Merthyr Town FC played Santa yesterday with a Christmas donation to the Children's Ward of Prince Charles Hospital.
To have seen the faces of the staff and young patients of Prince Charles Hospital's Children's Ward when Matthew Harris strolled through the corridors with a giant cuddly wolf on his shoulders was quite something. Indeed, it was smiles all around yesterday as representatives of Merthyr Town Football Club visited Jill Davies and Sue Parry on the Children's Ward to hand over a Christmas donation.
After raising a tremendous £415 from various fundraising events, including the Under 14's Football Tournament at the Engine House this past Sunday, as well as the hard work of Jayne Abraham and the staff of Wards 5 & 6, the children were able to reap the benefits with a plethora of gifts for all. At 10:30am yesterday morning, Steve Williams, Matthew Harris, Luke Jones and Marcus Griffiths, along with Mark Abraham and several other representatives arrived to the interest of several of the youngsters and the warm reception of the staff.
The Teen Room will now enjoy the benefit of an Xbox 360 with a collection of games, Nintendo DS games and a pile of DVDs, whilst the younger children will no doubt be happy to see a bunch of new puzzles and arts & crafts materials, as well as their new mascot: the as-of-yet unnamed wolf donated by Matthew Harris.
Mark Abraham, Community Liaison Officer and the man behind the Christmas donation was overwhelmed with the positive reception and offered his thoughts on the event: "It was an absolute pleasure to be able to arrange such a donation for such a deserving service. The first team players that attended really got a buzz from the positive comments and warm reception and one little girl who had recently had surgery had her Christmas made a little brighter when she had a personal bedside visit from Steve Williams". Steve was one of the players who took time off work yesterday, along with Chairman Meurig Price, photographer Peter Harman and MartyrsTV crew member Matthew Davies, in order to be a part of the very special presentation.
"The gratitude and appreciation goes both ways in this case, for as great as it was for the ward to receive these gifts, it was equally as great that we were afforded the chance to give something back. It humbled the boys immensely." said Mark, who has spent the last month and a half rallying the support of fundraisers to try and help out the hospital during the festive period.
Mark offered his parting thoughts on the donation and wanted to congratulate and commemorate the hard work of all involved, "A massive thanks to everyone who donated or took part in the fundraising, from those ladies doing the charity walk, to the Engine House and the under 14s tournament to my mother's ward 5 and 6, you've really made a difference to these children this Christmas and the gifts are things that will get continual use for a long time to come"
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Friday, 7 December 2012
Martyrs in Foster Parents Appeal
Foster Parent's Appeal Day - Saturday 8th December 2013
On the same day that MTFC play host to Yate Town and the charity walk to raise money for PCH Children's Ward, we appeal for more foster parents.
Representatives from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council will be on hand on Saturday 8th December at Penydarren Park as they hold an appeal day to encourage more members of the community to come forward and offer their services as foster parents.
The Foster & Adoption Team at MTCBC will be in attendance during the Yate Town game in early December, the same day as the Martyrs hold a charity walk with aims of raising money for Prince Charles Hospital's children's ward. With reports and statistics from the Fostering Network finding out that a child goes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK, it's vitally important that able members of the community get involved and give these young people a stable, safe environment, without the need to be moved around from place to place.
Mark Abraham, Community Liaison Officer for the club, gave his thoughts "It's a great cause to be involved in. From my own background in youth work, I've seen the positive effects and better quality of life for disadvantaged young people that are afforded to them through foster care. It can be hard and challenging but ultimately, it's an extremely rewarding path to go down and I hope that we can help build up more foster carers within the borough. It is absolutely key that these young people are given a safe, nurturing environment with a loving family that can provide the stability they need".
For more information on these opportunities please download the flyer, call 01685 724589 or email foster.adopt@merthyr.gov.uk
On the same day that MTFC play host to Yate Town and the charity walk to raise money for PCH Children's Ward, we appeal for more foster parents.
Representatives from Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council will be on hand on Saturday 8th December at Penydarren Park as they hold an appeal day to encourage more members of the community to come forward and offer their services as foster parents.
The Foster & Adoption Team at MTCBC will be in attendance during the Yate Town game in early December, the same day as the Martyrs hold a charity walk with aims of raising money for Prince Charles Hospital's children's ward. With reports and statistics from the Fostering Network finding out that a child goes into care and needs a foster family every 22 minutes across the UK, it's vitally important that able members of the community get involved and give these young people a stable, safe environment, without the need to be moved around from place to place.
Mark Abraham, Community Liaison Officer for the club, gave his thoughts "It's a great cause to be involved in. From my own background in youth work, I've seen the positive effects and better quality of life for disadvantaged young people that are afforded to them through foster care. It can be hard and challenging but ultimately, it's an extremely rewarding path to go down and I hope that we can help build up more foster carers within the borough. It is absolutely key that these young people are given a safe, nurturing environment with a loving family that can provide the stability they need".
