Aberdare Athletic F.C.

Aberdare Athletic Football Club were a Welsh football club founded in 1893 and based in Aberdare. They joined the Football League in 1921 but were replaced by Torquay United after failing to be re-elected in 1927.

Aberdare Athletic
Full nameAberdare Athletic Football Club
Founded1893
Dissolved1928 (1928)
GroundAthletic Ground, Aberdare

History
The Aberdare team of 1908–09.

Founded in 1893, Aberdare were Welsh Cup runners-up, in 1903–04 1904–05 and 1922–23. In 1920–21, they joined the Welsh Section of the Southern League and finished runners-up in their first season. That gained them entry to the Football League Third Division South in time for 1921–22.[1]

Aberdare spent six seasons in the League, with their best season being 1921–22, when they finished 8th. In 1926, Aberdare merged with nearby Aberaman Athletic. The first team continued to compete in the Football League under the name Aberdare Athletic, while the reserve team played in the Welsh League under the name Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic.

In January 1926, Aberdare Athletic inflicted the heaviest-ever defeat on Watford FC, a club that continues to play in the upper divisions of the English football structure. That 8–1 defeat, although equalled in September 1959 by Crystal Palace, remained Watford's biggest until Manchester City beat them 8–0 in an English Premier League game on 21 September 2019.[2]

However, in the next season, 1926–27, Aberdare Athletic finished bottom of the Third Division South and failed to gain re-election to the League, with Torquay United taking their place.[3] Aberdare's loss of their Football League place was controversial. In the first ballot, Aberdare and Southern League side Torquay, the latter having previously applied to join the League in 1923, tied with 21 each. That round of voting was marred by controversy as there was reported to be one spoilt ballot paper (for Aberdare?). Aberdare's secretary claimed that one of the scrutineers was "an interested party". Aberdare lost the second ballot with 19 votes to Torquay’s 26; fellow League side Watford, who had finished second-bottom, were comfortably re-elected with 44 votes.[4] The merged club fully renamed themselves as "Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic", and rejoined the Southern League.

However, the merged club only survived for another year, and in 1928, the Aberaman faction split away to re-form Aberaman Athletic, while the Aberdare half folded. After World War II, in 1945, Aberdare & Aberaman Athletic was re-formed, but that side also split into two, in 1947; Aberdare Town F.C. club continue to play in the Welsh Football League.

The club had several different team colours during their existence.[5] Their membership of the Football League coincided with that of a team from another Welsh town, Merthyr Town.

Managers

The following were managers around the time the team was Football League side:

History

Welsh Football League

  • Winners (4): 1904–05, 1908–09, 1911–12, 1920–21

League and Cup history
Season Div Pos Pl W D L GS GA P FA Cup Notes
1921–22 3rd 8 42 17 10 15 57 51 44
1922–23 3rd 21 42 9 11 22 42 70 29 1st Round
1923–24 3rd 12 42 12 14 16 45 58 38 1st Round
1924–25 3rd 18 42 14 9 19 54 67 37
1925–26 3rd 9 42 17 8 17 74 66 42 3rd Round
1926–27 3rd 22 42 9 7 26 62 101 25 1st Round Failed Re-election
All-time League results: 252 78 59 115 334 413 215
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References
  1. "Football Club History Database - Aberdare Athletic". www.fchd.info. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. "Premier League (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  3. "The Pyramid.info: Promotion to/Relegation from the Football League by year". www.thepyramid.info. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  4. nonleaguematters - A history of admission to the Football League
  5. "Aberdare Athletic - Historical Football Kits". www.historicalkits.co.uk. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  • Twydell, Dave (1988). Rejected F.C.: Comprehensive histories of the ex-Football League clubs, Volume 1. D. Twydell. ISBN 0-9513321-0-4.
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