Penydarren Park – Page 2 – The Melting Pot

Jimmy Edwards, Nancy Whiskey and an 11 year old Boy

by Brian Jones

The atmosphere in the red double-decker bus was a mixture of excitement and apprehension – the experienced pupils were pleased to renew old acquaintances, whilst the nervous first year boys and girls tended to quiet reflection. The bus, with the conductor keeping a watchful eye, meandered down Twyn hill, up the High Street to Pontmorlais, then skirted Merthyr General Hospital and finally reached its destination at Gwaelodygarth, near the top gates of Cyfarthfa Park. A mass of buses disgorged hundreds of Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School pupils, 120 of whom were about to begin the first day of a new adventure.

The ten minute walk through the park would be repeated innumerable times over the next seven happy and eventful years. Amongst the wave of children, some marched at a brisk pace, others moved slowly and deliberately, whilst a few set off on a hurried race ignoring the beauty of the park. Soon each of the four seasons would pass leaving each of their distinctive colours and smells lingering in the memory – the odour of wet leaves crushed underfoot in autumn, the snow and ice of winter, the showers of rain that heralded a new spring, and finally the shade of the trees providing some relief on the occasional hot days of summer.

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

The girls peeled away – on the path to the rear of the school while the boys from 11 to 18 years of age followed the gentle downward slope to the front of the school. Only the sixth form and teaching staff could enter through the quadrangle, while the Lower and Middle schools walked a little further through the yard and into the long school corridor.

In 1957 Jimmy Edwards (left) was the star of the B.B.C television comedy series “Whacko” which was shown on small black and white television sets with poor picture and sound reception. Jimmy’s trademark handlebar moustache, mortarboard and black academic gown marked him out as the incompetent schoolmaster, forever jousting with that errant pupil “Taplow”. Their fictitious school mirrored some of the features of “The Castle” – the academic dress of the staff; the occasional corporal punishment; the management of the pupils by the school prefects, all of who seemed like giants to that very small 11 year-old boy. The prefects would dish out lines for the slightest perceived misdemeanours saying “100 lines by tomorrow boy” then to rattle off at breakneck speed, “Deep harm to disobey seeing as obedience is a bond of rule”.

In other respects the school where Jimmy Edwards ruled the roost was very unlike “The Castle”. There all pupils were “posh” whereas at Cyfarthfa the school was a delicious mix of children of professionals, tradesmen and unskilled workers – the sons and daughter of teachers, · electricians and fitters, production operatives at Hoovers, I.C.I, B.S.A and Triang Toys. In the comedy series all of the children were English through and through, with appropriate English surnames. In my class there were Bernstein, Lozano, Jones, Walsh, Robertson, Olsen and Muller reflecting the local ethnic mix, as a result of immigration spread over the previous century.

A few months earlier the 120 new entrants to the school had passed the 11 Plus Examination whereas on that first morning of term they assembled in the old school hall, which would soon be converted into extra classrooms. The stern looking Headmaster, Mr W. Lloyd Williams M.A. (right) began the introductions and commenced the allocations to forms by asking, “All those who wish to study Welsh hold up your hands!” Then thirty or so pupils were placed into form 2A and the remainder allocated into three streamed forms of 2B, 2C and 2D.

Mr Bernard Jenkins (English) took charge of form 2B. A lover of golf he proved a humorous, if strict form master. Later that day we would meet our new teachers such as May Treharne (Latin); Mr J H Davies (French) a short man nicknamed “Twiddles”; Mr A G Harris (Geography) known as Gus who prior to World War II had married a former school P.E mistress, Miss Florence Price, and set up home near Penydarren Park; Maud Davies (Biology) who lived in Treharris and was a cousin of the Headmaster; the History teacher, Mr G L Williams nicknamed “Nero” and Mr Trevor Jones (English) who lived in Twynyrodyn and who joined the staff in 1952.

