Garw SBGC
Blandy Park
Oxford Street
Pontycymer
Bridgend
CF32 8DG
07488 335182
Ground Number: 1318
Saturday 22nd June 2024
Saturday 22nd June 2024
Garw 3-4 Aberfan Rangers
Friendly
GARW SBGC - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was formed in 1945 as Garw Athletic. They played only friendlies and in a local U18 league at first. They joined the Welsh Football League in 1952. Starting in Division 2 which was originally regionalised, they plodded along at that level for years without tasting much success. However, in 1977, they were runners-up to Milford United and won promotion to Division 1. They had a two-season spell before being relegated back. A 3rd place finish in 1984 was good enough for another go at what was the second tier, rebranded the Premier Division. Their stay this time was a single season before another relegation after finishing rock-bottom. The third tier was now called Division 1, and the top tier was renamed the National Division in an early attempt to create a league for the whole of Wales rather than just the south. They were champions for the first time in 1989 and spent three years in the second tier before once more being relegated. Another relegation followed in 1996 to Division 3 which was by this time, the 4th tier, following the establishment of the League Of Wales / Cymru Premier.
Reserch was as usual some via FCHD and Wikipedia. But also an incredible article by David Bauckham who blogs better than I ever could.
MY VISIT
I'd originally been intending on visiting Garw on 15th July last year, however wet weather meant that the game was postponed. This was typical of the constant downpour that we have had since Rishi Sunak has been in charge of the country. Coincidence, or maybe Matt Le Tissier's 'mad tweet' about the government fixing the weather has some credence. A wonderful player back in the day and it was brilliant to see him roll back the years in a charity game at Lyndhurst a few years back. Garw had long been on my list of grounds to visit and was a favoured ground amongst many hoppers. So I was delighted when they announced a friendly against Aberfan Rangers. Aside from a tragic disaster involving their local colliery in 1966, I knew little about Aberfan Rangers. Research indicated that they played in the Merthyr Tydfil Alliance League, sitting at level 7 of the Welsh pyramid. They played at a basic ground on the banks of the River Taff. I'd not rule out visiting them in the future as it is often about the day out and finding about the history of clubs as visiting grounds.
Garw SBGC finished bottom of the tier 4 South Wales Alliance Championship last season.
On 8th June, I decided to take the day off football and have a walk along the Thames from Henley where I ticked a Wetherspoons too. It was a lovely afternoon but I wanted to return to football. I guess I will get into Euro 2024, but it did not inspire me. Mediocre England performances in friendlies are par for the course, but it was disappointing having made the effort to watch them where I'd usually give them the miss. It did not help that they were representing the FA, whose iron fist had put paid to any hopes of clubs playing friendlies. They seem to stop things at the drop of the hat - during the pandemic football was one of the first things to stop and last things to start up again. When the Queen died, football was just about the only thing to stop, add to that the various poor decisions that the FA make, FA Cup replays being scrapped for the benefit of the Premier League for example.
Aberfan Rangers finished mid-table in the tier 7 Merthyr & District Premier Division last season, though made the cut for the mid-season split.
I was originally going to go to Surrey v London Hibernian on 15th June but that match was pulled the week before. A game at Rochdale St Clements interested me, but I could not convince fellow hopper Dan that it was worth it. It looked decent, but it wasn't worth going alone for. So, the plan was to do a game in the London Diplomatic Summer League, an interesting concept but one that there was barely any information on. The Irish side was excellent at communicating on Social Media, however, I learned to my disappointment that Afghanistan had pulled out of the competition, so I'd be relying on other teams. As Wednesday came, I went off the idea but hadn't completely dismissed it. It was becoming more likely that I'd have another Saturday without football. And so, this proved to be. I tried to persuade Dan to revisit TNS or new grounds at Rhuddlan, Rochdale St Clements or Rhos but he could not be swayed. It was probably for the better in the case of Rhos as the opposition were a no-show and the game at Rochdale St Clements was pulled the day before due to the wet weather.
