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English Cymraeg / Welsh Ffurfiwyd Clwb Pêl Droed Porthmadog yn 1884, sydd yn ei gwneud yn un o glybiau hynaf Cymru. Yn 1900 ymunodd y clwb â Chynghrair Gogledd Cymru ac fe enillwyd y gynghrair hon yn 1902/03. Collodd y clwb yn rownd derfynol Cwpan Amatur Cymru yn 1905-06 ac ni enillwyd y Gynghrair eto tan 1937-38 Roedd y '50au, '60au a'r '70au yn ddegawdau llwyddiannus iawn i Port. Enillwyd Cwpan Amatur Cymru yn 1955/56 ac 1956/57. Yn 1965 synnwyd pêl droed Gogledd Cymru wrth i Mel Charles arwyddo a daeth llwyddiant i'r Traeth unwaith eto. Enillwyd Cynghrair Cymru (Gogledd) thri thymor yn olynol rhwng 1966 ac 1969 .Hefyd yn 1966, chwaraewyd yn erbyn Abertawe yng Nghwpan Cymru ar y Vetch o flaen torf o 10,941. Yn y saithdegau, sicrhawyd dwy bencampwriaeth arall yn 1974-75 a 1975-76. Yna bu'n rhaid aros nes 1989/90 am bencampwriaeth nesaf Port, pan enillwyd y Welsh Alliance. Roedd y llwyddiant hwn yn ddigon i hawlio lle Port fel aelodau gwreiddiol Cynghrair y Cymru Alliance yn 1990, ac yna yn 1992 daeth Port yn aelodau gwreiddiol o Gynghrair Pêl-droed Cymru (Cynghrair Konica ar y pryd). Er fod gwaith da wedi’i gwblhau i sicrhau fod y stadiwm yn cyrraedd y safonau angenrheidiol, ei chael hi'n anodd wnaeth Port i ddechrau yn ystod eu tymor cyntaf ond diolch i welliant tua diwedd y tymor gorffennodd Port yn y nawfed safle. Roedd llawer o'r diolch, am y llwyddiant hwyr, yn ganlyniad i arwyddo Dave Taylor gan iddo rwydo'n rheolaidd. Aeth Dave ymlaen, yn ei ail dymor, i fod yn brif sgoriwr y Gynghrair ac hefyd yn Ewrop. Yn ystod ei gyfnod gyda’r clwb, sgoriodd 62 o goliau mewn 66 gêm. Er i Marc Lloyd Williams a Dave Taylor rwydo 70 o goliau rhyngddynt yn nhymor 1993/4, anghyson iawn fu canlyniadau'r clwb wrth iddynt orffen yn11eg. Llwyddodd Port, serch hynny, i dorri record arall, sef torf uchaf' y Gynghrair Genedlaethol. Gyda Bangor yn brwydro am y bencampwriaeth, daeth torf o 2,500 i weld y gêm hollbwysig. Ar y noson, enillodd Bangor o 2-0 ac felly ennill y Gynghrair. Dechreuwyd y trydydd tymor gyda rheolwr newydd. Synnwyd llawer gyda’r penderfyniad i ddiswyddo Meilir Owen fel rheolwr y clwb. Daeth cyn chwaraewr Cymru, Ian Edwards i gymryd yr awenau ond, ar ôl dechrau da, yr un oedd ei dynged o ar ôl i’r clwb ddisgyn i lawr y tabl. Aeth pethau o ddrwg i waeth ar ôl i Mickey Thomas, cyn chwaraewr Man. U., Wrecsam a Chymru, gymryd drosodd. Bu bron i'r tîm fynd i lawr ond, gyda chymorth Colin Hawkins, a ymunodd fel is-reolwr, fe lwyddwyd i aros i fyny o drwch blewyn. Dechreuodd tymor 1995/96 gyda newid arall pan apwyntiwyd Colin Hawkins i swydd y rheolwr. Ar y cae roedd hwn yn dymor digynnwrf. Ond, ni ellir dweud yr un fath am y digwyddiadau oddi ar y cae. Bu bron i drafferthion ariannol dybryd olygu diwedd y clwb ond, diolch i waith caled y cyfarwyddwyr, ail lansiwyd y clwb fel cwmni cyfyngedig. Codwyd bron i £10,000 o bunnoedd drwy werthu cyfranddaliadau, a daeth pres ychwanegol o gêmau cyfeillgar arbennig. Yn 1996/97, gyda'r sefyllfa ariannol yn llawer gwell, cafodd y tîm ddechrau anhygoel i'r tymor. Ni gollwyd gêm gartref tan y flwyddyn newydd a, phan ddaeth Y Barri i'r Traeth, roedd yn gêm rhwng ail a phedwerydd, gyda dim ond gwahaniaeth goliau yn eu gwahanu. Un o'r chwaraewyr, a gyfrannodd fwyaf at y cychwyn hwn, cyn iddo adael y clwb i ymuno â Wrecsam am £10,000, oedd Paul Roberts. Ar ôl ymadawiad Paul, newidiodd tymor Port yn gyfangwbl, wrth i'r tîm lithro i orffen y tymor yn y degfed safle. Er hynny enillwyd Cwpan Her Arfordir y Gogledd. Yn 1997/98, daeth diwedd i gyfnod Port yng Nghynghrair Cymru. Cafwyd rhediad gwael at ddiwedd y tymor a phenderfynwyd eu tynged ar yr 2 Mai ar Ffordd Ffarar pan gollodd Bangor yn erbyn Hwlffordd. Yn rhyfeddol o edrych yn ôl, ac hefyd wrth ystyried rhai o’r penderfyniadau a gymerwyd ers hynny, collodd Port eu safle er iddynt orffen yn 4ydd o’r gwaelod. Yn ôl yn y Cymru Alliance ar ôl bod yn yr ail safle am ran helaeth o dymor 1998/99, aeth pethau ar chwâl yn y flwyddyn newydd, gyda'r newyddion na fyddai Port yn cael eu dyrchafu, oherwydd diffyg cyfleusterau. Gorffennodd Port yng nghanol y tabl ond llwyddwyd i gipio Cwpan y Gynghrair. Diolch i rediad o fuddugoliaethau ar ôl i Viv Williams godi'r awenau, yn dilyn ymadawiad Colin Hawkins, gorffennodd y clwb yn bumed yn 1999-2000. Wrth i Viv, ar y cyd gyda’i is-reolwr Osian Roberts, adeiladu tîm newydd codwyd gobeithion y cefnogwyr