Mr Harvard Walters (Welsh) (left) had been at the school since 1936 and much later became the Deputy Headmaster. One of his tasks was to begin the long and frustrating attempt to teach the Welsh National Anthem and school song, the first 2 lines of which were:-

Ienctyd y Castell, Caer I Ddysg a Hedd,
Gloewn Ein Harfau I’r Gad Ddi-gledd.

Many a time he would despair at the “Wenglish” of most of the pupils moaning that they were “a lot of Dowlais Cockneys”.

At lunchtime we marched to the canteen sited in its own ground to the rear of the school where under the keen eyes of the prefects we were taught dining room etiquette. Each pupil was careful to walk slowly to each of the afternoon lessons with leather satchels becoming heavier as the day progressed. New friends were quickly made and by the end of that school day new groups ambled back to the buses, however most of the pupils soon had their school tie askew, and gold trimmed school cap set at an angle.

The journey home on the bus was light-hearted although the prefects still remained in firm control. The older boys whistled the catchy tune of the song “Freight Train” which had been recorded by the singer Nancy Whiskey, just at the end period of the Skiffle craze. The new boy alighted from the bus at Penuel Chapel on Twyn Hill, with his school satchel seeming to “weigh a ton”, however as each of the years passed it lost its shine and became as “light as a feather”.

I remember with affection Jimmy Edwards, Nancy Whiskey and that first day at “The Castle”.

Storming Iscoed House, Pontmorlais 1935

by Christine Trevett

It was a Monday afternoon – the afternoon of February 4^th 1935 to be exact, and it had been snowing heavily that day. The women arrived first at Iscoed House, Pontmorlais, which housed the area offices of the Unemployment Assistance Board. There, the plan went, an orderly deputation which would include the district secretary of the National Unemployed Workers Union (NUWM) would be speaking with officials. Perhaps as many as a thousand women were part of the protest outside. They had marched there with around double that number of men, coming from all directions to reach Pontmorlais in a United Front demonstration during the Means Test protests of that year. Such things were happening all over South Wales and elsewhere.

The Unemployment Assistance Board

That had been set up by the government in the previous year (1934). It administered means-tested assistance to those who had no contributions-based unemployment benefit. In the Depression of the 1930s the Merthyr region was very hard-hit economically and many people were affected by Means Test decisions, a Test which at this time was creating even further hardship. Opposition to it was widespread, with the criticism coming from not just the working classes and the unemployed, so that the government was getting jittery. From 1931-June 1935 it was a National Government (a coalition) under the leadership of Labour’s Ramsay MacDonald and with Conservatives, Liberals and others in it.

Protests in Merthyr Tydfil region

Not quite two weeks previously, in January 1935, there had been another United Front demonstration. That Front was a sign of temporary Labour Party/Communist collaboration where The Means Test was concerned and that January demonstration had brought perhaps ten thousand people to Penydarren Park. They had marched there in organised processions from all parts of the Borough. Many women were in the throng, and carrying infants.

The crowd had been addressed by Wal Hannington, one of two organisers of the National Unemployed Workers Union (NUWM). Not a local person, he had also been the Communist candidate in Merthyr’s bye-election in the previous year. The crowd was addressed also by John Dennithorne, Warden of Dowlais Educational Settlement (the seat of all kinds of social and educational work) and by ILP (Independent Labour Party) leaders.

A deputation was agreed (it included two local ministers of religion) to interview officials at Iscoed House. They would present grievances and protest the unemployment assistance legislation. On that day the deputation had been told that its concerns would be passed on. The Western Mail of 23^rd January 1935 (p. 10) had reported that the gathering ‘dispersed in good order’.That had been then. But come February 4^that Iscoed House, matters would change from being orderly.

On February 4^thtraffic was brought to a standstill on Brecon Road as the demonstration took its course and from all quarters marchers were heading for Pontmorlais. The protest was being overseen by a contingent of police not large enough to be effective if trouble broke out on a large scale, given the numbers in the demonstration, but then the organisers of this United Front demonstration did not seem to be expecting trouble.

The actual march and deputation had been organised by the NUWM and by invitation it was also being led by the London-born Warden of Dowlais Educational Settlement, the same John Dennithorne (mentioned earlier). Dennithorne, who had served in World War I, was a Quaker and a pacifist.

