Blog Feed

Prosser gives Cambrian a new cutting edge

Like others no doubt, I really thought this might the season for Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC to challenge again for the title at this level of football. It’s been nearly 8 years since their solitary Welsh Football League triumph and the club has undergone a massive transition in that time; the first team now enjoying the fruits of the seeds they began planting when their academy was set-up around a decade ago.

Last season was a breakthrough campaign for the Rhondda club, manager Dane Williams leading his charges to a 2nd place finish in what was then Welsh League Division one (it is now the Cymru South), a well-publicised run to the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup and the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup. In the summer, attackers Leon Jacka and Sam Johnson were added to the squad and although they lost captain David Thomas and Joe Evans to Cardiff Met (Thomas has since returned to Clydach Vale), the balance of the squad looked good enough for a challenge.

After winning the first five league games it looked like my prediction was spot on but a barren run of form that saw the side win just once in 11 games during the autumn months saw them drop into mid-table. Three wins in four before this game had boosted their league position but there won’t be a title challenge this time around.

Their visitors, Cwmbran Celtic, are in real trouble. Although they have been a team that has held their own since they returned to the second tier of Welsh football three and half years ago, their league position has declined every season since a club record 6th-placed finish in 2017. The club haven’t really been able to stabilise on the pitch since Lee Challenger stepped down as manager last season. Former Monmouth Town manager Nicky Morgan tried but left the club last month with club playing veterans James Kinsella and Owen Cook currently overseeing a side languishing in the bottom three and at real risk of relegation.

Here it was evident to see why they are struggling, making little impact against a Cambrian side that are always strong at home; or they are when I visit. This was my 10th time watching Cambrian and this was the 9th victory they recorded with me in attendance and a combined aggregate score of 27-5. Maybe they should employ me as a full-time lucky charm, or at least try and do something about the weather! It always seems to either be raining or blowing a Baltic gale when I venture up to their 3G ground.

They didn’t let the weather dampen their performance here though, running out comfortable winners on the night. Sam Jones opened the scoring as early as the sixth minute and the Rhondda men never looked book back. Ryan Prosser – recently recruited from Merthyr Town – scored a brace to seal the victory, consisting of a superb individual effort in the first half and a fine finish to cap a lovely flowing team move on the hour.

Dane Williams may well be wondering what might have been had Prosser been signed earlier. The hitman has struck 5 times in 3 consecutive wins for Cambrian since he joined from The Martyrs and definitely seems to have brought a new dimension to the attack with his skill, physicality and ruthlessness in front of goal. The Cwmbran Celtic defence certainly had no answers to his threat and will no doubt hope to produce much better in the games ahead.

Match notes
21.02.2020
Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC 3-0 Cwmbran Celtic
(Sam Jones 6′, Ryan Prosser 16′ 59′)
JD Cymru South
M & P Group Stadium, Clydach Vale
Attendance: c. 80 | Entry: £5 (free programme available online)

Ruscoe concedes more than just the points advantage in Nomads loss.

Connah’s Quay Nomads’ 1-0 win over The New Saints at the Deeside Stadium on Friday night confirmed we ACTUALLY have a phase two Cymru Premier title race. Craig Curran’s goal amidst swirling winds of Storm Ellen was enough to send Andy Morrison’s challengers four points clear at the top with seven rounds left to play.

The game itself wasn’t a great advert for the Cymru Premier as a spectacle, although it is easy and lazy to direct accusations of “poor quality” at a semi-professional league based on one game played in conditions that would have affected games at several “higher” levels. Judgements should always be relative and what is more important to take from this game is that we have a genuinely competitive title race going into the latter stages. I would argue a league’s competitiveness and strength in depth is as important as what is perceived as “quality”.

The Cymru Premier has now provided plenty of talking points for the coming months and for the right reasons this time. Along with the title race, we have an intriguing three-horse fight to avoid possible relegation between Penybont, Carmarthen Town and Airbus Broughton. A battle between Cardiff Met and Cefn Druids for the final Europa League play-off spot. Not to mention the ongoing scuffle between Barry Town and Bala Town for 3rd place; which potentially guarantees European football next season depending on the final destination of the Welsh Cup. There are few dead rubbers at the moment, so the focus should be on matters on the pitch instead of the usual “gaffes” the wider media often jump on for clickbait.

Ironically, the best entertainment came after the turgid 90 minutes between Nomads and TNS when the latter’s manager Scott Ruscoe spoke to the media. Clearly rattled, Ruscoe launched his very own ‘Kevin Keegan moment’ when he was highly dismissive of Connah’s Quay’s title credentials and, less surprisingly, the direct style of Andy Morrison’s outfit.

Speaking to Sgorio‘s Nicky John, Ruscoe said the match was “probably one of the worst games we’ve been involved in. Poor conditions, poor quality throughout.”

Nothing controversial there I’m sure most viewers would agree. Ruscoe admitted conditions played their part in his side’s struggles and acknowledged it was something “both sides had to deal with” before launching a thinly-veiled attack on the Connah’s Quay approach to the game.

“They play like that every game,” Ruscoe told Sgorio, “they play like that in the wind, in the rain and if it’s nice, they like that on a good pitch or if it’s a bad pitch, it doesn’t really matter.”

Adding in an interveiw with The New Saints’ in-house media: “we like to get the ball down and the conditions are not conducive to pretty football. The wind was as bad as you’re going to get and it was very difficult for us to get any momentum in the game.”

This kind of snobbery isn’t new in football or exclusive to Ruscoe, but it smacks of the bitterness and the tension that is clearly being felt in the ranks at Park Hall. It’s ridiculous to criticise the style of a team that has just beaten you in a crucial title “six-pointer” and taken a four point lead at the top.

The best was to come when Ruscoe told both Sgorio and TNS TV that “We’ll beat Connah’s Quay at home so we’ll be hoping for someone else to get a draw.”

When asked if Connah’s Quay were pushing TNS as hard as anyone has, Ruscoe dismissed the notion “we’ve been pushed harder [and by better teams] than what these are.” Ruscoe denounced the prospect of Connah’s Quay navigating their way to the title.

“They are not going to win seven games in a row. No doubt, no chance at all,” he told TNS TV, stating “I think we’ll be alright.”

