Pontyridd Town AFC

Pontypridd Town AFC History

Ynysybwl Football Club was formed in 1895 and competed with great success in the local Pontypridd & District league until 1967 when, after finishing runners up, they applied to step up to the Welsh League.

The team adapted well to the higher standard and narrowly missed out on promotion in their first season. However a year later they were crowned second division champions.

Unfortunately Ynysybwl didn’t make much impact in the first division and lasted only six seasons before relegation in 1974/75. Another fourteen years went by while Ynysybwl languished in the bottom division but a steady improvement eventually led to promotion again in 1988/89, when the team finished runners-up behind Garw Athletic.

This time Ynysybwl were stronger and missed out on successive promotions by only six points, eventually having to settle for fifth place. However off the pitch things weren't so good and with the village club struggling to attract supporters and sponsors the committee decided to relocate a few miles down the road in the much bigger catchment area of Pontypridd.

Ynysybwl merged with local Pontypridd & District league team Pontypridd Sports & Social FC to form Pontypridd/Ynysybwl and arranged to play home games at the disused former rugby ground at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park in the heart of Pontypridd from the 1991/92 season. The changes also brought some good fortune as a sixth place finish was enough to earn promotion to the top division for the first time in the club’s history, due to reorganisation of the Welsh League following the formation of the League of Wales.

Pontypridd Town and Ground Re-development

The club changed its name again in 1992, now being named Pontypridd Town, and in 1992/93 enjoyed its highest ever league position, finishing in third place with just 3 defeats in 26 games. Fifth place was achieved in 1993/94, and eleventh in 1994/95, but 1995/96 brought mixed emotions.

With the help of the local council the club opened new changing rooms, installed floodlights and upgraded the stand at Ynysangharad Park, and a generous sponsorship deal with Shamrock Coaches allowed Pontypridd Town to sign three young professional players (Andy Evans, Ian Jones and Andy Scott) on loan from Cardiff City.

Welsh Cup Run

A memorable Welsh Cup run saw away wins against Llanwern (4-0), Newport YMCA (4-2) and Taff’s Well (1-0), before a home game against Anglesey based League of Wales team Cemaes Bay resulted in a memorable 1-0 win courtesy of an Andy Scott goal. Another League of Wales side Llansantffraid were the visitors in the quarter-finals but after Romano Bacchetta had given Pontypridd a half time lead, two goals from Tommy Morgan, including a last minute winner from a free kick, took the visitors through. Llansantffraid went on to win the cup final against Barry Town.

The decline...

However, behind the scenes problems led to the manager, most of the players and some sponsors leaving the club after the Welsh Cup exit, and after originally ending the season in eleventh place Pontypridd were deducted seven points by the league for fielding an ineligible player. This dropped Ponty four places down the table and meant relegation to the second division.

Several managers and numerous players came and went as Ponty hung on in the second division for three seasons before relegation back to the basement in 1998/99. They even looked in danger of dropping out of the Welsh League altogether after a terrible start to the 2000/01 season left them rooted to the bottom of the league with just three points from their first eight games.

Another new financial backer

But just when things were getting desperate the club was fortunate to obtain major financial backing, once again from Clayton Jones of Shamrock Travel, and the subsequent appointment of former Ynysybwl legend Brian Gibson as player/manager led to an influx of new players and an improvement in results which pulled Ponty away from the bottom to mid table safety.

Expectations were high for 2001/02 and after a sometimes difficult campaign there was huge relief as Ponty won nine of their last twelve games to clinch third place, and promotion, by two points from Caldicot Town after winning 2-0 at Pontlottyn in their final game.

After a season of consolidation in the second division, 2003/04 saw Ponty avoid relegation thanks to a stunning 6-0 win in their final game of the season against Blaenrhondda, who were relegated instead of Ponty on goal difference in a match that has gone down in history amongst Ponty supporters!

High expectations

The summer of 2004 saw the club clinch another major sponsorship deal, this time with Leighton Samuel of Decor Frame, and expectations were high. But an indifferent start left Ponty too far behind the leaders and they had to settle for fifth place despite a run of 10 wins and 2 draws from their last 13 games.

The end of season revival coincided with the arrival of former Leeds, Cardiff, Aberystwyth and Carmarthen player Ryan Nicholls as joint manager with Brian Gibson. But Gibson then stepped down due to business commitments leaving Nicholls in sole charge for 2005/06 and, after an impressive summer recruitment drive, Ponty were unstoppable as they stormed to the top of the second division. Ponty stayed unbeaten until they clinched the championship with 3 league games still to play, and enjoyed a great Welsh Cup run, beating first division sides Pontardawe and Ton Pentre then Welsh Premier Aberystwyth before going out to eventual Welsh League champions Goytre United.

Pontypridd Town AFC challenged for the Welsh League title and carried out ground improvements in order to apply for promotion to the Welsh Premier League in 2006/07, but eventually had to settle for a record equalling third place finish. But the club was devastated by the withdrawal of their main sponsor on the eve of the 2007/08 season and the loss of every player forced the recruitment of a new manager and squad who battled hard but failed to avoid relegation.

Possible Merger with Treforest FC

The summer of 2008 was taken up by merger plans with Treforest FC, but when the Amateur League side changed their mind less than two weeks before the start of the new season Ponty were almost forced to fold. But thanks to the Welsh League allowing the first five fixtures to be cancelled and more backing from Clayton Jones via St. Davids Travel, Ponty were at least able to recruit some players to fulfil their fixtures and keep the club going, although finishing at the bottom of the second division meant relegation for the second year in a row.

Recent Times

But 2009 brought a major boost when successful businessman Phil Gibb took over as Pontypridd Town chairman with the stated aim of bringing the good times back at the club. Gibb has already brought a more professional and businesslike approach to the club off the field, and wasted no time in appointing former Burton Albion defender Allan Davies to the role of player/manager with former Ponty legend Dean Morris returning for his third spell at the club as player/assistant manager. Ponty are aiming to build a team capable of winning promotion this season and are committed to identifying and developing the best local talent, and with the youth team reinstated after a two-year gap, there is optimism in the air at Ynysangharad Park once again.