Afan Lido - Lido Ground

Afan Lido FC

Lido Ground

Princess Margaret Way

Port Talbot

Neath Port Talbot

SA12 6QW

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1573

Friday 21st August 2026

Afan Lido - Pontardawe Town

Cymru South

AFAN LIDO FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1967 and was named after the recently opened Afan Lido Sports Centre in Aberavon, where they are still based to this day. They played for four years in the Port Talbot & District League before joining the Welsh League in 1971. They started in Division 2, which was the third tier in South Wales at the time. In 1974, Afan Lido were promoted as runners-up behind Caerau Athletic. Two years later, they finished third behind Cardiff College and Cwmbran Town to gain promotion to the Premier Division. A third-place finish in their first season was a great start, but they went back down in 1980. Another effective relegation came in 1983 due to league reorganisation. The club was promoted back to the second tier in 1985 as runners-up to Taffs Well. A third-place finish in 1990, this time behind Sully & Ferndale Athletic, saw them return to the top tier, now called the National Division, for the first time in a decade. They had won the Premier Division in the two seasons before that, but were not promoted due to ground grading criteria.

 

These were times of change for Welsh Football as UEFA and FIFA had threatened to remove Wales from international competition unless a bona fide national division was established. Despite the National Division's name, it was based largely in South Wales, as it had been for many years, with the Cymru Alliance covering the north of the country. Therefore, in 1992, the League of Wales (now called the Cymru Premier) was established. In 1995, Afan Lido recorded their highest ever finish in the Welsh Pyramid when they finished as runners-up to Bangor City in the League of Wales. Their joy was short-lived though, as the following season, they were relegated. Two seasons were spent in the Welsh League Division 1 before they finished as runners-up to Ton Pentre in 1998 to go back up. Seven seasons were spent back in the top tier, with a high of 5th in 2002. Relegation came again in 2005, but the club went back up in 2011 as runners-up to Bryntirion Athletic. They struggled for three years in Welsh Premier before relegation in 2014. They've been in the second tier ever since, with the Welsh League D1 effectively being renamed the Cymru Premier in 2019, the same season they had their best finish since relegation of 4th. Latter seasons have seen them finish lower down the table, with them ranking 12th out of 16 teams last season.

Afan Lido made their only European excursion to date in 1995. They faced RAF Jelgava of Latvia at home, with the game being played at the local rugby ground. They lost the first leg 2-1 in Wales but managed a 0-0 draw in Latvia in the second leg. They had their best Welsh Cup run during the 2006/07 season. After beating Penrhiwceiber Rangers, Barry Town, Boderddern and Ely Rangers, they narrowly won a tight local derby 1-0 at Port Talbot Town. They progressed on penalties against Welshpool Town in the semis before losing 3-2 to Carmarthen Town in the final at Llanelli. They won the Welsh League Cup in 2011, beating Newtown on penalties in the final, their third win in that competition. They also reached the FAW Premier Cup quarter-final in 2003 before losing 4-0 at Wrexham. Afan Lido's main rivals are Port Talbot Town, who are based less than half a mile away from Afan Lido's ground. However, over recent years, with Port Talbot Town dropping out of the league, a strong rivalry has formed with 3 other Port Talbot-based teams playing in the JD Cymru South. Baglan Dragons, Trefelin and Goytre United have all filled the rivalry gap left by Port Talbot Town in recent years.

Afan Lido play at the Lido Ground, their home since formation. The first Wales women's international match under the auspices of the Football Association of Wales was played here on 6 September, 1993, against Iceland. Wales lost 1-0. The club is based in Aberavon. The town derived its name from being near the mouth of the river Afan, which also gave its name to a medieval lordship. Today it is essentially a district of Port Talbot, covering the central and south-western part of the town. Aberavon is also the name of the nearby Blue Flag beach and the parish covering the same area. Little is known about Aberavon before Norman times. Bronze Age remains have been found in the hills behind the town. Roman artefacts have been found near the sea, including during the construction of the docks in the 19th century. There are three rugby grounds in the town. Aberavon RFC are the most well-known, playing in the top tier of Welsh Rugby. Their 8,000-capacity Talbot Athletic Ground is also home to the Welsh Women's Rugby team. The stadium has also hosted continental football matches. Afan Lido FC played the home leg of their UEFA Cup 1995/96 preliminary round, 1st leg tie against RAF Jelgava at the ground.