Although, Connah’s Quay only need to win six games from here to secure their first ever Welsh league title.

The comments are telling of the pressure Ruscoe is under as he now faces the real possibility of being the manager that oversaw the end of TNS’s monopoly of the Cymru Premier / Welsh Premier League title. Having led Nomads by four points at the end of phase one, Ruscoe’s side have now taken a single point from their first three matches in the ‘Championship Conference’ phase while Andy Morrison’s side have been unerring. The title isn’t in their hands anymore and it has been a long time since TNS were in this situation.

I doubt Andy Morrison will be losing any sleep over Ruscoe disrespecting his side; the interviews probably provoked a smile if anything. Nothing is won yet and the smart money would still back The New Saints to secure a 9th consecutive Welsh league title. However, Ruscoe’s public display of vulnerability confirms the threat from Deeside is being felt acutely in Oswestry but it also the kind of interview that shows the Cymru Premier matters more than than it’s low-profile.

It’s also added even more fuel to the fire of what is becoming a sparkling title race and we need more of it.

Who is pushing for promotion in the district leagues? (South Wales FA)

Parks football, recreation football; whatever you want to call it, football in the lower echelons of the Welsh football pyramid is just as enjoyable as the upper tiers. There obviously isn’t the same quality in both the standard of play and facilities but it is still 11 v 11 with 3 points up for grabs. While the football at this level has largely a social function, there are some ambitious clubs trying to find their way into the more organised standard in the regional South Wales Alliance and Gwent Premier Leagues.

So here’s a round-up of all the current state of play in the district leagues across the South Wales FA, where the champions of each league are vying for promotion into the South Wales Alliance League. A similar Gwent County FA round-up will follow.

South Wales FA

Aberdare Valley
Abercynon and Cwmaman 2nds are locked on 26 points at the top of the Premier Division with a number of clubs having games in hand, including Penywaun. Last season’s champions Abercwmboi are languishing in mid-table and although they have games in hand, it would take an incredible run for them to retain their title. A three-point deduction hasn’t helped their title defence either.

Last season Abercwmboi did not apply for the South Wales FA champions play-offs but Abercynon and Penywaun did. You would expect the latter two to have the same ambition again this season.

Napiers Arms lead the way in Division One, although second-place Butchers Arms have the advantage of games in hand. The division has been reduced to nine teams after Gwawr FC withdrew from the league.

Bridgend & District
Bettws hold a seven-point lead over Wyndham BGC and both sides have four games left to play. So two wins for ex-Welsh League Bettws will guarantee the title after they missed out to an irrepressible Maesteg Park last season. They will almost certainly apply for the end of season play-offs.

An improved Llanharry side lead the way in division one, seven points clear of Pencoed Athletic with a game in hand, and look certain for a return to the top flight. Tondu Robins and Welfare Park (5th and 6th respectively) are best positioned to join Llanharry if a second promotion place is available.

Llanharan are top of division two, which is effectively a reserve team league. Unbeaten in 12 league matches, they are 4 points clear at the top with three games in hand. Their place in division one next season is inevitable.

Cardiff Combination
Champions Fairwater are top and unbeaten in the premier division, although they are being pushed hard by Avenue Hotspur. Fairwater missed out on promotion in the play-offs last season, while Avenue, I believe, also harbour ambitions to reach the South Wales Alliance League.

Homeguard are having another successful season after they romped to the division two title last season. They are unbeaten in division one, along with Thornhill, having scored an impressive 70 goals in 9 matches. Hard to find any reason why both sides won’t be in the premier next season.

Cardiff Jets have won all 11 of their division two matches so promotion should be a formality. The title remains theirs to lose because they have a 7 point lead over Cardiff Hibernian with a game in hand. Roath Park Rangers have games in hand and could push the re-formed Hibs side for any additional promotion spot.

Cardiff & District
There is an intriguing battle at the top of the premier division. Cardiff Bay hold a narrow advantage over Star FC with Pentwyn Dynamo and Tongwynlais just below with plenty of games in hand. Several sides may be seeking promotion to the next level and the battle for a place in the play-offs could go to the wire.

Cardiff Draconians 2nds are the division one leaders but in a league comprised mostly of reserve sides, it will be two of Space Jam Galaxy, Creigiau and Cardiff Villa to join the premier division next season. Space Jam have the points on the board at the moment, but there are plenty of games in hand for the other sides.

It is a three-horse race in division two between Splott Albion, Canton Libs 2nds and Llanedeyrn Wanderers. Cardiff Cosmos Athletic could make a push with a good run from their fixture backlog, but it would have to be an almost flawless run-in now.

In the lowest tier in the South Wales FA pyramid, Splott Cons are romping away in division two with a 100% record after 9 matches. Llanrumney Athletic are similarly placed with four games in hand on the leaders.

Merthyr & District
The Merthyr League is running with just one 7-team division this year after the loss of champions Navi Treharris this season and Hills Plymouth at the end of last season. Merthyr Town were also fielding a reserve team in this division at the start of the campaign but that side seems to have withdrawn also.

Aber Wanderers, Pantyscallog Village Juniors and Quar Park Rangers are all on 16 points at the top, although last season’s unlucky runners-up QPR have played a game more. Bali Glass are already in the mix. It is unclear whether any club will seek promotion this season. QPR did last year and share a ground with SWAL club Merthyr Saints.

Port Talbot & District
Gwynfi United lead the single division league, unbeaten after 13 games and 5 points clear of closest rivals Glyncorrwg. Last season the Port Talbot League split into two conferences after every side had played each other once. That looks set to happen, if it hasn’t already, soon. Last season’s runners-up FC Porthcawl are currently on the border of the split.

Rhondda & District
Trehebert BGC are well in control of the Premier Division, holding a 10-point lead over Cwm Rhondda having played two games more. These sides had been neck and neck for much of the first part of the season but unbeaten Treherbert now have the edge, including a 5-3 over Cwm Rhondda in December.

Last season’s champions Penygraig United have had a difficult campaign and currently sit 6th in the 8-team division, so their hold on the trophy will end this season.

