Maesteg Park Athletic F.C.
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Maesteg Park Athletic Football Club is 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 based in Maesteg, Wales. The club played in the Welsh Football League and the top flight
League of Wales The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 200 ...
before being dissolved. The club reformed in 2010 and now compete in
South Wales Alliance League The South Wales Alliance League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Highadmit Projects South Wales Alliance League''. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth ...
Division One, having won promotion from the
Bridgend & District League The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the eighth, ninth and tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area The radius of the league cove ...
via the South Wales Alliance League promotion play-offs in June 2019, and the Division Two title in the summer of 2020.


History

Formed in 1945, as Maesteg Park Athletic, they spent nearly twenty years in local league football prior to joining Division Two West of the Welsh Football League in 1962–63. Within six years the club gained promotion and in 1969–70 moved to their present home at Tudor Park. The ground was built adjacent to the clubhouse which pre-dates Tudor Park by some seven years. Following promotion in 1972–73, The Park spent two seasons in the top flight with moderate success, only to be relegated in 1975. They had plenty to celebrate in 1978–79 season when the Division One title was won along with the South Wales Senior Cup. The following season Maesteg were runners up to Newport County and reached the last eight of the Welsh Cup before bowing out to
Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...
. Floodlights were erected at Tudor Park in 1982 and
Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
played the inaugural match under them. Thereafter, Maesteg Park enjoyed an unbroken spell in the Abacus League's top flight having been elected as founder members of the restructured National Division in 1983–84. They finished third that season and continued to perform satisfactorily in the 1980s, without ever bettering that position. In 1989–90 Maesteg just managed to escape relegation, though they made up for this lapse by finishing fifth the following year. That was Phil Holmes' first year as the club manager and he saw his side triumph over
Barry Town Barry Town United Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl Droed Tref Y Barri) is a semi-professional association football team based in Barry, Wales. They are known for representing Wales in Europe as winners of the Cymru Premier and Welsh Cup during ...
in the final of the South Wales Senior Cup, Maesteg winning a two-legged final with a 6–3 aggregate score. Within another two years The Park had another achievement to be proud of when reaching the semi-final of the Welsh Cup in 1992. On their way to reaching the late stage of the competition, Maesteg Park beat Trelewis Welfare 8–0 and Llanwern 4–2 before winning 5–2 at Cwmbran Town. In the fourth round they were drawn to play
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 ...
side
Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'The ...
at Edgar Street, yet came away with a 2–1 victory. A 2–0 quarter final success over Aberystwyth Town was rewarded with a semi final tie against Cardiff City. Following a goalless draw at Ninian Park, Maesteg were ordered to return to Cardiff's home for the replay amidst much controversy. Police objections to the tie staged at Tudor Park left Maesteg Park with no choice but to comply. Despite holding the Football League side to 0–0 at half-time, strength and experience told in the end and Cardiff City ran out 4–0 winners. Maesteg Park enjoyed the distinction of being one of just fourteen Welsh Clubs accepted into the F.A. Cup and
F.A. Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The com ...
for each of the eleven seasons prior to the formation of The
League of Wales The Cymru Premier, known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons, is the national football league of Wales. It has both professional and semi-professional status clubs and is at the top of the Welsh football league system. Prior to 200 ...
in 1992. The team's initial season in The League of Wales saw the club finish in fifteenth position, gaining forty points from nine victories and thirteen draws. However, The Park finished last but one and only escaped relegation when Haverfordwest County had to resign from the League. Maesteg were forced to play their first seven games away from home in 1993, while ground and dressing room improvements were finished off at Tudor Park. They fared quite well during that period, but then won only three of their next 25 league games and a relegation battle was fought to the end. The 1994–95 season brought little other than disappointment as the club slid quietly out of the League of Wales with hardly a murmur. They were tailed off for most of the season and finished 22 points adrift of Mold Alexandra the other relegated club. One of the fifty players to feature in the first team that season Mark Jones, took over the managerial reins for the following term as the club returned to the Welsh League, and stayed as manager of the club for six seasons. Since then the Welsh League have witnessed Maesteg Park as a regular top half side. Twice in 1995–96 and 1999–2000, the club finished in third place and in 2000–01 they lost the Welsh League Championship on goal difference to
Ton Pentre Ton Pentre () is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of ...
as well as reaching the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup for the second time in nine years. With Andrew Rickard as Manager for the last two seasons The Park finished fourth and seventh respectively in the league. Dave Elliott subsequently took over the reins as Manager, but could not avoid the club resigning from the league at the end of the 2009–10 season. The club reformed in the 2010, and played in the
Bridgend & District League The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the eighth, ninth and tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area The radius of the league cove ...
. In 2013–14 they were champions of the Tier 9 First Division. After finishing in the top 4 for the next three seasons in the Premier Division, they were runners-up in the 2017–18 season. before being crowned champions at the end of the 2018–19 season/. In May 2020 they secured the
South Wales Alliance League The South Wales Alliance League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Highadmit Projects South Wales Alliance League''. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth ...
Division Two title, on points per game average after the season was curtailed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.


Honours


Maesteg Park

*
South Wales Alliance League The South Wales Alliance League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Highadmit Projects South Wales Alliance League''. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth ...
Division Two — Champions: 2019–20 *
South Wales Alliance League The South Wales Alliance League is a football league structure in South Wales, currently known for sponsorship reasons as ''The Highadmit Projects South Wales Alliance League''. The top tier of the league, the Premier Division is at the fourth ...
Promotion Play-Offs — Winners: 2018–19 *
Bridgend & District League The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the eighth, ninth and tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area The radius of the league cove ...
Premier League — Champions: 2018–19 *
Bridgend & District League The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the eighth, ninth and tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area The radius of the league cove ...
Premier League — Runners-Up: 2017–18 *
Bridgend & District League The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the eighth, ninth and tenth levels of the Welsh football league system. Area The radius of the league cove ...
First League — Champions: 2013–14 * South Wales Senior Cup – Winners: 1990–91


Maesteg Park Athletic

* Welsh Football League Premier League Division — Runners-Up: 1979–80 * Welsh Football League First Division — Champions: 1978–79 * Welsh Football League First Division — Runners-Up: 1972–73 * Welsh Football League First Division — Runners-Up: 2000-01 * Welsh Football League Second Division — Runners-Up: 1968–69 * South Wales Senior Cup – Winners: 1978–79


References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20110718025459/http://www.welshpremier.com/maesteg.ink


External links


Official Maesteg Park 2010 Twitter
{{Portal bar, Association football, Sports, Wales Association football clubs established in 1945 Maesteg Association football clubs disestablished in 2010 1945 establishments in Wales 2010 disestablishments in Wales 2010 establishments in Wales Association football clubs established in 2010 Cymru Premier clubs Welsh Football League clubs South Wales Alliance League clubs Bridgend & District League clubs Football clubs in Bridgend County Borough Football clubs in Wales