Mardy A.F.C.
| Full name | Mardy Association Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | the Rams[1] | |
| Founded | 1889? | |
| Dissolved | 1924 | |
| Ground | Mardy Athletic Ground | |
|
| ||
Mardy A.F.C. was a Welsh football team that played in the Southern League in the 1910s and 1920s. They were based in the village of Maerdy, Glamorgan.[2]
History
[edit]The earliest records for the club date to the 1888–89 season.[3] It won the second division of the South Wales League in 1904–05, clinching the title with a 6–1 win over Merthyr Vale to leapfrong Ton Pentre.[4] The club took a more serious step in 1909, when incorporated as a limited company.[5]
The club joined the Southern League (Division Two) for the 1911–12 season, but left at the end of 1913–14.[6] After World War I they rejoined the league in 1919–20 and the following season their league was renamed as the Welsh Section.
Mardy generally finished towards the bottom of the table in their seasons in the league.[7] After the First Division sides left the league in 1920 to join The Football League Mardy continued to struggle, finishing in the bottom two in 1921–22.[8] In the 1922–23 season, the club did not complete its fixtures, and its record was expunged;[9] Mardy had actually played 17 of its 18 fixtures, and was lying 7th out of 10 in the table at the time it stopped playing.[10]
In 1923–24, the club joined the Welsh League, but, on Easter Monday 1924, did not turn up to a fixture with Caerau. As a result, the Welsh Football Association fined the club £50 and imposed a suspension,[11] which in practice finished the club, as there are no further references to it playing.
Colours
[edit]The club wore dark blue.[12]
Ground
[edit]The club's ground was simply known as the Mardy Athletic Ground.[13] It may have been the Recreation Ground between the village and the railway line.
Notable individuals
[edit]Former Mardy players include Jack Cartmell,[14] John Goodall[15][16] and Proctor Hall.[16] Tom Evans, who later played for Clapton Orient and earned several Welsh caps, started his career at the club.[17]
Welsh international Charlie Morris managed the club briefly from 1913.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Points for Caerphilly". Western Mail: 4. 17 April 1923.
- ^ Davies, Gareth; Garland, Ian (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Soccer Players. Bridge Books. p. 106. ISBN 1-8724-2411-2.
- ^ "Treharris - Grand Charity Football Match". Merthyr Express, Aberdare and East Glamorgan Herald, Tredegar and West Monmouth Times: 8. 5 April 1890.
- ^ "Association matches". Merthyr Express: 3. 6 May 1905.
- ^ "Mardy Association Football Club (Limited)". Western Mail: 9. 29 September 1909.
- ^ "Mardy resign from S.L.". Daily Express: 7. 18 November 1914.
- ^ Dinant Abbink (24 July 2005). "Final Tables Division Two". England – Southern League Final Tables. RSSSF. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ "SOUTHERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE 1920–21 to 1938–39". My Football Facts. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ "Welsh section". Western News: 2. 9 May 1923.
- ^ "Positions of all the clubs in the Welsh section". South Wales Argus: 7. 17 April 1923.
- ^ "Sport in brief". Daily Herald: 9. 26 May 1924.
- ^ "Answers to correspondets". Athletic News: 4. 7 October 1912.
- ^ "Mardy Athletic Ground". Western Mail: 3. 23 February 1910.
- ^ Haynes, Graham; Coumbe, Frank (2006). Timeless Bees: Brentford F.C. Who's Who 1920–2006. Yore Publications. p. 35. ISBN 978-0955294914.
- ^ "1913". On This Day in History: January 18. Givemefootball.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ a b Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888 to 1939. Soccerdata. ISBN 1899468676.
- ^ "Football page". Caernarfon and Denbigh Herald: 8. 9 December 1927.
- ^ "Charlie Morris as Mardy manager". South Wales Echo: 3. 4 May 1912.