Total Network Solutions F.C.
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Total Network Solutions F.C. (TNS) is a British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, Powys, Wales and Oswestry, Shropshire, England (the two places are only eight miles apart). They play in the League of Wales.
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Overview
TNS currently plays at the Recreation Ground (also known as Treflan) in Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain, whhich accommodates 2,000 spectators (1,000 seated). They club are currently building a new stadium in Oswestry, due to open in 2005.
The Club's first choice strip is green and white hooped shirts, white shorts and socks. The second choice strip is blue shirts, shorts, and socks.
History
The club was formed as Llansantffraid F.C. to represent the tiny border village of Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain (population: 1,000) in 1959.
They first tasted competitive football in the Montgomeryshire Amateur Football League (then the fourth level of the Welsh football league system), 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 to the Cymru Alliance as runners-up on their first attempt. Llansantffraid’s meteoric rise continued and in 1992/93 they gained promotion to the 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. Since then they have qualified for European competition several times (though they are yet to win a tie). The club's European home games are generally played either at Newtown's or Wrexham's stadia as their own ground is far below UEFA's standards (though for their 2003 meeting with Manchester City, they played their home game at the 72,000-seater Millennium Stadium in Cardiff).
In 1997 the club's 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 sponsor's name only. 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. (who, despite being from England, also played in Wales), was approved by Oswestry's shareholders, the Football Association of Wales and was eventually ratified on 14 August 2003 by UEFA (who initially objected to two clubs from different countries (in football terms) merging). While retaining the TNS name, the merged team plays its home matches in TNS's green and white strip and its away matches in Oswestry's all-dark blue.
The 2003-2004 season was trophyless for TNS, as they were runners-up in the League of Wales to Rhyl and were losing finalists in the Welsh Cup, also to Rhyl. The next season, 2004-05, proved much more successful, as TNS won a league-cup double.
Honours
- Promoted to League of Wales, 1993
- Champions 1999/2000, 2004/05
- Runners-up, 2001/02, 2002/03, 2003/04
- Welsh Cup winners, 1995/96, 2004/05
- Runners-up, 2000/01, 2003/04
- League of Wales Cup Winners 1994/95
- Welsh Intermediate Cup Winners 1992/93
- Cymru Alliance League Winners 1992/93
Biggest victories and losses
- Biggest League of Wales win: 8-1 v. Briton Ferry Athletic in 1997.
- Biggest League of Wales defeat: 0-10 v. Barry Town in 1997.
External link
- Official website (http://www.saints-alive.co.uk/)