For more information on these opportunities please download the flyer, call 01685 724589 or email foster.adopt@merthyr.gov.uk
Monday, 3 December 2012
Junior Martyrs at the Panto
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Merthyr Town FC undertook its annual trip to the Pantomime on Friday evening. The venue on this occasion was the brand new Theatr Soar complex at Pontmorlais. Every child invited received a selection box courtesy of the Football Club to enjoy during the performance.
The panto was produced as ever by MTFC Club President Lyn Mittell with his Owen Money Theatre Group and our thanks go to him for arranging the tickets on our behalf.
The performance was littered as always with references to our town and also our team at Penydarren Park.
A great night out for everyone as always.
Next date for the Junior Martyrs calendar is the Christmas Party at the Candac Suite on the afternoon of Sunday 23rd December.
Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Football exhibition at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum
'The Soccer Dragons' - Welsh Heroes and Merthyr's Football Story
Wales Football Exhibition at Cyfarthfa Castle.
Date: 19/02/13 to 28/03/13.
‘The Soccer Dragons’ exhibition is being jointly staged by Merthyr Town FC stalwart, Mark Evans and Welsh Football Historian Ceri Stennett. The event will be hosted by Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery and there will be something for football fans young and old alike. There will be items showcasing the history of Merthyr Town and Merthyr Tydfil FC and Welsh football artefacts from the last 100 years.
There will be sections on Merthyr-born Wales internationals such as Mark Pembridge, Gordon Davies and Dowlais’ Dai Astley. Modern-day stars such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey will also feature, as well as Kath Morgan, a local women’s football star. Along with all that there will be items relating to Cardiff City winning the FA Cup in 1927 and a replica FA cup on display. On specific days visitors will even get the chance to take their photo with the cup for a charitable donation to the current Mayor's Appeal charity Cancer Aid.
Before the exhibition opens however, Mark and Ceri need your help. Do you have any items that could be loaned and displayed in the exhibition? We would love the chance to display items that local people may have. It could be medals from club or schoolboy football, caps or shirts from representative games or old pictures and programmes. If you have anything you feel maybe relevant please contact Ceri Stennett at ceristennett@gmail.com or call 07848 109901.
There has been a great tradition of Merthyr Tydfil producing footballers from the 1900’s to the present day and we want to try to capture that spirit in the exhibition.
Admission to the exhibition is free and it will be open between 10:00am – 4:00pm Tuesday to Friday and 12:00pm to 4:00pm Saturday and Sunday. (Please note we are closed on Mondays until April)
During the run of the exhibition, there will be several special events such as talks from footballers and there will be a special quiz visitors can complete while viewing the exhibition. Please check out the events section of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum’s website for more information on these events nearer the time.
For further details of the times of the exhibition and facilities for groups and school parties please contact Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery on 01685 727371 or museum@merthyr.gov.uk
Website: www.cyfarthfa.com
Wales Football Exhibition at Cyfarthfa Castle.
Date: 19/02/13 to 28/03/13.
‘The Soccer Dragons’ exhibition is being jointly staged by Merthyr Town FC stalwart, Mark Evans and Welsh Football Historian Ceri Stennett. The event will be hosted by Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery and there will be something for football fans young and old alike. There will be items showcasing the history of Merthyr Town and Merthyr Tydfil FC and Welsh football artefacts from the last 100 years.
There will be sections on Merthyr-born Wales internationals such as Mark Pembridge, Gordon Davies and Dowlais’ Dai Astley. Modern-day stars such as Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey will also feature, as well as Kath Morgan, a local women’s football star. Along with all that there will be items relating to Cardiff City winning the FA Cup in 1927 and a replica FA cup on display. On specific days visitors will even get the chance to take their photo with the cup for a charitable donation to the current Mayor's Appeal charity Cancer Aid.
Before the exhibition opens however, Mark and Ceri need your help. Do you have any items that could be loaned and displayed in the exhibition? We would love the chance to display items that local people may have. It could be medals from club or schoolboy football, caps or shirts from representative games or old pictures and programmes. If you have anything you feel maybe relevant please contact Ceri Stennett at ceristennett@gmail.com or call 07848 109901.
There has been a great tradition of Merthyr Tydfil producing footballers from the 1900’s to the present day and we want to try to capture that spirit in the exhibition.
Admission to the exhibition is free and it will be open between 10:00am – 4:00pm Tuesday to Friday and 12:00pm to 4:00pm Saturday and Sunday. (Please note we are closed on Mondays until April)
During the run of the exhibition, there will be several special events such as talks from footballers and there will be a special quiz visitors can complete while viewing the exhibition. Please check out the events section of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum’s website for more information on these events nearer the time.