Instead, it was a day out in London. I had the ball and chain, AKA Colin come with me. It was a boozy Saturday, ticking three new Wetherspoons, plus visiting the filming locations for the brilliant Sitcom 'Goodnight Sweetheart' and having a pint in the Royal Oak. It was a longer day than expected and was also good to visit Classic Football Shirts in London. However, I'd have much rather been at Football and on that note, it was good to welcome Stockport fan River to our groundhopping group, he remarkably managed to see a game on every Saturday in June and then some owing to more games being played in the north of the country than the south. Despite much moaning and groaning online about the performance, I watched the England 1-0 Serbia game on Sunday evening and enjoyed it. I've always found the entitlement and expectations staggering for a country that has not won a trophy in 58 years. The first part of the week dragged and I was starting to miss football. 19 days was way too long to go without a game and next season, I really only want to take one weekend off. The week continued to drag although I had the distraction of updating the leagues on my blog which took some time.
This would be my 60th ground in Wales, something I found out while updating my blog's 'Wales' page. Elsewhere there was disappointment. On Thursday, I watched England labour to a tepid 1-1 draw against Denmark with the Danes being the better side. Not even a few drinks could make it enjoyable to watch and yet again England failed to live up to the hype. After a hard day at work on Friday, my spirits were lifted when the latest newsletter from GroundhopUK came through via email. However, there was disappointment regarding the North West Counties hop as I had been to five of the seven on offer. I still need another twenty in all divisions, so it hadn't really worked out. At least the Scottish Hop looked good, though it was still too early to put plans for my weekends away in place. Half of the fun of hopping is putting plans in place but with it being that awkward time of year, not many leagues have released their fixtures. Chris did include an amusing newspaper clipping in the newsletter though, people being asked to contact police over the theft of two bags of crisps from Newtown FC following a break-in. I guess the damage done to the buildings cost many times the robbers 'haul' and it is sad to see a spate of non-league clubs suffer at the hands of various individuals who think it's funny to vandalise valuable community assets.
I awoke around my normal work time on the day of the game and spent a few hours watching TV in bed. I was up at 7.30 and getting ready before leaving at 8 to meet the guys. Richard, Daniel and Colin were on time and we were soon away. We left a miserable and drizzly High Wycombe but as we got further west it brightened up. By 11.20 we were at the Aneurin Bevan Wetherspoons in Cardiff. Named after the chap who founded the NHS, this was a brilliant place. Lots of craft cider, I had pints of Temple Dry and Hecks Slack Ma Girdle. I also had a Fiesta Brunch and some spicy chips. It was a rare 10/10 Spoons for me and a great start to the season. Only three, the others being Okehampton and Tiverton have the coveted full marks out of 339 that I've been too. The large breakfast with added black pudding and haggis was too much for him to handle and half of it was wasted.
After leaving at 12.30, we at Garw by 1.10. It was a wonderful place and I bumped into the brother of the Wycombe kit man. Entry was free and everyone so friendly. I bought a Pennant for £5 and this had serious chance of being my favourite ever ground. I also got a pint can of Strongbow to finish off the days drinking. I was in a great mood and many hoppers were in attendance. Club man Dai told us lots of history about the club, how they came close to qualifying for Europe many years ago. Garw opened the scoring on two minutes, #11 with a low shot into the bottom left hand corner. Then on 5 minutes, #9 made it 2-0, a lob from just outside the area. Later on, Aberfan pulled a penalty ml and back A header in the first five minutes of the second half made it 3-1. Aberfan pulled another back with 22 to go, a shot from the edge of the area. A quick-fire double in the last couple of minutes turned the game in favour of Aberfan Rangers. Firstly a penalty was awarded for a foul just inside the area. Then a close-range finish from a cross to make it 3-4. The result was harsh on Garw but it was an entertaining, if leisurely-paced game.
THE GROUND
BLANDY PARK is an incredible ground and a must-visit for any groundhopper or anyone with a soul. It has many vantage points on the stand side for gaining a great view of the action. The paths down to the two ends are a little complicated but access both goals and it is a real sight from either end. The far side has no spectator accommodation but is passable with care. There are limited facilities, tea coffee and snacks are sold, as are pint cans of Strongbow for £2.70. The club room also contains lots of pictures and memories of teams past and present. The club are friendly, parking is limited to a car park and street parking. A bus service from Bridgend runs nearby to the ground.
