Club News Archive December 2008 - Port Talbot Town Football Club

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Port Talbot Town Football Club - Principality Welsh Premier League - The GenQuip Stadium, Victoria Road, Port Talbot. SA12 6AD. Website best viewed 1024x768.

DECEMBER 2008

29th December 2008
Edwards call on local football fans for support
Port Talbot Town Chairman Andrew Edwards has called upon the people of Port Talbot to come out and support their local Principality Welsh Premier League side on New Years Day for the return match against Neath. With attendances across the league enjoying a significant rise over the festive period, Edwards has called upon football fans in the area to come and witness first hand what the club and the league has to offer. “We play our football in the middle of a town with a population of 52,000 people, we now have one of the best grounds and playing surfaces in the league, offer the cheapest admission prices but yet we are fourth from bottom of the attendance table,” said Edwards. “The support that we do receive however create a unique atmosphere and I am sure that anyone attending the match at The GenQuip Stadium for the first time on New Years Day would come back for more very soon.” On Boxing Day Caernarfon Town had over 1,000 fans for their match against Bangor City while Rhyl were backed by 2,126 in their game against Prestatyn the following day. Admission for the New Years Day match against Neath is just £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and only £1 for kids. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

29th December 2008 - by Mark Pike
Ryan and Pike receive Wales Development Squad call-up
Congratulations to current Port Talbot Town U14's Academy goalkeeper Aaron Ryan on his selection into the U16 Wales international development squad. Accompanying Aaron will be former junior Town player Josh Pike who is currently based at Swansea City. Both players will join up with around 30 players selected from the whole of North and South Wales including eligible players who play in England with Welsh parents or grandparents. Aaron and Josh will meet up with the rest of the 30 man international squad for a 3 day training camp which is behind closed doors commencing mid Jan 2009. Their long journey started some two years ago when both players were selected to the regional South Wales squad where they would meet up on many 1 day training camps over this period. Both players recently represented South Wales playing the North Wales regional squad and Bristol City. The aim for both players is go that extra mile and get into the Victory Shield squad next September 2009. Prior to the Victory Shield, both players will be aiming to get into the Welsh National Development U15 Squad who will play in a number of non capped games scheduled March - May 09. It is a long road and we wish both players all the very best for the next 9 months and hopefully they will go all the way and appear in the next Victory Shield squad which is featured live on Sky Sports. Their achievements to date have been fantastic of which both players can be proud, as a coach at the clubs Academy and the Dad of Josh I can honestly say that I am very proud and hope these youngsters can go on and fulfil their dreams of playing and representing Wales in the near future.

29th December 2008
Goodridge makes surprise return to backroom staff
Mark Jones has brought in former Port Talbot Town player and manager Wayne Goodridge as part of his backroom staff. “Wayne has a wealth of experience of the league”, said Jones. “Having been captain of Cwmbran Town in the early days Wayne can offer a lot to our younger players and I am glad to have him on board.” Goodridge signed for Port Talbot Town as a player in January 2001 and was appointed manager for the 2001-2002 season but lasted only two months until he was sacked in September and ironically replaced by Mark Jones.

29th December 2008
Jones, Fahiya and Reid talk music, goals and unfinished business
The unofficial website, ‘The Blue Skinned Beast’, has this week caught up with the management duo of Mark Jones and Paul Reid together with striker Drew Fahiya for an alternative view on a number of topics ranging from the winning goal at Neath to the dressing room taste in music.

27th December 2008
Managers look back on entertaining Boxing Day afternoon
Port Talbot Town manager Mark Jones and Neath counterpart Andy Dyer have spoken about the Boxing Day derby that was edged 3-2 in favour of Port Talbot Town thanks to a last minute winner from Martin Rose. “I thought Neath deserved a point and they certainly did not look a bottom of the table side today,” said Jones. “But we’ll take the three points. The lads have worked really hard since I arrived here and deserve the points for that fact alone.” Neath manager Dyer was expectedly disappointed about the late defeat. “The plain fact is we ended with nothing and that's a bitter pill to swallow,” he said. “On clear-cut chances they probably edged it but we were within touching distance of a point and that's hard to take.” The win moves Port Talbot Town into eleventh place in the table while Neath remain in seventeenth position. The two sides now meet in the reverse fixture on New Years Day at The GenQuip Stadium and another entertaining match is expected. Admission is just £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and just £1 for kids. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

