Ton Pentre - Ynys Park

Ton Pentre FC

Ynys Park
Llanfoist Street
Ton Pentre
Rhondda Cynon Taff
CF41 7AF

01443 432813
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 464
Friday 27th February 2015
Ton Pentre 2-1 Taffs Well
Welsh League D1





TON PENTRE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed in 1896 though some sources give it as 1935 when the club was reborn. They are one of the most successful clubs in Wales and have won their current league - the Welsh Division 1 on no less than 12 occasions. They were in the top tier of the Welsh pyramid for a long time, even competing in the current Welsh Premier League up until 1997 when the expenses became too much and they resigned, returning to the Welsh League Division 1. They were highly successful upon their return, winning the title 5 years in succession. Sad news was to follow when in 2010 they were relegated for the first and only time in the clubs history when reorganisation increased the number of relegation places. They were only in the drop zone for the final 20 minutes of the season, but it meant a single season in Division 2. They came back at the first time of asking, going the entire season unbeaten, and since returning have finished in a safe mid-table position. This season saw them sitting slightly lower than usual, in 13th place.

They had a great European adventure in the mid-1990s, though the costs of this would eventually lead to their resignation from the Welsh Premier League.  4 games were played against the likes of Heerenveen and Leiria and although they lost every single game without scoring, they did get to play against European greats such as Ruud Van Nistelrooy and John Dahl Tommason during their Intertoto Cup campaign.



Domestically Ton Pentre has won a number of competitions including the Welsh League cup, lastly in 2001. They made the Welsh Cup semi-final in 2002, their best progress since making the final in 1921 where they lost to Cardiff City. They even played in the English cup competitions for a while reaching the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying round at the start of the '70s. Their most famous day came in 1986 though, when after beating Basingstoke Town, Sharpness, Clevedon and Minehead, they faced local rivals Cardiff City in the FA Cup 1st Round. They lost 4-1 but gained national recognition when they featured on Match Of The Day. The most recognisable player that has ever played for them is current Luton player Alex Lawless who started his career at the club.

MY VISIT

Researching the village of Ton Pentre on the internet, it appeared that there was not too much info on pubs, with no cider outlets listed. However, there was one called Fagins - I had been to an excellent pub of the same name in Taffs Well - and I was hoping this was of the same ilk. Most importantly I was hoping for a pint of Gwynt-y-Ddraig cider pre-match - the stuff is heaven sent, and although I would be off to Wales next week for a groundhop, I was still gonna try and get some to take home. I'd not be going hungry - the place had a decent range of takeaways for my dinner. They included the brilliantly named 'A Fish Called Rhondda' which I had seen in national newspapers for its inventive name. The village had once been thriving in it's coal mining days, but since they had closed there had been a sharp rise in unemployment. People moving there and commuting to Cardiff had helped out a bit, but it was still a far cry from it's heyday. I was once again indebted to my mate Matt's excellent Lost Boyos blog to glean some extra facts before I travelled.



I'd really enjoyed my Friday night football last week and once again was looking to end my week on an enjoyable note. I was even more determined when I found out that I would have no fixture on the Monday of my week off - that was unless I fancied a revisit to Curzon Ashton, Runcorn Town or Atherton Colleries. All 3 had produced great nights out before, but I couldn't justify that much money on a revisit. There was one game at a new ground, but it was MMU Cheshire in the Staffordshire County League - and they play at an athletics stadium. As per usual on a Friday, it was Wales offering up the bulk of the games. Under normal circumstances, I'd have considered the trips too far but seen as it was my week off, I thought I'd treat myself. Ton Pentre was the closest and happily, it was the one I fancied doing most. It would also mean seeing Taffs Well again - and I had a really good night on another Friday game, back at the end of September. In between the last groundhop and this one, I'd not been up to much, mainly watching football on the TV as it was European week. I was winding down at work, knowing that after Sunday I was having a week off from the place, something that I was really looking forward to, mainly for the opportunity to go to a load of football matches in Yorkshire and Wales. I was also planning a few nice pubs that I knew, and for that reason, I had abstained all this week and would be taking it easy at the weekend, though I would treat myself to a couple on Friday night.