Their village rivals, Penygraig BGC, have shrugged off last season’s relegation and are well clear in division one, 13 points ahead of last season’s double cup winners Tonypandy Albion. Albion do have four games in hand so could close that gap and the second meeting between the sides could be crucial. Although both sides are almost certain to go up based on form and results this season. 3rd place Ferndale BGC have lost 4 matches, while Tonypandy have lost once.

Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley
The folding of champions Ynysybwl Athletic at the start of the season meant the most open TERV Premier title race as Nelson Cavaliers, Talbot Green, Rhydyfelin, Church Village and Cwrt Rawlin all looked capable of challenging. Unbeaten Nelson (champions in 2017/18) are the favourites but they have a league fixture backlog developing alongside continued participation in league and regional cups. Their recent league and cup wins over Cwrt Rawlin certainly consolidated their position as the team to beat but should they falter Talbot Green and Rhydyfelin look the sides most likely to profit. Nelson and Rhydyfelin have both expressed ambition to seek promotion to the SWAL in the past.

In Division One it looks like a straight shoot-out between Cefn Hengoed and Aber Valley 2nds for the title. Cefn Hengoed are unbeaten but a 3-point deduction means Aber Valley are in the hunt. Aber’s side cannot be promoted so that leaves the door to promotion open to other senior sides in the league should be they finish in the top two. It looks like it’s between Pontypridd and Fochriw Village to claim the second promotion place.

Vale of Glamorgan
The VOG league re-structured this season into two larger divisions and it’s a very competitive premier division this season. Notably, champions Barry Athletic are languishing in 6th place, although they do have games in hand. AFC Rhoose lead the way presently, although there are a number of sides on their tail such as Holton Road and Island Marine. This could be the most interesting of the district league title races and still plenty of football to play.

AFC Rhoose also top division one, their B side unbeaten in 12 matches and 7 points clear of Barry Vikings. Two will go up, which won’t include Rhoose B, and at the moment it Barry Vikings and Cadoxton Barry are the among best positioned for promotion at the end of the season.

Wellmen’s young men leading club’s fightback?

The last couple of years have been rough for Taffs Well. Let’s be honest the club has been a bit of basket case when it comes to competitive senior football. Managers and players have come and gone like the shifting of the weather. In fact there have been too many managers, probably 8 or 9 if you include caretaker roles. It got to the point where the resumption of the club’s membership in the third tier of Welsh football for the first time since 2004 looked inevitable (and it’s still a possibility).

This has all come in the midst of a few ground-breaking years for the club. Three times they have hosted lucrative friendlies with English Football League side Cardiff City, attracting thousands of fans to Rhiw’r Ddar for those moneyspinners. As a result, Taffs Well have been able to launch what I presume, due to FAW funding rules, is an entirely self-funded academy to compliment an already strong youth team set-up.

But the senior side has been sliding backwards.

The appointment of Lawrence Badman as Steve Williams’ successor (sacked last November) in January has seen a recent upturn in results. Following 10 defeats in the previous 11 matches, The Wellmen have hit back with 7 points from their last three fixtures. Whether this is a familiar jolt of forward momentum amidst the decline or truly the start of a turnaround remains to be seen.

I watched them lose 6-0 at Pontypridd Town last month and as that result would suggest they absolutely dreadful that night. It couldn’t have been easier for Pontypridd and Taffs Well couldn’t have done any more to make the Cymru South nomads look better. Something has definitely changed between then and now because in this Cymru South encounter against Undy Athletic there was at least some work-rate and desire from the Taffs Well players to give the side a platform from which to play. There wasn’t very much of that at USW 3-4 weeks ago.

One thing Taffs Well have had to deal with, as well as the upheaval in the dugouts, is a loss of some experienced players. The likes of Jason Bertorelli, Jacob Isaacs and Jack Fox have all departed over the winter, and while a few familiar veterans remain or have joined, there seems to have been a move towards bringing through and into the first team younger, hungrier players with something to prove. You cannot judge the entire picture from one look but it was noticeable in this game the prominence of four young players in this improved display.

Anyone who has been following the Cymru South/Welsh League division one for the last 12 months or so will be aware of Jordan Carey. The 20-year-old attacker broke into the side last season and has been practically ever-present since. His physical stature may be slight but his presence on the pitch is large. His energy is relentless and should be infectious among his team-mates but he possesses real quality to go with it. Impressive though is his mentality; despite his lack of experience he never gets himself down about mistakes, always looking to be involved and take responsibility in the game. I suspect already there are several clubs watching him.

Dylan Jones (18) is another great hope for The Wellmen. A very talented ball-player with very good technical ability and the ability to create time on the ball; I’ve heard some at Rhiw’r Ddar are even more excited by his potential than Carey’s. Carey and Jones were complimented by two other stand-out young players on the night: Thomas Gameson (22) and Liam Martin (20). Gameson has arrived from Aberbargoed Buds I believe, has very good feet and a big personality on the pitch. Martin, before being sent-off, looked a very composed figure and another player with good ability on the ball, as you might expect from a player that has previously been involved with Bristol City’s academy.

On the night, Taffs Well definitely merited the win against an Undy side that is always well-organised and competitive at this level. The Wellmen dominated most of the play from the off with Undy always looking most likely to threaten from mistakes and counter-attacks.

Carey was involved in practically all of Taffs Well’s best moments in the first half and probably should have done better with a couple of opportunities that came his way. Undy came closest though in a goalless first half, a drive from midfield beating Cael Jones but hit the top of the crossbar.

When Martin was sent-off early in the second half for a poor tackle it looked like the game might swing the way of the visitors, but Cymru Premier ref Gavin Townsend flashed his red card again within 90 seconds, showing a straight red to Undy’s Rhys Aherne, presumably for what was deemed another dangerous tackle.

With parity restored in terms of personnel and more space on the field, Taffs Well went on to secure the win. Carey scoring first from the penalty spot before Richard French scored with a close range header to seal the points. An excellently struck free-kick from Ollie Smith (another talented young player at this level) in injury time threatened a late comeback but there was little time for Undy to mount any pressure so the points, deservedly, went to the home side and took them out of the potential relegation places.