27th December 2008
Principality Welsh Premier League round-up
With the Christmas fixtures spread over Friday and Saturday, champions Llanelli kicked off the weekend with a Boxing Day morning derby against Carmarthen Town and ran out 5-2 winners through a Rhys Griffiths hat-trick and a brace from Jordan Follows. The New Saints kept up their title challenge with a 3-1 win over Airbus UK Broughton while the mid-Wales derby between Newtown and Caersws finished goalless. At Neath a last minute goal from Martin Rose handed Port Talbot Town a 3-2 victory while Bangor City eased to a two goal win over Caernarfon through strikes from James Brewerton and Chris Sharp in front of a crowd of 1027. The goals continued onto Saturday as Porthmadog came from behind to win 6-5 at home to GAP Connah’s Quay while Haverfordwest defeated Aberystwyth 5-1 at The New Bridge Meadow. Airbus UK Broughton claimed a comfortable 2-0 win over NEWI Cefn Druids while Rhyl remained on the top of the table with 7-2 win over Prestatyn Town in front of a fantastic crowd of 2126 at Belle Vue.

26th December 2008
Rose blooms as Blues claim Boxing Day derby win
A brace from striker Martin Rose, including a dramatic last minute winner, earned Port Talbot Town three points against local rivals Neath at The Gnoll on Boxing Day as Mark Jones side ran out 3-2 winners in an open and entertaining match. Neath took the lead inside the open two minutes when Sean Cronin was left unnmarked from a corner before Drew Fahiya equalised for the visitors on 22 minutes. Rose converted a 50th minute penalty to hand his side the lead before former Port Talbot Town striker Kerry Morgan equalised six minutes later directly from a free kick for a fine individual goal. Fahiya had a second goal ruled out for offside before Rose twice found himself one on one with the keeper but failed to make the most of the chances until the 90th minute when a deep cross from the left was headed back across goal by Rose and into the far corner of the net to start the celebrations amongst the large travelling support. Scott Barrow produced a man of the match performance on the left as Mark Jones claimed his first victory since his return to the club as manager.

24th December 2008
Pridham suspended for Boxing Day derby at Neath
Former Port Talbot Town midfielder Chris Pridham will miss the Boxing Day derby after being sent off during Neath’s defeat Aberystwyth Town last Friday night. Neath will still feature a host of former Port Talbot Town players however with David Burrows, Richard French, Stephen Pockett, Daniel Lancey, Carl Shaw and Kerry Morgan all expected to be named in the squad. Port Talbot Town extended their lead on Neath to four points with a draw against The New Saints on Saturday and new manager Mark Jones will be looking for an equally committed display from his side in the first derby of the season. James Burgin is expected to remain on the sidelines having suffered a setback on his return from a knee injury sustained at Airbus UK Broughton a few weeks ago although Jones will have an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from. The two sides will then meet again in the reverse fixture on New Years Day. A supporters coach will be leaving The GenQuip Stadium for The Gnoll at 12.30pm on Boxing Day with very few places available. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

24th December 2008
Playing surface set for tough January test
The GenQuip Stadium will host at least eleven matches over the course of January 2009, an average of more than one game every three days. Two Welsh Premier League games start the year as Port Talbot Town take on Neath New Years Day and then Aberystwyth Town two days later before the Under-19‘s play Llanelli and West End. Further games could still be arranged before the end of the month although the club will be keen to keep the surface in the best possible condition before the Welsh Cup match against Llanelli on the 30th.

24th December 2008
Juniors break up for Xmas with impressive wins
Both the Under-12 Girls side and Under-10 Town side gained impressive victories before their Xmas break. The respective coaches would like to wish their players a very happy Xmas.