It was a very busy day at work on Friday and so I didn't leave until 1.45. Before I went I took advantage of the free buffet that work had laid on for my lunch as well as buying a few things for the weekend. I felt pretty drained as I left, but eagerly anticipating my 117th game of the season. As I didn't fancy paying the ransom to get over the Severn Bridge, I had to go up via Oxford and Gloucester. The journey was a very slow one, thanks to lots of lorries obeying their own speed limit and slowing everyone else down. The M4 was very slow when I finally joined it too but once I was past Newport, it all sped up. I got off at the Rhondda Valley junction and was pleased when I saw a big Tesco. However, it turned to despair as they had stopped stocking my favourite Welsh cider. After I had written a complaint about it last time I got a funny reply from them and a £15 voucher, so I think I might try again. I spotted an ASDA near Tonypandy on the way up to the ground and I was hoping they would come up trumps. I finally got to the ground at 5.45. I had a false start initially as my sat nav directed me to the wrong side of the ground. However once I had put the road name in, I found where I wanted and confirmed I was in the right place by seeing the bridge and rabbits that Matt had mentioned. I went in search of a pub and after a bit of a walk found the Gelli Hotel. It was a smart establishment and the pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits went down a treat after a long trip and 6 days on the wagon. At £2.80 it was a good price too. I then went to the brilliantly named 'A Fish Called Rhondda' for my dinner, having Mexican Chicken Wrap and Chips. I was frustrated by the poor mobile signal which seems to be par for the course in lots of Wales, rendering me unable to access the Internet at anything less than circa 1997 dial-up speed. A plus point was that my dinner was excellent, especially for the £4 I paid for it. From there I made my way to the ground, paying £4 to get in, and £1 for a nice thick programme. I went around taking pictures of the ground before going back outside to the clubhouse. I was most delighted when I found that they did Gwynt y Ddraig in bottles and really enjoyed my scrumpy. I bumped into another groundhopper, Mark, who had come down from London for the game. I was in a happy mood now and was wishing I'd come straight to the clubhouse instead of looking for a pub.

I'd gotten a really warm welcome so far and got into the ground right on kick off. It was a cagey opening but Taffs Well scored after 9 minutes after neat footwork allowed them to complete a close-range finish. It had started raining by now so I was glad of the cover in the stand. I saw a lovely Springer Spaniel which reminded me of Maisie, the family pet we had from 1993-2006 and this dog was equally friendly. That was how it stayed until the break. At half time I went back to my car to put stuff in the boot and also have some of the Easter Egg I had bought earlier. It was a similar goal to the opener that got Ton Pentre on level terms on 65 minutes, just as I was getting another Cup of oxo - a bargain in a proper mug at 60p. A few minutes later the home side were ahead, pinball in the area resulted in the ball going in the net to send the majority of the crowd into delirium. On 75 minutes a Taffs Well player put in a challenge just outside the area which resulted in a good old fashioned session of handbags which the referee did well to break up. The visiting man got his marching orders and it was strange as he was the forward on this occasion. There were chances but no further goals as the hosts clung on for a valuable 3 points.

After the game finished, I said goodbye to my fellow groundhopper Mark and hoped to see him when I went to Goytre United next Friday. I nipped to the Spar down the road to see if they did any of the cider that I wanted, but no luck. ASDA’s also drew a blank, and with the brewer being uncommunicative via Twitter, I wished I’d bought a few from the football ground as the mark up was not that bad compared to what Tesco did charge when they actually stocked them. The journey home was a lot better, though it took me a while to get the Sat Nav started, due to the poor mobile signal. Luckily I remembered the way I had come until I got it started. After a brief toilet stop at Membury services, I was back home at 12.10. I had a couple of drinks while catching up on Facebook before going and watching TV in bed. I had spent over £50, with the bulk of it being fuel but it had been an enjoyable night.



