Merthyr Town: From near relegation to remarkable rise

Many will remember the Martyrs for producing one of Wales’ most famous results in Europe, defeating Italian top-flight side Atalanta 2-1 in the first leg of the 1987 European Cup Winners’ Cup first round thanks to goals from Kevin Rogers and Ceri Williams.

Merthyr would lose the second leg 2-0 in Italy, but that first leg etched the club’s name into Welsh football history.

Their late ’80s heyday would also see them rise as high as the Conference in 1989.

But relegations and financial difficulties proved too much for the club to handle in 2010 and was the catalyst for the club’s demise.

Club chairman Les Barlow recalls the difficulties of being a Merthyr supporter around that time.

“We ended up playing in Taff’s Well and ground-sharing with them. They’d taken the ground off us and we had to play in the Western League,” said Barlow.

“We eventually sorted out the finances and all the problems we had, and got over the hurdle. It was a tough time to be a supporter in those times.”

Merthyr were forced to show their resilience once more, and they did just that.

They returned to their Penydarren Park ground in 2011 after a year playing their home games out of Taff’s Well’s Rhiw’r Dda stadium.

It was a long road to recovery, and they are now finally reaping the rewards for their patience with the help of supporter and current chairman Barlow.

“In two seasons after starting again, we were back to where we were before reforming, and back at Penydarren Park, which was a huge bonus,” Barlow said.

“It’s the community that has really helped push us on, I remember 50-60 people coming down on the train to Taff’s Well to support the new team.

“The club has always been supported by the community. We are very grateful and that’s why we try involving them as much as possible within the club.”

One such fan, who documents all his match-day experiences on social media, is 22-year-old Joe Hopkins.

“When I was watching them as a kid, I never expected to see them playing in stadiums with world-class facilities like we have this season,” said Hopkins.

Although supporters like Hopkins will have relished their remarkable rise of late, just how far do they think the Martyrs can go?

“We were at the bottom end of the league in terms of budget, so I think it depends on how far people want us to go. I think the first thing is to continue getting the numbers through the gate every week before investment,” Hopkins said.

“If we could get someone to invest who is dedicated to the club, I think we could definitely take it up to the next level, up to the National League, and who knows after that?”