Penydarren BGC v Treharris Athletic - Official Matchday Programme

OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME | RHAGLEN SWYDDOGOL Y GEM

PENYDARREN BGC TREHARRIS ATHLETIC WESTERN

TUESDAY 12TH APRIL, 2022 CYMRU ARDAL LEAGUE SOUTH WEST

PENYDARREN BGC

A BRIEF HISTORY...

Penydarren Boys & Girls Club was initially formed in 1985. The club was originally based at St. Johns Church Hall at Penydarren in Merthyr Tydfil, where the main activities were table tennis and board games. The club then became members of the Boys & Girls Club of Wales. Two children’s football teams were formed using local council grounds to play their games. Due to refurbishment of the church, the club then relocated using the old Gelifaelog School as a base.

In 1994 the club was successful in gaining a lease to the current site known as ‘The Bont’. With the aid of funding from a variety of sources, work started to remove the old black ash type surface of the original pitch to provide a first-class playing area and a clubhouse with changing rooms. The facilities are admired by many throughout Wales and are held in high regard by all visiting teams. There are also plans in place for a new 3G surface with new floodlighting & changing facilities.

Club membership continued to increase in the late 90s with the club providing teams from Under 10’s to Under 18 level.

Next was the introduction of the senior team, which after playing in local leagues gained promotion into the South Wales Senior League. In 2015-16 Penydarren became members of the South Wales Alliance League following merger of the Senior League with the Amateur League.

After two seasons of consolidation, 2017-18 was to prove to be Penydarren’s season, after an unbeaten league campaign brought the prize of Welsh League Football, winning promotion at home to Cardiff Draconians 2-0 in front of a bumper crowd at The Bont, with six games to spare. The club won 27 and drew 3 of their 30 league fixtures, scoring 117 goals and conceding just 14 in the process.

The club also went on two epic cup runs reaching the quarter finals of the JD Welsh Cup and semi-finals of the FAW Amateur Trophy. The Welsh Cup run saw Penydarren knock out Penrhiwceiber Rangers (5-3), Brecon Corries (3-1), Cardiff Corinthians (4-0), STM Sports (2-1), Llandudno Junction (4-0) and Pontypridd Town (2-1) before losing to Bangor City (7-0).

Penydarren’s Welsh League debut season went down a storm, with the club romping to the Third Division title, winning 24 of their 30 league games. They won the title with a 3-1 win at Ely Rangers, with Connor Keating, Sam Gamble and Alex Long sealing the silverware.

While they also clinched the double, beating Ynysygerwn to win the Welsh League Cup at Port Talbot, by a 3-0 scoreline.

Penydarren kicked off 2019-20 season in Welsh League Division One, due to pyramid restructuring and were well placed for a promotion push, with several games in hand on their rivals, when the pandemic struck. The season was curtailed and Penydarren finished in 4th place on the points per game average, just missing out on a promotion spot to Port Talbot by 0.09.

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KERRY MULLIN FROM THE MANAGER...

Good evening, and welcome to The Bont Playing Fields.

Tonight, we face another big challenge in Treharris as we continue our Ardal League West campaign.

We look forward to your support once again and hope you enjoy the game this evening.

Kerry Mullin FIRST TEAM MANAGER

After a good win over Cwmamman United AFC last Friday, we are eager to build on that performance and result.

We know, however, we're in for a tough game as Treharris are a well established Welsh league side and always provide a sterny test.

" WE’LL HAVE TO BE AT OUR BEST YET AGAIN."

TREHARRIS ATHLETIC WESTERN

A BRIEF HISTORY...

The original Treharris Football Club was formed in 1889 as one of the earliest association football clubs based in south Wales. They were founding members of the South Wales League - a predecessor of the Welsh Football League - in 1891. The Treharris club were one of the foremost association football sides in South Wales in the two decades before the First World War, winning the inaugural South Wales League title in 1891, adding further triumphs in 190405 and 1907-08. They were also winners of the South Wales FA Senior Cup in 1904, 1906, 1907 and 1911. Treharris were also founding members of the Rhymney Valley League in 1904 and were league champions in 1910.

The club joined the Western Football League in 1906 and were champions in 1909-10 season. They entered the Southern League Second Division for 1910-11 finishing 6th behind the likes of Reading, Stoke and Cardiff City. Treharris remained in this division for another three seasons until the outbreak of WW1.

After organised football resumed in 1919, the club resumed as Treharris Athletic but did not join the English football pyramid, instead opting to play only in the Welsh Football League, where they generally played in the second tier during the 1920s and early 1930s.

However, in 1934-35 the club won promotion to compete in Division One until the outbreak of WW2.

.When the Welsh League resumed in 1945, the club played in Division 1, finishing as runner-up in 1949-50 behind Merthyr Tydfil, until relegation in 1959-60 into the Division 2 Eastern Division. The league restructured in 1964-65 and Treharris won promotion from Division 2 in 1965-66 as runners-up behind Caerleon. 1967-68 to 1969-70 saw Treharris miss out on promotion by a place three seasons running to Swansea University, Barry Town and Cwmbran Town.

After several years in mid-table in Division 1, the club finished 3rd in 1977-78 to win promotion to the Premier Division, behind Cardiff Corinthians and Milford United, but their stay at the top lasted only one season losing out to Pontlottyn on the final day of the season. In 198384 they were relegated again into the Third Tier. They remained here until 1995-96 when they won promotion as runners-up behind Cardfiff Institute before relegation again in 1998-99.

Promotion was again achieved in 2000-01 in third place behind Bettws and AFC Llywdcoed. However, after two seasons the club were relegated back to Division 3, two years later they were back though again in third place behind West End and Cambian & Clydach. In 2009, Treharris Athletic incorporated Western Hotel FC into the club and were re-named Treharris Athletic Western FC. In 2011-12 the club were relegated into Division 3, where they would remain until the Pyramid restructuring in 2019-20 which led to their last season in the Welsh League being in Division 2. In 2016 the club had to move from the Athletic Ground, their home since 1900 and for two seasons Treharris were forced to play at different grounds including Ystrad Mynach & the Welfare Ground in Fochriw. At the start of the 2018-19 season, Treharris moved into their new permanent home in Parc Taf Bargoed on the site of the former Deep Navigation Colliery and look forward to being founder members of Ardal Southern League, South West Division.

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Penydarren BGC

Treharris Athletic Western

Stephen Price (GK) Scott Pike Sam Gamble Alex Lloyd (C) Ben Gibbons Adam Lewis Asa Lloyd Ricky Jones Kyle Sullivan Riley Crumb Mackenzie Thomas Joe Mullin Ryan Martin Charlie Sears Aarran Caffell Garrin Batson Joshua Brogden Alex Long Christopher Colvin-Owens

Thomas Humphreys (CK) Connor Graham Keenan Wiggins David Mitchell Luke Bridgeman Matthew Sellick Robert Kennedy Nathan Mathias Efu Kazadi Dylan Amin Sam Crawley Haban Samson Rhys Davies Paulo Alves Marinho Manga Manager: Nana Baah

Manager: Kerry Mullin

Referee: Garwyn David Assistant Referee: Paul Meredith Assistant Referee: Phillip Thomas

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