For further details of the times of the exhibition and facilities for groups and school parties please contact Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Art Gallery on 01685 727371 or museum@merthyr.gov.uk
Website: www.cyfarthfa.com
Martyrs TV - Promotion 2012
Merthyr Town FC are a unique club in South Wales in that it is run by a Supporters Trust. A community mutual sports club based in the South Wales Valleys. The past two seasons have been well documented with the football team gaining two promotions to once again be a member of the Southern Football League.
The club now employs a community officer Mark Abraham and through his work the Martyrs TV service has been launched to cover all home matches and provide behind the scenes insights to life at Penydarren Park.
The latest offering is included via the following link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qjof5tYOBw&feature=plcp
It's a 12 minute documentary based around the final match of last season when the Martyrs required a win for promotion. It's worth viewing as it shows the pride of the supporters in what has been acheived by themselves against all odds to maintain a semi-professional football club at our famous old ground.
The film was produced by Forge Films who are based at Merthyr College.
The club now employs a community officer Mark Abraham and through his work the Martyrs TV service has been launched to cover all home matches and provide behind the scenes insights to life at Penydarren Park.
The latest offering is included via the following link;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Qjof5tYOBw&feature=plcp
It's a 12 minute documentary based around the final match of last season when the Martyrs required a win for promotion. It's worth viewing as it shows the pride of the supporters in what has been acheived by themselves against all odds to maintain a semi-professional football club at our famous old ground.
The film was produced by Forge Films who are based at Merthyr College.
Monday, 22 October 2012
Merthyr and Abingdon united against racism
Merthyr Town FC hosted their annual Kick Racism Out of Football event on Saturday for the visit of Abingdon United to Penydarren Park.
The Trust-owned club once again funded a pre-match event to support the campaign's message that racism is unacceptable in both football and the wider community.
Both teams proudly wore the campaig t-shirts and were joined by the referee's team too.
Kick Racism Out of Football magazines and badges were distributed to the 391 crowd. Young fans were also able to get hold of campaign wrist bands.
Merthyr Town FC would like to thank both Abingdon United and the Match Officials for their help in making the event such a success.
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Hall of Fame - Ken Tucker
On and off the field, Merthyr Tydfil's Ken Tucker has been Mr Football.
From playing while a pupil in Twynyrodyn Junior School to his present position with The Football Association of Wales, he has had a major involvement in the sport throughout his life.
In school he was a contemporary of the late actor Philip Madoc, or Jones as he was then.
Ken played for Merthyr Tydfil still in his teens and then went to Aston Villa in 1954 until 1956 when he was sold to Cardiff City.
At the time there were several players at Ninian Park who later went on to lace up their boots for the Martyrs. They included goalkeeper Graham Vearncombe, defender Johnny Williams, (who still watches Merthyr Town) strikers Gerry Hitchens, Brian Jenkins and Neil O'Halloran and winger Brayley Reynolds. Also with City at the time was the legendary Trevor Ford who starred for Wales.
Also with The Bluebirds in that era were two footballers from Troedyrhiw, Dennis Callan and Islwyn Jones.
But they were tough times for The Bluebirds and they were relegated from the then Division One in 1956-57.
Ken, who played on the right wing, as it was then, moved on to Shrewsbury in 1957, making nearly 50 first-team appearances and netting eight goals. The side gained promotion and three years ago Shrewsbury held a night of nostalgia, which Ken attended, to mark the 50th anniversary of their achievement.
After his spell with the Shropshire club, Ken was transferred to Northampton, making 10 appearances and scoring three goals.
Hereford United was his next club before he returned to Merthyr Tydfil whose glory years were well behind them in the mid 1960s.
There was the time in 1963 when the big freeze meant no football for six weeks.Players had to train at the nearby, now derelict, YMCA. The first match after the weather let up saw Merthyr lose 2-1 at the Park in a friendly with Swansea Town. The gate was 420. Ken scored Merthyr's goal with one of the Swansea marksmen being Mike Hayes who later signed for The Martyrs.
There was a relegation fight for Merthyr but on May 11 they beat Cambridge City 3-1 with Ken Tucker netting twice, both after throw-ins by the tough Frankie Collins. The attendance was 780.
But during Ken's return to his home-town club, The Martyrs enjoyed a brief resurgence when former Swansea Town defender the late Harry Griffiths took over as player-manager at Penydarren Park.
Several former Football League players were signed up and encouraging early-season results saw the gates soar to more than 3,000.
Vearncombe, Keith Fry, Brian Jenkins and former Newcastle star Reg Davies joined the club.
Their FA Cup run saw them travel to Swindon Town but despite a brave display, they crashed 5-1.
Some of the signings even made their homes in Merthyr. But later gates fell again and despite a money-making scheme under a commercial manager, there were cash problems when it was found a large debt was owed to a local firm which angered the directors when they found out.
