The village football teams that are defying the odds in North Wales

There have always been successful village football teams in North Wales, clubs at the heart of their respective communities who despite their small populations have been successful.

From Gresford through to Bodedern, a number of teams are punching above their weight.

Here we will take a closer look at some of the village sides currently achieving great things in North Wales football.

Gresford is a fairly large village to the north of Wrexham and its local side Athletic have been members of the second tier Cymru North (previously the Cymru Alliance) since 2015 when they won the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) title.

Managed by former Denbigh Town and Rhyl FC boss Eddie Maurice Jones, now in his second stint at Clappers Lane, the Colliers currently lie in 9th place in the second tier of Welsh football.

Located at the southern tip of Llyn Tegid, Llanuwchllyn is a small, predominantly Welsh-speaking village with a population of just over 600 people.

The football club has consistently punched above its weight for some time but this season especially has been a very good one for the club with the side battling for honours near the summit of the third tier Ardal North West League.

With some big names in Welsh football also challenging near the top - Denbigh Town, Porthmadog, Llanrwst Utd and Mold Alex are currently the only teams above Llan in the table - it will be a tough ask for the villagers to gain some silverware but their presence in amongst those historic clubs is a great achievement in itself.

Possibly enjoying the most impressive campaign of all these sides are Tier 4 Boded who are yet to drop points in any of their 17 league games and have already beaten title rivals Bangor 1876 this season.

The Ynys Mon outfit