Accounts of what happened

There are some first-hand accounts of the events of Fabruary 4^th, including one from John Dennithorne and another from Griff Jones, a local NUWM member who had been with those ‘starting off from Pengarnddu with banners’(an interview with him is kept in the South Wales Miners’ Library collection in Swansea university). Also there is a fictionalised account by the Clydach Vale born novelist and NUWM member Lewis Jones in We Live – his novel about those times.

The deputation was doing its work inside the building and thousands were gathered outside. UAB clerks on an upper floor had been ‘making faces’ at the crowd (Griff Jones recalled). They soon stopped, as the slim cordon of police was clambered over by a determined group –‘a mob of men who were prepared for anything’ as John Dennithorne called them.

With no previous sign of their intention they had made ‘a sudden rush’, so The Western Mail recorded. Stones were hurled through the office windows, shattering glass over the clerks; the gate of Iscoed House gave way; Dennithorne expected to be arrested. Inside the building he clambered onto a windowsill to be heard but ‘a howling mob’, now inside, shouted down his appeals against violence. ‘Old bug whiskers’ (a jibe at the bearded Warden, who was 39 years old) was told to ‘get down!’ as furnishings and fittings were being broken up and records angrily plundered for burning. Blood was spattering through the air, John Dennithorne recalled. Only a couple of well known South Wales Communists were suffered to speak.

It was the police which persuaded the violently protesting minority to disperse and to leave the grounds of Iscoed House. Hundreds of thousands of protestors had been on the nation’s streets that day. Given the strength of feeling nationally against the government’s stance there was some rethinking of the legislation. The Western Mail was already recording on February 5^th that ‘To-day Mr. Oliver Stanley (Minister of Labour) will probably announce changes in the regulations to meet the special grievances raised. New instructions have already been sent to area officers’.

There is more about this and those times in:

Lewis Jones, We Live (Parthian Books 2015)
Daryl Leeworthy, Labour Country: political radicalism and social democracy in South Wales 1831-1985 (Parthian, 2018).
Christine Trevett Dowlais Educational Settlement and the Quaker John Dennithorne (Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society, 2022)
Stephanie Ward, Unemployment and the State in Britain: the Means Test and Protest in 1930s South Wales and north-east England (Manchester University Press, 2013)

Memories of Old Merthyr

We continue our serialisation of the memories of Merthyr in the 1830’s by an un-named correspondent to the Merthyr Express, courtesy of Michael Donovan.

Taliesin Williams by Joseph Edwards. ©Photo courtesy of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales

The Rev J Carroll, the Catholic priest, resided on the Glebeland. He used to write a political letter to the Silurian weekly. Taliesin Williams’ residence was in Castle Street, but the schoolroom entrance for pupils was in Castle Field Lane. He had the most prominent school and the reputation for being somewhat too strict. My recollection of him, however, is quite clear, that he did not punish severely without great provocation. I can acknowledge that he gave me a slap once, and once only, but that it was also fully deserved must also be acknowledged.

As far as can now be recalled not one of his pupils can be named as alive now, except the writer. The late Mr Thomas Jenkins, of Pant, was supposed to be the last – but I am still left. The last of the family of that generation, Miss Elizabeth Williams, died about a year ago in the vicinity of London.

A Mr Shaw also had a school on the other side of the same lane. His son was an artist. John Thomas (Ieuan Ddu) can also be hazily recalled as keeping a school, but more vividly as a bass singer.

Mr John Millar, who, in conjunction with his brother Robert, carried on the brewery at Pontycapel, kept the Wheat Sheaf for many years, and afterwards moved to the Lamb. There was also a weaver, of the name of Wilkins, about the Glebeland, one of whose daughters married Mr W E Jones, the artist. The other daughter married and emigrated. The Merthyr Library and Reading Room started in the house at the corner of Castle Street and Glebeland.

