Dial M for Merthyr

When you're sitting on a bench overlooking Mountain Hare football pitch staring at your watch because your lift to Salisbury is 45 minutes late and it's already half past twelve, you begin to question your own sanity. This is what mobile phones were made for, a couple of phone calls later it transpires that our driver was stuck in McDonalds at Dowlais Top, our navigator was waiting at Blaen Dowlais, the catering manager was walking up Twyn Hill and I was on this bench. Was it worth setting out ? Salisbury's not far from Southampton, the car arrives at 12.40 and off we set, no stops, all for a football match. Bath really could do with a bypass road, lovely scenery there to be fair but slow progress for us, then we hit the miles and miles of speed cameras, it must be a dangerous road that A36, anyway with our trusty programme directions in hand we arrive at Salisbury's ground with five minutes to spare. No time for booze, it could be a long afternoon. I'd never been

The scene was set, Forest Green had beaten Salisbury with three late goals....We could only manage a draw at Dorchester....Rovers held a two point lead, and on 13.04.98 we just had to win! A large crowd gathered at Penydarren Park.. Tension was all around, and the crowd eagerly awaited the kick-off. Both teams took the field to a rapturous applause. Game on! With just over a minute gone, euphoria erupts in the ground....A corner to the Martyrs....Chapple floats in a dangerous cross....From amongst the confusion, Nobby rises above the crowd and powers an unstoppable header into the back of Rovers net....1-0. The perfect start. Rovers, obviously rattled, try to get the equaliser. The longer the half goes, the stronger they get. However, we hold. firm, and keep our 1-0 interval lead. Now it was up to Addo' to steady the ship. The second half was to prove to be a little bit special. After 66 minutes, Nobby was dismissed for a second yellow....We were down to ten men! Enter Evo'

It's time for teams, dreams and schemes. This fanzine wasn't planned at all but after the great performances at Worcester and home against Forest Green, the Dial M For Merthyr crew had to put together another issue for the cognoscenti amongst you on the Penydarren Park terraces. It's been a long haul from Nuneaton Borough to Ashford Town but along the way the Martyrs faithful have put in the mileage to come through hopefully as champions. The Merthyr juggernaut is speeding down the promotion highway with the Conference on the horizon but only for Peter Hunter to intervene, can he be serious ? The only team in Wales with the support to carry a Conference team denied access to the promised land ? What can he mean ? This publication is 100% behind the club's bid for promotion. Easy words, you may say. But no, there's plenty still to reconcile surrounding Penydarren Park, however, the new regime must be applauded for getting the club back on the promotion agenda. The

After two draws and two defeats the omens weren't looking good for a trip to Jenner Park in the quarter-final of the BBC Sports Department Flagship Tournament.   Barry Town, about to retain their League of Wales title by a another massive margin, had scored 100+ league goals with Eifion Williams and Darren Ryan regularly on the score sheet. They had experienced players running through their squad. Recently though there had been a few hiccups: draws against Ebbw Vale and Rhayader Town had sown the seeds of doubt in the professional players minds, would they cope with Mitchell and Cohen’s pace? Could they penetrate the mean defending machine, marshalled by the revelation of the season - Neil O’Brien?  The match, being screened live by BBC Wales, turned into a cracker. The Dial "M" Party Posse assembled at the now customary Twynyrodyn watering hole, The Baili Glas Inn, landlady Marilyn promised the boys curry and chips on return from the game. Quick pints, minibus arrives,

If anyone is in doubt why we have to put every effort into sorting out the financial problems at the club you should take a look at these two videos; Firstly, UEFA awarded the club its Grassroots Club of the Year in 2015 UEFA 2015 - Grassroots Club of the Year Video and here is FIFA's focus on Merthyr Town FC, filmed only a few weeks ago. I've posted these here to show the diversity of our club and also to give a little understanding of how the club is a little different to many Non League clubs. The club has changed itself in the past 7 years and the former board struggled with many aspects of the transformation. These struggles find us in our current precarious position. The Club is at a crossroads where the next few weeks could see the Martyrs implode due to the pressing tax demands, or the new board can galvanise the supporters and its partners to complete the vision of creating the finest community club in Europe. We must continue to 'Fight the Good Fi

