Llantwit Major - Prince Moomin's Palace

Llantwit Major FC

Prince Moomin's Palace

Windmill Lane

Llantwit Major 

Glamorgan

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Ground Number: 1319

Saturday 29th June 2024

Llantwit Major 3-0 Ely Rangers

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LLANTWIT MAJOR FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed in 1962. A selection committee selected the team until entry to the South Wales Amateur League was gained in 1971. The team finished as runners-up in Division 2 in 1977 to win promotion to Division 1. They went on to have a very successful first half of the 80s, winning the title three times. A couple of runners-up spots followed but the club was relegated in 1992. They spent two years in Division 2 and then another two in Division 1 before being relegated again. In 1999 Llantwit Major were Division 2 champions for the first time. They then spent a long spell in Division 1 before becoming champions for the 4th time in 2012. Following this latest success, they joined the Welsh League Division 3. In 2017 they won the title followed by the Division 2 title in 2018. The following season saw them finish 7th in Division 1, making the cut for the newly established Cymru South. Llantwit Major were champions here in 2022 but were unable to take promotion due to licensing regulations.

In terms of cups, Llantwit Major have won the FAW Senior Cup (2011), the SWAL Corinthian Cup Winners (three times), the Supporters Cup (2011) and the Mr Blobby Cup (2022). Their reserves have also won a number of honours in the Bridgend & Barry leagues. Llantwit Major supporters are known as the 'Windmill Army', and can draw crowds of up to 250 for important matches such as their 2018 title decider against STM Sports. For many years, the number one rival was St. Athan, however, this rivalry has diminished due to Llantwit's rise through the leagues. Instead, Pen-Y-Bont FC have become the opposition most looked forward to by fans and players alike. A rivalry has also developed with Ammanford AFC, which began when a Twitter video posted by the Llantwit Major Twitter account after a 3–1 victory left numerous players and supporters of the Ammanford side in tears. Meanwhile, the club has friendly links with Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam, Boca Juniors and Port Talbot Town. The club has also captured the imagination with several striking shirts in recent times.

For a while, their ground was known as Prince Moomin's Palace, following a £20 raffle to rename the ground. Katie Williams, girlfriend of their then-star striker Thomas Walters renamed the ground after her West Highland White Terrier, Moomin. Llantwit Major is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry and Penarth, and ahead of Cowbridge. In the 20th century, the modern town developed rapidly to accommodate Royal Air Force personnel from the St Athan base. Remnants of the medieval cobbled streets can be seen adjacent to 12th century Old Swan Inn, and numerous buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries remain. Llantwit Major is a small town which is largely dependent on local retail and earnings from further afield. The majority of the inhabitants commute to work elsewhere, especially Cardiff or Bridgend. During the summer months, tourism is important to the town which has "The Precinct", Rainbow Plaza and several pubs and restaurants. Of note are the Old Swan Inn, Old White Hart Inn, The Tudor Tavern, and the 17th-century West House Country Hotel Heritage Restaurant. Llantwit Major railway station on the Vale of Glamorgan Line reopened in June 2005. Passenger services are operated by Transport for Wales as part of the Valleys & Cardiff Local Routes network.

MY VISIT

After a lovely Saturday in Garw, I had a couple of drinks upon getting home before getting to bed for work. Sunday was a day of two halves, work was great for the first 4.5 hours with no customers but a living, crowded hell full of noisy children after that. I was out at 2 and came home and had a nap. I was given bad news when I discovered that my planned Saturday game between Westfield & Hastings was off due to interference from the FA and insistence that under their abhorrent dictatorship, no football should be played in June. A lot of backups had gone the same way thanks to the vile organisation channelling their inner Kim-Jong Un, though strangely, Aylesbury United v Wycombe Wanderers on Friday had not yet bitten the bust. Tuesday saw England v Slovenia which was an abhorrent 0-0  in a group that seems to have had nothing but inexplicably dull games. It completely contrasted to Austria's superb 3-2 win over the Netherlands earlier in the day. By then, I had made my choice for the weekend. If I could get passengers then I would drive to Wales for Llantwit Major v Ely Rangers. If not, it would be a day out in London for a revisit to Fisher for Surrey v London Hibernian. I was also updating and improving the step 7 leagues on this blog with all the relegations and promotions that have occurred.