Upon coming up to the Brecon Road from Caepantywyll, if we had gone on to Gwaelodygarth it would have led us past the entrance to the “Cottage” and Penydarren farm yard, past which the road leads to Penybryn and Pant, but keeping around by the Penydarren Park wall we came to the road to Dowlais close to the Penydarren turpike gate.

Mr Richard Forman, when manager of the Penydarren Works, resided at the “Cottage”. Mr William Davies, of the firm of Meyrick and Davies, lived there subsequently, and then Mr John Daniel Thomas, many years the high bailiff of the Merthyr County Court. Mr Grenfell, when the manager of Penydarren, resided at Gwaunfarren. Mr Benjamin Martin followed him (moving from the yard there) when becoming manager. Prior to this I always heard it called the Dairy. Occasionally one of the partners remained a short time at Penydarren House, but the gardener (named Price) used to sell the produce raised there.

Gwaelodygarth Fach a.k.a. “The Cottage”. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

It was at Penydarren Ironworks that the first iron rails were rolled. They were known as the “fish-bellied” pattern. Tredgold, the authority upon the strength of iron, had a piece of iron supplied him with “Penydarren” upon it, by a firm of merchants in London, to whom he applied for a specimen of Welsh iron for experimental purposes. This fact is recorded in his treatise on the strength of iron.

To be continued at a later date…..

The 1901 National Eisteddfod in Merthyr

by Laura Bray

It was Tuesday 6 August 1901 – 120 years ago today. The weather was undecided, threatening rain but holding off. The town was looking festive, with banners and streamers hung across the High Street, coloured lights put up around the Castle Hotel door, hotels gaily festooned with paper flowers and even houses decorated to catch the eye. The train station was busy all day, carrying people to Merthyr from all over, and 18,000 people made their way to the magnificent Pavilion in Penydarren Park, for the opening of the 1901 Eisteddfod.

The planning for the Eisteddfod had begun in February 1899 when a sub-committee of the Cymmrodorion Society, who were meeting in a care-takers room in the Town Hall, were discussing the Dewi Sant banquet and it was suggested that the National Eisteddfod might be invited to Merthyr in 1901 or 1903. The idea caught on, was discussed by “The Great and the Good” of Merthyr society and by 14 June 1899 it had been unanimously agreed that an application would be made to the Gorsedd Committee for either 1901 or 1903. The invitation for the Eisteddfod to come to Merthyr was accepted for 1901 and fundraising commenced apace. Some members of the committee had been part of the 1881 Eisteddfod, the last time it had come to the town, others were new and all came to together to decide that the Penydarren Park site, used in 1881, would again be ideal for the 1901 event.

The Penydarren Park site was, in 1901 as in 1881, a large open field with plenty of room for the Pavilion and space for the crowds outside the barriers so that the streets did not become too busy at the entrances. A refreshment tent was set up, a fruit stall and adjacent to that, a Post Office. Everyone wanted to come and by the time the Eisteddfod opened before midday it was packed, and by the afternoon, there was standing room only. The band played and the mornings proceedings were chaired by the Lord Tredegar, and conducted by “Gurnos” (Gurnos Jones) and “Mabon” (Abraham Williams).

The event spanned the week and was a great success. On the final Saturday, the sun shone and the Archdruid conferred Druidic degrees on the Rev Dr Rowlands, America; the Rev David Owen, Llanfair Muallt; Miss Annie Rees M.D., New York; Miss S.M Lewis, Dr. Hughes, Dowlais and others. The next Eisteddfod, to be held in Bangor, was also proclaimed. Merthyr did itself proud with prizes – Miss Edith Matthews won £2 for the best paper on counterpoint and harmony in four parts; Tom Price won £3/3- for the best oboe solo; Harry Llewellyn won £3 for the cornet solo, and came second in the bass solo; The Merthyr Orchestral Society won the prize of £40. In the Arts and industries section, Zechariah Watkins from Dowlais won the prize for a set of six panels imitating marbles; J Westacott from Merthyr won the best painted and varnished door and David Thomas in Merthyr the prize for one white shawl.

