By James Dow

Ahead of today’s JD Cymru Premier MD11 encounter at the Ogi Bridge Meadow, we’ve taken a closer look at Flint Town United with Meet the Opposition!

History

Founded in 1886 as Flint FC, the club played at Strand Park which was located on the banks of the Dee Estuary. The Silkmen were founding members of the North Wales Coast League which they won during the 1893-94 season. Flint then decided to join the newly-formed Flintshire League two years later, and by the turn of the century, the town of Flint had three teams; Flint Town, Flint Athletic and Flint UAC (United Alkali Company). In 1905, Flint UAC and Flint Town amalgamated, keeping the name of Flint Town. In 1924, the club left Strand Park to move into a new ground at Holywell Road, which became their home until 1993. Throughout the 1920s, Flint featured in the Welsh National League (North) before playing in the newly formed Welsh League between 1930-35 and then participating in West Cheshire League over 1937-1949 apart from the war years.

Following the Second World War, both Flint Town and Flint Athletic amalgamated, becoming Flint Town United Football Club which entered the Welsh League (North) for the 1949-50 season. Flint enjoyed a very successful period in the 50s, winning the Welsh Senior Cup defeating First Division side Cardiff City in the semi-final before defeating Third Division side Chester City in the final, with both games held at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham. During this successful five year period, the Silkmen won three consecutive league titles and finished runners-up on two occasions. Flint’s fortunes seemed to run out, and they found themselves relegated at the end of the 1961-62 season. Flint moved between the leagues then for the next 30 years before the transformation of Welsh football in 1990. The club were founding members of the Cymru Alliance and won the league in its first season. Flint then became founders of the League of Wales, where they spent five seasons before being relegated due to the league reducing the number of places in the league under UEFA rules.

The club stabilised during this period, with a number of mid-table finishes in the Cymru Alliance before the league became the JD Cymru North in 2019. They were then promoted during this season as runners-up, with the league being decided on a points-per-game basis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Silkmen spent three seasons in the top-flight of Welsh football before being relegated at the end of the 2022-23 season, with the side bouncing straight back into the JD Cymru Premier a year later, finishing in 9^th place in their first season back in the top flight, recording eight consecutive home wins in the latter part of the campaign.

Form

Flint have shown mixed form so far this season. They recorded some convincing wins early on, including a 4-2 victory over Cardiff Metropolitan and a 5-0 triumph against Llanelli, but have since struggled defensively, suffering a 5-0 defeat to Penybont and a 4-2 loss to The New Saints. The Silkmen head into the game on the back of a 2-1 win over Briton Ferry Llansawel last Saturday evening in front of the live Sgorio cameras, with captain Harry Owen netting both goals. That victory lifted them into eighth place on 11 points, level with Colwyn Bay.

Manager

Former Wales under-21 midfielder Lee Fowler took over the Silkmen in 2022, replacing Neil Gibson. Fowler had a long playing career which included spells at English Football League sides Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, Doncaster Rovers and Wrexham amongst others. The 41-year-old moved into coaching after hanging up his boots, starting his career as assistant manager with Nuneaton Borough, while taking head coach roles at Ilkeston Town and Radcliffe before moving to north Wales in 2022. Fowler has been at the helm for 117 games so far, winning 56 of those, with a points-per-game of 1.57.

Captain

Harry Owen joined the Silkmen last summer from neighbours Connah’s Quay Nomads. The defender initially started his development at Flint, before moving to the Nomads and captaining their development team to the National Academi Development League North title. Owen made five senior appearances for the Nomads, which included a substitute appearance on his 18^th birthday in a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Armenian side Alashkert Yerevan.

The 22-year-old had four loan spells over his Nomads career, firstly with Ruthin Town, before moving back to Flint during Lee Fowler’s first season at the club, while also having spells at Aberystwyth Town and Colwyn Bay before re-joining the Silkmen.

Owen has made 77 appearances over two spells with Flint, scoring 12 goals with five of them coming last season, including a hat-trick against Briton Ferry Llansawel in February.

The captain has made nine league appearances for the Silkmen this season, scoring his first two goals in last week’s victory over Briton Ferry Llansawel and also providing two assists.

Key Players

Young defender Isaac Lee has become one of the most talked about players in the Cymru Premier this season, with several links to English Football League clubs throughout the summer. The 6ft 5 defender started his career at Stoke City, while also spending time at non-league level with AFC Flyde, Ramsbottom United and Stafford Rangers. The 21-year-old joined the Silkmen last summer on a six-month loan deal before signing permanently in January of this year. Lee made 30 appearances for Flint last season, registering a goal in a 4-2 win over Newtown back in April.

Loanee Jake Canavan brings a wealth of experience to Lee Fowler’s side, having made over 60 JD Cymru Premier appearances already at the age of 21. The central midfielder started in his career in the Manchester City academy before moving on to Burnley in 2016, where he would spend three years in their development side before joining Welsh champions The New Saints in 2019.

Canavan spent a couple of years in the Saints’ development side before making his debut in a commanding 6–0 win over his new club, coming off the bench for a 13-minute cameo. The midfielder would continue to pick up minutes for the Saints in the following season, registering his first Cymru Premier goal in April 2022, during a 2-0 win away to Newtown. He would go on to make 10 appearances that season across all competitions, whilst also being named as an unused substitute in their Europa Conference league qualifying campaign.

Canavan had his first loan spell midway through the 2022–23 season, joining Aberystwyth Town, where he made nine league appearances and scored his only goal for the club in a 7-1 win at Airbus UK Broughton. 12 months later, the midfielder returned to w2est Wales for a second loan stint, adding another 10 appearances for the Seasiders.

Canavan then joined Caernarfon Town in January for another loan spell until the end of the season, making 11 appearances for the club, scoring on his debut against the Silkmen while also appearing in the JD Cymru Premier European play-off final against the Bluebirds, replacing Blaine Hudson at half-time.

The 21-year-old then joined Flint this summer, and so far has made seven league appearances, with his only goal coming in the 5-2 defeat to Caernarfon back in August.

Versatile midfielder Jake Phillips played a key role in Flint’s victory over Briton Ferry Llansawel last week, providing both assists for Harry Owen. That leaves him with 38 goal contributions in 105 appearances for the Flintshire side.

Phillips began his career at Wrexham before moving on to Cefn Druids. Phillips would then join Connah’s Quay Nomads in 2017, experiencing his first taste of European football in a 3-0 defeat to Finish giants HJK Helinski.

The midfielder, who can also play at right-back and in the centre of midfield went on loan to Bangor City during the second-half of the 2018-19 season before joining Airbus UK Broughton the following summer. Phillips spent one season with the Wingmakers before moving on to Newtown in 2020.

The right-sided midfielder made 23 appearances for the club, registering three assists. He would then move on to his first spell with the Silkmen, making 35 appearances across all competitions, with his only goal coming in a 3-2 loss to Bala Town in March 2022. Phillips would also register six assists throughout the season, including one in a play-off semi-final victory against Penybont, where the Flintshire side would go on to win 4-2 on penalties.

The 28-year-old would then rejoin Airbus for a season before returning to Flint for their JD Cymru North campaign after getting relegated during the 2022-23 season. This was a really successful season for Phillips and the Silkmen, who bounced back to the JD Cymru Premier at the first time of asking, as the midfielder managed to pick up one goal and 11 assists throughout the season. He would then go on to improve his numbers even further last season, registering three goals and 11 assists in 32 league games for the Silkmen.

Phillips has also made one appearance for his country in 2022, coming off the bench for a 20-minute cameo in Cymru C’s 4-0 victory over England C.