Taff Ely League
09 Nov 2007

Divison One Champions
1999/ 2000

League Cup Winners
1999 / 2000

Greyhound Cup Runners Up
2004 / 2005
2005 / 2006

AFC From The Beginning
22 Dec 2007

A.F.C. Abercynon`s decade long history reveals a complex tapestry of determination, ambition, disappointment & success. From the very earliest days when Paul Mansell, Carlton Jones, Dean Picton, Philip Morgan, David Rogers & Jeremy Jaynes formed the first committee, the ethos has always been geared to success. And while no one possesses a divine right to league & cup glory season in season out, Abercynon have certainly displayed enough ambition down the years to tick all the right boxes & at least match its player’s desire for long term success.

The first league campaign (97/98) yielded as many victories as it did defeats & saw the club reach the quarter finals of the Taff Ely Horniman cup. Former Cynon Celtic manger Paul Mansell had assembled a decent blend of youth & experience that went a long way in establishing threads that still run through the club today with Lee Thomas, Chris Beasley, Darren Tucker & David Pope each going on to make over 200 league & cup appearances for the club.
With a few of the older heads retiring & the arrival of future club legends Karl Evans & David Williams, the 1998/99 campaign dawned with a genuine sense of belief. But expectation levels dropped considerably even before a ball was kicked in anger with the controversial departure of manager Paul Mansell. With the usual round of pre- season friendlies about to commence, assistant manager Jeremy Jaynes stepped in to fill the breach on a temporary basis, but, as we will see, this would prove to be a somewhat more permanent appointment.