22nd December 2008
Battling display changes Jonah’s January plans
New manager Mark Jones was so pleased with the performance of his side on Saturday that he may change his plans for the January transfer window. Speaking to the Evening Post after Saturday’s 0-0 draw against The New Saints, Jones was full of praise for his side. “I thought we deserved to win but to take something off one of the top three teams in the league was a nice way to start,” he said. “At half-time we could have been 4-1 ahead and it's unbelievable that a game that was so entertaining ended without a goal. The lads were excellent and gave me total commitment and I cannot ask for more than that. If we continue to play like that we should soon start to climb away from the bottom part of the table. I said we need three or four players in the January transfer window but who knows if that's the case if we play like that. My first target is to keep the club safe from relegation and we can then move on from there.” The side are now in action on Boxing Day away at Neath with only a few spaces remaining on the supporters coach. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

20th December 2008
Jones era starts with clean sheet and impressive performance
Port Talbot Town claimed a point from a 0-0 draw against former champions The New Saints on Saturday as new manager Mark Jones took charge of his first game since his return to the club. James Burgin remained on the sidelines through injury while Darren Davies was named on the bench and it was Port Talbot who started the better of the two sides with Martin Rose and Drew Fahiya both testing the visiting goalkeeper in the opening exchanges. A spirited performance from the home side created a number of problems for the visitors who struggled to test the Port Talbot defence throughout the opening half. Darren Davies replaced Scott Evans at the break as Port Talbot continued to cause The New Saints problems with Scott Barrow and Lee John a constant threat from wide positions with their pace. As the second half progressed however the visitors came back into the match and were denied a goal thanks to a superb save from close range by Kristian Rogers. Despite the late pressure from The New Saints the home side held on for a well deserved point with Mark Jones happy with his sides performance in what was his first match in charge.

20th December 2008
Principality Welsh Premier League round-up
Aberystwyth Town claimed the only win on Friday night as they defeated Neath 4-0 at The Gnoll with Geoff Kellaway scoring a brace for the visitors. In the other two Friday night games Airbus UK Broughton were held by Prestatyn Town in a 1-1 draw while a last minute equaliser from Lee T Jones earned NEWI Cefn Druids a 3-3 draw at Technogroup Welshpool. In the main game of the day Llanelli defeated Bangor City 4-3 with Rhys Griffiths scoring twicefor the home side in front of the biggest crowd of the weekend while Rhyl remain on top of the table thanks to a double strike from Matthew Williams earning them a 2-1 win at Newtown. The New Saints were held to a 0-0 draw at Port Talbot Town while Carmarthen Town came from behind to defeat Porthmadog 3-1 thanks to goals from Sasha Walters, Paul Fowler and Jamie Horwood. Jack Christopher scored twice for Haverfordwest County as they defeated GAP Connah’s Quay 2-0 while Caernarfon Town came back from being two goals behind to draw 2-2 at home to Caersws.

19th December 2008
Blues out to complete treble on Jonah’s return
Port Talbot Town take on The New Saints at The GenQuip Stadium on Saturday with two consecutive home wins over the former Champions achieved over the last two seasons. In 2006-2007 Dylan Blain and a late winner from Richard French earned Wayne Davies’s side a 2-1 victory before Nicky Tucker repeated the feat last season with Lee John scoring in the 1-0 win. Port Talbot also have the edge on home form against TNS having won three and drawn three with the visitors only claiming two victories at Port Talbot in the Welsh Premier League. James Burgin will have a late fitness test on a knee injury while The New Saints will be without the suspended trio of Jamie Wood, Michael Wilde and Barry Hogan. New manager Mark Jones will be taking charge of the club for the first time since his return as he starts to assess his squad ahead of the January transfer window. Admission for the match remains at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and just £1 for kids. The club shop will be taking names for the Supporters Club coach to Neath on Boxing Day on Saturday also with the £5 payment required to confirm your place on the bus. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

17th December 2008
Jonah plans for ‘wounded animal’ test on Saturday
Mark Jones takes charge of Port Talbot Town for the first time since his return to the club when his side take on The New Saints on Saturday and is well aware of the task ahead. “TNS will be like a wounded animal coming down here on Saturday”, said Jones to the unofficial Port Talbot Town website. “They have lost back to back league games and its been a long time since they have lost three in a row. They are a professional outfit and they will be desperate to get the show back on the road. They have been the most consistent side in the league since Barry and I respect them all for the way they flown the flag for the league”. Jones also paid tribute to his coach in the interview. “Paul Reid is man I am looking forward to working with and building up a good partnership. We got on right away. It was great to see the reaction of the players to Reidy and the mutual respect that they both had for each other. They were glad to have him back and Reidy has fitted in straight away”. Port Talbot Town welcome back James Burgin after his recent knee injury. Kick off at The GenQuip Stadium is at 2.30pm.