Match Notes
11.2.2020
Taffs Well 2-1 Undy Athletic
(Jordan Carey 70′ pen, Richard French 89′; Ollie Smith 90+2′)
JD Cymru South
Rhiw’r Ddar, Taffs Well
Attendance: 55 (approx) | Entry: £5

Treharris Athletic Western looking forward and not just back to the past.

Among groundhoppers interested in Welsh football there are two grounds that historically capture the imagination in south Wales to such an extent it’s something of a badge of honour among those that have “bagged” those grounds to have done so.

“Have you been to Garw?” “Did you ever go to Treharris?”

Blandy Park and the Athletic Ground were two of the most sought after south Wales grounds. Blandy Park in the Blaengarw valley still stands, captivating and alluring hoppers from all over; new and old visitors. Sadly, the Athletic Ground in Treharris is no longer with us. The changing rooms and stand were condemned around 2015/16, demolished in May 2018 and exist now only as relics in memory and photographs. However, the playing field remains and Treharris Athletic Western hope to base their junior set-up there in the future.

Unfortunately, I never got to the Athletic but I’m still enamoured with the story of the place and it’s famous covered terrace and, to an extent, the football club that was based there for over 100 years – Treharris Football Club, Treharris Athletic, or their modern rendition, Treharris Athletic Western.

If you’re interested in the history of football in the south of Wales, Treharris – along with Aberdare – are two of the foremost place names; communities where the “association code” began to win hearts and minds, almost with the same popularity as rugby union, in the final decade of the 19th Century.

Treharris Athletic Western claim to be the oldest football club in south Wales, sharing heritage with the Treharris football club that is believed to have been formed in 1889 and was a founding member of the South Wales League in 1890 and the league’s inaugural champions. Their prominence in football in the southern valleys in these early decades is illustrated by their honours: lifting the South Wales League title twice more, the South Wales Senior Cup four times, the Welsh Football League (then called the Rhymney Valley League) in 1910, as well as being crowned Western League champions in the same year and among the south Wales clubs that joined the Southern Football League as professional outfits between 1908 and 1913.

Those pre-World War I days were very much the glory days for football in Treharris, where the men and boys worked the seams of the Deep Navigation Colliery, because when football resumed after the Great War the town’s club, now called Treharris Athletic, did not re-join the English football pyramid but instead remained exclusively a Welsh Football League (and probably amateur) club. Treharris appear to have enjoyed uninterrupted Welsh League membership since 1919, or at the very least from 1935 (from examination of historic league tables at welshsoccerarchive.co.uk).

The modern idenity as Treharris Athletic Western is the result of incorporating another local football club, Western Hotel FC, in 2009.

While it is tempting to keep looking back with regards to football in Treharris, the modern-club is now very much forward thinking. After a couple of years as groundhoppers themselves, Treharris Athletic Western have set-up a permanent home on the former ground of the now defunct Trelewis Welfare football club in Parc Taf Bargoed – a regeneration of the former Deep Navigation grounds into a nature reserve/public park which sits between Treharris and the neighbouring village Trelewis.

Whereas the Athletic Ground was very much a relic of an era of football the FAW want to put behind them at the top levels of the domestic pyramid, the ground at Parc Taf Bargoed provides Treharris with scope to develop a ground in line with the FAW’s regulations for playing in the new national tier 3 league that commences at the start of the 2020/21 season.

I first visited the ground last season, not long after Treharris had moved in, and it was impressive to see the work the club has done since then to improve the facility even further. In place last season was the covered stand with 100 seats and hard-standing along the side of the pitch but the teams were changing in the park’s visitor centre several hundred yards outside the ground itself. There were no spectator refreshments or facilities inside the ground.

Now Treharris’ modern home boasts floodlights and a modern, stylish looking wooden structure that houses the changing room facilities as well as some much needed indoor communal space with a cafe for serving hot food and drinks. The ground is well-exposed to the elements so that opportunity to escape them and replenish oneself is very welcome, not to mention the benefit for players having facilities on-site. There is also scope for further improvements, including the pitch. Maybe it is a flight of personal fancy but I would love to see in the future the club install an additional stand behind the goal at the southern end of the ground; a terrace in the style of the old Athletic Ground would be a fantastic homage to the club’s history and identity.

The tone of the Welsh League encounter I watched against Treowen Stars was set early by several crunching tackles from Treharris’ Conor Morris. They were indicative of Treharris’ physical domination and desire on the night. The midfield trio of Morris, Shane Davies and Ryan Hawkins were a class above for the hosts.

Jaymie Wearn’s pace and flair up front provided the cutting edge and it was his perfect cross that presented a tap in for Alex Jones early on. Treharris might have extended their lead further before Treowen’s Jordan Price pounced on a mistake by the home keeper Daniel Field to level the scores but that was as good as it got for the Stars on the night.

Wearn finished a lovely flowing move with a caressed finished to give Treharris a half-time lead before he doubled his tally after the interval. Shane Davies chipped Treowen’s keeper from 40 yards before Ross Jolliffe’s red card on the hour for two bookable offences removed any hope of a Treowen fight back.

Treharris substitute Christopher Rees completed the scoring on the night with the only black mark for the home side being a completely unnecessary red card for James Rees following an off the ball incident shortly after namesake Rees’ strike.

Matches Notes
7.2.2020
Treharris Athletic Western 5-1 Treowen Stars
(Alex Jones 7′, Jaymie Wearn 31′ 54′, Shane Davies 58′, Christopher Rees 71′; Jordan Price 20′)
Welsh Football League Division Two
Parc Taf Bargoed, Trelewis
Attendance: 90 (approx) | Entry: £3

“Where is the media?” – a familiar modern refrain echoed from the 1890s

Those who care about the domestic football leagues in Wales are quick to fire off frustration at the poor level of mainstream media coverage for Welsh football. On those rare occasions the mainstream pick something up it often involves a clickbait story that wants to make viral something really awful about the league. Quite simply, mainstream media outlets do not afford Wales’s national league system, the Cymru Leagues, the respect it deserves as an independent national league. There is very little value given to the competitions and the clubs participating in it.

There are some independent media covering Welsh football very well but ultimately until the mainstream media start doing Welsh football justice the general ignorance of it and poor image will persist. It’s not perfect by any means but it is certainly no worse than some of English non-league, which too often gets mentioned by some Welsh football commentators as though it is essentially better because it is English. So much for the “independent football nation”.