As the season opened out the side hit the ground running with some big winning margins in August & September. However, the exceptional form of championship rivals Hopkinstown & Castle Ivor meant that they filled both the automatic promotion spots when the dust had finally settled on a campaign that promised much but delivered little.
The millennium season began with new signing Mark Hinks finding his name on the score sheet & this trend was to continue almost unabated for the next six years. Indeed, the former Penrhiwceiber Con strikers’ arrival heralded a new confidence in the side as the quest for promotion continued. An opening day win against the Merlin at Dan Y Lan proved a great start & as the wins kept piling up, the self belief continued to flourish. And, having done the double over nearest rivals Cwm Welfare & Ynysybwl the championship was wrapped up in fine style as early as the 5th of February courtesy of a 2 – 14 away romp against Alumax F.C of Beddau.
With the club’s first silverware safely tucked away in the trophy cabinet manager Jeremy Jaynes turned his attention to the Taff Ely league cup. But the quarter final tie against Cwm Welfare ended in stinging defeat at Y Parc. However, having featured several unsigned players in their line up, the Beddau side were expelled from the competition & Abercynon reinstated. With A.F.C. Graig seen off 4 – 0 under the flood lights of Ynysangharrad Park in the semi final, Abercynon travelled to Treforest on a balmy April evening to meet the Merlin in a tight & highly contested final. And, after a shaky last quarter of an hour the “double” was secured courtesy of goals from Robbie Cummings, Mark Hinks & Jeff Jones as Chris Beasley lifted the trophy after the 3 – 2 win.
During the summer months local council boundary changes meant that the club was forced to leave the Taff Ely league structure & begin its tenure with the AVAFL. And the 2000/2001 season dawned with another opening day win, this time against Llwydcoed`s Corner House F.C. at the Ynys. This game saw future captain James Davies make his senior debut as a raw seventeen year old. Fellow club stalwarts Ian Holton & Neil Jeffreys also entered the fray for the first time in what would prove to be an incident packed season. Having won two trophies during the previous campaign sights were firmly set on securing even more silverware but having failed to take any points off the teams finishing first & second, Abercynon had to content themselves with promotion in third place behind runners up Cynon Celtic & league champions Hirwaun. A Gilbert Morgan cup semi final was also lost to Hirwaun at Y Parc to further illustrate the clubs frustration at this time. However, the Gilbert Morgan cup would prove a great ally to Abercynon in the not too distant future.
Before the 2001/2002 season began several key players like Chris Beasley, Mark Hinks & Jeff Jones departed the ranks as the club prepared for its first campaign at premier division level. And many harsh lessons were learned before the curtain was finally drawn on a term that was characterised by the eventual relegation but also highlighted by the fantastic team spirit & togetherness that galvanised a squad of players who fought tooth & nail to try & prevent the inevitable. Having taken points off most of the top sides the devastatingly poor start to the season always looked like betraying a plucky Abercynon side that were forced to endure the absence through injury of Darren Tucker, David Pope, Robbie Cummings & Andy Grahame when their presence would certainly have influenced the eventual outcome.
As with any relegated side, the initial impulse was to secure immediate promotion. And while Abercynon failed to do this at the end of the 2002/2003 season, they certainly re-established themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
The league campaign was reasonably successful but in the final analysis, the team was simply unable to match the form of champions Park Rovers & runners up Aberaman F.C. However, with Chris Beasley back at the club after a season with Gadlys Rovers & Mark Hinks also returning to the fold, there was good reason for optimism within the ranks. And salvation appeared in the shape of a cracking Gilbert Morgan cup run that saw the club once again on the trophy trail. Having cruised through the opening two rounds against Abercwmboi & Park Rovers, the semi final draw saw Cynon paired with Blaengwawr who arrived at Y Parc looking to avenge the 0 – 1 defeat inflicted on them earlier in the term. But on the day Abercynon ran riot with Mark Hinks picking up all plaudits but only one of the goals in a comprehensive 3 – 1 victory.
The final will certainly go down as one of the most tense & thrilling in recent AVAFL history & it certainly has to be emphasised that James Davis` match winning performance came right out of the top drawer to sink an Osbourne Athletic side who were 3 – 0 up with 29 minutes left on the clock. James` hat trick, couple with a cracking strike from Darren Tucker ensured that failure to win promotion was temporarily forgotten in the wake of an amazing cup final.
2003/2004 kicked off in emphatic style at Y Parc with Fernhill the sacrificial lambs in a 12 – 1 mauling that saw Nicholas Evans mark his Abercynon debut with a five goal salvo. However local rivals Abercynon Athletic brought the club back down to earth with 4 – 2 defeat only three days later. And a further loss before the end of the opening month of the term, this time to Carnetown, saw Evans & his Brother Nigel depart for a season at Tynte Rovers as the promotion wheels looked to have come off before the term had properly got under way. But a thirteen match winning sequence saw Cynon more than regain the initiative & launch a serious promotion drive.
The final league table reflected that Mark Lock’s Abercynon Athletic side were crowned division one champions with A.F.C. Abercynon tucked in behind in the runners sup slot. All in all the campaign had proved a success but by mid May there was still one plate left spinning; The Gilbert Morgan cup. As the holders, AFC were obviously keen to hang on to the trophy but their opponents & recently crowned league champions, Abercynon Athletic were certainly looking to add to the two league defeats they had inflicted on their local rivals during the term. But on the night everything swung in AFCs favour as the 5 – 1 score line suggests. Darren Tucker bagged a brace with Mark Hinks also finding his name among the scorers. However, these strikes were sandwiched between an opening goal from David Pope & a 20 yard screamer from James Davies that put the seal on the match & another fantastic season.
With the premier division once again beckoning, consolidation seemed to be the order of the day with Nicholas & Nigel Evans returning to the club & Simon Woodford arriving from Abercynon Athletic. And with Alex Rees, Scott Burke & Geraint Hill all coming through from the under 16`s set up, the squad was suitably strengthened for the trials ahead. Overall, the league form was very good & while Abercynon Athletic were crowned champions & Abernant Rovers finished runners up, the general feeling was that significant progress had been made & that finishing third in the table represented a decent enough return. An appearance in the Taff Ely Greyhound cup final also added to the overall campaign but the 4 – 1 loss to Caerphilly Athletic in Pontlotyn meant that Cynon finished the term without a trophy.
In retrospect the 2005/2006 season will certainly be regarded as the most significant & successful in the club’s ten year history. The premier division title was at last secured on the final day of the league season along with the Jack Jones champion of champion’s cup a week later against Carnetown at the Ynys Stadium. There was also another Greyhound cup final defeat to reflect on, this time a 1 – 0 loss at the hands of Graigwen F.C. And around this time teenager Alex Rees was capped by Wales Colleges against their Australian counterparts to fully emphasise why so many clubs at a higher level were gathering in the wings to spirit him away to loftier climes.
However, the highs were also been punctuated by dark moments that threw all the glory & success into sharp relief. The spectre David Pope’s horrific injury against Tynte Rovers at the Glasbrook still haunts many who were there that night & David Ryan, one of the most dedicated & committed individuals to have ever graced the club, lost his mother to a sudden illness around the turn of the year. Sometimes the sheer insignificance of the sport becomes stark against the back drop of such events but perhaps times of great personal difficulty can at least be made a little more bearable by the release provided by football.
Following up such a successful campaign was always going to be a tall order. And with the retirement of club stalwarts David Williams & Mark Hinks coupled with the loss of long term injury victims David Pope & Darren Tucker & the departure of player of the year Alex Rees to Welsh League side A.F.C. Llwydcoed; it was a relatively new & inexperienced side that kicked off the new term against Cwmbach at Y Parc. And the 2 – 2 draw on the day seemed to typify the season in general. The side never really built up any momentum as they term opened out & only a decent run in the Jubilee cup threatened to yield any silverware at all. However, a semi final defeat at the hands of Cwmaman at Canolfan left the club with nothing to play for with three matches remaining.
All in all the club can reflect on its first decade with a certain degree satisfaction. Two league titles & six cup final appearances clearly represent a decent return on a long term investment that has more than matched the seemingly naïve ambition of the first committee all those years ago. Even though Cynon would reap a bitter harvest in its tenth season, a mood of optimism still reigns over a club that clearly feels there are many more chapters still to be written in its history. Here’s to the next ten years. Bring them on.