When Ken Tucker hung his boots up, he had a spell as manager before a long stint as secretary when he was always available to update the local Press on club activities, even if coming home late after a Board meeting which often had to deal with many vital matters as Merthyr struggled for survival over many years in the latter 1960s and 1970s.
Ken was kept busy with his full-time Civil Service job with the Social Security.
And for some of those years, the club relied on some local up and coming players.
Then in January 1972, Merthyr pulled off quite a coup with Swansea born John Charles, who had wowed fans in Italy, taking over as player manager.Maldwyn Davies, bingo hall manager, was club chairman at the time. And for a while ambitious Maldwyn was also the manager of Merthyr even though he had never played football himself. Results, however, were not too impressive. And gates had slumped to as low as 196.
.And someone new was needed to run the team. Ken has said since:"Maldwyn knew John Charles was available and so his signing was just a formality."
Talks took place in Maldwyn Davies' house overlooking the ground.
Charles,who had just left Hereford, was taken on at £40 a week, a small amount to the Gentle Giant but a lot of money which represented a gamble for the club as Ken recalled at the time.
The first game for Charles was against Barnet. The gate went up but Merthyr crashed and Charles failed to prevent the team being relegated that season.
And Ken was still with the club in the secretary's role when another revival came as John Reddy took over the club which saw Lyn Jones as manager spearhead the Martyrs to Welsh Cup success and the memorable European adventures with Italian side Atalanta at a time when English clubs were banned from Cup games in Europe.
When Ken Tucker left Merthyr Tydfil FC he looked after lots of local clubs in his capacity as secretary of The Welsh League.Then it was on to play an important role in The Football Association of Wales which he is still continuing to do.
He was opposed to a Great Britain team, wanting to maintain Wales' identity.
I don't think Ken Tucker will ever cease to blow the whistle on his life-long love for football.
And his name will go down in Merthyr Tydfil and Wales as a key man in the sport over many years and in many capacities.
From playing while a pupil in Twynyrodyn Junior School to his present position with The Football Association of Wales, he has had a major involvement in the sport throughout his life.
In school he was a contemporary of the late actor Philip Madoc, or Jones as he was then.
Ken played for Merthyr Tydfil still in his teens and then went to Aston Villa in 1954 until 1956 when he was sold to Cardiff City.
At the time there were several players at Ninian Park who later went on to lace up their boots for the Martyrs. They included goalkeeper Graham Vearncombe, defender Johnny Williams, (who still watches Merthyr Town) strikers Gerry Hitchens, Brian Jenkins and Neil O'Halloran and winger Brayley Reynolds. Also with City at the time was the legendary Trevor Ford who starred for Wales.
Also with The Bluebirds in that era were two footballers from Troedyrhiw, Dennis Callan and Islwyn Jones.
But they were tough times for The Bluebirds and they were relegated from the then Division One in 1956-57.
Ken, who played on the right wing, as it was then, moved on to Shrewsbury in 1957, making nearly 50 first-team appearances and netting eight goals. The side gained promotion and three years ago Shrewsbury held a night of nostalgia, which Ken attended, to mark the 50th anniversary of their achievement.
After his spell with the Shropshire club, Ken was transferred to Northampton, making 10 appearances and scoring three goals.
Hereford United was his next club before he returned to Merthyr Tydfil whose glory years were well behind them in the mid 1960s.
There was the time in 1963 when the big freeze meant no football for six weeks.Players had to train at the nearby, now derelict, YMCA. The first match after the weather let up saw Merthyr lose 2-1 at the Park in a friendly with Swansea Town. The gate was 420. Ken scored Merthyr's goal with one of the Swansea marksmen being Mike Hayes who later signed for The Martyrs.
There was a relegation fight for Merthyr but on May 11 they beat Cambridge City 3-1 with Ken Tucker netting twice, both after throw-ins by the tough Frankie Collins. The attendance was 780.
But during Ken's return to his home-town club, The Martyrs enjoyed a brief resurgence when former Swansea Town defender the late Harry Griffiths took over as player-manager at Penydarren Park.
Several former Football League players were signed up and encouraging early-season results saw the gates soar to more than 3,000.
Vearncombe, Keith Fry, Brian Jenkins and former Newcastle star Reg Davies joined the club.
Their FA Cup run saw them travel to Swindon Town but despite a brave display, they crashed 5-1.
Some of the signings even made their homes in Merthyr. But later gates fell again and despite a money-making scheme under a commercial manager, there were cash problems when it was found a large debt was owed to a local firm which angered the directors when they found out.
When Ken Tucker hung his boots up, he had a spell as manager before a long stint as secretary when he was always available to update the local Press on club activities, even if coming home late after a Board meeting which often had to deal with many vital matters as Merthyr struggled for survival over many years in the latter 1960s and 1970s.
