Llantwit Major - Prince Moomin's Palace

Llantwit Major FC

Prince Moomin's Palace

Windmill Lane

Llantwit Major 

Glamorgan

CF21 2SU

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Ground Number: 1319

Saturday 29th June 2024

Llantwit Major 3-0 Ely Rangers

Friendly

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.

Garw SBGC - Blandy Park

Garw SBGC 

Blandy Park

Oxford Street

Pontycymer

Bridgend 

CF32 8DG

07488 335182

South Wales Alliance Page

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Ground Number: 1318
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.

The turn of the millennium saw the most successful spell. Consecutive title wins in 2000 and 2001 saw Garw win promotion to Division 1. The 2001/02 season was the most successful in the club's history as they finished 4th in what was the second tier in Wales. They were relegated in 2005 and then promoted back in 2007. The years between 2008 and 2010 were painful for the club with three successive relations to find themselves dumped out of the Welsh League. This was around the time in 2008 when they renamed the club Garw SBGC - full name Garw Seniors, Boys and Girls Club. A 4th successive relegation followed in 2011 as Garw were relegated from the South Wales Senior League Division 1. This was soon named the South Wales Alliance and the club spent six seasons stabilising in Division 2 before winning the league in 2017. A runners-up spot behind Cefn Cribwr the following year saw them promoted to the Premier Division. They remained there until recently but finished bottom of the table last season and face relegation to the Welsh 5th tier.

The club is based in Pontycymer, a former mining village about 7 miles north of the town of Bridgend. The club takes its name from the Garw Valley. The Valley is a dead end with only one way in, and only one way out again; and takes its name from the river that runs from its source in the hills north of Blaengarw to the confluence with the River Ogmore and the River Llynfi. The ground. Blandy Park gets its name from the former owners of the land, the Blandy-Jenkins family of Llanharren House – an estate that in 1873 measured over 6,000 acres and carried an annual rental of £3,023. The area was famous for mining, but the last pit was closed by Thatcher's government in December 1985, costing 630 men their livelihood just before Christmas. One source states that 99.9% of South Wales miners were on strike by November 1984 compared to a national average of 73.7%, and the highest anywhere in England and Wales; with 93% still out the following March, equalled only by Kent and compared to an average of 60%.

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.