A history of Newtown's factory football clubs

However Newtown has a rich history of works football clubs with two pioneers of the game in the 19th century.

The County Times goes back in time to share the stories of three of the town's factory football clubs.

Royal Welsh Warehouse FC

Royal Welsh Warehouse FC.

The warehouse was also an important source of employment for the people of Newtown and the centre of the town’s sporting life.

The Warehouse Sports and Recreation Society was well known for organising an annual sports day which attracted crowds of thousands while also playing a prominent role in Newtown’s emergence as a sporting capital.

Through the society, sports clubs of all kinds flourished from bowls and cycling to cricket, tennis and football.

The Warehouse club, also known as the Wanderers, were founded in 1880.

clubs were founder members of the Newtown and District League in 1896 while RWW claimed several Welsh Cup scalps, most notably a 6-1 win in a replay against Chirk AAA in 1902.

The side were founder members of the Montgomeryshire League in 1904.

The following season the Warehouse club became the first ever winners of the Montgomeryshire Cup, beating Llanidloes 3-2 after extra-time in Montgomery in front of a crowd of more than 700 people.

The Warehouse defended their county crown the following season when they beat Newtown North End 2-1 in the only ever all Newtown final.

In April 1914 the RWW team won the Montgomeryshire Challenge Cup for the third time since its inception.

However the victory was tinged with sadness.

Within three months, this team of young drapers would swap their football kit for army khaki and partook in some of the most horrific battles of World War One.

Sadly, two of them would never return home.

Newtown North End FC

The Newtown North End team.

North End is believed to have its origins in an earlier club known as Cambrian North End before rebranding in 1895 and founded by employees of the Royal Welsh Warehouse.

The club was a founding members of the Newtown and District League in 1896 while North End reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1905.

North End were founder members of the Montgomeryshire League in 1904 and crowned champions in 1906.

North End folded at the end of 1909 but reformed in 1987 before folding in 1989

GKN Sports FC

GKN Football Club.

The club was formed in 1965 and entered the Montgomeryshire League.

The club spent much of its existence in the first and second division before resigning in 1981.

A new club, R&Q Sports took its place in the league, winning the second division in 1983 which became Newtown Northside two years later before becoming Merlin Sports in 1988 and folding in 1990.