This post isn’t a rant though; well at least not my rant. The problem of how much respect the media afford Welsh football is not a new one. While doing some newspaper archive research via newspapers.library.wales I came across a letter to the editor of the South Wales Daily News from April 1891.

The letter laments the lack of coverage of the newly formed South Wales League but it is also a useful source of information about some of the early developments of organised football in south Wales. It is almost certainly written by a player or club official (the pseudonym “half back” points to a player) from the League so it’s a polemic in favour of the new association competition. There are though, some interesting notes about how football enjoyed popularity in the Rhondda and Cynon valleys, areas usually associated with staunch support for rugby union, while sporting fans in the more metropolitan areas of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea were apparently lukewarm to “the dribbling art”.

There is also an undisguised barb at the lack of vigour on the part of the League’s organisers when it comes to promoting the product; a criticism that may remain pertinent to some observers when it comes to the contemporary administrators of football in Wales.

*

Letter to the editor, dated April 6th 1891 from “Half Back”. Printed in South Wales Daily News, 8th April 1891 edition.

“Sir – It was very gratifying to me, and probably many other lovers of Association Football, to see the South Wales League once more mentioned in your columns, but I cannot allow your notes to pass without comment.

The League is a new organisation, and as such should be given all possible assistance to make it a success. We all appreciate the power of the Press, and would have fair enlisted its services; but not until now, if we accept the one or two letters you inserted a couple of months ago, has been brought before your readers, though “Old Stager” must have been aware of its existence, and that the South Wales League endeavoured to carry out the various fixtures.

We know, unfortunately, that many of the clubs have ignominiously failed in the attempt, and match after match has been abandoned; yet some games have been played almost every week, and the longest report published barely exceeded half a dozen lines. If, as “Old Stager” asserts, he is anxious to help the infant cause, why has he not put out a hand to assist us before now?

Here we have arrived at the end of the season and have only been noticed a very few times. The county match played here certainly obtained a paragraph, but that was got by a reporter, who arrived after the match, from a member of the Mountain Ash team.

I may just mention a fact or two about the county engagements. Association has taken best so far in the Rhondda and Aberdare Valley[s]. Consequently, the officials decided to have one county match somewhere in this neighbourhood and Mountain Ash was the place selected, and, in my opinion, fully justified itself. Through the laxity of those in the management of affairs, the contest was but poorly advertised; notwithstanding that, we took a fair gate.

Cardiff possesses one club in the league, but for the number of engagements it has fulfilled they might just as well be out of it; if, therefore, the Cardiff Club has not enough interest to play the matches arranged in the competition, how could we expect the Cardiff public, who love nothing if not a rugby game, to patronise Association? Neither Newport nor Swansea can boast an Association Club that has come to any prominence, so it would be absurd to play a county match in either of those places – these should be played where there is most likelihood of popularising the game.

I am glad “Old Stager” has promised to insert a table of results when it is forwarded to him, and venture to express the hope this is but the beginning of good deeds on his part. I should be glad if he would have the goodness to devote a par[agraph] or so to the dribbling art in his notes next year.

Of course it is over for this season, but we hope to come out stronger and more successful next winter and I feel certain we shall with “Old Stager” fairly on our side.”

A farm, a pub and a football club…Cwrt Rawlin

Groundhopping is such an eccentric hobby you could probably write a lengthy piece on all it’s different variations. I’ve seen websites dedicated to groundhopping which include an enormous list of rules for what constitutes a valid match (I’ve even heard of groundhoppers that don’t count 0-0s!). I also know people who will watch any football match anywhere. There are some that count visits to a ground, whether there is a football match going on or not. Each to his own.

I have, I believe, a fairly laid back attitude. As long as it’s a full 11-a-side contest between two teams consisting of players eligible for senior football playing in or affiliated with a football association or league, that’s all I need.

In Wales you are restricting yourself to missing out on some superb places to watch football if you get into qualifications about stands, barriers, merchandise etc. Some of the most memorable places I have seen a game have been in public parks where a football pitch is marked out with two goals at either end.

Which brings me to my latest new ground – or so I’d hoped…

Owain Glyndwr Playing Field is a public recreational space in Caerphilly with a railed pitch. What makes it remarkable is that if you take certain positions around the pitch you can watch the beautiful game with Caerphilly’s enormous Norman castle as your backdrop because it is on the other side of the road. For someone who does like to photograph football matches the draw is the opportunity to capture some dramatic shots.

So when I had a free Saturday and saw that Cwrt Rawlin – the senior side based there – had a home match, I thought the long wait to ‘bag’ this ground was over. Except…

…the game had been moved to the 3G pitch at nearby school. As disappointed as I was when I found this out, it proved tremendous foresight by the club officials because the Owain Glyndwr pitch was waterlogged. Off I went anyway.

Cwrt Rawlin are possibly the oldest current club that is based in Caerphilly town. There are clubs in the Caerphilly area like Aber Valley and Trethomas Bluebirds that go back further but I think locals from both communities might challenge any definition of them as “Caerphilly”. The town’s highest ranked club, Caerphilly Athletic, began life as Dynamo Aber in the mid-2000s.

That Cwrt Rawlin’s origins only go back to 2001 says much about the history of football in Caerphilly. There have been plenty of clubs from the town (the 13th largest in Wales by population) to have come and gone and even though Caerphilly had a side in the Southern League for two seasons either side of the First World War, it’s not been a place renowned for producing successful football clubs. As far as I am aware, there has not been a Caerphilly town-based club in the Welsh League since 1938 (Caerphilly Town). Senghenydd Town and the original Aber Valley club represented “the area” between them in the post-Second War War era until 1968. Outside local or “parks” football, Caerphilly has been largely a football non-entity since then.

Like Pontypridd, where local senior football barely registers in the sporting culture, rugby union is king in the town; still, I’ve always felt Caerphilly is a town that really needs a football club on the map. I grew up playing on the fields at Virginia Park. It is where the rugby club is based but there is absolutely no logical reason why a football ground fit for a good standard of football isn’t possible too.