Wednesday saw EFL fixture release day and as usual, it didn't all go my way. The most annoying ones were the Huddersfield & Birmingham away games in March when I had weekends booked off work. I'd fancied going to these but I don't want to waste weekends off by hopping from home. One of the many disadvantages of work forcing me to book my entire year's holiday by mid-May. This game was confirmed on Thursday when Colin finally confirmed he would attend following me initially asking him on Monday morning. I got into the mood by buying a book off of Amazon about a fictional run in Europe by Llantwit Major which was really decent. Friday was an extremely busy day at work but it was good to see the Aylesbury game confirmed as going ahead. I headed to Beaconsfield, catching up with mates and seeing an entertaining 3-3 draw. There were around 200 there in all and although it was nice of Wycombe to send a team of trialists, it was sad they didn't publicise it. It was good to say hello to Wycombe manager Matt Bloomfield and it was also good to see fellow hopper Anwar who agreed to join us for our trip to Wales.

The day of the game came and for once I got a reasonable night's sleep, waking at 6.30 am, a 2.5-hour lie-in. I had over two hours to get ready for the game and relax. I left at 9.10 to meet Colin off of the bus. I always expect problems with that lad and indeed he had missed his bus and paid for a taxi to get to our meeting point a couple of minutes late. It was then on to Anwar at 9.45 who was there waiting for me. I popped in the shop for the customary chilli cheese hot dog and other bits before we got on our way. It was a horrible journey for the first couple of hours with crappy roads and lots of traffic. Colin had slept most of the journey but woke up as we hit the M5, going past the excellent Gloucester services. There was slowdown on the M4 near Cardiff and eventually, we were at the ground by 1.20. The tiny car park was full so I parked outside. After getting pictures of the ground, I got a pint of Strongbow in lieu of the free entry and this helped me relax and still be perfectly fine to drive home. The roads had been full of people and the clubhouse full of kids rendering me unable to get pictures and I had my pint in the stand.

It was nice to see various hoppers there who had shunned the English FA's Pyongyang tribute act in order to enjoy some football. I said a brief hello to Merthyr Town fan Andrew who recognised me, Merthyr Saints being a ground high on my list of wants. He was on the board of Cefn Rangers of the Gwent County League. I also stood with Hertfordshire Hopper and had a chat. It was a fairly even opening period. Llantwit Major took the lead with a superb 20 yarder on 10 minutes. A low shot on the half-hour made it 2-0 and although Ely didn't have much up front, they were holding their own. The game died down after that. 15 minutes into the second half, #9 for Llantwit held off his marker before finishing well. That was 3-0 and that was how it stayed with a deserved win for the hosts.

During the game, Anwar had met someone from near where he lived, so he went back with him. This had the effect of making our journey home far quicker but slightly longer. It also wiped out my planned trips to Gloucester Services and Farmfoods in Aylesbury but the saved time was appreciated. As with the way down, it was Greatest Hits Radio providing the soundtrack with Colin sleeping a lot of the way. I had to drive carefully to conserve petrol to get home. A lot of abandoned cones helped with that and I dropped Colin off at 7.20, I then stopped off at Amersham Tesco for petrol before heading for home. I was in at 7.45, catching up and watching the football with a couple of drinks before bed. Wales had been the saviour for many football-starved fans, my only regret was that I didn't meet up with as many people as I'd have liked.

THE GROUND

PRINCE MOOMIN'S PALACE is a nice ground set in pleasant greenery. Though it lacks the landscapes of some Welsh grounds, the windmill-style property behind one ground is an imposing background. In terms of covered accommodation, two seated stands are holding around 150 in total. One is a metal stand offering good views but the older more attractive stand has some blind spots. The bar is very nice with a good range of drinks and prices around £4 a pint. The centre is ten minutes walk away and offers a range of places. Overall, well worth a visit, though sadly no merch for sale when I went.