MY VISIT

This game was decided well in advance for several reasons. Firstly, as I've stated many times, I love a bit of Friday night football. Secondly, I want to complete the top three levels in Wales and this certainly qualified. Thirdly, there was a Wetherspoons that I needed in the town. I had been to Port Talbot in 2013, entered the pub but didn't bother staying as they had no Welsh cider. Therefore, I needed to go back and do a proper visit. Looking back on my blog, Port Talbot was the first Welsh League ground that I went to in 2013 when they were challenging for a European place. It was a great introduction to Welsh football, and I'd stopped at Afan Lido pictures. I knew I wanted to visit for a game, but wasn't expecting to wait thirteen years to do so. Colin was initially keen to come, but said he might have to pull out for a family meal. I decided that I'd go regardless, despite the costs. I like to unwind on a Friday, be it with a few drinks or football as a reward for hard work. As I've been doing more of the former than is good for me lately, football was an appealing prospect.

My excessively delayed game at AFC Turnford meant I was a bus behind. That bus itself had plenty of delays, so it was touch and go whether I'd have a half-hour wait at the end of my £3 ride. Thankfully, I got off one side of the abandoned roadworks by the evil Thames Water and made the train on time. I got the Weaver Line to Hackney Downs and walked 15 minutes to the Cock Tavern, a pub with a decent selection of cider. I had a pint of Little Pomona Burrels Meadow whilst I uploaded my blog. It was then an offy for some French cider to go before I got a bus to Aldgate. Or more accurately, buses, as the one I was on cut short its trip. I did make it in the end, getting through the door at 10.30 and having a final drink before bed. It had been another boozy day, and I really should cut down, but it was my last weekend before I had to start an hour early on Sunday. As it is, the 3.50 am alarm is unwelcome. I was up fairly easily, though after four hours of sleep. It was a standard Sunday, with it being unpleasantly busy despite no one acting out of turn. I was glad when it was 1, and I could leave. I went home before heading out around half an hour later after some lunch. I forgot how irritating the journey to Harefield was on tiny roads, but I was there in good time. It cost me £8 to get into Eagles Land Benfica v Virginia Water in the FA Vase.

Despite Eagles Land finishing 8th in the Middlesex County Premier last season, they merged or took over the Portuguese diaspora club SL Benfica over the summer. They are an Albanian side themselves, and it was pretty much an audacious workaround to earn promotion without doing it on the field, as there was little evidence of Benfica's involvement in the club. It showed on the field too as they've lost all three of their games so far in the Combined Counties D1. Virginia Water were in the league above, sitting in mid-table. They dominated the first half, helped when Eagles Land had a player sent off for throwing a punch. The hosts still managed to have a couple of chances on the break, having the best chance before half-time when they hit the post. Virginia Water finally took the lead on 68 minutes; a scrappy bouncing ball found its way into the net. Eagles Land gave it a good go and had chances, but they were generally wasteful with the ones they got. They were a very combative side, which the Virginia Water manager spent all afternoon moaning to the referee about. The keeper played very well and had they got to penalties, it would have been written in the stars for him to become the hero. Monday was fine at work, and in the evening, I finally booked my second week in September off, with flights to Paris & Malta. The previous week had been frustrating, and I'd spent double-digit hours trying to find something that worked, without success.

It was my day off on Tuesday with my usual walk to town and back, followed by another fruitless search for something I fancied for the first weekend in September, a frustration repeated on Wednesday after a decent day at work. In between, I made my 46th visit up to Watchet Lane to watch my local team play Spelthorne Sports. Holmer Green used to be a bit meh in terms of a warm welcome. But lately, they've been fantastic, getting families involved, getting extra support and making the matchday experience much better. They took a while to get going, but in the end won 2-0 in the last 15 minutes on a dry pitch. I took my tablet up there, watched Wycombe's Football League Trophy game at Reading before and during half-time whilst having the penalties on in the background in the second half. Thursday saw us get rain for the first time in about two months, a far cry from the start of the year when it rained pretty much every single day. Friday was a very busy day at work as it always is, but at least I had football to look forward to.

