Llandudno secured the JD Cymru North title with a 4-1 win over Guilsfield at the Go Goodwins Stadium on Easter Monday.
Knowing that victory would put put them out of reach of second-place Airbus UK Broughton, Llandudno made sure it was never in doubt and cruised to their 11th consecutive league win.
It has been a superb campaign from the Seasiders, who have lost just one of their 28 league games so far. They have scored 70 league goals and have the division’s best defence with just 17 goals conceded. Llandudno have also enjoyed memorable cup runs, reaching the semi-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup and knocking out last season’s runners-up Connah’s Quay Nomads from the JD Welsh Cup.
Several plaudits must go to manager Jordan Hadaway, the youngest boss in the JD Cymru Leagues at just 24 years old. Hadaway rebuilt the Seasiders’ squad from scratch following his appointment three years ago and after staving off relegation in his first season in charge, has transformed Llandudno into a dominant force.
13 years Hadaway’s senior, veteran forward Mark Cadwallader has continued to star with 15 goals, while Adam Stephens is not far behind with a tally of 11.
Having secured their place in the JD Cymru North top three as early as the first week of March, Llandudno will return to the JD Cymru Premier for the first time in seven years – pending this week’s licensing decisions.
“I’m incredibly proud of everybody at the club,” Hadaway said. “Not just for today, but for the whole season and everybody that’s been part of this for the last three seasons. We were dead and buried three seasons ago. We had nothing, we were favourites to go down. We survived, then last year we rebuilt and this year we wanted to push on.
“We’ve overachieved. The group of players that we’ve got are incredibly honest, hard working, and they’ve been driven from day one. The coaching staff too. I get the limelight but without the staff, I’m nowhere near as good as what I am.
“Anybody that’s been on the journey for the last three seasons, I’d like to thank because without them this doesn’t happen. It’s great to see the joy on the faces of players, fans, volunteers and directors. Most importantly the chairman, who has worked incredibly hard. It’s why I do it, I love this club for the people that are involved in it.
“We’ll go and enjoy it now, but we will not be throwing away the last two games, we will be approaching them as professionally as we possibly can.”