The Park View Martyrs, aka PVM, is a group of like-minded Merthyr Town FC supporters who use the Park View public house on Brecon Road in Merthyr Tydfil as a base. The pub was used by Merthyr Town supporters generally whilst the  Candac  Bar at the ground was  being transformed into Webley’s Bar. The welcome from the landlord  Mansel  in those exiled days was so good though that many fans decided to continue to use the pub on match-days especially as the new sports bar at  Penydarren  Park did not live up to  everyone’s expectations.  So why stay at the Park View? The probable answer is the atmosphere. It’s a small pub so on a match-day it’s usually  packed with Merthyr Town fans, enjoying the cheap beer and of course listening to some great tunes on the famous jukebox. In  short  it’s everything that Webley’s was supposed to be and isn’t. There is a sense of ownership now by a lot of loyal Martyrs fans and a definite feeling of pride for the work being undertaken from this modest

So  what do we know of the current crisis at  Penydarren  Park? Not a lot  really  as  the current B oard still remain silent on the financial reality at Merthyr Town FC – we’re owned by the fans by the way so it’s even more frustrating. We've had a further 4  directors  resign  this week which makes 9 in twelve months, it ’s hard to keep tally so I may be wrong there but  I’m sure we’ll have 4 more friendly faces co-opted to agree w ith the Chairman very soon. Any debts  though  will surely be  due to the  simple  failure to tackle the issue of no income but increa sed costs (mostly due to staff) at the amazing new facility.  We’ve covered the lack of fan engagement many times so why bother again? But a re we really employing someone to set up events such as Bands at the ground when our town has more musical talent than at any time in our history? The staffing levels  at Merthyr Town  will surely be reviewed now which although long overdue will be a shame as there

This relegation battle thing could go all the way to the wire, which is quite tiresome to be honest, we face the possibility of returning from whence we came. We spent about 17 years in the Southern League North, then Midland, toiling away quietly in what was even then a decent non-league ground. Penydarren Park had the small seated stand with the infamous but smaller Wank Bank opposite for the serious Martyrs fans. The big grass bank at the Theatre End was where I spent my Saturday afternoons either watching the Southern League boys under Dougie Rosser or the reserves in the Welsh League. Opposite at the Chapel End was the open car park where Nuneaton fans once threw me over the fence behind the goals. In those days there would always be a football match going alongside the real thing. Way up at the back of the bank would be about a dozen boys playing away whilst the drama unfolded on the pitch, to be honest the boys match was often better than the main fayre. Visitors to the Park i

14 th  September 1999 - the day Roger Gibbins, as soon as he stepped onto the team bus after the game away to Newtown in the FAW cup, should have been sacked as manager of Merthyr Tydfil FC. Basically the performance at Latham Park that evening was shocking. A 1-0 defeat against a Newtown side who, on the night were the better team even though they played most of the game with ten men and the majority of the second half with nine players. That was bad shit. It was also evident from that match how totally inept Haydn Fleming was as a 'footballer'; this guy was a professional once, he's now with Maesteg Parc. Enough said I think. But the big pisser of the night was the non-appearance of the Merthyr players & officials in the Newtown clubhouse after the game. The only excuse I can think of on their behalf is that they were embarrassed that they had been outplayed, outfought & were found wanting tactically against a LOW side. If Gibbo had any bollocks at all he would h

Where's my f**king bed? We were out, in fact we'd been out since we'd lost in Croatia the previous October - Now that was a trip!!!. But it was nothing new, Wales were nearly always out, come the last game of the group. Belgium on the other hand had won away in Zagreb three days before therefore qualifying for the finals in Brazil. So we knew that there would be a party in Brussels, little did we know it would be us celebrating at the full time whistle. We'd booked the trip months in advance and the planning committee had done some sterling work. A Sunday morning departure from The Pearl on the 11.38 from Platform one, would be a great start to my £96 all in four day beano to Flanders field. On the train I was the elder statesman, being joined by the junior Dial M posse of The Flipper, Lager and Terret. Moppy was already up in Landan and Richie Will had to join us the next morning as he had an afternoon shift to skilfully negotiate pre-trip. Talk on the train was