On arrival at the game I spoke to Cwrt Rawlin chairman and founder Anthony Williams and he took me through the club’s heritage. Set-up originally as an under 6 team for his son, Cwrt have built a club over 20 years that now provides football for more than 270 players from under 6s right through to senior level. The pathway from there includes a youth team playing in the Cardiff & District League and the senior side that currently plays in the Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley Football League (TERVL).

The senior side was set-up around 2010 in conjunction with the local pub, the Cwrt Rawlin, to provide a route from youth to senior football for the emerging players at the club. The club’s name doesn’t come from the pub though, but the name of the farm that was owned by Anthony’s wife’s family and once comprised the area that is now the Castle View estate. Anthony was rightly proud of that legacy, with a strong contingent of the current senior squad having come right through the club’s junior system.

Now the senior side is established, there are ambitions to try and reach the next level in the South Wales Alliance League. With a chance at winning the league this season the process for applying for the end of season South Wales FA champions play-offs is underway. Cwrt’s committee know there are limitations on what can be done at Owain Glyndwr and they continue to explore the possibility of establishing a permament ground in the town they can develop to include spectator facilities and a clubhouse. The previously mentioned Virginia Park and the playing fields near the Twyn School have been considered but the local authority remains reluctant to support to any such plans.

On the field the club’s bid to progress included recruiting Dave Kempton as first team manager after he led Caerphilly Athletic’s 2nds to the TERVL division one title last season. Kempton – who has played and coached in professional set-ups in England – said he was initially reluctant to speak to Cwrt Rawlin due to rivalry from Sunday league football but having done so he complimented the club as the “best run in Caerphilly” and felt he had the best group of players he’s ever had while he’s been involved in football in Wales.

This match would provide a stern test of the side’s credentials. It’s been a decent season so far for Cwrt Rawlin, currently top of the TERVL premier division, in the last 16 of the South Wales FA Senior Cup, with a Greyhound Cup semi-final to come. This was the first bid for the club to challenge for silverware this season but for a place in the final of the Bernard Martin Cup (the TERVL’s second league cup) they would have to overcome Nelson Cavaliers.

A former South Wales Senior League club, Nelson Cavaliers have been the closest challengers to the Ynysybwl Athletic side that has dominated the TERVL in recent years. Aaron Powell’s side won the league title in 2018 only to lose in the promotion play-offs but they harbour themselves ambitions to reach the next step in the pyramid.

In very winding conditions the home side started the semi-final better, playing against the wind Nelson often struggled to clear their lines adequately. It was merited though when Cwrt Rawlin took the lead, captain David Tiltman firing home from more than 20 yards with powerful, swerving shot. The homesters almost doubled their lead during a scramble on the Nelson goal-line but somehow the ball stayed out and the visitors survived.

Oddly, an injury to Liam Dellanna – who had looked Nelson’s most dangerous player in the first half – just before half-time sparked the away team into life. Matthew Greenway smashed the crossbar from distance and Ceri Clingo was denied by an excellent save in the final moments of the first-half so Cwrt Rawlin’s lead was preserved.

But not for long. Less than five minutes into the second-half, Matthew Maksimovic was penalised for a challenge on Clingo in the box and Dan Falconer calmly converted the penalty to restore parity. Ceri Clingo fired past Joe Raspin – beating the keeper at his near post – to complete the turnaround within ten minutes.

How would Cwrt Rawlin respond? Immediately.

Within a minute of the restart the game was level thanks to an excellent finish by Tom Starr after Tiltman’s cushioned lay-off. That left an intriguing half hour for both side’s to grab the prize and Ryan Donovan’s strike edged Nelson ahead with 25 minutes to go. Cwrt Rawlin pushed hard and despite lots of pressure and possession that final moment of cutting edge was lacking to take the game into extra time.

The sides meet again on Saturday in a key league fixture.

Match Notes
1.2.2020
Cwrt Rawlin 2-3 Nelson Cavaliers
(David Tiltman 18′, Tom Starr 59′; Dan Falconer 49′ [p], Ceri Clingo 57′, Ryan Donovan 66′)
Bernard Martin Cup Semi-Final
Y Gwindy School 3G, Caerphilly (Welsh Ground #85)
Attendance: 30 (approx) |Entry: Free

Ceiber Carry On through adversity and tragedy

I have mixed feelings about the Centre for Sporting Excellence (CSE) in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly CBC’s multi-million pound multi-sport facility. It’s got excellent facilities including one of the nicest and most comfortable stands in Welsh football. I’m sure it is fantastic for players and coaches with modern, state of the art facilities. But…

Yes, there is a but…

It has no identity. Which is what you expect of a community-use facility, but as a football ground it feels sanitised, like the matchday experience has been bleached of all it’s colour.

Presently, it is home to two Welsh Football League clubs: Risca United and, the hosts of this fixture, Trethomas Bluebirds. The facility is 10 miles from Risca and 6 miles from Trethomas. Both clubs play at the CSE because their traditional home grounds fail to meet the facilities criteria to play either at Welsh League level or the Cymru Leagues (which gets extended to tier 3 next season).

Risca’s historic home at Ty-Isaf Park is a fantastic ground, well-situated in the heart of its community, with a good stand and a nice feel of history about it. Sadly, it needs serious investment to meet the FAW criteria for the level of football The Cuckoos play at. Likewise for Trethomas, whose home pitch is just a railed pitch on the village recreational space. Since joining the Welsh League, the Bluebirds have been forced to play at homes away from home. They were briefly based at Bedwas Rugby Club before making the CSE their permanent home at the start of the 2017/18 season.

Importantly, this isn’t a criticism of either club. I always want to see clubs playing in their town or village because that seems to me to be part of the essence of Welsh football: clubs rich in local identity, based in and connected to their community. But ambition, finances and a lack of support from bodies like local authorities means clubs sometimes are forced to rub against this. It is an unfortunate, but sometimes, necessity of football in Wales. Ultimately, I suppose it is how you go about doing something as much as why.

Trethomas Bluebirds are a recent addition on the Welsh League scene, gaining promotion in 2016 after winning the Gwent County League title. Despite claiming to have been founded in 1903, much of the club’s history has been played out on the local scene, joining the Gwent County League at the start of this century (a Trethomas side is recorded to have played two seasons in the Welsh League between 1945 and 1947). Since promotion four years ago the club have become an established Welsh League outfit, achieving an improved final league position each year. Last season’s 5th place finish is the highest in the club’s history.

