Penydarren BGC v Cwmamman United - Official Matchday Programme

OFFICIAL PENYDARREN BGC MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

PENYDARREN BGC

VS CWMAMMAN UNITED AFC FRIDAY 5TH AUGUST KICK OFF 7.30PM ARDAL LEAGUE SOUTH WEST

PENYDARREN BGC 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 (70).

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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ARDAL LEAGUE CUP DRAW The First Round draw of the Ardal League Cup was made two weeks ago.

Full Southern League Cup Draw: Mumbles Rangers v Penydarren BGC AFC Llwydcoed v Pontyclun Goytre v Dinas Powys Blaenavon Blues v Lliswerry Treharris Athletic Western v Cardiff Draconians Baglan Dragons v Tredegar Town Treowen Stars v Chepstow Town Risca United v Seven Sisters Onllwyn Cwmamman United v Abertillery Bluebirds Undy Athletic v Port Talbot Town Caerau (Ely) v Penrhiwceiber Rangers Caldicot Town v Trethomas Bluebirds Newport City v Cefn Cribwr Brecon Corries v Ynysygerwn Croesyceiliog v RTB Ebbw Vale Monmouth Town v Garden Village All ties are to take place over the weekend of September 10th.

PENYDARREN SECURE PLACE IN NEXT ROUND OF WELSH CUP.

Penydarren BGC secured their place in the next round of the JD Welsh Cup after an entertaining 6-0 victory over Clwb Sparta.

First-half goals from Kamil Filarksi, Connor Keating and Alex Long, added by strikes from Sam Gamble, Kyle Sullivan and Ryan Martin, rounded off a tremendous victory for the Minors.

Penydarren will face a trip to Pontyclun FC in the Second Qualifying Round, with the tie set to take place on Saturday 20th August.

Kerry Mullins’ side dominated the early proceedings and found the opening goal on 4 minutes. Keating teed up Filarski who fired home from close range.

Shortly after that, it was two, Keating beat the advancing goalkeeper before poking the ball into the empty net.

At this point, Penydarren were in a fine attacking mood and found their third just before half-time.

Alex Long found space inside the box and drove a delightful strike into the bottom left corner.

Penydarren started the second half with the same attacking fruition as the first and found their fourth on 49 minutes. Gamble headed home after he connected with a fabulous cross from Adam Lewis.

Sullivan was introduced to midfield on 69 minutes and made an immediate impact scoring 10 minutes later. After Sparta failed to clear their lines from a cross, Sullivan was on hand to smash his effort beyond the opposing ‘keeper.

With injury time looming Penydarren finally got their sixth. Long’s cross found the on-running Martin to score his first goal of the campaign after coming on as a second-half substitute.

Penydarren BGC: Price, Pike, Gamble, Tanner, Brogden, Lewis, Moyle, Jones, Filarksi, Long, Keating.

Subs: Martin, Cheeke, Crumb, Sullivan, Davies.

Next up for Penydarren is a home game against Cwmamman United AFC at the Bont Playing Fields (5th August), the first of the Ardal League South West season.

JD WELSH CUP DRAW Following last weekend's First Qualifying Round fixtures, the draw for the Second Qualifying Round of the JD Welsh Cup was made at the FAW HQ in Hensol, on Monday.

The competition has achieved another recordbreaking year with the 253 entries surpassing last season’s previous record entries, with an increase of 10.

The National Cup Board have made some notable Rule changes for the new season with the introduction of the use of up to five substitutes, within three substitute periods for all rounds.

Additionally, and following the success of the Round 2 seedings last year, this procedure has been maintained, but all of the 28 seeded clubs from the JD Cymru Premier (12), JD Cymru North (8) and JD Cymru South (8) will be drawn away from home in Round 2.

There were 194 clubs in the First Qualifying Round draw with fifteen Tier 3 clubs receiving byes into Qualifying Round 2, based on their League positions at the end of last season. Matches in Qualifying Round 2 will be played over the weekend of Saturday 20th August 2022, with the First Round Proper draw taking place on the week commencing 22nd August.