fod y dyddiau da ar fin dychwelyd i'r Traeth. A dyna sut y bu wrth i Port gael un o’r tymhorau gorau yn eu hanes yn 2002-03. Enillwyd pob gêm gartref trwy gydol y tymor, gyda’r unig ddwy gêm iddynt golli yn dod ar ôl iddynt sicrhau dyrchafiad. Dyrchafwyd Port i Uwch Gynghrair Cymru gyda mantais o 19 pwynt ar frig y Gynghrair Undebol. Bu bygythiad o golli pwyntiau am chwarae Richard Harvey heb ganiatâd rhyngwladol ond enillodd synnwyr cyffredin y dydd. Aeth Port ymlaen i ychwanegu dwy gwpan (Cwpan Her y Gogledd a Chwpan y Gynghrair) at eu llwyddiannau. Gyda Viv Williams ac Osian Roberts yn ffurfio’r bartneriaeth rheoli ac hyfforddi, camodd Porthmadog yn ôl i Uwch Gynghrair Cymru gan orffen yn 12fed ddigon parchus yn 2003-04. Yn y ddau dymor canlynol, gorffen yn yr 11eg oedd yr hanes ond llwyddwyd i ddiogelu lle yn UGC heb unrhyw beryg o gael eu sugno i’r frwydr yn y gwaelodion. Yn 2006-07 ni chyflawnwyd gobeithion y clwb yn y gynghrair gan unwaith eto orffen yn 11eg ond cafwyd buddugoliaethau nodedig mewn tri chwpan –Cwpan y Gynghrair, Cwpan Cenedlaethol y BBC a Chwpan Cymru –gan gyrraedd rownd gyn derfynol Cwpan y Gynghrair. Osian Roberts erbyn hyn oedd y rheolwr gyda Viv Williams yn is-reolwr. Am y rhan fwyaf o’r tymor, roedd cwmwl du cosb drom ac annheg y Gymdeithas Bêl Droed, am sylwadau hiliol gan un unigolyn, yn hongian uwchben y clwb. Ni ddaeth y saga yma i ben tan Mehefin 2007 wedi’r clwb fynd â’r achos at dribiwnlys annibynnol ac o’r diwedd sicrhau tegwch a chyfiawnder. Ond ar ôl cyfnod o ail sefydlu’r clwb yn UGC a’i ddatblygu’n sylweddol, daeth cyfnod Viv ac Osian wrth y llyw i ben yn ddisymwth ar ddiwedd 2006-07 gyda ymadawiad Osian i swydd Cyfarwyddwr Hyfforddi gyda’r Gymdeithas Bêl Droed ac ymddiswyddodd Viv yr un pryd ar ôl 7 mlynedd gyda’r clwb. Penodwyd cyn chwaraewr Manchester United, Clayton Blackmore, yn rheolwr ar gyfer 2007-08. Ond byr bu arhosiad Blackmore ar ôl cychwyn trychinebus i’r tymor. Troi at Viv Williams unwaith eto gwnaeth y clwb. Apwyntiodd Viv, Alan Bickerstaff i’w gynorthwyo yn y frwydr i gadw’r clwb yn Uwch Gynghrair Cymru. Saesneg / English Porthmadog Football Club was founded in 1884, which makes them one of Wales' oldest clubs. In 1900, the club joined the North Wales League and they were champions in 1902/03. They reached the final of the Welsh Amateur Cup in 1905 -06 but had to wait until 1937-38 before they gained another championship. The '50s, '60s and '70s were highly successful decades for Port. The Welsh Amateur Cup was won in 1955/56 and 1956/57. After relinquishing their amateur status, and signing Mel Charles, more success came to the Traeth. They were league champions in three successive seasons between 1966 and 1969. Also in 1966, they played against Swansea in the Welsh Cup at the Vetch, before a crowd of 10,941. In the seventies they were again champions in 1974-75 a 1975-76. Then there was a wait until 1989/90 for the next championship when they topped the Welsh Alliance. This gained Port a place in the newly formed Cymru Alliance (1990). In 1992 Port became inaugural members of the then League of Wales (also known as the Konica League). Though much good work had been done off the field, to ensure that the stadium reached the league's criteria, the team struggled to make an impact on the pitch but, thanks to a late surge, they finished in 9th place. This was largely as a result of the signing of striker Dave Taylor who netted freely. Dave went on, in his second season, to become the league's top scorer as well as Europe’s highest. During his spell at the club, he scored 62 goals in 66 games. Despite the 70 goals netted by Dave Taylor and Marc Lloyd-Williams, in the 1993-4 season, the results were rather inconsistent and they finished in 11th spot. Port did, however, break another record - the highest League of Wales attendance. A crowd of 2,500 came to see Bangor push for the league title. Bangor won by 2-0 on the night winning the league title. The 1994/95 season started with a new manager, following the surprising decision to replace Meilir Owen as club manager. Ex-Wales International, Ian Edwards became manager but, after a good start, the team dropped from fourth position and he was also replaced. Things went from bad to worse after Mickey Thomas, ex-Man. U., Wrexham and Wales, took over as manager. The team came close to being relegated. Only, with the arrival of Colin Hawkins as assistant manger, did