I finished just after 1, got changed and met Colin outside at 1.15. I was hoping to take it easy and save fuel, but there were lots of delays. The worst of it was at the M4/M5 interchange, never usually an issue but today it added 35 minutes to the journey. It meant we hit Wales at the start of the rush hour. As usual, the ICC building in Newport, which I like to refer to as the cricket place, despite it having nothing to do with the International Cricket Council, was slow around it. There were the usual rubber-necking noncecaskets looking at an accident on the other side near Cardiff, which slowed us further. We were at Afan Lido FC at 5.20, after an hour's delay. We walked the 40 minutes into town, going to my 551st Wetherspoons, The Lord Caradoc. It was drizzly at times, but it was a bracing walk past the wonderful Port Talbot Town FC and across the river Afan, which gave the club its name. We were there at 6.05, and I ordered Shawarma Chips and a bottle of Gywynt Y Ddraig Old Crow cider. Both were excellent and came quickly. Colin had his grubby little fingers in my dinner without asking, so I was glad when his nachos came. We left at 6.30, the rain now stopped. There was more drizzle on the way, but nothing too bad. We were there at 7.15, meeting Shaun the Boston fan who will be joining us on the West Lancs Hop next week. £6 was good value for entry; I also got a bacon burger for £4.50, which was solid but unspectacular.

A healthy crowd of 191 was in attendance with several hoppers and local football fans. Afan Lido sat 10th in the table. So far they had beaten bottom team Llantwit Major 5-0 but lost 3-1 at Carmarthen Town and 5-2 to Aberystwyth Town. Pontardawe were a place lower in 11th and had beaten Caerphilly Athletic 3-0 on opening day but had lost 3-2 at Pontypridd United and 4-0 to Newport City. The visitors dominated the opening 15 minutes. They were awarded a penalty, but Afan Lido keeper Exauce Dimonekene made a great stop. It inspired the hosts to have their first attack as they broke and headed over the bar from a cross. Not the greatest game; it drifted into a lull. Chances were few and far between, so I was glad when Jack Pascoe popped up with the winner on 64 minutes, volleying into the bottom corner. That was it for goals. We left around 9.20 and stopped at Tesco for petrol and supplies on the way. The first bit was a success but the latter a disappointment as it was a crappy little store with me unable to stock up on the Welsh cider I liked for next week. Either way, I got a drink for the way home. I dropped Colin off at 0.45 and got home myself at 1, going straight to bed.

THE GROUND

The Lido Ground is a tidy setup for the level, but is showing its age. There is a nice-sized stand holding 600; this would have looked great at the start, but had part of the roof missing. Opposite is a small standing area with the camera gantry above, and there is additional cover near the bar. Talking of the bar, it looks great with tons of club-related stuff on the walls. There is sports TV, and the range of drinks looked decent - Strongbow, Thatchers Gold and Dark Fruits on tap for cider drinkers; sadly no Welsh stuff though. There was a good range at the tea car too, not gourmet but solid enough to fill a hole. There are a few places nearby, or Port Talbot is 40 minutes walk away. There is a decent amount of parking and buses run nearby. 

AFC Turnford - The Lions Den

AFC Turnford

The Lions Den  

Wormley Playing Fields

18-24 Church Lane

Broxbourne 

Hertfordshire

EN10 7QE

Official Website

FAFT Page

LinkTree

Twitter

Ground Number: 1172

Saturday 15th August 2026

AFC Turnford 2-4 St Margaretsbury

Herts Senior County Premier

AFC TURNFORD - A BRIEF HISTORY

AFC Turnford was established in 2020 by a group of mates from Turnford School just wanting a kickabout. They started in Sunday football, playing in the East Herts Corinthian Sunday Football League. Starting right at the bottom in Division 6, they finished 5th in their first season. That league was scrapped the following year, and the club made the most of it, lifting the Division 5 title in 2022. The league shrank again and the 2022/23 season saw AFC Turnford finish 5th in Division 2. They improved to 4th the following season; that was good enough for promotion to Division 1, by now the top tier. Their final season in Sunday football saw them finish 3rd behind FC Broxbourne and Hertford Stags. Last season, they made the switch to Saturday football, namely the Herts Senior County League Division 1. It was a successful transition as they earned promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up behind Everett Rovers Reserves.