17th December 2008
Supporters Club arrange travel for Boxing Day derby
The Port Talbot Town Supporters Club will be taking names and payments this weekend for a seat on the supporters coach for the fixture against Neath on Boxing Day. The popular derby match is expected to attract a big following and supporters wanting to book their place will need to pay the £5 cost this weekend either behind the bar or in the club shop. In addition the club will be open at 10am with a full cooked breakfast on offer on the day. The coach will leave The GenQuip Stadium at 12.30pm and return at 6.00pm.

17th December 2008
Players reunion reminder for Sunday
Start Christmas early this Sunday as Port Talbot Town Football Club hold the inaugural players reunion at the club. The free event is open to everyone with all former players welcome to enjoy the free buffet and entertainment on offer starting at 1.30pm.

15th December 2008
Trio suspended for New Saints on Saturday
The New Saints visit Port Talbot Town on Saturday without three players through suspension following the former champions being reduced to ten men in each of their last three games. Jamie Wood, a former team mate of Port Talbot Town coach Paul Reid at Swansea City, started the trend for the side with his dismissal in the sides defeat at home to Rhyl in front of the live S4C camera’s. Three days later striker Michael Wilde was shown red in the Loosemores Solicitors Challenge Cup win over Neath before Barry Hogan joined the suspended duo when he was sent off during Friday’s surprise defeat at Airbus UK Broughton. Despite the missing trio the side still bring a wealth of experience with them to Saturday’s match with John Toner, the striker who scored the only goal of the game to prevent Mark Jones reaching the Welsh Cup Final during his last spell in charge at Port Talbot Town, likely to start for the visitors. Port Talbot Town are expected to welcome back James Burgin after his recent knee injury in what will be Mark Jones first game back in charge of the club. Admission remains at just £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and only £1 for kids. Kick off is at 2.30pm.

15th December 2008
Girls on form with double win over Porthcawl
The Under-12 Girls side played their first fixtures for almost a month on Sunday and impressed with a double victory over Porthcawl. New signing Georgia MacDonald made her debut as goalkeeper in place of the unavailable Lauren Garrett and the side took the lead in the opening match through a goal from Courtney Sawyers. Porthcawl soon equalised however but Port Talbot soon warmed up in the second half as Ffion Taggart and Rachael Sheehy completed the scoring with both goals scoring their first goals of the season. Porthcawl chose Demi Brady and Megan Davies as the Talent ID for the game. In the second game Georgia MacDonald again volunteered to stay in goal and the girls were on top form with some excellent passing and general teamwork on show together with some well organised defensive play enabled the side to keep a clean sheet as they ran out comfortable 4-0 winners. Courtney Sawyers, Lauren Amor, Rebekah Williams and Demi Brady grabbed the goals with Rachael Sheehy and Rebekah Williams claiming the Talent ID awards.

14th December 2008
Former players confirm reunion attendance
A number of former Port Talbot Town players have confirmed their attendance for the inaugural players reunion at the club on Sunday the 21st of December. The free event is open to any former players and includes a buffet and a comedian. “As well as having the opportunity to meet up with their former team-mates and enjoy the entertainment on offer, those supporting the event will also be able to witness the many changes that have taken place at the ground over the last decade”, said Chairman Andrew Edwards. “For this reason especially I would like to see as many of the older generation of former players as possible attend as I am sure they would appreciate what the club has achieved since their playing days”.

14th December 2008
Reserves maintain 100% record against Seven Sisters
On Saturday the Reserve team claimed a 3-2 win over Seven Sisters at The GenQuip Stadium while Sunday’s Youth match against Pontardawe was called off due to a frozen pitch.