Visitors Penrhiwceiber Rangers have been established in the Welsh League since 1992, playing mostly in the bottom two tiers. Last season the club were unfortunate to finish on the wrong-end of a thrilling three-horse race for the two promotion spots with Trefelin BGC and Penydarren BGC. All three clubs accumulated a very impressive 70+ points but in the end Rangers missed out by two points to Trefelin.

The club looks like it will challenge again this season although so far the campaign has been overshadowed by the tragic loss of first team manager and club legend Steve Haggett before Christmas. Haggett’s successor Dean Brown is another clubman well-acquainted in the traditions of the club and hoping to finish the job Haggett had started.

At the start of the evening Trethomas had the chance to go top of division two if they could better Ynysygerwn’s result and having won the first meeting between the sides 4-1 at Penrhiwceiber’s Glasbrook Field ground, there may have been some confidence of doing the double. However, this was very much going to be the visitors’ night.

An intense start to the game saw opportunities for both sides to take the lead in the first two minutes before a 4th minute penalty from Ricky Carter gave Penrhiwceiber the lead. Dafydd Pearce scrambled home an equaliser in the 10th minute after Rangers’ keeper fumbled a ball into the box, but that was ultimately as good as it got for the Bluebirds.

In this clash of styles, Penrhiwceiber’s quick passing game and rapid attacks out of transition dominated against a more direct strategy from Trethomas, looking to get the ball forward quickly for their speedy forwards to run in behind. Only poor finishing stopped Penrhiwceiver running away from it before half-time, but an superb looping header from Brandon Hill to finish a top drawer right wing cross did ensure the Cynon Valley side led at the break.

Carter had another chance from the penalty spot early in the second-half but Gareth Williams read the striker’s penalty and saved the effort. More chances came and went for Rangers before Warren Jones finally gave them a cushion with a powerful drive. A minute later Joseph Jenkins punished a poor clearance with a well-executed chip. Carter did complete his brace with a tap-in from Brandon Davies’ cross before the excellent Davies got a goal his performance deserved; finishing off a superb sweeping counter-attack from a Trethomas corner kick to complete the rout to the delight of an excellent away following that comprised most of the 100+ souls in attendance.

An excellent night’s entertainment and a genuinely thrilling attacking display from Penrhiwceiber who came with a game-plan suited perfectly for the 3G surface; moving the ball quickly to feet, pressing high to force mistakes, the movement and precision of their play when the chance to attack came posed Trethomas too many questions they couldn’t answer on the night.

Match Notes
31.1.2020
Trethomas Bluebirds 1-6 Penrhiwceiber Rangers
(Dafydd Pearce 10′; Ricky Carter 4′ [p] 75′, Brandon Hill 40′, Warren Jones 63′ Joseph Jenkins 64′, Brandon Davies 82′)
Welsh Football League Division Two
Centre for Sporting Excellence, Ystrad Mynach
Attendance: 110 (approx) | Entry: £4 (no programme available) |

Long before Cardiff Met…there was Cardiff Teachers FC

This article, based on archived newspaper research, was originally published in a Cardiff Met Uni FC official matchday programme during phase two of the 2018/19 Welsh Premier League season.

*

Enthusiasts for Welsh football history will be aware of Cardiff Met FC’s (through many previous guises) long-standing participation in the football leagues of the south of Wales prior to the establishment of the national pyramid in 1992.

Cardiff College of Education joined the Welsh Football League in 1972 and the institution’s football team (through various name changes) have been ever present in the top four tiers of South Wales football ever since. Although Cardiff Met, in recent times, have blazed a trail through Welsh football that others might hope to follow, they weren’t the first education institution to participate in the Welsh Football League.

Swansea University may seem like a new name to modern Welsh football followers, but their Welsh League legacy extends back to the 1960s, pre-dating Cardiff College’s membership. You can go back even further and find another side representing education in Cardiff playing at the most competitive levels of Welsh football in the south; a team named Cardiff Teachers that played in the South Wales League for two seasons during the 1890s.

The South Wales League (SWL) was a forerunner to the Welsh Football League, set up in 1890 as the demand for more organised and competitive soccer grew in the final decade of the 19th Century. Until the 1890s, soccer was very much a niche, recreational sport in the southern counties where rugby was king.

Given the embryonic nature of soccer in the south in those days, records show the SWL to have suffered some turbulence early on. There was a high turnover of members with many teams joining and disbanding in the same season and it wasn’t until 1896 that some continuity and stability was reached.

Here is where the story of Cardiff Teachers begins, joining the SWL for the 1896/97 season. In an eight-team league they were representatives of Cardiff along with Roath-based side St. Margaret’s. Newspaper records from the time tell us Cardiff Teachers played their home matches at Sophia Gardens and an edition of the Barry Docks News in 1896 reported on a Cardiff Teachers success over Barry District at the ground, noting the Teachers’ “combined game” and the dribbling talent of left winger W.J. Davies.

Ultimately, in a league containing well-established valleys sides like Treharris, Aberdare and Porth, Cardiff Teachers struggled. Details of the 1896/97 final table are unclear but presumably performances justified another crack for the Teachers.

However, in their second season records show Cardiff Teachers finished bottom of the SWL with just a single point from 14 matches, conceding 72 goals (the next highest was 29 goals). A damning report in the Evening Express from February 1898 described Cardiff Teachers as “on a decisive downgrade”. This miserable season’s lowlights included 12-0 defeat to eventual league winners Rogerstone. To add insult to injury, when the Teachers did secure a rare win (against Aberdare), an appeal against the result (based on the poor condition of the Teachers’ ground) was upheld and the Teachers lost the replay at Mountain Ash.

It was probably of no surprise to anyone when the club wrote to the SWL management committee in August 1898 to inform them of their decision to withdraw from the league. Newspaper reports from the winter of 1898/9 show the team continued to play local matches, but the ultimate fate of the club and whether it ever returned to any competitive football is unclear.

Field of Dreams: how Ammanford built a football club

BOOMBOOMBOOM

“WE’RE THE BLACK AND WHITE ARMY!”

