Pontardawe Town F.C.
| Full name | Pontardawe Town Football Club | ||
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| Founded | 1947 | ||
| Chairman | Geraint Jeffries | ||
| Manager | Jason Dykes | ||
| League | Welsh Football League Division Two | ||
| 2011-12 | Welsh Football League Division One, 10th | ||
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Pontardawe Town F.C. (Welsh: Clwb Pêl Droed Tref Pontardawe) are a football club based in the town of Pontardawe. They play in the Welsh Football League Second Division, after being relegated in the 2014/15 season.
Club history
Although the present club was founded in 1947, football in Pontardawe certainly stretches back over 100 years, into the closing years of the 19th Century, when a Pontardawe club, run by industrialist CF Glibertson, was among the members of the earliest Swansea League, and won the championship in 1899-1900.
the club went on to join the Swansea and District League in the early 1900s, playing familiar names like Swansea Town, Morriston, Skewen and Clydach, as well as long forgotten ones such as Mond Nickel, York Place and Sketty. But honours don't seem to have come their way in the first half of the 20th Century; the club never even reached the top division of the Welsh League and it disbanded during the Second World War.
Reformed as Pontardawe Athletic in 1947, the town club entered the Welsh League, playing in division two (west). The first few post war years brought reasonable success at this level and by 1959/60 they were challenging for promotion, finishing 3rd behind Carmarthen and Clydach, achieving a Division One place a year later despite finishing below Gelli Colliery. But relegation came swiftly in 1961-62, Ponty finishing 19th out 20 and going back down with Milford. By the mid-1960s the club was struggling in the middle section of the restructured Welsh League and by 1980 they dropped to the lowest division.
A period of comparative success followed in the early 1980s, with successive promotions taking the club back to the top flight of the Welsh League by 1982. 1981 / 82 was Ponty's best ever season - not only did Dixie McHale's team win promotion, finishing second to Brecon Corries but they reached the quarter finals of the Welsh Cup, hosting a Wrexham side containing Dai Davies, Joey Jones and Dixie McNeil. (Record books show the result as 5-1 though the club's history says 4-1). The 1982 team contained well known names such as Neil Frederickson, and was captained by Robert Cooke, both of whom have been part of the management team until this season.
Competing in the Premier Division for only the second time in their history in 1982-83, Pontardawe Athletic managed to lift the West Wales Senior Cup - their only major honour to date - and in the league they held their own, finishing 13th - but luck wasn't on their side, the league restructured and as Athletic lacked a ground adequate for the Welsh league's self-styled "National Division" they were dumped back into the middle section, curiously known as the Premier Division, for 1983/84. Ponty went into decline again, slipping back to the third level of the Welsh league by the mid-1980s, quietly remaining there for over a decade.
The first Welsh league championship - of the Third division - finally came in 1996, after 50 years of membership but the club's progress up the league was almost halted on ground criteria again, as council bureaucracy meant Pontardawe were one of the last clubs at this level to erect a covered stand. But the club was now on a definite upward curve, its youth side lifting the Welsh Youth Cup and MacWhirter League title in 1997, and the senior side gaining promotion to the First Division in 1998. This time the club (now adopting the name of Pontardawe Town) lasted more than one season, finishing 6th, 14th, 6th, 2nd and 10th before being relegated in 17th place two seasons ago.
The club returned to the top flight for the 2005-06 season after winning the Second Division and losing to Goytre in the Shamrock League Cup final. Their return to the First division saw them finish third in the table and again finishing runners up in the Shamrock League Cup, this time losing to Penrhiwceiber after extra time.
Progress on the field has been matched by ambition behind the scenes. The club runs on a sound business footing - with a social club of its own at the Gilbertson Suite in the town. But Ponty's Achilles heel remains the ground facilities at the Recreation Ground. Basic for even Welsh League standards, the club has been negotiating with Neath & Port Talbot Council for the last 10 years to develop its ground.
The club finally looks to have made progress after agreeing to lease an area of land at the nearby leisure centre to develop its own ground.
Recent History
1st team - 2011/2012 Mid table finish in Welsh League Division One
Reserve team - 2009/2010 Welsh League Reserve Division West Champions, 2010/2011 Welsh League Reserve Cup Winners, 2011/2012 Welsh League Reserve Division West Champions
3rd team - 2010/2011 Neath League Division Two Champions, 2011/2012 Neath League Division One Third Place
Under 19's - 2010/2011 Welsh League Youth Division West Champions, 2011/2012 Welsh League Youth Division West Champions
Under 18's - 2010/2011 Finished 3rd in SWFA Youth League, 2011/2012 Unbeaten SWFA Youth League West Champions
Current squad
As of August, 2012.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
- 1st Team Manager:
Jason Dykes - 1st Team Coaches: Jason Dykes, Andy Wild, Kieran Howells, Paul Lewis, Mark Jenkins
- Reserve Team Manager: Christian Evans / Corey Bevan
- Youth Team Managers: No current Youth team
External links
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