Saturday, 28 June 2025

Machynlleth - Cae Glas


Machynlleth FC
Cae Glas 
Bro Ddyfi Leisure Centre
Plas Drive
Machynlleth 
Powys
SY20 8ER






Ground Number: 1141
Saturday 28th June 2025
Machynlleth 2-0 Berriew
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MACHYNLLETH FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1885, although its history is only sporadically covered online. They started out in recreational football, later joining the Cambrian Coast League. Here, they won the league title six times between 1930 and 1950. Their first spell in the Mid Wales League game between 1984 & 1989 with unspectacular results. They returned to recreational football for a few years before rejoining the Mid Wales League in 1992. This time, they were far more successful and won the title three times in succession. It was, however, only a five-year spell before they dropped back down. Machynlleth would return to the Mid Wales League in 2011, this time in Division 2. They would win promotion in 2014 as runners-up to Rhosgoch Rangers. Four seasons were spent in Division 1 before relegation. They were in 2nd behind Penparcau when football stopped and took a year's break. When freedom returned, the club joined the Ardal North East. However, they left after just one season, citing a lack of player commitment. Since then, they have played in the Central Wales League South, where they were runners-up to Penparcau.

Local cup wins include the CWFA Challenge Cup in 1995, the Gresham Cup in 1939 and the Montgomeryshire Challenge Cup in 1938. Machynlleth is a market town in Powys and within the historic boundaries of Montgomeryshire. It has a population of around 2,200. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Mach. Machynlleth was the seat of Owain Glyndŵr's Welsh Parliament in 1404, and as such claims to be the "ancient capital of Wales". It applied for city status in 2000 and 2002, but was unsuccessful. It is twinned with Belleville, Michigan. In ancient times, copper mining was an industry in the town. Machynlleth retains its linguistic tradition, with Welsh spoken alongside English. The 2011 Census indicated that 67% of the population have some knowledge of Welsh, with 39% able to read, write and speak the language. Led Zeppelin rock band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant commenced writing the album Led Zeppelin III at nearby Bron-Yr-Aur cottage.


MY VISIT

Originally, on this day, I was going to go to Biggleswade United v Stotfold at the pitch they use for their reserve side. It was a fairly local one, and it would get me a Bedfordshire County League Ground, as well as a new Wetherspoons. However, in the week before the game, the iron fist of the FA came down with their usual diktat that no football was to be played in June. I was originally going to visit Merthyr Saints on Friday night and drive home, but with the ban, I decided to stay in Wales for the Saturday. There would be a change of game for Friday night, too, what with the effort I was making. I found a reasonable campsite near Aberystwyth for £15 a night, and it was a ground I'd wanted to visit for a long time. However, I would need a game on the way home, and so with my geographical knowledge of Wales limited, Google Maps would be called into play. The option that added the fewest miles to the journey was Machynlleth. It was a lovely little ground and town, and so it was an easy sell to me. Just in case, there was a backup in  Llanuwychllyn v Caersws, but that had very little around the ground and held less appeal.
From Park Avenue, it was a ten-minute walk to the Ty Seidr Bar. An epic place for cider lovers and board game lovers, as my fellow patrons enjoyed themselves. It's good to support fantastic local businesses like this. I had a pint of Organic Scrumpy from Newton Court, a strong old one, not exceptional but still great. Then a pint of Astro from somewhere in Gloucestershire. After that, a retreat to Wetherspoons, where I walked past a 'lady' scrapping on the floor with a bouncer, so I had to hold back for a bit..Number 413, Yr Hen Orsaf, was a decent place for the cider festival, although Hecks Dabinett was a retry for me. It must have been nearly midnight by the time I headed to the Godfather takeaway, and I was pretty bladdered by this point. I do remember the burger being great and the portions being decent, but it was time for a taxi home, or at least back to my tent.
I had a decent night's sleep, waking around 8. My bank account was a bit lighter this morning, but I had enjoyed myself last night. I had lots of time to kill with game two of the day not being too far away and not starting until 2. It was pretty windy, but it was comfortable in my tent, so I got on with my blog. I then packed up, which was a pain in the wind, even though it wasn't overly strong. I was away at 11 and headed to Morrisons for petrol and Tesco for some Black Dragon cider and crisps. I arrived in Machynlleth around 12.20. The leisure centre was £3 to park and pretty full. Little did I know I could park at the ground for free; instead, I parked a five-minute walk away on the road. I went to the ground to double-check that the game was on and was glad to see lots of activity. I then went to the Wynnstay Hotel for lunch. They only had ciders that I'd previously had, sadly, but a pint of Happy Daze was nice and a sensible strength. I also ordered a Welsh Rarebit, something that got me here in the first place and something I've wanted to try for ages. The town was pleasant overall,l although Blasau Deli had a limited range and not the farm shop I'd hoped for. I needed cash just in case, so I went to Spar. I was pleasantly surprised by their local stuff, getting two cakes and three bottles of cider, one of them a new one for me. It was then to the ground, where entry was by donation. They suggested a quid, which is all I had in change, which worked out well.
The game kicked off five minutes early, so I was glad to get there 20 minutes before kickoff. It was fairly equal, both sides having free kicks. Whilst Berriew spurned theirs, Machynlleth took their chance from 30 yards to go ahead on 16 minutes. It was 2-0 on 26 minutes, a deep cross from the right was slid home from six yards. It was a short half-time, the second half kicking off at 14:52. This was uneventful, but it had still been a nice day out.

THE GROUND 

CAE GLAS is a pleasant venue, typically for Wales, it has a lovely backdrop. The main covered area is the stand, which has safe standing seats for around 150. There are also a few bus stops, one of which acts as a turnstile. Basic snacks and soft drinks are available at the ground, or for a wider range, the town is a short walk away. Free parking is available at the ground and buses pass right outside the adjacent leisure centre. 

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