One of the most colourful Chairman of Merthyr Tydfil Football Club was Maldwyn Davies. A local born Man, he did not play himself, but his elder Brother, Stan, was a member of the famous Merthyr team, that played in front of huge crowds  in the late 1940/50's. After a short period on the Board of Directors, he became chairman, and also Manager of the Club in 1971, but the playing record of the Club deteriorated, and he signed the great John Charles as Manager, paying his wages himself. Maldwyn owned three very successful Bingo Halls throughout South Wales, when Bingo was a very popular pastime. He was a most generous man, and built a Social Club on the Ground, calling it "The Martyrs Club ", and provided the transport of the Club, all at his own expense. The Football Club at this time were in serious financial trouble, and he paid the entire wages of the Club for a whole season, without any restrictions on the Club. Without any doubt, were it not f

Last Saturday (29-Jan) the Martyrs travelled to Lincolnshire to meet the DML league leaders Boston United. Today's fixture, at home to Burton Albion, will be the first game MTFC will have played since the 4-1 trouncing at York Sheet. But do not be too disheartened, my friend, last Saturday was not as bad as the scoreline suggests. For the DMFM crew this was the away fixture of the season. League leaders at their excellent York Sheet home coupled with the prospect of a major Saturday night SESH in Peterboro' afterwards. Quiet roads and some manic driving from Dai Jizz softened the journey up. Nottingham was reached in just over two hours but it took another 2 hours to get to Boston from this point, mainly due to the various tractors/combine harvesters/road sweepers that we got stuck behind on the A~2. Boston was reached at around midday. It was good to see another car full (Julie Martin's gang) arrive just after us as, due to a lack of numbers, the Supporters club were unab

In a few years time when people turn around and say "remember when we went down to Barry in March '98 and showed them who was best", I will turn around and say "I know, 'cos I was there!" And judging by the size of the Merthyr crowd that night, so will everyone else!" Not since our Welsh Cup and European adventures have I seen such passion and fanatical support given to the team. We had waited weeks for the game, and it certainly was to live up to all expectations. The scene was set…. Hundred's of Martyrs, black and white everywhere, flags blowing in the wind, our voices at fever pitch. God I love this team! However, the home fans did not see it that way, and feeling totally swamped by the events which were surrounding them, decided to begin throwing bottles, cans and several other objects in our direction. We must have appeared a fanatical bunch. The roles has been reversed, suddenly Barry were no longer the invincible force they proclaimed to b

It was the game that just couldn't arrive quickly enough. The return to the Green Green Grass of Penydarren park, for one Sam Bowen, probably the most controversial player to don a Martyrs top and recently sold to Worcester City for £5,000. This game was always going to be a tough one but the return of Bowen and mark Kelly and the fact that the Martyrs had suffered a 3-0 reverse the previous day at Bath, certainly spiced up this top of the table clash. The club house was full, prior to the match, with a good turn out by the tractor numpties from over the border. All the talk in the clubhouse was of course about Bowen - would he get sent off, would he score a hatrick, would he react to the abuse? The Worcester boys seem to have taken to Sam a little better than us but then again we thought he was a God after his 5 goal debut. Only time will tell on that one! The smart money was on David Barnhouse to kick Sam into next week but there was even money on Dean Clarke and Graeth Abraham

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I've lost count of the number of times that I've actually travelled to Eton Park and couldn't find the ground. So this season armed with the directions from THE MARTYR we set off in confident mood. Even a detour to collect a poor impoverished University student at the British Rail terminal at the NEC en route didn't deter our confidence that this would be the year……..that we finally cracked the formula and found the ground without stopping to ask directions on the one-way grand prix circuit around the outskirts of the town. And guess what? Yes, once again the 'corner shop' routine worked a treat! We passed the Derby Turn pub without a glitch but when we were faced with a set of traffic lights at a junction with roads leading everywhere the consensus of opinion became the wrong outcome. But fortunately we had only turned in the wrong direction and we were soon back on track. Phew. The next mistake was entering the ground to partake of the hospitality in the soc