by Richard Hinman
Wales is a country where the oval ball dominates, yet there is one town in Mid-Glamorgan where football is a religion and eclipses everything else. Merthyr Tydfil does not roll off the tongue and will mean nothing to most fans, but they have a pedigree to match any non-league side.
Formed in the summer of 1908, the side donned their famous red and green shirts for the first time and never looked back. Just 12 years later and the club was elected into the newly formed Football League. Yet it was in the aftermath of the Second World War when Merthyr really made a name for themselves. By the end of the 1940s, they had won both the Southern League title and the Welsh Cup for the first time.
Four consecutive titles followed between 1950 and 1954 as well as another cup triumph, this time with a dramatic 3-2 final victory over Cardiff City. But, just as everything appeared to be going so well for the Glamorgan club, they were dealt a blow which would take decades to recover from.
Given their success around the time, Merthyr were one of the best non-league sides in the UK. Inevitably calls for their inclusion in the revamped Football League grew and grew. However, despite a proud tradition, the club were unable to gain election.
It is still unclear exactly why the Welsh club were refused entry but many believe the greyhound track around their home at Penydarren Park ultimately cost them. Ran like a Football League club, Merthyr struggle to cope with playing at the lower level. A period of decline took hold.
Summing up the mess that followed at Merthyr, chairman Maldwyn Davies declared himself manager in the early part of the 1970s, even though he had never played football. Unsurprisingly results slumped and gates fell to as low as 196. It looked as if the glory days at Penydarren Park had gone forever.
What Merthyr needed was strong leadership and in John Reddy they found a saviour. He took over the club at its lowest ebb in the early 1980s. Debts had mounted up and the club lacked any kind of infrastructure. But under Reddy, Merthyr re-found its identity. Crucial to this was the continued role played by club legend Ken Tucker. Having played and managed the club before, in his new position as club secretary Tucker was the man on the ground Reddy needed to implement his masterplan.
The revival was underway and a clear plan was in place. What was missing was a man on the sidelines to oversee an upturn in the fortunes on the pitch. The brief for new manager Lyn Jones in April 1985 was therefore simple: improve team performances.
A 3-1 win in the South Wales Cup final against Barry Town was a fitting start for the new man in charge and in Jones’ first full season Merthyr narrowly missed out on promotion having finished third. The following campaign saw more success at the club as they won the Southern League Merit Cup, awarded to the side who scored the most goals in the three leagues below the conference, due mainly to the goals scoring ability of Dai Webley, who netted 59 in all competitions.
A season of highs was capped by an appearance in the Welsh Cup final, following a dramatic penalty shootout triumph in the semi-final against Bangor City. “We’ve had a good side at the Park for a number of seasons, but now we have the right balance,” captain Chris Holvey, who was a lifelong Merthyr fan, said of the team Jones had put together.
After the first match at Ninian Park in Cardiff had finished 2-2, Newport County and Merthyr faced off again days later in the replay. “It was a real battle, the replay. Newport were scared of us for sure,” Holvey reminisced about his finest hour. A true captain’s display would inspire his side to a 1-0 win and the picture of Holvey lifting the trophy with a bulging black eye remains one of the most iconic images in the club’s history.
To be continued…..
Article courtesy of ‘The Gentleman Ultra’. To view the original please follow the link below.
Merthyr Tydfil vs. Atalanta: The story of an unforgettable upset
Thank you, Richard, for these very interesting articles about the famous matches between Merthyr FC and Atalanta. I enjoyed them very much, but would wish to point out the following:
the description of both Merthyr’s goals is inaccurate
it is unfair to say Merthyr did not create chances in the second leg; both Dai Webley and Ceri Williams forced brilliant saves by Atalanta’s keeper
Kevin Rogers had played for Birmingham by this time, he did not move on to them or Aston Villa
Blaenrhodda, as its name implies, is at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley and is not ‘a Cardiff based club’.