Ken was kept busy with his full-time Civil Service job with the Social Security.
And for some of those years, the club relied on some local up and coming players.
Then in January 1972, Merthyr pulled off quite a coup with Swansea born John Charles, who had wowed fans in Italy, taking over as player manager.Maldwyn Davies, bingo hall manager, was club chairman at the time. And for a while ambitious Maldwyn was also the manager of Merthyr even though he had never played football himself. Results, however, were not too impressive. And gates had slumped to as low as 196.
.And someone new was needed to run the team. Ken has said since:"Maldwyn knew John Charles was available and so his signing was just a formality."
Talks took place in Maldwyn Davies' house overlooking the ground.
Charles,who had just left Hereford, was taken on at £40 a week, a small amount to the Gentle Giant but a lot of money which represented a gamble for the club as Ken recalled at the time.
The first game for Charles was against Barnet. The gate went up but Merthyr crashed and Charles failed to prevent the team being relegated that season.
And Ken was still with the club in the secretary's role when another revival came as John Reddy took over the club which saw Lyn Jones as manager spearhead the Martyrs to Welsh Cup success and the memorable European adventures with Italian side Atalanta at a time when English clubs were banned from Cup games in Europe.
When Ken Tucker left Merthyr Tydfil FC he looked after lots of local clubs in his capacity as secretary of The Welsh League.Then it was on to play an important role in The Football Association of Wales which he is still continuing to do.
He was opposed to a Great Britain team, wanting to maintain Wales' identity.
I don't think Ken Tucker will ever cease to blow the whistle on his life-long love for football.
And his name will go down in Merthyr Tydfil and Wales as a key man in the sport over many years and in many capacities.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Hall of Fame - Albert Lindon
Merthyr Town FC held its first annual Hall of Fame event tonight.
An amazing evening spent celebrating the centenary of football at Penydarren Park.
The following legends of football in Merthyr Tydfil were inducted tonight;
Albert Lindon
Ken Tucker
Lyn Jones
Chris Holvey
Gordon Davies
Syd Howarth
The following presentation was made on behalf of Albert Lindon;
Albert Lindon is a figure that transcends two football clubs and is paramount to the survival of professional football at Penydarren Park.
He is no local. He was born in Kings Norton near Birmingham on 27th January 1891.
His first clubs were the imaginatively named Birmingham Fruiterers and Delta Metal Works. Albert was a goalkeeper.
In 1910 he joined his local club Birmingham City where he made 7 appearances for the St. Andrews club in the 2nd division of the Football League.
The Blues had a disappointing season ending in 22nd place so our hero was on the move across the city to Villa Park where he managed one solitary game between the sticks for Aston Villa albeit in the lofty climes of the First Division.
Albert frustrated by the lack of games first of all went to Barnsley and then Coventry City to seek regular games. He made 29 appearances at Highfield Road before making the decision to head to South Wales.
It was in 1920 that Albert Lindon first entered Penydarren Park. Merthyr Town were inaugural members of the new Third Division of the Football League and Albert was one of the first signings for manager Harry Hadley for the Red & Greens. So it was on 28th August 1920 that Albert Lindon played in goals at our famous old ground as Crystal Palace were beaten 2-1 to notch Merthyr Town's first ever Football League victory. There were 16,927 fans there that day by the way.
In 1924 the then manager Thomas Daniel Jones resigned and on 1st August Albert was appointed player-manager. His reward for accepting one of the most challenging jobs in the Football League? The princely sum of £1.00 per week on top of his playing contract.
His first season wasn't a success by any imagination. Merthyr Town finished bottom of Division 3 South with only 8 wins during a desperate season.
Thankfully Merthyr Town survived re-election and our inductee was able to manage the team for a further two seasons which with both club and town fighting economic decline he managed to keep the club away from further re-election lottery.
All in all he made a record 250 appearances for the Football League club, he even managed to score a goal (I can't find out against who though, it was probably Newport County!).
In 1927 second division Charlton Athletic swooped to sign Albert Lindon as player-manager. He had another disastrous start to his managerial career winning just one of his first eleven games and losing half of the remaining games of the season. Only the good form of the opening start of the season accounted for Chalrton's 11th place finish which at the time was their highest in their history.
One of main successes was the recruitment of Dai Astley from us that year for £100.00. Dai had scored 3 goals in 5 games for Merthyr Town. Albert showed he had a great eye for a player as Dai Astley (who is included in the montage behind me on the wall) went on to score 27 goals in 96 appearances for the Addicks. The boy from the Valleys had to go to the Valley to start a career that culminated with Aston Villa and Wales. Albert Lindon's vision is central to that success.