THE GROUND

YNYS PARK is a nice and traditional ground. The standout area is the large covered terrace which covers the whole of behind the goal and probably holds 1000. There is also a small stand on the halfway line, holding around 150 fans. The rest of the ground is uncovered flat standing. There is an excellent clubhouse at the ground, full of memorabilia and with a great selection of drinks. I’d highly recommend it. As for food, the chippy ‘A Fish Called Rhondda’ was good though the food in the ground was great value. In fact the whole day out was great value - it was just a shame that they don’t sell diesel as that cost me plenty. The club is really friendly too, and I am looking forward to going to more grounds in this league. 

Harpenden Town - Rothamsted Park

Harpenden Town FC

Rothamsted Park
Amenbury Lane
Harpenden
Hertfordshire
AL5 2HU

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 463
Tuesday 24th February 2015
Harpenden Town 0-0 Bedford
Spartan South Midlands Division 1








HARPENDEN TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1891, up until 1908 they were known as Hapenden until they added the 'Town' suffix that year. They were founder members of the Herts County Senior League in 1898 but left after two seasons. They also played in the Mid-Herts League, winning the league several times before rejoining the HSCL in 1908. They won the Western Division in 1911 but were runners-up in the subsequent three-team championship play-off. They retained the Western Division title the following season, winning the championship play-offs.  In 1921 Harpenden were Western Division champions again but finished bottom of the championship play-off. The following season saw the club finish bottom of the Mid-West Division, after which they left the league, rejoining in 1948. They were league champions in 1951, 1953 and 1955, finishing runners-up in the seasons in between.[The club was placed in Division 1A in 1956 for a transitional season and finished as runners-up before being placed into the Premier Division the following season due to a reorganisation of the league.

In 1957 the club moved up to the Premier Division of the South Midlands League. They were champions in 1962 and 1965 but were relegated to Division 1 in 1973. They bounced back straight away with a 3rd place finish and would last in the Premier Division until 1982 when they were once more relegated. This time their stay in Division 1 was longer, lasting until 1990 when they won the division in 1990. In 1997, the league merged with the Spartan League to form the modern-day Spartan South Midlands League. Harpenden spent three seasons in the top tier before being relegated in 2000. They bounced back in 2003 as runners-up behind Pitstone & Ivinghoe. Three years were spent in the Premier Division before they were relegated again. This time, their stay in Division 1 would last eleven seasons before they bounced back as runners-up behind Biggleswade in 2017. They have been in the Premier Divison ever since, finishing 3rd in 2018. This was their best finish in the non-league pyramid since it was established in the 1980s & 90s.

Harpenden Town have played thirteen seasons in the FA Cup but have never got beyond the Preliminary Round. Slightly more success has been enjoyed in the FA Vase. In 1981 they beat Selby 4-2 at the third attempt. They then beat Edgware 2-1 before losing 4-2 to Grays Athletic. League cup wins include the South Midlands League Shield  League Cup in 1971 and the Premier Division Trophy in 1990. Locally they've won the Herts Charity Shield in 1908 and 1968, the Herts Intermediate Cup in 1952 and the Herts Senior Cup five times, lastly in 1925. Harpenden is a town located near St Albans in Hertfordshire with a population of around 30,000. During the Second World War, Harpenden was used to evacuate children from heavily bombed London. However, Harpenden was not confident in its safety, as evidenced by the now decaying Bowers Parade air raid shelters. Famous residents of Harhave included TV's Eric Morecambe & John Motson as well as footballers Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Tim Sherwood, Jack Wilshere & Ashley Young.

