Aberdare Athletic Football Club were a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club founded in 1893 and based in

Aberdare Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...

. They joined the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

in 1921 but were replaced by

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

after failing to be re-elected in 1927.

History

Founded in 1893, Aberdare were

Welsh Cup The FAW Welsh Cup ( cy, Cwpan Cymdeithas Pêl-droed Cymru), currently known as the JD Welsh Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out football competition contested annually by teams in the Welsh football league system. It is considered the most ...

runners-up, in

1903–04 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

1904–05 Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

and 1922–23. In 1920–21, they joined the Welsh Section of the Southern League and finished runners-up in their first season. That gained them entry to the

Football League Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

in time for 1921–22. Aberdare spent six seasons in the League, with their best season being 1921–22, when they finished 8th. In 1926, Aberdare merged with nearby Aberaman Athletic. The first team continued to compete in the Football League under the name Aberdare Athletic, while the reserve team played in the

Welsh League The Welsh League was the first club rugby league competition in Wales.Lush (1998), pg. 19 Its inaugural season was in 1908/09 when four additional teams were formed to join Ebbw Vale RLFC and Merthyr Tydfil RLFC, which allowed a league tournamen ...

under the name Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic. However, in the next season, 1926–27, Aberdare Athletic finished bottom of the Third Division South and failed to gain re-election to the League, with Torquay United taking their place. Aberdare's loss of their Football League place was controversial. In the first ballot, Aberdare and Southern League side Torquay, the latter having previously applied to join the League in 1923, tied with 21 each. That round of voting was marred by controversy as there was reported to be one spoilt ballot paper (for Aberdare?). Aberdare's secretary claimed that one of the scrutineers was "an interested party". Aberdare lost the second ballot with 19 votes to Torquay's 26; fellow League side Watford, who had finished second-bottom, were comfortably re-elected with 44 votes. The merged club fully renamed themselves as "Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic", and rejoined the Southern League. However, the merged club only survived for another year, and in 1928, the Aberaman faction split away to re-form Aberaman Athletic, while the Aberdare half folded. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, in 1945, Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic was re-formed, but that side also split into two, in 1947;

Aberdare Town F.C. Aberdare Town Football Club is a Welsh football club that currently play in the South Wales Alliance League Premier Division. Their ground is situated on Cardiff Road, Aberdare, between the suburb of Aberaman and the village of Abercwmboi. They ...

club continue to play in the Welsh Football League. The club had several different team colours during their existence. Their membership of the Football League coincided with that of a team from another Welsh town,

Merthyr Town Merthyr Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr) is a Welsh semi-professional association football, football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, currently playing in the , in the seventh tier of the English football league system. The ...

Managers

The following were managers around the time the team was Football League side: *

William Lot William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Eng ...

, June 1920 – March 1922 *

Frank Bradshaw Frank Bradshaw (31 May 1884 – mid-1962) was an English professional footballer and football club manager. A versatile player, he started his professional career as a forward with Sheffield Wednesday where he won the FA Cup in 1907. He later ...

, May 1923 – April 1924 *

Sydney Beaumont Sydney Beaumont (8 October 1884 – May 1939) was an English professional footballer and football manager, runner and cricketer. He played at both half back and left wing during his football career and won many trophies for middle-distance ru ...

, 1924–1927 *

Harry Hadley Harry Hadley (26 October 1877 – 22 October 1947) was an English professional football player and manager. He played once for the England national team. Playing career Hadley was born in Barrow-in-Furness. Having had little junior football e ...

, November 1927 – April 1928

History

Welsh Football League *Winners (4): 1904–05, 1908–09, 1911–12, 1920–21

League and Cup history

References

External links

* {{Football League clubs of Wales Former English Football League clubs Defunct football clubs in Wales Defunct English Football League clubs Southern Football League clubs Association football clubs established in 1893 Association football clubs disestablished in 1928 Welsh football clubs in English leagues 1893 establishments in Wales 1928 disestablishments in Wales Sport in Aberdare South Wales League clubs