Tag: South Wales FA

Nelson Cavaliers raising their standard at The Wern

With a free Saturday last weekend there was the opportunity to visit my 100th football ground and/or complete the Welsh League again. The short trip to Ynyshir Albions would have meant hitting two birds with one stone, but their home game with Treowen Stars didn’t really appeal to me with lots of other football on. Besides, I reasoned prior to Coronovirus outbreak, there will be plenty of opportunities to finally visit the Ynyshir Oval before the end of the season when the midweek fixtures in the spring begin to kick-in.

There was the FAW Trophy semi-final on offer but having been to Cardiff Met’s ground several times already this season I didn’t fancy a re-visit this time around. There were South Wales FA Senior Cup ties still to be resolved, two in particular stood out: Cwm Rhondda v Porthcawl Town Athletic and Nelson Cavaliers v Island Marine.

Both ties had their appeal and as it turned out Cwm Rhondda (of the Rhondda & District League) pulled off a big shock by beating cup favourites Porthcawl. However, on the morning it was the chance of a slugfest between two sides playing at district level and going well in their respective leagues that swung me. I wasn’t disappointed.

The current Nelson Cavaliers trace their origins back to the 1980s. The original Nelson Cavaliers club were formed in the early 1970s but folded after a short lifespan. The history of football played in the village goes back to the early days of organised football in the south of Wales, a Nelson [Unionists] club playing in the South Wales League in several campaigns between 1896 and 1910. The Welsh League table in the 1919/20 season includes a Nelson club but they appear to have either folded or not participated at that level beyond that campaign. Nelson Welfare club joined the Welsh League in 1946 and played thirteen seasons before dropping out in 1959.

Back to the modern club, they took on the name Nelson Cavaliers in the 1990s as a tribute to the 1970s club (also around the time they moved to the current home at Wern Field on the eastern edge of the village) and were founding members of the former South Wales Senior League in 1994 where they played for 18 seasons. Since relegation in 2012 the club have been re-building with the ambition to return to regional football in the South Wales Alliance League.

One of the features of the Wern Field, this makeshift terracing. Great to see this sort of thing at grassroots grounds.

This was my second visit to the Wern Field but my first opportunity to have an extended chat with club secretary and legend Rod Powell, who has been involved at Nelson since 1983; first as a player, then as first-team manager before handing the responsibility to his son Aaron in 2017. It is always a privilege speaking to long-standing custodians of grassroots club football with plenty of anecdotes to share and an enthusiasm for the sport that is as genuine as you will find.

Anyone familiar with Nelson’s club website and social media channels will know they are one of the more modern-thinking clubs in district football, operating as professionally as possible with a very informative website packed with archive information and relevant, positive content through their Twitter page. Information is so important for building a club’s narrative and heritage, it is an opportunity missed when clubs make so little effort to inform any potential audience.

It isn’t surprising then that the club maintain a folder of old newspaper clippings featuring the club’s achievements down the years, including some valuable records of local football. My thanks to Rod for sharing it with me and it is genuinely worth a visit alone, as well as the fact Nelson produce a programme for every home fixture despite no league requirement to do so. I’d venture that is probably unique at this level of football and a credit to the club as even some Welsh League clubs barely make an effort.

Nelson are pushing again this season for the Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley League title (they were champions two years) and their opponents Island Marine are also going well in the Vale of Glamorgan Premier Division. Both sides have eliminated South Wales Alliance League teams in this competition this season so there was the potential for a good couple of hours of knockout football.

The game didn’t disappoint, ebbing and flowing as you might expect between two evenly matched sides. Nelson had the better of the first quarter of the match, Liam Dellanna had already been denied by a brilliant point-blank save before he won the penalty that allowed Dan Falconer to break the deadlock for Nelson. The goal sparked the Barry side into life though and they were the stronger outfit as the game headed towards half-time. Adam Bowsher’s poached finish to level the scores was no more than they deserved at the break.

After an early second half chance was squandered by Marine’s Joe Mellars, Ryan Donovan restored Nelson’s lead from Dellanna’s cross and for a long time this looked like it would be enough for the homesters but a scrambled equaliser from Sam Adamson set-up and end to end finale. Both sides had chances but Nelson took theirs. Cameron Szpadt edged them ahead with a close range strike from a corner before Liam Dellanna capped his impressive display with Nelson’s fourth goal in added time to seal their win and keep alive their hopes of a quadruple this season.

Match notes
7.3.2020
Nelson Cavaliers 4-2 Island Marine
(Dan Falconer 22′ pen, Ryan Donovan 50′, Cameron Szpadt 86′, Liam Dellanna 90+2′; Adam Bowsher 31′, Sam Adamson 73′)
South Wales FA Senior Cup round of 16
Wern Field, Nelson
Attendance: c. 45 | Entry: Free (programmes £2)

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.

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

Titanic tussle at Tudor Park

A weekend free of club duty (no fixture) meant the opportunity to visit a new ground and last weekend there was one fixture in the south that really stood out: Pencoed Athletic BGC’s visit to Maesteg Park in round three of W John Owen Cup.

The W John Owen Cup is the league cup organised by the South Wales Alliance League (SWAL), contested this season by the 45 member clubs of the league. Where it sits in the order of things within the ‘South Wales’ region is open to debate. The South Wales FA (SWFA) Senior Cup has a more prestigious history but nowadays the W John Owen Cup probably has the greatest depth of competition because it is rare for all of the SWAL’s best sides to play in the Senior Cup.

What was intriguing about this tie is that it brought together two of the most upwardly mobile clubs in the south below the Welsh Football League, two teams in good form this season, as well as an opportunity for me to finally visit an historic Welsh football ground.

