The history of football in the tiny mid-Wales village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain (population c. 1000), about eight miles southwest of Oswestry, is a shining example of the romance of the game.
The club was founded in 1959 as Llansantffraid F.C., and plays at the Recreation Ground (also known as Treflan), Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, where their ground accommodates 2000 spectators (1000 seated).
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2 Honours 3 Biggest victories and losses |
History
The club was formed in 1959 and first tasted competitive football in the Montgomeryshire Amateur Football League (Div IV level in the pyramid), winning the championship seven times. At the end of the 1989/90 season they were elected to the Central Wales League (now the Mid-Wales League) but their stay was brief, winning promotion as Cymru Alliance runners up at their first attempt. Llansantffraid’s meteoric rise continued and in 1992/93 they gained promotion to the Konica National League of Wales as champions and won the Welsh Intermediate Cup (formerly the Welsh Amateur Cup).
In 1996 Llansantffraid won the Welsh Cup and qualified for the first time for the European Cup Winners' Cup. At this time a local computer company Total Network Solutions of Oswestry arranged a £250,000 sponsorship deal which involved incorporating the company name into the club name. As "Total Network Solutions Llansantffraid F.C." (no doubt to the consternation of commentators) they met the Polish cup winners Ruch Chorzow and did well to earn a 1-1 draw at home before losing 0-5 in Poland (TNS' European home games are generally played either at Newtown or Wrexham as their own ground is far below UEFA's standards, but for their 2003 meeting with Manchester City F.C TNS played their home game at Cardiff's 72,000 seat Millennium Stadium).
In 1997 the clubs' name was changed to "Total Network Solutions F.C.", being the first instance in the United Kingdom of a football club renaming itself after its sponsors. Following the financial meltdown of Barry Town in the summer of 2003, TNS is now the only League of Wales club which has a full-time playing staff.
In the summer of 2003 a merger with their financially-weak neighbours, Oswestry Town F.C, was approved by Oswestry's shareholders, the Football Association of Wales, and was eventually ratified on 14 August 2003 by UEFA. It is planned to move to a new stadium in Oswestry for the 2005/06 season. While retaining the TNS name, the merged team will play half its matches in TNS' green-and-white strip, and half in Oswestry's all-dark blue.
Honours
Biggest victories and losses