As I stepped out of my car the sound of this being belted out from the stand less than 100 yards away let me know I was definitely where I wanted to be. Forty minutes before kick-off and ‘The Black & White Army’, Ammanford AFC’s band of noisy ‘ultras’, were already going through their repertoire. Although the back of the stand obscured much of the view, the buzzing of activity in and around the ground was an early indication that this game might just live up to the hype.

For those that follow Welsh fooball, the Welsh Cup is a special and cherished competition. It is the most inclusive national competition in Wales, open to all teams that play football in the national pyramid. It provides the opportunity for small village clubs to propel themselves onto a national stage and, if they are lucky, earn a visit from the Sgorio cameras. Once it gets going with the entry of Cymru Premier clubs in round three we do see clashes between clubs from “recreational” leagues and the more professional, ambitious clubs that play in the higher divisions; players used to slick 3G pitches having to overcome a team of chancers of a local mudbath.

Although this fourth round tie between Cymru South side Ammanford and Cymru Premier, Europa League chasing, Caernarfon Town doesn’t have that minnows v mammoths story (it’s was a tier 2 v tier 1 clash), it did bring together two clubs that have undergone enormous growth in recent times and enjoy a level of community support most clubs in Wales are envious of and hope to replicate. Certainly for Ammanford, while maybe not a culmination, the match was an important marker in their transformation over 18 months from a fairly amateurish football club in a Welsh “backwater” that only groundhoppers and a small group of locals ever visited to a club pulling off the slick and professional looking hosting of a football match in front of 1200 spectators broadcast live on national television.

The last time I visited the Ammanford Recreation Ground was 18 months ago and it a cut a very different scene then. There was no seating, just an old bus stop type stand that would probably have been condemned if anybody would have been bothered to inspect it. No floodlights, no spectator facilities inside unless you count a portable hot water caddy for serving tea and coffee in plastic cups (although the nearby rugby club acts as the clubhouse). Even getting a teamsheet or a programme involved a mad dash to a printer by one of the club’s volunteers.

Fast forward to the present day, the Rec boasts a very smart 250 seater stand, including provision for disabled spectators; the addition of floodlights has allowed the club to host Friday night games which are apparently popular with the locals; although the 150 printed programmes is a woefully short run for such a big crowd, they were there and ready for sale as well as club crest pin badges. There is still no permanent food and drink facilities on-site but Ammanford had the foresight to bring someone in to sell hot food and the rugby club still seems to function as the place for pre-match lubrication of the vocal chords.

As the ground has developed and the club has embraced a much more professional approach (partly enforced by FAW ground regulations for playing in the Cymru Leagues), improving connections with local businesses, doing much better community engagement, setting up a charitable trust in memory of Jac Lewis, a popular local figure who tragically died in February 2019. The club now offers season tickets to supporters, has given away hundreds of free tickets to local schools, improved its social media profile and, of course, there has been the emergence of The Black & White Army.

Groups of loyal and noisy supporters are rare on the Welsh football scene, so much so that anybody trying to generate some atmosphere gets noticed. The supporters in the B & W Army have certainly invigorated the matchday experience at The Rec and they are usually there with a drum and their booming voices at most of Ammanford’s away games. They have helped raised the profile of the club on mediums like Twitter, inside Cymru Leagues grounds and among the town’s community as a game at The Rec is now increasingly seen as a place to be. Attendances have reflected this as the old joke about “one man and his dog and the dog looking the other way” watching Ammanford has been smashed by some impressive home crowds in the last 18 months, including nearly 800 for this season’s Amman Valley derby with Cwmamman United and now the ground record attendance for Caernarfon’s visit.

While the story off the field is fantastic and probably worthy of a much deeper study (as with Caernarfon Town), the matter at hand was the Welsh Cup tie and place in the quarter-finals for the winners. Ammanford had pulled off the result of the third round, thrashing Cymru Premier side, and another local rival, Carmarthen Town 4-0 with the help of a Lee Trundle goal that went viral.

That result, plus the strong possibility of a large crowd, probably induced Sgorio to select the game for broadcast. Although the decision to televise the game on Friday night drew criticism from some quarters, making the trip harder for Caernarfon Town’s players and supporters, ultimately the incredible local support (plus 100 hardy members of the Cofi army) put such doubts to rest.

A record crowd enjoyed Ammanford’s tussle with the Cofis at The Rec

If it was a big success as an event, on the pitch the game didn’t really deliver what the television executives, home fans and neutrals would have hoped for. The loss of Lee Trundle to injury before the game was a massive blow for Ammanford and had he played it may have been a different game; the former Swansea City frontman certainly would have provided a bit more physical presence and quality in the final third.

Despite that loss, Ammanford started the game well and there were one or two half chances in the first twenty minutes but once Sean Eardley’s Caernarfon had navigated the initial choppy waters and taken a first-half lead through Sion Bradley’s fine finish the cupset never looked on. A sensational goal from Darren Thomas (which I somehow missed despite behind stood behind that goal) doubled the Cofis lead before half-time.

Ammanford rallied early in the second half and introduced another Swansea old boy, Andy Robinson, to try and bring some quality and composure to their play but the gulf in class between the two sides was just too great. Noah Edwards added a third 11 minutes into the second-half to kill any hopes of a comeback before Darren Thomas scored his second late in the game to complete a comfortable and resounding win for the top flight outfit.

On the Ammanford Twitter feed they commented after the game that the team may have lost the game but the town had won. If there is some comfort to be drawn from a disappointing match result it is that Ammanford certainly delivered the event on the night and the community got behind the club.

There, I believe, is the story of what Welsh football is and should be about. It’s not about millionaire players, international owners, commercialism and corporatisation; it’s about the town, village or place you come from, local identity and the community. If more clubs can get their communities behind them in this way our leagues and our clubs will get better and that matchday buzz can be felt at grounds all over our nation.

Match Notes
25.1.2020
Ammanford 0-4 Caernarfon Town
(Sion Bradley 26’, Darren Thomas 39’ 84’, Noah Edwards 56’)
JD Welsh Cup 4th Round
Recreation Ground, Ammanford
Attendance: 1203 | Entry: £5