by Phil Sweet
Most Merthyr football fans would know that a club bearing the name of Merthyr Town AFC was formed in the spring of 1908 and would go on to play in the Football League in the 1920s before failing to secure re-election in 1930 and ultimately folding four years later due to the impact of mass unemployment in the Borough.
However, my recent research has revealed that the Merthyr Town AFC which was formed in 1908 was not the first football team in the town to bear that name. Indeed, the first, and ultimately short-lived, club to bear that name was founded in 1903 and during the 1903-04 season would play in the Second Division of the South Wales League.
However, the rugby orientated Merthyr Express showed little interest in association football at that time and very few references to the club exist in its pages. What follows is an account of the short history of the first club to bear the name Merthyr Town AFC which I have managed to glean from a variety of local newspapers and the minute book of the South Wales Football Association.
Although still very much a rugby town in the early years of the 20th century association football was beginning to gain a foothold in the area. In the south of the Borough Treharris were widely regarded as being one of the pioneers of the game in South Wales while the neighbouring village of Merthyr Vale also boasted a football team. In addition, in the north of the town several teams over the years had emerged bearing the name ‘Dowlais’.
The central area of the town was very much a soccer vacuum until the decision was taken to form ‘Merthyr Town’ in 1903. However, no records survive as to where or why the club was founded. Indeed, the only information we do have is that the club’s first secretary was Mr. R. A. Davies of 126, High Street and that he was succeeded during the season by Mr. J. O. Morgan of 80, Thomas Street while the team played its home matches at Gwynne’s Field Cefn Coed.
The new club was accepted into the Second Division of the South Wales League. This division was initially comprised of 13 clubs and offered the prospect of attractive local derbies against the likes of Treharris Reserves, Merthyr Vale, Rhymney and Pontlottyn.
Things began quite promisingly for the new venture. In their opening match they secured a creditable 2-2 against Treharris Reserves and their next home match two weeks later saw them secure their first victory when visitors Cwmaman were defeated by 2 goals to nil. However, these two games would prove to be the high point of the season as the following fixtures resulted in a number of heavy defeats, a sequence which included a 6-0 hammering at Merthyr Vale in early November.
The club also entered the South Wales FA Junior Cup. However, their presence in the competition would be a fleeting one as they went down to Ynysybwl by a goal to nil in the opening round of the competition. Over the Festive Period the club hosted Brecon in a friendly fixture. However, the late arrival of the Brecon team meant that the final portion of the game was played in semi-darkness as the spoils were shared in 1-1 draw.
The transient nature of football at this time was aptly illustrated by the fortunes of the respective clubs in the South Wales League Second Division. During the course of the campaign Blaina, Tredegar and Nantymoel all dropped out of the league and in early March 1904 Merthyr Town followed in their footsteps. Not surprisingly no record exists as to why this decision but the fact remained – the first Merthyr Town AFC were no more.
PLAYING RECORD
SOUTH WALES LEAGUE DIVISION II
| TEAM | HOME | AWAY |
| ABERGAVENNY | W1-0 | D1-1 |
| BLAINA | W2-1 | XXXX |
| CWMAMAN | W2-0 | D1-1 |
| HAFOD | XXXX | XXXX |
| MARDY | W3-2 | L0-1 |
| MERTHYR VALE | L1-2 | L0-6 |
| PONTLOTTYN | XXXX | L0-1 |
| RHYMNEY | W2-0 | XXXX |
| TON PENTRE | XXXX | L1-3 |
| TREHARRIS RESERVES | D2-2 | L2-5 |
RESULTS AGAINST TEAMS WHO DROPPED OUT OF THE SOUTH WALES LEAUE DIVISION II
| TEAM | HOME | AWAY |
| TREDEGAR | XXXX | L0-1 |
| NANTYMOEL | XXXX | L0-3 |
SOUTH WALES JUNIOR CUP
| RD1 | YNYSYBWL | 1 | MERTHYR TOWN | 0 |
FRIENDLY FIXTURES
| PORTH SECONDS | 2 | MERTHYR TOWN | 1 | ||
| MERTHYR TOWN | 1 | MERTHYR DISTRICT | 2 | ||
| YNYSYBWL | 2 | MERTHYR TOWN | 1 | ||
| MERTHYR TOWN | 1 | BRECON | 1 |
SOUTH WALES LEAGUE DIVISION II
| TEAM | P | W | L | D | F | A | PTS |
| HAFOD | 13 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 46 | 15 | 22 |
| TON PENTRE | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 28 | 11 | 16 |
| PONTLOTTYN | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 9 | 15 |
| MERTHYR VALE | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 30 | 7 | 13 |
| ABERGAVENNY | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 24 | 19 | 8 |
| MERTHYR TOWN | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 14 | 30 | 8 |
| RHYMNEY | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 20 | 6 |
| TREHARRIS RESERVES | 7 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 15 | 21 | 5 |
| MARDY | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 27 | 4 |
| CWMAMAN | 12 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 55 | 1 |
AS AT FEBRUARY 27TH 1904