The club won the Hertfordshire FA Saturday Intermediate Cup in 2026, beating Croxley Green 3-2 in the final. This added to their Sunday League cup triumphs, which are harder to find information on. Turnford is a village in the Borough of Broxbourne in Hertfordshire. Including Wormley, where the team now plays their games, the area has a population of just over 8,000.  The name appears to have Saxon origins and is probably a compound of Old English tun and ford - the ford by the farm. Turnford lies in a site where evidence of Palaeolithic, Late Bronze Age and Iron Age relics has been recorded. By the late Saxon period, the village existed as a farm belonging to the manor of Cheshunt. A Benedictine nunnery was established in the 12th century on Turnford Marsh. Part of the medieval buildings survived within a farm until gravel quarrying destroyed the remains in 1955. Footballer Ossie Ardiles lived in the village whilst playing for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1970s and 1980s. Famous people who went to the school that helped establish AFC Turnford (now called Haileybury Turnford) include Laura Trott, the cyclist and GB's most successful female Olympian.

MY VISIT

For my first 'silly season' game of the year, I had a couple of choices in the Hertfordshire League, namely AFC Turnford or Norsemen. The latter was easily doable on the train and with a potentially good day out in London, I wanted to save it. Having been down to just one ground in this league last season, there had been three new teams promoted up. Owens had been up for a couple of years but had proved elusive thanks to cricket being played when the weather is warm. Therefore, a midweek tick was near impossible, with an alternate school pitch being of no interest to me. In addition to the two aforementioned teams, Ware United had come up, but that was quite a bit further away from home. Initially, I was a bit annoyed that I'd have to go to Wormley for a side pitch, but a look at AFC Turnford's YouTube channel changed my mind. Despite having only been formed in 2020 and playing at a lowly level, their content was fantastic. Hashtag United were one of the first teams to do this, and I enjoyed visiting their own base, despite them having no location associated with their name. The latest video confirmed they were using the outside pitch and showed all the work, such as adding a rail, that they had to do to get up to step 7 standard.

 

From Lowestoft, it was a nice journey back. I had uploaded my blog just as I switched trains and saw plenty of nice Ipswich fabs when I changed trains. It was a rarity to see a train with a bar; maybe a good thing they only did Inch's, as I couldn't have any more with driving later. I was looking at the FA Cup results. Notable closer to home was Aylesbury United v Flackwell Heath being abandoned due to floodlight failure last night. That day Penn giant-killed Beaconsfield 2-2, and my game was set up for Tuesday as North Leigh and Amersham Town drew 2-2. Originally I was going to Spratleys Meadow for a league game against North Greenford, but the FA Cup is a big upgrade. There was a small delay on the way home, but it put paid to me getting an earlier tube home, and instead the next scheduled Amersham train was nearly half an hour away. Rather than waiting for the specific train, I took the first Metropolitan line train to Harrow on the Hill, where there were more options. It didn't help, as I had to wait for the original tube anyway, but it was a nicer, quieter place. I was back at Amersham by 10.30 and home fifteen minutes later. I had a pint and went to bed around 11.30.

Considering the lack of sleep, I didn't feel too bad after about four hours sleep on Sunday. It was a mega-busy day at work, and I was just glad to get out the door. I got a better night's sleep, and Monday was far calmer. I got another great night's sleep and woke up around 8. It was my usual 10-mile walk on my day off before I spent the afternoon at home. In the evening, I made my 20th visit to Spratleys Meadow to watch Amersham Town v North Leigh in the FA Cup, which brought out a bumper crowd.  Sadly for Amersham Town, they lost 2-1, but it wasn't a bad game. The worst news, though, was that our game at AFC Turnford was off due to the solar eclipse. Over caution perhaps, but better than a wasted journey. With me struggling for a game on Saturday, I decided to do it again, planning the best value way to do it and with a good day before and after. As it turned out, the eclipse just made the sky slightly dim, a total overreaction by the leagues that postponed games - I've seen games continue in far worse than that. I was glad to see that AFC Turnford put out another video on Thursday, the final stages of them laying the concrete needed for the hard standing. A fair few players gave up their free time to help out, a lovely thing to see. Friday was a busy day at work; worst of all, I was told that I would have to start work at 4 am now. Nothing back from them, of course, such as two days off in a row, as flexibility only works one way. I'm still reluctant to leave, though, as I like the people I work with, especially my boss, and don't mind the job itself. Why take the risk when I could lose 25 years of service and end up working with people I don't get on with in another job?