The previous manager Sandy MacFarlane returned from Dundee FC in 1928 and Albert was appointed as Assistant Manager. He went on to play 34 times for Charlton Athletic and returned to the Manager's position in 1933 when MacFarlane resigned for a second time unfortunately a gloomy six months in charge resulted in Charlton's relegation from the second division.
Twelve years later Albert Lindon kick starts the reformation of the new Merthyr Tydfil FC with a stirring speech at the first public meeting on 1st March 1945.
The club appoints Jock McNeil to manage the fledgling professional enterprise at Penydarren Park but when he has to resign in 1947 due to his daughter's ill-health it is Albert Lindon that is appointed to continue Jock's good work and he doesn't disappoint. He takes Merthyr Tydfil even higher.
1948 - Merthyr win the Southern League Championship for the first time. Six points clear of Gillingham.
1949 - We win the Welsh Cup for the first time with a 2-0 victory over Swansea Town at Ninian Park in front of 7,000 travelling Merthyr supporters.
It's from this match that Albert has an idea that the Welsh Cup winners should play the FA Cup winners so Wolves visit Penydarrent Park for a friendly in front of 13,400 fans.
However two weeks later Albert Lindon had resigned from Merthyr Town. His relationship with the Board was always prickly.
His team carried on the good work and won the league that year on goal average from Colchester United.
Albert Lindon died in 1976.
Albert deserves to be the first inductee into the Merthyr Football Hall of Fame as his prowess covered two eras of football in Merthyr Tydfil; as a player and manager during the Football League years through to the formative and glory years of the post-war period. He was there during some of the toughest and most rewarding days at Penydarren Park.
Ladies and Gentlemen please salute Albert Lindon.
An amazing evening spent celebrating the centenary of football at Penydarren Park.
The following legends of football in Merthyr Tydfil were inducted tonight;
Albert Lindon
Ken Tucker
Lyn Jones
Chris Holvey
Gordon Davies
Syd Howarth
The following presentation was made on behalf of Albert Lindon;
Albert Lindon is a figure that transcends two football clubs and is paramount to the survival of professional football at Penydarren Park.
He is no local. He was born in Kings Norton near Birmingham on 27th January 1891.
His first clubs were the imaginatively named Birmingham Fruiterers and Delta Metal Works. Albert was a goalkeeper.
In 1910 he joined his local club Birmingham City where he made 7 appearances for the St. Andrews club in the 2nd division of the Football League.
The Blues had a disappointing season ending in 22nd place so our hero was on the move across the city to Villa Park where he managed one solitary game between the sticks for Aston Villa albeit in the lofty climes of the First Division.
Albert frustrated by the lack of games first of all went to Barnsley and then Coventry City to seek regular games. He made 29 appearances at Highfield Road before making the decision to head to South Wales.
It was in 1920 that Albert Lindon first entered Penydarren Park. Merthyr Town were inaugural members of the new Third Division of the Football League and Albert was one of the first signings for manager Harry Hadley for the Red & Greens. So it was on 28th August 1920 that Albert Lindon played in goals at our famous old ground as Crystal Palace were beaten 2-1 to notch Merthyr Town's first ever Football League victory. There were 16,927 fans there that day by the way.
In 1924 the then manager Thomas Daniel Jones resigned and on 1st August Albert was appointed player-manager. His reward for accepting one of the most challenging jobs in the Football League? The princely sum of £1.00 per week on top of his playing contract.
His first season wasn't a success by any imagination. Merthyr Town finished bottom of Division 3 South with only 8 wins during a desperate season.
Thankfully Merthyr Town survived re-election and our inductee was able to manage the team for a further two seasons which with both club and town fighting economic decline he managed to keep the club away from further re-election lottery.
All in all he made a record 250 appearances for the Football League club, he even managed to score a goal (I can't find out against who though, it was probably Newport County!).
In 1927 second division Charlton Athletic swooped to sign Albert Lindon as player-manager. He had another disastrous start to his managerial career winning just one of his first eleven games and losing half of the remaining games of the season. Only the good form of the opening start of the season accounted for Chalrton's 11th place finish which at the time was their highest in their history.
One of main successes was the recruitment of Dai Astley from us that year for £100.00. Dai had scored 3 goals in 5 games for Merthyr Town. Albert showed he had a great eye for a player as Dai Astley (who is included in the montage behind me on the wall) went on to score 27 goals in 96 appearances for the Addicks. The boy from the Valleys had to go to the Valley to start a career that culminated with Aston Villa and Wales. Albert Lindon's vision is central to that success.
The previous manager Sandy MacFarlane returned from Dundee FC in 1928 and Albert was appointed as Assistant Manager. He went on to play 34 times for Charlton Athletic and returned to the Manager's position in 1933 when MacFarlane resigned for a second time unfortunately a gloomy six months in charge resulted in Charlton's relegation from the second division.
