Merthyr Tydfil F.C.
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| Full name | Merthyr Tydfil Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | The Martyrs (formerly The Lilywhites) | ||
| Founded | 1945 | ||
| Ground | Penydarren Park Merthyr Tydfil Wales (Capacity: 10,000) |
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| Chairman |  Wyn Holloway |
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| Manager | Garry Shephard |
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| League | Southern League Premier Division | ||
| 2008-09 | Southern League Premier Division, 7th | ||
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Merthyr Tydfil Football Club is a Welsh football club, based at the Penydarren Park ground in Merthyr Tydfil. The team currently play in the Southern League Premier Division.
They are unrelated to the town's previous football club, Merthyr Town, who played in The Football League during the 1920s, but folded in 1934.
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[edit] History
In the 1945/6 season, Merthyr Tydfil were runners-up in the Welsh League, and joined the Southern League. The club were immensely successful in their first few seasons, winning the championship in 1948, 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1954. In the 1947/8 championship winning season, at home, Merthyr only dropped one point against Colchester United and only lost four games all season. However, despite their success, the club failed to be elected to the Football League. The 1950/1 season ended with Merthyr winning the Southern League, the Welsh Cup, the Southern League Cup and the Welsh Challenge Cup.
After bouncing between the various Southern League divisions during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the club finally won their sixth championship in 1989, making them joint Southern League title record-holders together with Southampton. This time, winning the championship meant promotion to the Football Conference, the fifth level of English football. The club did quite well, finishing ninth in their first two seasons, and then fourth. However, the club went into decline, and were relegated back to the Southern League in 1995, and have remained there since. They should have been relegated a season earlier, but were reprieved when Northern Premier League champions Marine failed to meet the stadium criteria for the league.
Being a Welsh club playing in an English League, Merthyr Tydfil were able to play in both the FA Cup, and the Welsh Cup until the Welsh FA stopped the Welsh clubs in the English pyramid from entering.
The club's best FA Cup performance has been to reach the 2nd round, which they managed in 1946/7 (losing 3-1 to Reading), 1954/5 (losing 7-1 to Bradford City), 1973/4 (losing 3-0 to Hendon), 1979/80 (losing 3-1 in a replay with Chesham United) and 1990/1 (losing 5-1 to Woking). The only time the club managed to actually beat a Football League club in the FA Cup was in the first round of the 1946/7 cup, when they beat Bristol Rovers 3-1.
The club were considerably more successful in the Welsh Cup, which they have won on three occasions; 1949 (beating Swansea City 2-0), 1951 (beating Cardiff City 3-2 in a replay) and 1987 (beating Newport County 1-0 in a replay). In addition, the club finished as runners-up in 1947 and 1952.
After winning the final in 1987, the club were allowed to enter the European Cup Winners' Cup. In the first round, they were drawn against the Italian club Atalanta. The club managed a win in the first leg at home, beating the Italians 2-1. However, the return leg was lost 2-0, and the club were out.
Currently, the club's biggest rivals are Gloucester City. The two clubs have played over 120 times in their history, making it the most played Anglo-Welsh derby in football. Their other main rivals are Newport County, who are currently in the league above, and Cardiff City.
[edit] 2007–08 Season
Season 2007–08 brought about many challenges, with the club battling to retain their Southern Football League Premier Division status, and a bitter feud between the Board of Directors and Supporters Trust.
In the FA Cup, The Martyrs progressed to the 4th Qualifying Round, where they met former Football League Cup winners Oxford United. A crowd of over 1,000 turned up as Merthyr lost narrowly 2-1 at Penydarren Park.
Towards the end of the season, Merthyr Tydfil FC launched their first official club website (by Football Media which has failed in its attempts at creating football club websites in the past) with which to market the club and communicate with fans.
The Martyrs finished 2007–08 in 13th place after flirting with relegation in the latter part of the Southern Football League Premier Division campaign. On the final day of the season league leaders Kings Lynn travelled to Penydarren Park and their 2-0 victory, watched by Merthyr's highest home league crowd of the season (912), confirmed the Norfolk side's promotion as champions.