MY 2015 VISIT

Another week, and another groundhop before a very busy March which included two weeks up north and two groundhops. I knew on Monday that I would be without fellow hopper Anwar, as he was going to Arsenal on Wednesday and couldn't afford both. I looked at the list of games, listing everything that I still needed to do, plus a revisit to North Greenford United v Kettering Town, as I had yet to obtain a programme from there. I restricted the distance to 60 miles away, as it would keep down costs, and also allow me to have dinner at home and leave at 6PM. On the day I caught up with my blog from Saturday at Hallam. It was quite a long one as I had not really made any notes during the game. Also, Hallam has a fair bit of history and I was going to write about Eccleshill's too, as I am off there next Wednesday. I also had to pop up to Tesco in Amersham and do a weekly price check that earned me £10 for my troubles. When I got back, I had some lunch and finished my blog off before looking again at my list of fixtures. A few had fallen by the wayside due to the weather, while a few had been confirmed on. It boiled down to 2 games - a revisit to North Greenford v Kettering Town or Harpenden Town v Bedford.



I put the question out on social media, initially leaning towards North Greenford. There were 2 reasons for this - firstly it was a degree warmer than Harpenden, plus Kettering had further to travel, therefore less chance of it being called off. But the support was overwhelmingly for Harpenden in the comments and tweets, so I decided to go for them instead. I spent the next hour or so preparing and researching this blog. After having a nice dinner of Lamb Rogan Josh before leaving home at 6PM. I had a good journey to the ground with only minimal delay considering it was the rush hour. It took me a while to find the ground as there were so many sets of floodlights. I walked past a load of tennis courts and the ground was nowhere to be seen. The next stop was an astroturf pitch before finally finding the ground. There was no one at the turnstile so I went around the ground getting some pictures before going to the clubhouse to get a programme. When I got back the bloke was at the table taking money and so I paid my £5. I sat down and read my programme which was basic but great value for 50p while I waited for the game to start.

Harpenden Town sat 5th at the start of the game, with opponents Bedford in 2nd place. The game started at a decent pace with some end-to-end football. The first real chance came around the half-hour mark when Harpenden forced a great save out of the Bedford keeper. There was then a flashpoint when a Bedford player took out his Harpenden counterpart which sparked handbags and a booking from the referee for the offender. There were chances for both sides but it remained goalless at the break. The second half started off at a slightly slower pace. A Harpenden player got his revenge for the first-half challenge with an equally meaty tackle and Bedford came close to scoring from the resulting free-kick. There were further chances for either side but the finishing was wayward. I felt the referee did well to handle what was a feisty game. He let it flow, but eventually, something had to give and a Bedford player was sent off in injury time for a second bookable offence. It certainly wasn't a 0-0 in terms of entertainment and I'd enjoyed the game. It was a late finish though with all the goings-on and there were some more handbags at the end. I left around 9.50, getting back at 10.30. I listened to the radio on the way home, where Man City had lost 2-1 to Barcelona and Joe Hart had saved a penalty from Messi in the last minute. I spent around 45 minutes online before watching TV in bed and going to sleep around midnight.

MY 2024 VISIT

(4-0 v Chipperfield Corinthians, Herts St Mary's Cup QF 13/02/24)

Harpenden Town had been on my radar for a revisit for a while. It had been a long while since my first visit and the ground had also seen a complete refurb. There was also some pretty decent-looking food on sale. A couple of Friday night youth games had been dismissed as they were not publicly advertised and so I wasn't sure if fans were welcome. Due to it being a 3G pitch, it was an ideal one for the wet and cold and so I had it in mind for 9th January when such conditions were prevalent. However, the day before, the club tweeted the following: Due to a misunderstanding, our St Mary's Cup tie against Chipperfield Corinthians will not take place tomorrow (Tuesday). The date was to be rearranged and it would take well over a month. As it happened, the date was perfect for me, as it coincided with my car's annual service and MOT. I was unsure what time my car would be back with me but I was glad it was being checked over as it does a fair few miles. As it was going to be a big bill, I was hoping that the club would repeat their offer of £5 entry from the original game.