Twelve years later Albert Lindon kick starts the reformation of the new Merthyr Tydfil FC with a stirring speech at the first public meeting on 1st March 1945.
The club appoints Jock McNeil to manage the fledgling professional enterprise at Penydarren Park but when he has to resign in 1947 due to his daughter's ill-health it is Albert Lindon that is appointed to continue Jock's good work and he doesn't disappoint. He takes Merthyr Tydfil even higher.
1948 - Merthyr win the Southern League Championship for the first time. Six points clear of Gillingham.
1949 - We win the Welsh Cup for the first time with a 2-0 victory over Swansea Town at Ninian Park in front of 7,000 travelling Merthyr supporters.
It's from this match that Albert has an idea that the Welsh Cup winners should play the FA Cup winners so Wolves visit Penydarrent Park for a friendly in front of 13,400 fans.
However two weeks later Albert Lindon had resigned from Merthyr Town. His relationship with the Board was always prickly.
His team carried on the good work and won the league that year on goal average from Colchester United.
Albert Lindon died in 1976.
Albert deserves to be the first inductee into the Merthyr Football Hall of Fame as his prowess covered two eras of football in Merthyr Tydfil; as a player and manager during the Football League years through to the formative and glory years of the post-war period. He was there during some of the toughest and most rewarding days at Penydarren Park.
Ladies and Gentlemen please salute Albert Lindon.
Saturday, 1 September 2012
Atalanta Day 1987
Merthyr Town FC will host an evening of celebration on Saturday 15th September to mark the 25th anniversary of the Martyrs participation in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.
It was on 16th September 1987 that Penydarren Park hosted the current Serie A club Atalanta in the first leg with a packed ground witnessing a magnificent 2-1 victory for the semi-professional team from the Valleys.
Lyn Jones, the team manager who led Merthyr Tydfil to the Welsh Cup and then Europe, will be present in the Candac Suite on the 15th to reminisce on those heady days when the Martyrs were the finest team in Wales.
Both goalscorers on that amazing night; Ceri Williams and Kevin Rogers, will be there also to share their memories.
The big screen in the Candac will show highlights of the match, plus the 2nd leg played in Bergamo two weeks later, so everyone can once again watch the heroes of 1987.
There will be a guest book open for all supporters at the event to publish their personal memories of our European campaign.
Italian food, a quiz, race night and raffle will complete the evening's entertainment. Entry is free.
Doors open at 6pm although the Martyrs are home that afternoon against Fleet Town in the FA Trophy too.
It was on 16th September 1987 that Penydarren Park hosted the current Serie A club Atalanta in the first leg with a packed ground witnessing a magnificent 2-1 victory for the semi-professional team from the Valleys.
Lyn Jones, the team manager who led Merthyr Tydfil to the Welsh Cup and then Europe, will be present in the Candac Suite on the 15th to reminisce on those heady days when the Martyrs were the finest team in Wales.
Both goalscorers on that amazing night; Ceri Williams and Kevin Rogers, will be there also to share their memories.
The big screen in the Candac will show highlights of the match, plus the 2nd leg played in Bergamo two weeks later, so everyone can once again watch the heroes of 1987.
There will be a guest book open for all supporters at the event to publish their personal memories of our European campaign.
Italian food, a quiz, race night and raffle will complete the evening's entertainment. Entry is free.
Doors open at 6pm although the Martyrs are home that afternoon against Fleet Town in the FA Trophy too.
Friday, 13 July 2012
Young film directors wanted!
Are you interested in film production and between the ages of 16-24?
MTFC have partnered with Merthyr Tydfil College to look for a group of 4-6 people to make up a volunteer led film committee.
The committee will learn to film, edit and produce footage for free with the help of Richard Davies and the Media Team at Merthyr Tydfil College. There will be various projects about the football club such as filming:
Matches
Adverts
Documentaries
Advertorials
Events
Interviews
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If you are between the age of 16-24 and are interested in becoming part of the film committee please contact Steve Lloyd, Business Development Manager before Friday 6th July on sjclloyd@hotmail.co.uk or 07912 748 210
MTFC have partnered with Merthyr Tydfil College to look for a group of 4-6 people to make up a volunteer led film committee.
The committee will learn to film, edit and produce footage for free with the help of Richard Davies and the Media Team at Merthyr Tydfil College. There will be various projects about the football club such as filming:
Matches
Adverts
Documentaries
Advertorials
Events
Interviews
Thursday, 12 July 2012
Ukraine visit to Merthyr
The visit has been arranged to celebrate the fact that Donetsk was founded by John Hughes who was born in Dowlais. The city was then called Hugheskova and a statue of John Hughes stands in the centre of the city to commemorate his acheivements in Ukraine.
The schoolchildren are all fans of Shakhtar Donetsk so let's hope we can arrange a friendly match in the not too distant future.