[edit] 2008–09 Season
After a positive pre-season Merthyr began the new Southern League Premier Division campaign with a number of new signings, including Sam O'Sullivan, Scott Allison and Ashley Evans. Towards the end of August 2008 a new Official Supporters Club was formed.
The Southern League Premier Division season began with The Martyrs enduring three heavy defeats, before a turnaround in fortunes — which began with a 3-0 FA Cup reverse at lower-league opposition Poole Town — saw four consecutive victories over September and October, including a 1-0 win at league leaders Farnborough on Saturday 11th October 2008 — a match that was watched by a record Farnborough crowd of 1,148 (Cherrywood Road).
Membership of the newly-formed Official Supporters Club reached 80 on 15th October 2008.
The official website of Merthyr Tydfil FC, in its first full season of existence, moved to the new online non-league football community in October 2008 — Pitchero. Further significant internet activity happened at the beginning of December 2008 as a fundraising webpage was set-up with the target of raising £1,000 for Club activities — http://www.merthyrfootball.co.uk/1000.
The Martyrs were 4th in the table on 10th December, having gone on a fantastic eight-match winning run in the Southern League Premier Division. That run came to an end with a 3-3 home draw against Rugby Town, and the nine-game unbeaten period ended on Saturday 6th December with a 1-0 away defeat at Bedford Town, but Merthyr had exceeded many supporters expectations with their position in the table as a bitter winter set in and 2009 approached.
On 18th February 2009 the club announced that they were suffering from crippling debts, which resulted in the water supply being cut off at Penydarren Park, and the electricity was due to follow. Owner Wyn Holloway has put in more than £800,000 into the club over the last 10 years but has no more money to offer. Under-threat Merthyr Tydfil football club has been granted a temporary reprieve after raising £10,000 towards the money it owes.
Bailiffs were due over unpaid rates, but the club's electricity bill has now been paid. The club, which had a deadline to raise £50,000, said it had been inundated with messages of support including six fans who had donated £1,000 each. The club will now be able to play their next two matches. The Martyrs currently lie third in the British Gas Business League Premier Division and play promotion rivals Corby Town at home on Saturday and Evesham next Tuesday night. Support includes offers to help with future fund-raising from Wrexham FC. A Merthyr Tydfil FC statement said: "A great deal of work is underway to ensure the future of Merthyr Tydfil FC at the current level, and it is heartening to have received so much positive support." Cardiff City FC organised a charity match were all the proceeds went to the club. Other fundraisers include a Welsh legends v Cardiff City legends match and "rock out at the park". The fan support has become vocally better with many cries and chants calling for owner Wyn Holloway to sell up. It has been said Merthyr fans are the best in the league and have the best away following, it would be a shame for it all to go to waste.
[edit] Current squad
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[edit] Club records
- Record Attendance: 21,000 vs. Reading, FA Cup 2nd Round 1946
- Best league pyramid position: 4th in Football Conference, 1991/92
- Most goals scored in a League Season: 187 in the Welsh League, 1945/46
- Least goals conceded in a League Season: 32 in the Southern League Western Division, 2002/03
[edit] Notable former players/managers
- John Charles CBE (player-manager during the 1970s, formerly with Leeds United and Juventus and a member of the Welsh national team)
Bob Latchford (player, previously with Birmingham City, Everton and was also capped by the England national team)
Tommy Hutchison (player in the early 90's, previously with Burnley, Swansea City and many other teams)- Colin Addison (manager from 1996-8, previously managed Notts County, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Newport County, Celta Vigo and Atlético Madrid amongst others)
- Nathan Jones (player during the mid-nineties, now playing with Yeovil Town)
- Tom Ramasut (player during the 1998-1999 season)
- Leroy Rosenior (manager, previously managed Gloucester City)
- John Relish (manager during 2004/05 season)
- Tim Harris (manager during 2005-2006, previously managed Forest Green Rovers, Cinderford Town and Newport County)
[edit] External links
- [1] Save The Martyrs Campaign on Twitter
- One Thousand Pound Fundraising Website (official)
- Merthyr Tydfil FC — The Martyrs (official)
- Full Record of Merthyr Tydfil's League Positions
- Old Merthyr Tydfil: Penydarren Park — Historical Photographs of Merthyr Tydfil F.C. & Penydarren Park.
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