Port Talbot Town F.C.

Full name Port Talbot Town Football Club
Nickname(s) The Steelmen
Founded 1901 (1901)
(as Port Talbot Athletic)
Ground Victoria Road, Port Talbot
Ground Capacity 6,000 (1,000 seated)[1]
Chairman Gerald Payne
Manager Paul Evans
League Welsh Football League Division One
2015–16 Welsh Premier League, 10th (relegated)

Port Talbot Town Football Club (Welsh: Clwb Pêl Droed Port Talbot) is a Welsh football club from Port Talbot. It was founded in 1901 as Port Talbot Athletic, one of the first clubs in the country. The club plays in the Welsh Football League Division One, and is based at Victoria Road, also known as the Genquip Stadium for sponsorship purposes.

History

Formed in 1901, Port Talbot began life as a member of the Swansea Senior League and continued playing following the hiatus due to World War One. Although records are sparse, the club is thought to have played in the Swansea Senior League until 1926, when it became a founder of the Port Talbot and District Association Football League; and to have competed in the Welsh League Division 2 Western from the 1928/29 season onwards under the name Seaside Athletic.

Although the club can trace rather tenuous roots back to 1901, the modern club originated shortly after World War II as Port Talbot Athletic.[2]

The club gained promotion to Division 1 in 1956–57, but was relegated after one season. It regained promotion as Division 2 West champions in 1961–62 but was relegated again after one season. The pattern of promotion and relegation after a year was repeated for the third time when Port Talbot went down at the end of the 1970–71 season.

Port Talbot was promoted into the League of Wales in 2000, and changed its name to Port Talbot Town in 2001. Port Talbot's rivalry with Afan Lido, located less than half a mile away, is considered one of the fiercest in South Wales.

Port Talbot finished third in 2009–10, gaining a berth in the Europa League 2010–11, its first appearance in European Competition. However, the club was vanquished 7–1 on aggregate by Finnish side Turun Palloseura in the first qualifying round, which included a 0–4 thrashing in the home fixture on 08 July 2010 with 676 in attendance.

During the 2015–16 Welsh Premier League season Andy Dyer's Blues make it to the semi-final stage of the Welsh Cup against Airbus, but lost in a 7–0 drubbing.

Weeks later the Football Association of Wales relegated Port Talbot from the Welsh Premier League although the club had finished above the relegation places in tenth spot. The relegation was the consequence of the FWA's decision to refuse Port Talbot a Domestic License on financial grounds. The club appealed the decision but the appeal was rejected. The club then overhauled its internal structure, appointing a new chairman, vice-chairman, secretary and treasurer, and forming a steering committee consisting of both staff and supporters. The wage bill for the 2016/2017 was cut massively in order to keep the club financially sustainable. This was done largely by replacing some of the existing squad with players from the Academy.[3]

Support

Average home attendance for Port Talbot Town matches between 1994 and 2010 was 207, although some attendances at the Victoria Road Stadium have been notably higher, including the 2,640 spectators who watched Port Talbot defeat Football League side Swansea City 2–1 in an FAW Premier Cup quarter final in 2007, during the Swans' run-away promotion year.[4] Also, an estimated 400 supporters travelled to the 2010 Welsh Cup final in Llanelli between Port Talbot and three-time winners Bangor City, won by Bangor 3–2. Port Talbot has become renowned for its vocal following in recent years, if not for its performance on the pitch or in the boardroom.

European record

Season Competition Round Club Home Away Aggregate
2010–11 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round Finland TPS Turku 0–4 1–3 1–7

Records

Current squad

As of 27 November 2015

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 Wales GK Matthew Stanton
2 Wales DF Aaron Biddescombe
3 Wales DF Jordan Pike
4 Wales MF Aaron Williams
5 England DF Tyler Aylward
6 Wales MF Sam Handy
7 Wales DF James Turner
8 Wales MF Craig Jones
9 England MF Kieran Miller
10 Wales FW Luke Bowen
No. Position Player
11 Wales MF Jandir Zola
12 Wales FW Ryan Kostromin
13 Wales MF Matthew Herman
14 Wales FW Liam Evans
15 Wales FW Ollie Bowen
16 Wales MF Jonathan Hood
17 Wales MF Marley Bishop-Wisdom

Current Staff

Managers

References

  1. ↑ "Welsh Football Ground Guide – Port Talbot Town FC". footballgroundguide.com. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  2. ↑ "Club History". Port Talbot Town Official Website. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.porttalbottown.co.uk/?page_id=6775. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ↑ "Football:Bring on the Semi". Wales Online. Retrieved 23 January 2015.

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