13th December 2008
Principality Welsh Premier League round-up
The weekend’s fixtures started on Frida night with two surprising results as Airbus UK Broughton defeated The New Saints 1-0 through a Matthew Cook goal while Rhyl were defeated at Belle Vue by NEWI Cefn Druids 4-3. In the other Friday night match Haverfordwest took the lead through a goal from Dylan Blain before Richard French grabbed the equaliser for Neath in a 1-1 draw. Saturday’s matches at Bangor City, Caersws and Welshpool Town were all postponed leaving just three matches to complete the weekend results. Aberystwyth claimed an impressive 5-2 win at home to Porthmadog with Stuart Fraser and Aneurin Thomas grabbing a brace each while a penalty save from Neil Thomas earned Carmarthen a narrow 2-1 win over bottom of the table Caernarfon Town, Danny Thomas and Lee Hudgell scoring the two goals. Another surprise result came at GAP Connah’s Quay as they claimed a convincing 3-1 win over champions Llanelli who missed their chance to capitalise on the other results.

13th December 2008
Heavy rain causes Welshpool postponement
New manager Mark Jones will have to wait a further a week before he takes charge of his Port Talbot Town side following the postponement of Saturday’s match at Technogroup Welshpool due to a waterlogged pitch. The match was called off following a pitch inspection at 8.00am. The side are now in action next Saturday at home to The New Saints while Jones used the postponement to arrange an extra training session for his side.

13th December 2008
Coaching role for Hajgato following Jones departure
Dinas Powys have appointed former Port Talbot Town midfielder Geza Hajgato as assistant to new manager Danny Kinsey. Mark Jones left the managers position at Dinas Powys last week to take over at Port Talbot Town. Hajgato joined Port Talbot on-loan from Cardiff City in 2001 and made nine Welsh Premier League appearances for the club and was captain of Dinas Powys under Mark Jones.

11th December 2008
New duo plan Welshpool treble on Saturday
Port Talbot Town travel to Welshpool Town on Saturday with new manager Mark Jones and coach Paul Reid planning the sides third consecutive win at Maes-Y-Dre. Top scorer Martin Rose grabbed a brace last April as Port Talbot earned a 3-1 win while a single goal victory was enough for maximum points the year before. If Jones can announce his return at the club with a win it will emulate his earlier success over the hosts in January 2003 when his then Port Talbot side claimed a narrow 3-2 win. After taking his first training session since his return to the club on Tuesday night, Jones was joined on Thursday by returning coach Paul Reid as the side trained at The GenQuip Stadium in preparation for the duo’s first match in charge. James Burgin sat out the session due to the knee injury he sustained at Airbus UK Broughton a fortnight ago and is expected to miss Saturday’s match however Jones will have an otherwise full squad to choose from for the difficult away game. The coach leaves The GenQuip Stadium at 9.30am with kick off at 2.30pm.

9th December 2008
Reid returns ready for new era with Jonah
Experienced and highly-rated coach Paul Reid has returned to Port Talbot Town Football Club to work alongside newly appointed manager Mark Jones. As with Jones, this is also Reid’s second spell at the club having been originally brought in as coach by former manager Tony Pennock in 2007. Reid stepped in as caretaker manager following Pennock’s resignation and won both his games in charge before remaining at the club following the appointment of Nicky Tucker but was replaced during the summer as Tucker brought in his own backroom staff. Reid is a highly-respected figure in the game having played almost 550 Football League games during a long professional career at clubs including Bradford, Leicester City, Oldham Athletic, Huddersfield, Bury and Swansea City as well as playing in the Welsh Premier League for both Carmarthen Town and Afan Lido. Reid’s defensive influence on the side has been severely missed this season and his return will be welcome by both players and supporters alike who have suffered a so far frustrating campaign.

9th December 2008
Jones straight to business ahead of Welshpool test
New manager Mark Jones returns to Port Talbot Town this evening for his first training session just 24 hours after his appointment was confirmed ahead of a difficult away match at Welshpool Town on Saturday. Jones left the club in 2004 to take charge at Carmarthen and takes charge of a completely changed Port Talbot Town side on his return to the club with no members of his former squad in the current crop of players. Jones will have three games with which to assess his squad before the transfer window opens in January but his immediate attention will be on a result at Welshpool this weekend. The coach leaves The GenQuip Stadium on Saturday at 9.30am.