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Walking for the Academy
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Another Championship at Penydarren Park
Sunday, 29 April 2012
Tuesday, 3 January 2012
Merthyr Town FC launch Penydarren Park Pitch Fund
Merthyr Town FC has today confirm the setting up of a Penydarren Park Pitch Fund (PPPF) to help raise £5,000 to upgrade the current playing surface at our famous ground.
Penydarren Park was visited in November by inspectors from the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) as part of the Football Association of Wales's audit for possible international match venues.
The IOG team were very impressed with the work being undertaken by our Ron Walton but were happy to work with Ron to put together recommendations to improve and maintain the playing surface.
The levels across the pitch, particularly between the penalty boxes are poor and the pitch would benefit greatly from levelling to integrate these levels across the whole pitch.
The pitch is also becoming compacted around the goals and centre circle.
The topsoil should be de-compacted when ground conditions permit using a range of options including verti-draining and linear aeration.
The recommendations were costed at just over £5,000 therefore the club is seeking volunteers via the PPPF to set up events to raise new monies to achieve this goal.
The first event is on the evening Saturday 14th January when local band Future Sailors will be playing in the Candac Suite in support of the Penydarren Park Pitch Fund. Tickets are only £3.00 each and can be purchased from the Candac Suite or via Mark Evans on 07900671937.
Future events will include a children's sponsored bike ride around the Penydarren Park pitch, supporters cycling to our away match at Bristol Manor Farm on Easter Monday and David Powell sky-diving out of a plane in April.
Andrew Murphy will also run the Rotterdam marathon in April.
If you have any ideas for fundraisers please contact Merthyr Town FC.
Charity collection update
Merthyr Town FC would like to thank everyone who donated to the charity collection undertaken at Penydarren Park prior to match against Bristol Manor Farm yesterday. As a result of your kind donations we were able to forward £153.77 to the Llamau charity to continue their good work in our community.
Sunday, 1 January 2012
Christmas Charity Collection at Merthyr Town FC
The Trust at Merthyr Town FC undertakes a charity bucket collection every Christmas period (weather permitting of course) for a local charity, this season it has been decided to support Llamau.
Llamau is a homeless charity delivering services to socially excluded, homeless and potentially homeless young people and vulnerable women in South Wales.
The word Llamau means steps, progression or threshold in old Welsh and their ultimate aim is to support people who use their services in making such positive steps.
They are particularly well known for engaging with those at risk - particularly care leavers, young offenders, those as risk of offending, victims of domestic abuse and people who have chaotic and disadvantaged lifestyles.
Merthyr Town FC recently helped in publicising Llamau's project to renovate and create a cyber cafe at the famous Flooks jewellers shop which has stood empty on Pontmorlais Circus for a few years now. Llamau won £60,000 in their heat of the Jubilee People's Millions which was run on the HTV Wales Evening News programme. The charity needs more funds though to continue its great local work. The Bling Cafe @ Flooks will be run, in a similar vein to Merthyr Town FC, as a social enterprise but by homeless young people, providing them with work experience, knowledge, self-confidence and motivation to go on and lead successful independent lives. It will contribute to the regeneration of Merthyr town centre and in particular the Pontmorlais area where of course Penydarren Park is situated.
Trust volunteers will be looking for donations for this excellent local charity before, during and after todays' match against Bristol Manor Farm, please give generously and show your continued support for our community partners.
For further information on Llamau please note the following link - http://www.llamau.org.uk/
Llamau is a homeless charity delivering services to socially excluded, homeless and potentially homeless young people and vulnerable women in South Wales.
The word Llamau means steps, progression or threshold in old Welsh and their ultimate aim is to support people who use their services in making such positive steps.
They are particularly well known for engaging with those at risk - particularly care leavers, young offenders, those as risk of offending, victims of domestic abuse and people who have chaotic and disadvantaged lifestyles.
Merthyr Town FC recently helped in publicising Llamau's project to renovate and create a cyber cafe at the famous Flooks jewellers shop which has stood empty on Pontmorlais Circus for a few years now. Llamau won £60,000 in their heat of the Jubilee People's Millions which was run on the HTV Wales Evening News programme. The charity needs more funds though to continue its great local work. The Bling Cafe @ Flooks will be run, in a similar vein to Merthyr Town FC, as a social enterprise but by homeless young people, providing them with work experience, knowledge, self-confidence and motivation to go on and lead successful independent lives. It will contribute to the regeneration of Merthyr town centre and in particular the Pontmorlais area where of course Penydarren Park is situated.
Trust volunteers will be looking for donations for this excellent local charity before, during and after todays' match against Bristol Manor Farm, please give generously and show your continued support for our community partners.
For further information on Llamau please note the following link - http://www.llamau.org.uk/
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