In the evening, I made my third visit to Rayners Lane FC to watch Broadfields United v Ampthill Town in the FA Vase. I got petrol at Holmer Green on the way, and it was a decent journey until near the ground when a small patch of unattended roadworks added ten minutes to the journey. I was there at 7.35, getting the last space in the car park and paying £9 to get in. A quid more than I paid at Amersham Town on Tuesday, but normal now. I got a pint of Strongbow (£4.90) and some Peri Peri Chips (£3). The latter were 50p more than on the menu, but the money went to the club, and they were bloody delicious, so I didn't mind. I may return sometime to try the £8 Tithe Tower. Off the field, the club were great; on the field, less so. They started OK but Ampthill Town, a step below, took control. They were devastating on the break, not least their second goal, which came from a totally shambolic Broadfields free kick which was passed into the wall. 30 seconds later, Ampthill had roared up the pitch and bagged a goal. A feeble second-half attempt saw Ampthill go 3-0 up. But at 87 minutes, the game was dead and buried, but Broadfields finally turned up. A late rally saw two goals to make it 3-2 in what was a gripping finale. It was no surprise that the hosts had been pumped 6-1 by Herne Bay in the FA Cup in the week. Due to a substitution irregularity, this game must be replayed next Tuesday. Broadfields were happy to concede, but the FA had different ideas. But if they showed the will they had in the closing stages of those games, they'd have done themselves justice. It was 40 minutes to home, again a delay due to those pesky works, but I was in at 10.30 and had a couple of pints before bed.

I got off around 1, waking around 7 and going back to sleep for an hour. After getting ready, I left just before 9.25 and got the 9.45 bus to Amersham station. I just missed the Chiltern Line so it was a couple of tubes to London Bridge. Borough Market was excellent as ever, three messy tacos and a big bottle of cider were both delicious and good value for £12 each. From there I got the Northern Line to Liverpool Street, then a Weaver Line train full of Spurs fans to Theobalds Grove. The poor sods got off for another season of disappointment at White Hart Lane, and I finally got a seat. It was another 15-minute walk to Theobalds Grove, where I had a ten-minute wait for the 310 bus, sadly out of the TFL Zone. Sewage dumping scum, Thames Water's abandoned hole, and Christmas cracker traffic lights caused significant delays, which did the area no favours. Eventually we got to near the ground at 2.30, I went to a shop for supplies and got to the ground at 2.45, the pitch I needed was at the back.

 

Only one game had been played so far thanks to the league's eclipse phobia. Last Saturday AFC Turnford had drawn 0-0 with Owens whilst St Margaretsbury had been beaten 5-0 by Cuffley. There was a minutes silence; the game got going at 15:09. Turnford were the better side, #5 gave them the lead, sending back a clearance from a corner on 10 minutes. The referee, a Scottish guy, was taking no nonsense and told the players to concentrate on playing. Turnford were the better side, but lacked the cutting edge. 43 minutes in, it was all square; an interception from a defensive clearance was turned around and with the keeper and defence out of sync, the ball was swept into the empty net. Half time was a fair break, so I wasn't going to make that earlier bus. The second half kicked off at 16:20 after a 22-minute half-time. Turnford took the lead a minute into the second half, someone drilling home a cross because 'his missus turned up' according to a teammate. On 62 minutes, it was all square once more, an attack down the right and a finish from an acute angle. Turnford retook the lead on 64; a loose ball in the middle of the box was slotted home for 3-2. A drinks break broke the momentum of the game. Near the end, it was 4-2 Turnford as a cross from the right was headed home from six yards. The game ended at 17:13 with Turnford deserved winners.

THE GROUND

THE LIONS DEN is a solid setup for step 7, and thanks to the players, it was built very quickly. The pitch is fully railed and has dugouts on one side and hard standing on the other. It's set in a nice park with lots of parking. The ground has its own toilets and dressing rooms but shares facilities for food and drink with Wormley Rovers. The location is a bus ride away from the TFL network.