Southern Draw Newport City FC v Undy Athletic FC Risca United AFC v Caerphilly Athletic FC Wattsville FC v Trethomas Bluebirds FC Aber Valley FC v Newport Corinthians FC Canton Liberal FC v Abertillery Bluebirds FC Monmouth Town FC v Chepstow Town FC Nelson Cavaliers AFC v Goytre AFC Caldicot Town FC v Tiger Bay FC Cardiff Draconians FC v Brecon Corries AFC Lliswerry AFC v Aberbargoed Buds FC Treowen Stars FC v Dinas Powys FC Croesyceiliog AFC v Newport Civil Service FC RTB Ebbw Vale FC v Pill AFC FC Aberfan FC v AFC Penrhiwceiber Cefn Cribwr FC v Port Talbot Town FC Hakin United FC v Penlan AFC CKSV AFC v Penrhiwceiber Rangers AFC Pontyclun FC v Penydarren Seniors BGC Ton Pentre AFC v Cardiff Airport Garden Village FC v Pencoed Athletic BGC West End FC v FC Cwmaman Evans & Williams FC v Baglan Dragons FC Garw SBGC FC v Treharris Athletic Western FC Tonyrefail BGC FC v Rockspur FC Cardiff Corinthians FC v AFC Llwydcoed Porthcawl Town Athletic FC v Canton Rangers Aberdare Town FC v Ynysygerwn AFC

FOLLOW THE MINORS

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CWMAMMAN UNITED AFC Cwmamman United started their history in 1976 in the Neath & District League Division 3, following the demise of Glanamman. Their first success came in Season 1980-81 when they were promoted to the Second Division. Further success came for United as they were once again promoted to Division 1 in 1983-84. It was not long before Cwmamman were promoted to the Premier League in 1985-86 under the management of Eirian Rees.

The next few seasons were up and down affairs with relegation from the Premier being followed by promotion back to the Premier. Cwmamman were then relegated once more and did not return to the Premier until season 1998-99.

An extraordinary season followed with the team finishing runners-up and qualifying for a play-off game against Garden Village to be played at Llandarcy. The prize was a place in the Welsh League, but it was a day for Village who ran out 3-0 in extra time.

It was not to be too long though for Cwmamman’s moment of glory as Eirian Rees and Phil Bowen brought home the Neath Premier Division in season 2001-02. It was a proud day as a Paul Jones goal beat Cilfrew. Cwmamman United would be entering the Welsh League for the first time ready for 2002-03.

The club would consolidate over the next few years, going close on two occasions to promotion. However, the bubble would burst in the cruelest fashion as Cwmamman were relegated from the Welsh League in season 2010-11 after finishing fourth from bottom, relegated due to the restructure of the Welsh League.

Two years were to follow back in the Neath League, until Cwmamman finished Runners-Up,

with a 9-0 home win against Resolven and were the only team to apply for promotion to the Welsh League. It was to be a heart-breaking reunion though as Cwmamman missed out at the end of their return for promotion to Division Two, losing to Risca United, a draw would have been enough as Dai Brown failed to convert to retaken penalty.

The following season Cwmamman would get their rewards through, finishing runners up to Llanelli Town led by Eirian Rees and Mark Snell. While Season 2016-17 was an incredible season for the Club, gaining the third promotion place to create history for the Club and take their place in the Welsh League Division 1, Aberbargoed Buds beaten 3-0.

Season 2018-19 turned out to be the clubs most successful season in their history as they finished in sixth position in Welsh League Division One. It was a fitting farewell for Eirian Rees and his assistant Jeff Matthews, as Eirian’s other assistant Ryan Stephens took over to lead Cwmamman United into the newly renamed Cymru South.

It was to prove to be a disappointing end to 2019-20 with relegation in 15th position, just when safety was in site as the league was ended on a points per game system due to the worldwide pandemic. Cwmamman United will be playing in the inaugural Ardal Southern League, South West Division, with ambitions of regaining a Cymru South place in the near future.

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Penydarren BGC Cwmamman United AFC Stephen Price (GK) Scott Pike Sam Gamble Ashley Davies Alex Lloyd (C) Ben Gibbons Adam Lewis Ricky Jones Kyle Sullivan Riley Crumb Kamil Filarksi Joe Mullin Levi Jones Harri Moyle Aarran Caffell Mackenzie Thomas Joshua Brogden Alex Long Christopher Colvin-Owens

Kai Rees (GK) Leon Croucher Cory Saunders Nathan Davies Callum Dougal Grant Rees Kieran Richards Kevin Morgan (C) Alexander Giardelli Kyle Ashford Harrison Thomas Sion Williams Ronan Templeton Scott Jewell Elliot Jones Sean Jewell

Manager: Kerry Mullin Ass Manager: Andrew Thomas Ass Manager: Iain Pike

Manager: Rhys Thomas

Referee: Garwyn Davies Assistant Referee: Paula Small Assistant Referee: David Alder T