9th December 2008
Local rivals show Welsh Premier intentions
Afan Lido have sent notification of their intention to apply for promotion to the Principality Welsh Premier League subject to qualification and ground criteria and with it submitted the required bond of £500. The side are currently fifth in the table and are managed by former Port Talbot Town duo David Rees and Craig Duggan.

8th December 2008
Jonah appointed as manager to take club forward
Port Talbot Town Football Club have re-appointed Mark Jones as manager following the recent dismissal of Nicky Tucker. Jones, a UEFA A Licence holder, was in charge at the club for three successful seasons between 2001 and 2004 and then went on to achieve domestic and European success at Carmarthen Town. "I am delighted to welcome Mark Jones back to the club", said Chairman Andrew Edwards. "His ambition and experience together with the level of success he has achieved convinced the clubs Board of Directors that he is the right man to take the club forward. The high level of interest in the position proves how big a job this is and we are sure that Mark's knowledge and ambition will make this a successful appointment". Jones was equally delighted to make a return to the club. "It is great to be back in the Welsh Premier League and to be back at Port Talbot", said Jones. "There is a lot of hard work to do but I am excited about working with the talented young players at the club and it will be my first aim to bring back a good atmosphere and get ourselves back into the top half to the table".

8th December 2008
Jonah a winner on the domestic and European stage
After making a name for himself as both a player and manager at Welsh League side Maesteg Park, Mark Jones was offered the chance to return to the domestic top-flight in 2001 when Port Talbot Town Chairman Andrew Edwards appointed the popular Cardiff figure to replace Wayne Goodridge as manager. Over the following three seasons Jones turned the club from being one of the leagues poor relations to a highly-respected leading club, reaching the semi-finals of the League Cup and Welsh Cup and bringing in a number of top class players on a limited budget. Jones set a new standard at the club that his successors would have to match. Departing for a new challenge at Carmarthen Town in 2004, Jones regularly took the West Wales club into Europe and claimed success in the UEFA Cup by reaching the 2nd round of the competition in 2005 as well as achieving domestic success by lifting the Welsh Cup during his three year reign before being replaced in 2007. Jones returned to the Welsh League with Dinas Powys but remained a close follower of the Welsh Premier and his return will be welcome by clubs across the league and across Welsh football.

6th December 2008
Principality Welsh Premier League round-up
The weekend started with four scheduled Friday night fixtures but only three went ahead as Llanelli home match against Aberystwyth was postponed due to a water-logged pitch. In the other three games Aden Shannon and Adam Dickinson were on target for GAP Connah’s Quay as they defeated Caernarfon while Haverfordwest came back from being a goal down to defeat Port Talbot Town 2-1. Welshpool also claimed maximum points as they defeated Airbus UK Broughton by the same scoreline. The highlight of the Saturday fixtures was at The New Saints as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Rhyl in front of the live TV camera’s while Bangor City were held to a 2-2 draw at Prestatyn Town. Dion Chambers grabbed a brace for Neath Athletic and was joined on the scoresheet by Kerry Morgan and Richard Ingram in a convincing 4-1 win over Porthmadog. Strugglers NEWI Cefn Druids also picked up an important three points at home to Caersws with a 3-1 while Carmarthen claimed maximum points thanks to a Paul Fowler winner at Newtown in a 3-2 victory.

5th December 2008
De-Vulgt own goal seals win for Haverfordwest
Defender Leigh De-Vulgt scored a spectacular own goal to award Haverfordwest maximum points as they defeated Port Talbot Town 2-1 at The GenQuip Stadium on Friday night. With a number of managerial candidates in attendance, caretaker manager Wayne Davies made just one change from the side that drew with Airbus UK the week before as Gareth Phillips replaced the injured James Burgin and after edging the opening half Port Talbot took a deserved lead through Liam McCreesh on 48 minutes. With former Port Talbot Town favourites Dylan Blain, Dyfan Pierce, Craig Hanford and Luke Bowen all featuring for the visitors, they pushed for an equaliser and it arrived on 72 minutes through Nick Woodrow as Port Talbot quickly became the second best side on the field. Six minutes later Haverfordwest took the lead as De-Vulgt scored an own goal from the edge of his area as his wayward strike lobbed goalkeeper Kristian Rogers. The side are now back in action at Welshpool on Saturday with a new manager expected to be appointed after the weekend.