“Dyfed” (Evan Rees from Aberdare ) was chaired as Bard, having already won five National Chairs, including that of the Chicago Eisteddfod. The Crown went to John Jenkins of Gwili

What was interesting about the Eisteddfod was the huge coverage it received from the Press – way beyond anything you would get today – and the distances people travelled to attend. Hotels in Merthyr were booked up well in advance and there are reports of visitors from as far afield as America. Ticket sales alone brought in £3343 10s 9d and subscriptions another £1100. The cost to the town of hosting it was calculated at £4200, which meant that there was a surplus of £843 10s 9d – around £106,000 in today’s money – no mean achievement. This was the last time the National Eisteddfod came to Merthyr (although the Urdd Eisteddfod came in 1987). Perhaps we are due another visit!

David “Dai” Davies, Goalkeeper

by Brian Jones

David “Dai” Davies, Goalkeeper, was born in Glanaman, spoke Welsh, capped 52 times for Wales and passed away on 10 February 2021 at the age of 72 years. It is a little known that he made one appearance for the Merthyr Welsh League team before starting his illustrious footballing career. Now read on….

In the summer of 1968 football was then a mix of amateur and professional players. Pre-season training for Southern and Welsh League players was held at the Hoovers sports ground under the leadership of Cyril Beech whilst the club manager was Ken Tucker. Dai had just qualified as a P.E. teacher from Cardiff College of Education and he attended pre-season training in the company of Ron Jones (Treharris). Ron went on to gain fame as a BBC T.V. and Radio 5 live sports commentator.

Dai played one game for the Welsh League team for Merthyr as an amateur, in a pre-season friendly against the Swans at the Vetch. Merthyr lost heavily but Dai put on an immense display and his talent was so obvious that the Swans signed him up as a professional. He played just a few games before he transferred to Everton for £40,000 making 82 appearances for that club. He later played for Wrexham, Tranmere Rovers and had further spells at Swansea. He gained his first cap for Wales in 1975 against Hungary and his last appearance for Wales came against France in 1982.

Dai made frequent visits to Penydarren Park, now the Met Coaches Stadium, after his retirement combining his S4C Sports commentating before moving to North Wales where he established a natural healing centre in Llangollen.

Merthyr Tydfil vs. Atalanta: The story of an unforgettable upset – part 3

by Richard Hinman

Merthyr’s preparations for the game in Bergamo were dealt a cruel blow just before kick-off. Former England international Bob Latchford had missed the first leg with a groin strain but was expected to make the return match. Yet he failed a late pre-game fitness test and watched the game from the stands, after playing such a crucial role in the Welsh Cup triumph. He was joined by a notable travelling Welsh contingent.

“It sounded as though half the people in Merthyr had travelled to Italy for the second leg,” Beattie proudly boasted. A once in a lifetime trip was made by Merthyr fans who could never have dreamt of such an away game. Journalists as well made the journey to northern Italy hoping to report on the biggest cup upset in Welsh club football history.

They were greeted by an intimidating atmosphere. The Atalanta fans turned up in huge numbers as flares and banners welcomed the players onto the pitch, in an environment the Merthyr players had and would never again play in.

For Mondonico, the pressure was on. Following the shock defeat in Wales, his job had come under scrutiny and nothing but a win would save him. Fortunately for him, his players delivered.

In a role reversal of the first game, it was Atalanta who imposed themselves on the match. Merthyr struggled to live with the quality of their opponents who looked at ease in familiar surroundings. Just 18 minutes in and Atalanta made the breakthrough thanks to goal machine Garlini. Before half-time, the Italians gained a firm grip on the tie as Aldo Cantarutti made it 2-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate.

Merthyr came out for the second half with typical fighting spirit, but they lacked the quality to create any real chances as Atalanta saw the match out. The European adventure was over for the Welsh minnows.

There was an air of relief around the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia as Atalanta had squeezed through while the Merthyr players were devastated. Yet, just as in the first leg, Merthyr’s fans gave their side a warm and vocal send-off knowing they had given their all. After the game, players and fans alike went to a pub near the stadium to celebrate their remarkable European journey.