Tudor Park is the home of Maesteg Park, an original League of Wales ground where the now defunct Maesteg Park Athletic club were based. The ground bears all the hallmarks of its previous status including floodlights, hard standing around the perimeter of the pitch and a relatively large stand (although no seats) by Welsh League standards. It feels quite bare bones against the increasingly higher expectations of ground criteria certification required to play at the highest tiers of Welsh football nowadays. Nevertheless, it feels like you have stepped into a space imbibed with history the moment you cross the car park and walk through the iconic turnstile into the ground.

It is an enormous ground too, not too dissimilar in scale to the nearby Caerau Athletic Ground, and having recently completed an asset transfer of the facility from Bridgend Council, there are no doubt development plans from the ambitious club (some work has previously been carried out, including improvements to the changing room block to include a sports room for players and supporters, as well as kitchen renovations). There is enormous potential to convert this grand old space into a first-rate football facility.

The Maesteg Park story is impossible to tell without reference to the club that preceded them. There was a period when the old Maesteg Park Athletic were among the best teams in the south Wales leagues, competing in the upper echelons of the embryonic Welsh football pyramid of the 1980s before joining the League of Wales as a founding member in 1992. That year, Maesteg Park Athletic also reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup for the first time, losing 4-0 on aggregate to professional outfit Cardiff City.

After three years of struggle in the national league, Athletic’s return to the southern tier 2 Welsh Football League meant they were at a more suitable competitive level and they remained among the top sides in the Welsh League before a dramatic decline between 2007 and 2010. After relegation to division three of the Welsh League was confirmed in 2010, the resignation of the club’s long-time caretaker David Griffiths and his family meant the club was dissolved.

From the smouldering embers a new club emerged, taking on the Maesteg Park name and based at Tudor Park. However, the phoenix club began at the very bottom of the pyramid in the Bridgend & District League, harnessing the rich seam of talent left behind in the collapsed club’s junior set-up. Focusing heavily on local players, a new committee has gradually built Maesteg Park into a force over the last decade. Last season they swept aside all comers in district football, claiming a Bridgend League and Cup treble and earning promotion to the South Wales Alliance League with play-off victories of Fairwater (Cardiff Combination) and Ynysybwl Athletic (Taff Ely Rhymney Valley).

That Andrew Jones’ side were head and shoulders above their previous level has been emphasised by a storming start to life in the Alliance. Winning all their first eight games by a margin of at least two goals, the Park Arabs look well on course for promotion again. They have lost once in 14 league games so far, 2nd in the table with games in hand over leaders Canton Rangers. The only real blip in the season so far was a surprise exit in the SWFA Senior Cup to Rhondda League side Cwm Rhondda. Many would have put Maesteg Park down as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Visitors Pencoed Athletic BGC came into the game in similar upward trajectory. A club that was well-established in the now defunct South Wales Amateur League (which merged with the South Wales Senior League to form the SWAL in 2015), Pencoed were placed in the premier division of the SWAL from inception and over the past 5 years have steadily improved. Two top three finishes in the past three campaigns have consolidated their status as one of the best teams at this level. The top of the SWAL is a crowded place these days though and if Mark Powell’s side are to finally claim a league title this season they will need to come through what presently appears to be a five-horse race.

Both sides started the game with notable absentees. Maesteg’s top scorer Steffan Roberts was unavailable, Pencoed were missing several first team players but were able to start Adam Carpenter who signed from Cymru Premier side Penybont before the game. If you didn’t know any better you would have thought watching the first half an hour that the home side were the higher league opposition. Maesteg dominated the first half in terms of possession and territory, winning lots of duels but I couldn’t pick out too many truly clear-cut opportunities. Lots of good play from the hosts but the Pencoed keeper wasn’t as busy as Maesteg’s control may have forced.

Even though their attacking moments were sparse in the first half, Pencoed did look incisive from counter-attacks and probably should have taken the lead before they did but for a horror miss from a couple of yards out. However, break the deadlock they did through Jack Delve’s fine finish somewhat against the run of the play.

After the break Maesteg Park came out of the blocks strongly and another period of sustained pressure ensued, bombarding Pencoed’s penalty area with a series of dead ball situations. The pressure eventually tolled around the hour mark when Pencoed’s custodian spilled a free-kick and the ball was bundled home. I believe forward Ashton White – one of the young, local stars of this Maesteg side – claimed the goal.

The final half hour proved a proper scrap on a pitch that wasn’t easy on the eye or the play; it was testament to the quality in both sides that such an engaging football match was played out on the surface. There were chances at both ends but neither side could strike the decisive blow in the regulation 90 minutes so we got another half-hour.

The winning moment came shortly into the second period of extra time, Pencoed’s Darren Townsend showing the poaching instincts that made him one of Mark Powell’s key targets in the summer to score from close range. Maesteg threw everything they could muster at Pencoed in the final stages and the visitors really had to dig in and use all their resolve to retain the lead, with a little bit of fortune along the way. The exhaustion of both sets of players was evident at the final whistle.

Pencoed progressed but there was no shame for Maesteg Park, newcomers in regional football, who more than competed with their higher level opposition. It was a fantastic football match, a hard-fought slugfest of a game. The crowd of around 90-95 is very good for a club playing at tier 7 but it was an encounter of such quality and competitive spirit it deserved the company of two or even three times that number.

Match notes
18.1.2020
Maesteg Park 1-2 Pencoed Athletic BGC [AET]
(Ashton White 60′; Jack Delve 40′, Darren Townsend 107′)
W John Owen Cup Third Round
Tudor Park, Maesteg
Attendance: 95 (approx) | Entry: Free

Welsh Ground #84