goalscorer award as well as the league's Player of the Year award for the season. However, it was in the cup competitions, and in particular the
Welsh Cup where this particular season lives long in the memories of all Wellmen supporters. The club won the Cookson Cup for the first time in its history by demolishing
Llanrug United 5–1 in the final, but they achieved the awe-inspiring feat of reaching the semi-finals of the national cup competition. The route to the Welsh Cup last four would not be easy, having to play a number of clubs competing in higher leagues in the Welsh football pyramid along the way. Victories over
Cymru Alliance sides
Penrhyncoch,
Penycae, and
Porthmadog were achieved, and most famously a fourth-round 3–2 win over
Newtown, who would subsequently in fifth position in that season's
Welsh Premier League, ensured the club faced another WPL team in
Aberystwyth Town at the neutral venue of
Latham Park,
Newtown for the semi-final fixture, and it was shown live on the Welsh-language channel of
S4C. Approximately 600 supporters from the town took the long trip down the
A483 to mid-Wales to see the contest take place. The match ultimately ended up becoming a play-off for a qualification place in the
2014–15 UEFA Europa League as a result of
The New Saints beating
Bala Town 2–1 in the other semi-final despite already earning a spot in the
2014–15 UEFA Champions League due to them winning
that season's WPL title. Whoever reached the Welsh Cup final would be guaranteed European football for the following season, back when the finalists of a cup competition could qualify for Europe via that route (a qualification path which has since been stopped by
UEFA). Despite taking the lead after just eight minutes through midfielder Tom McElmeel, and giving an incredibly valiant effort throughout the game, the Wellmen lost the tie 3–1. •
Round One: Penrhyncoch (h) 3-0 •
Round Two: Penycae (h) 3-0 •
Round Three: Llandrindod Wells (a) 3-1 •
Round Four: Newtown (h) 3-2 •
Quarter-Finals: Porthmadog (h) 3-2 •
Semi-Finals: Aberystwyth Town (
n) 1-3 (and going on a run of twenty-three consecutive wins) and only lost their first (and only) league game in mid-March, a 1–2 away defeat to
Glantraeth. Despite the loss, they wrapped up the league title with three games remaining by beating
Llanrwst United 3–0, and finally earned themselves promotion back to the
Cymru Alliance for the 2015–16 season. The highlights of the league campaign were the incredible home victories against
Llanfairpwll and
Pwllheli where the Wellmen inflicted a heavy defeat on the
Anglesey side of 15–1, and beating the
Llŷn Peninsula team 10–0. Such high-scoring victories like those ensured that the Wellmen ended up scoring a total of 119 league goals in their 26 league matches, and finished the league schedule with a goal difference of +100. As well as claiming the Welsh Alliance League title, Holywell Town also earned themselves further silverware when they won another two cups. Initially, they reached the final of the Cookson Cup, but disappointingly lost 1–2 to
Llanrug United at
Conwy Borough's ground. Regardless of their previous cup final defeat, they won their second
FAW Trophy in four years by defeating fellow Welsh Alliance team
Penrhyndeudraeth 4–2 at Maesdu Park, home of
Llandudno F.C. in the same week they confirmed the league title. A brace from Phil Lloyd, a goal from Steve Thomas, and a Sam Jones penalty secured Holywell's victory over the
Gwynedd-based side. Finally, Holywell Town concluded an amazing season by winning the Mawddach Challenge Cup at the
Nantporth Stadium in
Bangor, by getting revenge on Llanrug United and winning the final 3–2 (after extra time) to complete a historic treble-winning campaign.
2015 to Present In their first three seasons back in the second-tier
Cymru Alliance, Holywell Town repeatedly finished in fifth position in the league, earning around 50 points each season. Arguably, their best season of the three came in the
2017–18 season when they concluded their campaign just four points from third position, and possessed the second-best attack (75 goals scored) and defence (37 goals conceded) in the league. Under the continued management of Johnny Haseldin, they also reached two
North East Wales FA (NEWFA) Challenge Cup finals, but lost 0–2 to
Cefn Druids in 2016, and 1–2
Ruthin Town in 2018, respectively.
