Well we can see with our own eyes tonight that Swansea City are still here, as are Cardiff City and Wrexham, but what about the three other Welsh clubs that have played in the Football League over the years? Those sides being Aberdare Athletic, Merthyr Town and the better known Newport County. Aberdare, only four miles away from Merthyr in the Cynon valley, were formed in 1892 and joined the Football League at the start of the 1921-22 season, along with Charlton Athletic. That coming after Aberdare had finished second in the Welsh section of the Southern League in their first campaign at that level. The two Athletics moving into the English system as they took their place in Division Three South. Six seasons in the Football League followed, with a best placed finish of ninth in their opening campaign. Then things got complicated as in 1926 they merged with Aberaman Athletic, they did keep the same name though, apart from their reserve side bizarrely, which was called Aberdare and Aberaman Athletic, a catchy title. Their life in England didn't last long however as the following season they finished bottom and were replaced, thanks to the re-election rules, by Southern League (West) champions Torquay United. Watford, like Aberdare, were the other club looking to stay in the Football League and they got through the first ballot with 46 votes, while Aberdare and Torquay sat on 21 votes apiece. The Gulls won a second ballot by 26 votes to 19 though and they duly took the place of Athletic. The other clubs in that year who weren't as fortunate as Torquay in seeking election being Kettering Town, Yeovil and Petters United and Ebbw Vale. Aberdare meanwhile reverted back to the Southern League, although the partnership didn't last long as the club split back to two again, Aberaman continuing while Aberdare folded. After World War II a reformed Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic was formed, but this side also split into two in 1947, but the Aberaman Athletic club continue to this day, and are currently known as ENTO Aberaman Athletic. The side currently plying their trade in the Welsh Football League first division. Merthyr Town's history is much less complicated, the club, founded in 1907, playing in the Southern League until the Football League was expanded in 1920-21 to three divisions. The new level being comprised entirely of the 22 teams in the First Division of the Southern League from the previous season, minus Cardiff City who went into Division Two at the expense of Grimsby Town who dropped down a division. The Third Division North and South not coming into effect until the next season when 20 teams, taken from the Midland League, the Central League, the North Eastern League, the Lancashire Combination and the Birmingham Combination started up in the inaugural North division. That then expanding to a matching 22 sides in the 1923-24 campaign with the introduction of Doncaster Rovers and New Brighton. Back to Merthyr, who would continue in the Football League until the end of the 1929-30 season, when they were voted out by 20 to 14 and the ill-fated Thames were elected in. Thames having been created to take up free Saturday afternoons at the 120,000 capacity greyhound and speedway West Ham stadium (not Upton Park) in East London. Thames only lasting two years themselves, while recording a record low Football League crowd of 469, before folding and being replaced by Aldershot. Merthyr, as well, folding in 1934, after four seasons back in the Southern League, with a new club in the town not being created until after World War Two when Merthyr Tydfil were formed in 1945. Newport County came into the Football League at the same as Merthyr Town in the expansion intake, and were by far the most successful of the three old Welsh clubs until financially imploding in the late 1980s. County finishing rock bottom of Division Four, and saving Carlisle United's bacon, in 1987-88 and being replaced by Vauxhall Conference champions Lincoln City. They were unable to finish their own first season in the non-league though due to their ongoing financial problems and they finally went out of business on the 27th February 1989. A new club was quickly formed in June of that year, and adopted the nickname The Exiles, as a result of the need to play their inaugural Hellenic League season in the north Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh. County, now back playing in Newport, and currently vying for promotion from the Conference South, were actually forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from being forced out of the English football pyramid in April 1995. The Exiles, along with Caernarfon Town and Colwyn Bay, winning their case against the Welsh FA and being able to return to play in Wales. |