There had been another disappointing lack of new grounds. England has always been very poor for Friday night football and I didn't fancy risking a visit to Wales with the wet weather. For the same reason, I opted for Wycombe Wanderers v Peterborough United on Saturday and got drenched walking down to Wycombe. The usual pre-match haunt of the Rose and Crown was visited for pre-match drinks and it was a busy but happy place. I also had a decent lunch. The only letdown was the typically dreadful ID Mobile signal and I was seriously considering fronting up more than £100 to get out of the contract. A good lunch and a great game with Wycombe beating high-flying Peterborough United 5-2 meant it was a great day if typically boozy and unhealthy. Sunday was slightly more tolerable than usual and Monday was typically dull. The day of the game came and after getting my car collected, I walked to town and back, getting slightly wet from yet more drizzle. I was pleased to get my car back, albeit having to pay extra for a new set of brake pads and it's been an expensive year for motoring. It's worth it for the convenience and peace of mind though. After having dinner, I left at 6.15 for the game.

It wasn't a very nice journey, drizzly and forced on to a random back route due to traffic elsewhere. This did my fuel economy no good with me getting to the ground at 7.20. It was disappointing to have to pay for parking, especially when the council had blocked the card slot up. This forced you onto an app, a Google search for which sent you to a scam site which tried to trick you into signing up for a subscription. It took a while to accomplish what should have been a simple task but it was laborious and took ten minutes, plus it cost more to use.. I then had to work out how to get to the ground itself, getting to the turnstile just before kickoff. It hadn't been a great first impression but the club were great, the friendly gateman took £5 for entry via card and I got pitchside as the teams were coming out. I didn't see any food on sale but the club had smartened the ground up since my last visit. The rain continued to come down and many games were off, not least Biggleswade Town v Biggleswade which was called off right on kickoff.

Harpenden Town were 6th in the Spartan South Midlands Premier and fielded a mixture of first-team and fringe players. Chipperfield Corinthians were two steps lower in the Herts Senior County Premier, sitting 3rd. It was both teams' first game in the competition. The hosts were by far the brighter in the wet conditions and Chipperfield were restricted to chances on the break. On the half-hour, Harpenden went ahead. It was a good run and a low shot on the turn by Archie McClelland. It was nearly 2-0 seven minutes later but after a parried shot was followed up, it was ruled out for offside. Chipperfield responded well but they lack quality in the final third. Early in the second half, Harpenden were awarded a penalty for a trip and it was converted by McClelland for his second. Soon after, a free kick was awarded and a Chipperfield man went into the book for his protests but the effort came to nothing. The game was sealed on 62 minutes when a great run down the right was capped off my a smart finish from Archie Locke. On 67 minutes, McClelland completed his hat trick with a shot from inside the area. The game was one-sided by now and Harpenden twice hit the post with headers before the final whistle.

THE GROUND - 2015

ROTHAMSTED PARK is a pretty basic venue but it is set in a pleasant park along with a load of other sporting clubs. There is just one stand - comprising of covered bench seating for around 50 people. The clubhouse is basic offering a few bottled drinks and basic snacks although it is soon due to be refurbished after the club had a grant accepted. The town is very close by and presumably has a decent choice of outlets.

THE GROUND - 2024

The ground was almost completely different to my first visit. The Centenary Stand was the only recognisable bit from my initial visit. Even this had a facelift and its benches had been replaced by green tip-up seats. Around 100 can be accommodated in it and it is supplemented by a covered metal stand for 50 fans. This was most welcome on a wet night. There are also a few steps of open terracing along this side. The small bar sells a range of drinks and snacks and is nicely fitted out with club colours. There is also a small food hatch which was closed upon my visit. The only negative was the parking but there is a train station in the town.