Management Changes and Relegation Haseldin stepped down as Holywell manager at the end of the
2017–18 season, due to increased work and family commitments. He was replaced in the role of player-manager by another Holywell centre-back, the experienced Gareth Sudlow. His debut managerial season did not start well as he only gained one win and one draw in his first six games. Haseldin returned to the coaching staff in September to provide additional coaching for the first team, although Sudlow was still in charge. Regrettably, Sudlow eventually resigned from the management role a day before the away trip to
Buckley Town in late September due to family commitments, resulting in Haseldin being re-appointed into the vacant management role. Sudlow's managerial record equated to just three wins in ten games. Unfortunately throughout the season, and prior to the games in April, Holywell had only managed to earn themselves a further three wins between October and March, although one of those victories was a confidence-boosting 2–1 result in the
Boxing Day derby against
Flint Town United. Nonetheless, the lack of wins naturally left the Wellmen under a severe threat of potential relegation. However, Holywell's form turned around in April as they earned eleven points within the last five games to give them a fighting chance of survival. Alas their relegation rivals,
Penrhyncoch, earned just as many points as the Wellmen during that same period, to just pip the Wellmen on goal difference to clinch that final survival spot in the Cymru Alliance. Certainly, the match in April between the two teams was to prove crucially pivotal for the road to survival, with the Roosters scoring an injury-time equaliser to make the score 3–3. What made it even more gut-wrenching to Wellmen supporters was that Penrhyncoch were losing with ten minutes remaining in their final match of the season, before scoring two late goals against
Conwy Borough to confirm a 3–2 victory and escape relegation, thus condemning Holywell to third-tier football once again.
Welsh National League It looked as if Holywell's relegation could potentially be reprieved due to
Bangor City initially receiving a 42-point deduction from the FAW for a number of alleged breaches of FAW rules after the season had been completed. This would have left Bangor with just nine points, dropping the Citizens to the bottom of the Cymru Alliance table, and lifting Holywell out of the three-team relegation zone. However, after an appeal for an independent review, Bangor's punishment was halved to a 21-point deduction. This resulted in Bangor just maintaining their place within the league by goal difference, and finally confirming Holywell's relegation to the third tier. Although Holywell Town had originally played in the
Welsh Alliance League structure, being based in
Flintshire meant they now dropped into the
Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) Premier Division for the first time in their history as the league's geographical governance covered the clubs from the
north-eastern counties of Wales. Despite agonisingly suffering relegation from the Cymru Alliance, Holywell Town's hiatus from the second tier would only last a season. They managed to clinch the WNL Premier title and gain promotion back to the now-named
Cymru North, albeit on a superior points-per-game (PPG) ratio after the Welsh football season was halted and concluded due to the
COVID-19 pandemic that was affecting the country at the time. The Wellmen concluded the abruptly-shortened season just ahead of
Rhostyllen and
Cefn Albion in the PPG table, with the latter side inflicting Holywell's only league defeat in the 17-game season. Holywell Town became the final Premier Division champions of the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) league before it was folded and incorporated into the reorganisation of the Welsh football pyramid, with many of its clubs either moving to either the
Ardal North West or
Ardal North East leagues, as part of the new regional third-tier
Ardal Leagues.
Cymru North In their first season back in the Cymru North, Holywell Town finished the
2021-22 campaign in fourth position, just three points behind
Guilsfield who finished in third position, with their manager, Johnny Haseldin, also winning the Cymru North Manager of the Month award in both November and January. This was an impressive overall performance considering that the team only managed to accumulate two points from their first six league games. The Wellmen also progressed far into the
Welsh League Cup defeating
Colwyn Bay,
Conwy Borough, and
Prestatyn Town to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. Alas, they exited the competition to the eventual winners
Connah's Quay Nomads losing 0–4 at the
Deeside Stadium. The 2022–23 season proved to be even more successful for Holywell as the club achieved a second-place finish in the league, their best league performance in the Welsh football pyramid since their last appearance in the League of Wales in the
1998-99 season. Despite only earning one point from their first three league games and conceding nine goals, the Wellmen finished their league schedule with the league's best defence (just 22 goals conceded) and experienced a 25-game winning streak, which included a 3–1 away victory at
Colwyn Bay, inflicting the Cymru North champions' only league defeat of their season. In addition, goalkeeper Keighan Jones earned the league's 'golden glove' by keeping seventeen clean sheets throughout the season, striker Dave Forbes ended up as the league's joint top goalscorer with 22 league goals, They managed to progress deep into the
2022-23 Welsh Cup by reaching the quarter-finals of the national cup competition, but lost in controversial fashion to eventual cup finalists and
that season's third-placed side
Penybont 1–2 at
Bridgend. Nonetheless, Holywell Town concluded one of their finest seasons in their recent history when they finally lifted the regional
NEWFA Challenge Cup for the very first time in their history by beating fellow Cymru North side
Gresford Athletic 3–1 at
Ruthin. ==Stadium==