“It took us 10 games to win the Welsh Cup and then we ran a great team incredibly close. We won the first leg and I believe we should have won the tie over the two legs,” Jones insisted in the aftermath.

Despite the unconvincing nature of the victory, Mondonico kept his job and used the result as a stepping stone. La Dea went on to reach the semi-finals, beating Sporting Lisbon along the way before losing to shock winners KV Mechelen from Belgium. It remains to this day the best European run by a second-tier outfit and the best in the club’s history.

A fourth-place finish in Serie B sealed promotion with Garlini’s 17 goals proving crucial. The club and Mondonico built on the success and with the signing of Argentine World Cup star Claudio Caniggia and Atalanta made consecutive appearances in the UEFA Cup in 1989-1990 and in 1990-91, where they reached the quarter-finals. Fittingly, in both of those years the final was an all-Italian affair.

Likewise, Merthyr went from strength to strength following the remarkable European tie. In their first game back in domestic competition after their exploits aboard, Williams’ six goals helped them thrash Rushden 11-0. Promotion to the Conference was secured in the same season with a 3-1 win over Crawley in front of over 3,000 home supporters, sealing Jones’ place as the club’s best manager of all time.

Within four years, the Welsh side had established themselves as a force at their new level, finishing as high as fourth in 1992. Yet history repeated itself. Just as Merthyr looked destined to enter the Football League, the club struggled to take the next step. Relegated in 1995, the Glamorgan side never recovered.

The turn of the century saw Merthyr struggle off the field and tread water on it. A televised FA Cup game against Walsall in 2005 was supposed to ensure the club’s future but it only delayed the inevitable. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs grew tired of unpaid debts and in the summer of 2010, Merthyr Tydfil FC was liquidated. A famous club was lost. Ironically, at the same time Atalanta were relegated to Serie B.

Yet just like after they met back in 1987, both teams have seen an upturn in their fortunes. The Italian side made an instant return to Serie A under Stefano Colantuono and have stayed ever since. They are currently enjoying one of their best ever starts to a top-flight campaign and with the continuing success of their famed academy, the future looks bright in Bergamo.

The same can be said for Merthyr. Straight after the high court decision which saw the end of Merthyr Tydfil FC, a supporters group, Martyrs to the cause, resurrected the club. They emerged as Merthyr Town in reference to the original name of the town’s football club. Plying their trade in the lower leagues of Welsh football, the football-crazy town once again has a club to be proud of and are even back at Penydarren Park after life 20 miles away in Taffs Well.

Even with a different name, Merthyr’s footballing history is still at the centre of the club and the town itself, and one match in particular stands out.

“It was the best game of my life … I still watch the highlights on YouTube,” goalscoring hero Ceri Williams admits. Williams works in the tarmac trade but his name is written into Merthyr’s footballing history. His and the other ‘Martyrs of ‘87’s’ famous win over Atalanta will never be forgotten in the small town in rural Wales which shocked European football.

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

Merthyr Tydfil vs. Atalanta: The story of an unforgettable upset – part 2

by Richard Hinman

Jones had ended Merthyr’s long wait for a Welsh Cup in the competition’s centenary edition. He had also guided the club to Europe for the first time. The town and the area were gripped by Euro fever — fans dreamt of watching their team face giants of the European game like Ajax, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille, who were also in the Cup Winners’ Cup. As a reward for their domestic cup triumph, Merthyr were drawn against Atalanta from the mighty Serie A.

At this time, Serie A was on the verge of becoming the best league in football. Arrigo Sacchi had just joined AC Milan, while Diego Maradona was delighting fans at the San Paolo following his move from Barcelona. Atalanta were considered one of the best teams in Italy, under president Cesare Bortolotti and manager Nedo Sonetti, who guided the club from Serie B to a ninth-place finish in the top flight within the space of three seasons.

Yet while the 1986-87 season was historic for Merthyr, it was dreadful for the Bergamo outfit. Despite being led by iconic captain and Swedish international Glenn Strömberg, Atalanta struggled and were relegated on the final day of the season having collected just 21 points from 30 games. Sonetti was sacked but not before guiding the club to a Coppa Italia final, the only shining light of a terrible campaign.

