Penydarren BGC FC
The Bont Playing Fields
Gellifaelog Old Road
Pen-y-Darren
Merthyr Tydfil
CF47 9HH
Ground Number: 1181
Friday 5th May 2023
Penydarren BGC 3-2 Ynysygerwn
Friday 5th May 2023
Penydarren BGC 3-2 Ynysygerwn
Ardal South West
PENYDARREN BGC - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was established in 1985. They spent the first 9 years of their history playing in the local Merthyr Tydfil leagues. In 1994, they were founder members of Division 2 of the South Wales Senior League. They won the title at the first attempt. They then spent 20 years in Division 1, finishing as runners-up on three occasions. The final of these was the league's last season as they came up short against Pontlottyn. After this, they joined the South Wales Alliance, finishing 3rd and 2nd before winning the title in 2018. Next up was the Welsh League Division 3 which they won at the first attempt but a revamp saw Penydarren placed in Division 1. A respectable season was enjoyed but then the pandemic hit, meaning a 17-month break due to restrictions imposed by the overly cautious Welsh Government. When football did resume, the pyramid had been reshaped and the club was placed in the Ardal South West. Last season saw an impressive 5th-place finish.
MY VISIT
This game was only decided on the Wednesday before the game. Fellow hopper Colin was keen to do 200 games in a season so was up for doing anything. He had been going like the Clappers this season and had done amazingly well for someone without his own transport. He did have the advantage of being semi-retired due to medical reasons and also the generosity of myself and Martin acting as his personal chauffeurs within reason. He'd certainly had the advantage over me on Sundays when I am usually stuck in work. Nevertheless, he had been good company on my travels for a lot of games and had helped out with fuel costs. As part of taking him here, I was also taking him to a more local game on Saturday, a short way away in Bushey. For my part, I'd loved to have made 200 games but a combination of work, bad weather and a couple of occasions when I couldn't be bothered counted against me. This was to be my 184th game of the season, so I'm up against it.
I did all the research on Thursday night, including club history and everything I'd need on the next evening. The day of the game came and I had a tough day at work, although at least it went quickly. I wasn't best pleased when I finished work and found my dopey companion couldn't even make it to my work despite being sat on his arse all day. That meant having to go down to the train station which added an hour to the hour last week when a fellow hopper pulled out last minute. I didn't mind that time but the lack of respect and organisation annoyed me. I managed to trim the delay down to 35 minutes and it was a good journey West. We could have stopped for food but I wasn't hungry having eaten at the end of my shift due to workload. Colin slept most of the way down so I got a bit of peace and quiet until we got past Bristol. We were there at 7.05, paying £5 to get in.
Penydarren had lost their last three games on the road. They were 6th in the table but had gone down 2-0 at AFC Llwydcoed, 2-1 at Cwmamman United and 2-1 at Treharris Athletic Western. However, at home, they'd won the two before that, beating Garden Viallage 3-2 and Cardiff Draconians 2-0. Ynysygerwn were based in Aberdulais, a suburb of Neath, some 27 miles away. They were in 5th place and had recently lost to basement side Garden Village on penalties in the Ardal South Cup. It was part of a patch of mixed form with them starting April with a 3-1 win over Cardiff Draconians in the Cup. In between, they'd beaten Mumbles Rangers 4-0 but lost 2-1 at Pontyclun and 2-1 to Seven Sisters Onllwyn. The game was not the greatest, a bit of a dead rubber. Penydarren had the better of the game but didn't really threaten. It was 0-0 at the break. The second half saw Ynysgerwn improve and they took the lead on 55 minutes through Alistair Davies. A bit of a scruffy goal but a smart finish as he rounded the keeper. This opened the game up and three minutes later it was all square. A free kick was smashed into the wall and Alex Lloyd drilled home the rebound from 20 yards. Ynysgerwn wasn't going to lie down though but it was a bit of chaos in the home defence that led to them getting a penalty on 63 minutes. It was 2-1 on 62 minutes, Aarran Caffell's shot from 20 yards hitting the right-hand post on the way in. However, Ryan Morris' effort was well saved by Steve Price. Both sides had chances, good saves and the woodwork denying them. Josh Brogden was more successful from the spot on 77 minutes, converting to make it 3-1. Daniel Lewis reduced the arrears on 79 minutes for Ynysgerwn but I didn't see the goal.
Good goal by Penydarren BGC for the equaliser on 62 minutes. This was 1-1, it's now 3-2 against Ynysgerwn after a goalless first half. pic.twitter.com/dYB5DYHNd1
— ⚽Russell Cox💙 (@RussWWFC) May 5, 2023
That was it for scoring, but it had been a brilliant second half with five goals. I'd popped up the hill at half-time to get a picture of the ground from up above and it was been worth the walk. Penydarren had been worth the win and excellent hosts. Someone from the club saw myself and Colin's Wycombe gear and shook hands and thanked us for coming. He also gave us the gift of a nice hat each. It was just typical of the wonderful people that are involved with football clubs. I'd really enjoyed my jaunts to Wales over the years, having clocked up 47 grounds 'over the bridge'. In truth, I'd only scratched the surface, but can't visit these great places quickly enough. We left around 9.20 and then it was a 5-minute drive to Asda. I picked up a drink and some chicken and also filled up with petrol. I expected a good run down the M4 but instead, Google Maps took us a convoluted route up to Ross On Wye, home of my favourite cider producer. It was then through Newent before we hit more familiar territory around Gloucester and Oxford. Colin had been asleep since Newent but it was good to get some respite from his constant chatter and I listened to an audiobook. He woke up just as we got to Amersham at 12.30. I was home 15 minutes later and was glad to be able to relax with a couple of pints and snacks. I typed my blog up and sorted photos with the aim of being asleep by 3 am.
THE GROUND
THE BONT is a smart venue that has remained pretty decent despite the 3G pitch conversion. The main supporter accommodation is on one side where you come in. There's covered seating for 150 and some steps of terracing to the right of this. In addition, there is flat standing around three sides of the pitch. There's a nice club room but food and drink is restricted to hot dogs, snacks and soft drinks. There's a pub next door to the ground and also a local takeaway not far away. The ground is surrounded by a mixture of valleys and industrial sites but is well worth a visit.
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