PENRHIWCEIBER RANGERS (Glasbrook Field)

ARDAL LEAGUE SOUTH WEST DIVISION, PENRHIWCEIBER RANGERS 3-0 CAERAU (ELY) AFC, ATTENDANCE: 84 (h/c)

There are many, many grounds in Wales that have stunning backdrops and, having seen many pictures of the Glasbrook Field, this has been on my groundhopping radar for a wee while.

It would have been great to have come here a few weeks back for the big Welsh Cup tie versus Flint Town United, but I was unable to make the journey. Nonetheless I was here at last and I certainly wasn't disappointed!

Penrhiwceiber is a village in the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff and, like most of the towns and villages in the area, it developed as a result of coal mining. The first shaft of what became known as Penrikyber Coillery was sunk in 1872. At it's height in the 1920's the mine employed over 2,000 men. The pit was eventually closed in October 1985, another closure in the aftermath of the year-long miners strike that took place between March 1984 and 1985.

Prior to the game I visited the Big Pit National Coal Museum in nearby Blaenavon, the tour involved going down a mine shaft 300ft underground. It certainly gave me a small insight into what these men had to deal with. I was down there less than a hour on a guided tour and that was enough for me. I'm not sure I could have coped with working down a pit.

A lasting legacy of the colliery in Penrhiwceiber is the Glasbrook Field,  which was created by the workers on land donated by the owners. It was used for the welfare of the workers and their families and was named after the owners of the original company who sunk the mine, the Glasbrook brothers of Swansea. The Glasbrook Field has been home to Penrhiwceiber since their formation in 1961.

They were initially named Penrhiwceiber AFC before becoming Penrhiwceiber Welfare in 1967. In 1984 they merged with junior club Glasbrook Rangers to become Penrhiwceiber Rangers.

The club's most successful era began in the 1992 when they won the South Wales Amateur League to earn promotion to the Welsh League. They went as high as Division One (then the second tier of Welsh football) by the end of the decade before yo-yoing between the divisions from the turn of the millennium. Penrhiwceiber were the last ever champions of the Welsh League Division Two in 2020, when Welsh Football was then restructured.

This weekend was remembrance Sunday so, prior to kick off, the was an impeccably observed minutes  silence.

It was an entertaining, end-to-end game with both teams creating plenty of chances, indeed Caerau hit the crossbar within 90 seconds of the kick off. Penrhiwceiber scored through Joseph Jenkins in the 4th minute of first half stoppage time to take the lead. The second half continued in similar vein then, on 65 minutes, Penrhiwceiber were awarded a penalty. Caerau were reduced to 10 men when Owain Edwards protests led to a red card for dissent and then Warren Jones stepped up to convert the spot kick (pictured above left).

This obviously swung the game in favour of the homesters and another goal quickly followed, when Jones bagged his second with a superb volleyed finish. Penrhiwceiber should've added to their tally but squandered their chances. In the end it was a deserved victory for the home side but the scoreline was harsh on Caerau who, on another afternoon, may have taken something from the game.

The backdrop to Glasbrook Field is simply stunning and I definitely picked a good afternoon to visit. If you haven't been yourself, then I suggest you put it on your bucket list!

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