In the final, a Napoli side inspired by Maradona made light work of Sonetti’s men, beating them 4-0 over two legs. With the Partenopei claiming a historic league and cup double, Atalanta were given the consolation of a place in the Cup Winners’ Cup as they began life back in Serie B.

People in Merthyr Tydfil did not care about the struggles of their first European opponents. They had been handed a glorious tie and even with Atalanta falling to the second tier, the Welsh side from the seventh level of British football still claimed the mantle of huge underdogs. The tie also drew memories of Merthyr’s most famous player.

John Charles, who had made his name as a star at Juventus, ended his career as player-manager of the Glamorgan side. Joining in 1972, he was given the almost impossible task of the turning the club’s fortunes around at a time when the club couldn’t even afford to turn the floodlights on for its evening training sessions. Despite loving his time at Penydarren Park, Charles oversaw his first and only relegation in his career.

Memories of the ‘Gentle Giant’ were not the only reasons why the fixture took on extra significance for the Merthyr fans. Following the tragic events at Heysel, English clubs were banned from Europe, meaning the Glamorgan side were the only representative in European football from either Wales or England for the 1987-88 campaign. There was a feeling that the Martyrs faithful had to rebuild the reputation of British fans abroad. They did not disappoint.

As soon as the draw was made, the town became a sea of Italian flags. Tickets were like gold dust as the club prepared itself for the biggest night in its history. Chairman Reddy invested heavily (£150,000, to be precise) to make sure the stadium was ready. Everything seemed right and fittingly on the night before the match, Welsh hero Ian Rush rang up the manager Lyn Jones to wish the side all the best. They’d need it.

The Merthyr fans made the usual trip to Penydarren Park more in hope than expectation. New Atalanta coach Emiliano Mondonico brought his side to Wales on the back of a bright start to the Serie B campaign with forward Oliviero Garlini in particularly good form. What the Welsh fans saw was the game of a lifetime.

“There were as many people as you could squeeze into the stadium. The atmosphere was magical, absolutely electric,” Merthyr captain Andrew Beattie declared. The match was sell-out with an official attendance 8,000 but reports suggested as many as 14,000 fans were crammed in. Just before the game kicked off an Italian journalist was so confident he proclaimed: “If it isn’t 5-1 by half-time it would be a farce.”

Merthyr started the game at a hell of tempo. As the home faithful roared on every touch the non-league side made, Atalanta’s players looked shell-shocked. As the pressure mounted, the Italian visitors buckled. Kevin Rodgers, who would go on to play for both Aston Villa and Birmingham, drilled home a well-worked set piece move to open the scoring on 34 minutes. Penydarren Park was bouncing.

However, just before half-time and against the run of play, Merthyr conceded. Domenico Progna, Atalanta’s record appearance holder in European competitions, steered the ball home from close range after a stunning move. As the players headed into the dressing rooms, the Merthyr players were cheered off the pitch by a vocal home support.

Despite levelling the game, Atalanta failed to take control after the restart. “The pitch was not in the best of conditions, which probably helped us,” Beattie later admitted but even so, the Welsh minnows out-thought and out-battled their illustrious opponents. As the match entered the final stages it looked as if Atalanta would escape with a draw and an important away goal. But Merthyr were not to be denied.

Ceri Williams was one of Lyn Jones’ first signings at the club and turned out to be his best. After impressing at Cardiff-based side Blaenrhondda, he joined Merthyr in 1985 on a deal which saw him paid £10 and two pints a game, while he worked during the day in the tarmac trade. With just three minutes to go against Atalanta, he found space in the box following a corner and rifled home from close range, albeit thanks to a heavy deflection.

Penydarren Park erupted for the second time and Atalanta had no time to recover. As the final whistle blew, the celebrations commenced. While the home players went on a lap of honour, Atalanta’s stars left the pitch with their heads down. On 16 September 1987, 11 players and their manger earned themselves immortality.

