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PORT TALBOT TOWN
FORMED initially in 1901, Port Talbot spent their early years playing in the Swansea Senior League. Early records show that one of the club’s biggest wins came in 1909/10, when they beat Llanelli 10-0. After the First World War, it is assumed that the club again played in the Swansea League until 1926, when they became founder members of the Port Talbot and District Association Football League.
In the 1928/29 season a team sporting the name Seaside Athletic were competing in the Welsh League Division 2 Western Section, and sources say this was the same club that formed in 1901. Port Talbot continued to ply their trade in the Second Division until 1956/57, when they won promotion to the top flight.
They were never comfortable, and it was no surprise when they were relegated after just one season. After a rebuilding programme, they were soon back in action in the first division after becoming champions of Division 2 West at the end of 1961/62. However, once again they suffered relegation just twelve months later.
Season 1964/65 saw the re-organisation of the league, and Port Talbot found themselves in the new Division One. However, relegation to the second division came in 1970/71, a major setback for the club. A long hard slog in the lower echelons ended in 1982/83 when they finished as runners up to Tondu Robins, and won promotion to the first division.

Port Talbot play at Victoria Road. They are one of the two WP clubs in the town - their rivals are Afan Lido.
Port Talbot were included in the prestigious new National Division of the Welsh League in 1984/85, and stayed there until 1990/91 when they were relegated after a lamentable season. The club missed out on a place in the inaugural League of Wales, and worse was to follow when they were relegated to the present Division 2 in 1993/94.
Better times arrived under the leadership of Steve Llewellyn and Alan Meacham, and the club won back their place in the top division with a last day promotion at local rivals Goytre United in 1995/96. After a period of consolidation, they finished 5th in 1997/98 under Dai Rees and Craig Duggan during their first season in the managerial hot seat. Since then, the club has been transformed off the field, with Andrew Edwards taking over as Chairman at the start of the 1998/99 season.
At this point a three-year master plan was put into operation, which included taking the club to the League of Wales by its centenary year in 2001/02 and establishing a youth/junior system from under-7s right up through to under-18s.
The success of the 1999/2000 season saw the club promoted to the League of Wales a year ahead of schedule and the introduction of two junior teams and a youth team in the MacWhirter Youth League.
Many improvements were carried out to the Victoria Road Ground with refurbished dressing rooms, a new 260-seater stand, floodlights, television camera gantry, turnstiles and a hard standing around the pitch.
The club made a satisfactory start in the League of Wales gaining six victories before Christmas 2000. Unfortunately, some of the work was undone by a disappointing end to the campaign. Nevertheless, in Kevin Bartley they had the league’s third top goal-scorer, his tally of 23 including successive hat-tricks at Connah’s Quay and Rhyl.
To mark their centenary year, the club’s title was changed from Port Talbot Athletic to Port Talbot Town at the start of the 2001/2002 season.
Talbot reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup in 2003/4 for the first time in their history, but hopes of a foray into Europe were dashed in a 1-0 defeat by TNS at Park Avenue.

Season
P
W
D
L
F
A
Pts
Pos
2000/1
34
10
5
19
49
77
35
16
2001/2
34
12
7
15
44
55
43
12
2002/3
34
11
6
17
36
51
39
11
2003/4
32
11
6
15
41
51
39
11
TOTAL
134
44
24
66
170
234
156
League stats
Biggest Home Wins
6-2 v Flexsys Cefn Druids 15/09/01
3-1 v Newtown 02/03/02
Biggest Away Wins
5-3 at Bangor City 16/12/00
3-1 at UWIC Inter Cardiff 23/03/01
3-1 at Connah’s Quay Nomads 31/03/01
3-1 at Newtown 03/11/01
Biggest Home Defeats
0-6 by Total Network Solutions 14/04/01
1-6 by Rhyl 08/10/00
2-5 by Cwmbran Town 13/01/01
Biggest Away Defeats
1-7 at Caersws 06/01/01
0-4 at Total Network Solutions 20/10/01
Most Goals in One Season
20 by Kevin Bartley 2000/01
Most Goals in One Match
3 by Simon Dyer v Bangor City 16/12/00
3 by Kevin Bartley v Connah’s Quay Nomads 31/03/00
3 by Kevin Bartley v Rhyl 07/04/01
3 by Craig Hughes v Caernarfon Town 20/12/03
Top Scorers in Aggregate
29 by Kevin Bartley (2000 – 2004)
Most Appearances
111 (+8 Sub) by Robert Cockings (2000 – 2004)
82 by (+4 Sub) by Russell Wigley (2001 – 2004)
69 (+10 Sub) by Hayden Fleming (2001 – 2004)
David Rees (Aug 1997 – Oct 2000)
Simon Dyer (Oct 2000 – May 2001)
Wayne Goodridge (Jul 2001-Sept 2001)
Vince Lewis (caretaker Sept 2001–Oct 2001)
Mark Jones (Oct 2001 – May 2004)
Wayne Davies (May 2004 - date)