4th December 2008
Davies remains in charge for Friday night home return
Wayne Davies and son Nick will again take charge of Port Talbot Town on Friday night when his side take on Haverfordwest County at The GenQuip Stadium. Former Manager Davies took charge of the side at Airbus UK Broughton last weekend and claimed a creditable draw and will remain in his Caretaker Manager role although a new managerial appointment is expected to be made over the course of the weekend. “I'm not sure when the appointment will be made but I know the chairman is interviewing several of the candidates this week,” said Davies in the South Wales Evening Post. “But it won't be long before a new manager is in place.” On Friday Davies will meet up four familiar opponents in Craig Hanford, Dylan Blain, Dyfan Pierce and Luke Bowen. “I know them all. They were my players when I was previously in charge and it will make for an interesting evening. They are a good side, but if we get the rub of the green I'm hopeful we can secure a result.” James Burgin is expected to miss the match following a knee injury sustained at Airbus UK last weekend although Gareth Phillips is expected to come back into contention having resumed training this week. Kick off is at 7.30pm.

4th December 2008
Players reunion confirmed for Sunday before Xmas
On Sunday, 21st of December 2008, Port Talbot Town will extend an open invite to all former players for an inaugural reunion at the club. The free event will include a buffet and a comedian with the doors open from 1.30pm. “There are many ex-players living in the area who have not been to the club in a long time,” said Chairman Andrew Edwards. “As well as having the opportunity to meet up with their former team-mates and enjoy the entertainment on offer, those supporting the event will also be able to witness the many changes that have taken place at the ground over the last decade. For this reason especially I would like to see as many of the older generation of former players as possible attend as I am sure they would appreciate what the club has achieved since their playing days”. The club originally moved to and built the Victoria Road ground in the late 1940‘s and went onto achieve domestic success in the Welsh League especially in the 1960‘s. Promotion to the top flight in 2000 became the latest success in the story of the club and the support for this free event from as many former players as possible will make it the success it deserves to be.

2nd December 2008
Familiar faces return for Haverfordwest test on Friday
Haverfordwest County are the visitors to The GenQuip Stadium on Friday night and bring with them no less than six former Port Talbot Town players. Manager Derek Brazil made a double swoop in the summer to take Craig Hanford and Dylan Blain to The New Bridge Meadow from Port Talbot to join up with former Blues duo Dyfan Pierce and Luke Bowen. Current club captain Gareth Elliott made only one appearance for Port Talbot Town while on-loan from Merthyr Tydfil in 2001 but scored the only goal of his only game in a 1-0 win over Caersws, a match also remembered for being Mark Jones first game in charge at the club. Completing the six former players is current club assistant manager Mark Evans who played for Port Talbot between 2001 and 2003.

2nd December 2008
Five goal win for juniors
Our Under-8 side again impressed at the weekend with a 5-0 win over Porthcawl. Goalscorers for the side were Keenan Bailey, Jack Larkman, Callum Johns and a brace from Kyran Joseph.

1st December 2008
New managerial appointment expected by Friday
Chairman Andrew Edwards has revealed his plans for a new manager to be in place by the end of the week. “I have had a busy 48 hours and the level of interest in the vacant post has been quite amazing”, said Edwards. “I have already interviewed two strong candidates and will be having a chat with two other interested applicants this week. We hope to make an announcement soon and aim to have a new man at the helm by Friday”. Former manager Wayne Davies took charge of the side on Saturday and earned a creditable point with a 1-1 draw thanks to an opening half strike from James Burgin.

1st December 2008
Youth defeated by Cardiff City while Reserves maintain form
The Under-19 side suffered a 6-0 defeat to Cardiff City in the FAW Youth Cup on Sunday while the Reserves maintained their title challenge with a 5-2 win at Garden Village on Saturday.