the team manage to escape the drop. The 1995/96 season started with yet another change of manager with Colin Hawkins promoted to the manager's job. On the field, this proved to be a very quiet season but events off the field proved anything but quiet. The club nearly folded because of serious financial trouble but, thanks to the hard work of the directors, the club was re-launched as a limited company and £10,000 was raised through the sale of shares. Further cash was raised through some attractive friendly matches. In 1996/97, with the financial situation much improved, the team had a fine start to the season. No home game was lost until the New Year and, when champions Barry came to Y Traeth, it was second against fourth, with only goal difference separating the two clubs. One of Port's most influential players, during this excellent start, was Paul Roberts. Before leaving the club to join Wrexham for £10,000, he had played for Wales Under-21 and was the league's top scorer. After Paul's departure, Port's season changed completely, as they slipped to tenth place. The club did however end the season by lifting the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup. In the 1997/98 season, Port's time in the League of Wales came to an end. A poor run of form towards the end of the season meant that their fate was sealed at Farrar Road when Haverfordwest gained a shock win against Bangor. Looking back now, and knowing what has happened since, it is a cause for amazement that Porthmadog lost their WPL status despite ending the season 4th place from the bottom. Back in the Cymru Alliance, they occupied the second spot for most of the 1998/99 season but things started to go down hill in the New Year, with the news that Port would not be promoted due to a lack of facilities. This was a big blow and Port dropped into mid-table but some pride was restored as they won the League Cup. There was also disappointment in the 1999-2000 season with the club only finishing in 5th place, despite a run of victories after Viv Williams took charge, following the departure of Colin Hawkins. Viv, together with assistant-manager Osian Roberts, re-built the team and supporters’ hopes were raised that the good days were about to return to the Traeth. 2002-03 proved to be one of the most successful in the history of the club. Every home game throughout the season was won and the only two defeats came after Port had already gained promotion. They returned to the WPL with a 19 points advantage over their nearest Cymru Alliance rivals. They had to overcome a threat of a points deduction for playing Richard Harvey without international clearance but fortunately common sense prevailed. Port also lifted the League Cup and North Wales Coast Challenge Cup. Under the astute management duo of Viv Williams and Osian Roberts, the club took the step back into the WPL and finished season 2003/04 in a respectable 12th position. In the two seasons which followed, they finished in 11th place but managed to retain WPL status without any relegation worries. In 2006/07 however, they failed to move ahead as expected and once again ended in 11th spot despite high expectations. But in three Cup competitions -League Cup, Premier Cup and Welsh Cup- they gained some notable victories and reached the semi-final of the League Cup. By this time, Osian Roberts had become the manager with Viv Williams assisting. For the greater part of the season, the dark cloud of the FAW’s unreasonable punishment for racist remarks by one individual cast its shadow over the club. A satisfactory conclusion to this saga was not achieved until the club had taken the matter to an independent sports tribunal and this provided a fair hearing and at last, justice. After a successful period re-establishing the club in the WPL and developing it substantially the Viv and Osian era came suddenly to a close at the end of 2006/07 with the departure of Osian to a senior coaching position at the FAW and Viv deciding to call it a day after 7 years at the helm. Clayton Blackmore, the former Manchester United and Wales player, was appointed manager for 2007/08. But his period in charge was a short one, following a disastrous start to the season. Once again the club looked to Viv Williams to revive their fortunes and he appointed Alan Bickerstaff to assist him in the battle against relegation. |
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