“We became instant heroes and partied all night, into the morning,” Beattie recollected. Merthyr were the talk of British football. Following his winning goal, Williams topped the bill on ITV’s famous football programme Saint and Greavsie, hosted by Ian St John and Jimmy Greaves. While his players partied and lapped up the attention, Lyn Jones already had his focus on the return leg in Italy.

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

Merthyr Tydfil vs. Atalanta: The story of an unforgettable upset – part 1

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

Memories of Old Merthyr

We continue our serialisation of the memories of Merthyr in the 1830’s by an un-named correspondent to the Merthyr Express, courtesy of Michael Donovan.

We must, however, return to the Canton Tea Shop opposite Castle Street, and keep up that side of the road. There were but few shops on that side, the majority being cottages. There was no opening through to the tram road, but courts of some kind existed. The large chapel (Pontmorlais Chapel) was building or about being finished, and next above was a coal yard of the Dowlais Company, chiefly for the supply of coal to their own workmen. Mr John Roberts had charge there, I should say, perhaps, that the coal was brought down by the old tramroad, and there was a short branch into the yard from it.

Some ten or a dozen cottages intervened between the cottage of the coal yard and the one that projected towards the road. This had a few poplar trees around it, and was years after, I cannot say how long previously, occupied by Mr Morgan, a stone and monumental mason, now in business on Brecon Road.

Morgan’s Stonemason’s in Pontmorlais. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

On the upper side of this was an opening to the tramroad, which was not above 80 or 100 feet from the High Street, and then a painter and glazier’s shop kept by Mr Lewis, who afterwards removed a short distance into the Brecon Road, and the shop became that of a saddler (Powell by name). Adjoining this was the Morlais Castle Inn, of which Mr & Mrs Gay were the host and hostess. Mr E. R. Gay, the dentist, of High Street, is the youngest, and it is thought, the only survivor of the family, which consisted of three boys and two girls.

A narrow shop intervened and the turnpike gate was reached. Only a few yards beyond a cast iron bridge spanned the Morlais Brook. On the left a person named Miles lived. His son, Dr Miles, increased its size and subsequently practised there.

One road now leads off to Dowlais, and the other towards Brecon Road, or as it was generally called, the Grawen, but immediately in front is a wall 10 or 12 feet high there, but as the road on either side ascends is tapered down on both sides. The old Tramroad from the Dowlais and Penydarren Works to their wharves on the Canal side near Pontstorehouse ran over this embankment, and a cottage nestling in the trees there was occupied by Mr Rees Jones. No other residence of this kind existed on the Penydarren Park except the house itself and its three lodges. At one time there were some steps leading up to the Park near the turning and junction of roads, one going to the Grawen and the other going to Pontstorehouse, but that gap was built up, and the only public entrance then became that close to the Lodge in Brecon Road by the pond.

The old steps leading to Penydarren Park (now the site of the Y.M.C.A. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

To be continued at a later date……

Bank Holiday Fun

The article transcribed below appeared in the Western Mail 140 years ago today (5 August 1879):-

Monday was observed as a holiday, and all business establishments were closed, the majority of the population apparently turning out pleasure seeking. The camp at Forest Mountain, Ynysowen, took away a very large number of the inhabitants, and several school picnics into the country were organised.

Nothing in the way of amusement was got up in Merthyr, but the employed on the permanent way of the Taff Vale Railway had their annual outing, and, with their wives, sweethearts, etc, to the number of about 1,500, were conveyed to Merthyr in a train of 24 carriages, which the company had, as usual, kindly placed at their disposal. The excursionists were accompanied by Mr. J. Hurman and Mr. T. H. Riches. Arrived at Merthyr, the large party marched in an orderly manner through the High Street of the town to Penydarren Park, on which delightful spot athletics sports, etc., were indulged in. On the present occasion, the committee by whom the arrangements were made dined together at the Court Arms, kept by Mrs. Brown, by whom and Mr. J. P. Jones the refreshments were served in the park.

About half-past seven in the evening the excursionists returned by their special train to Cardiff, having thoroughly enjoyed themselves.