Neath & District League

Premier Division

Thursday 3rd April 2025

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.05

Resolven A.F.C. 2 Glynneath Town 4, attendance 120

43’ 0-1

45’ 0-2

45’ + 1, 1-2

55’ 1-3

71’ 2-3

84’ 2-4

@ Resolven Park

Vaughan Avenue

Resolven

SA11 4HW

No Admission or Programme.

With very slim pickings tonight, I opted for this game in the top division of the Neath & District League, between two teams separated by five miles along the A465. Resolven came into this bottom of the league table, having won just one of their seventeen games so far, but only trail next to bottom Cilfrew Rovers by a single point and third bottom Ynysmeudwy by another four, so still in with a chance of climbing a couple of places. Glynneath are third, which is the best they can really hope to finish, as they trail second placed Llandarcy by 13 points and leaders Brynoch by another two.

The match was far closer than I’d been expecting and on this showing, it is hard to believe that Resolven have only managed to win one game so far this season. It was a game that was in the balance throughout and an excellent advert for the league. There were few goal scoring opportunities until the dying minutes of the first half, when the game burst into life. Glynneath broke the deadlock a couple of minutes before the break, when a corner from the right was volleyed in at the near post. They doubled their lead two minutes later, when a long throw in was headed in at the far post, with Resolven hooking one in from close range, a minute into stoppage time, to pull it back to 1-2.

Ten minutes into the second half Glynneath restored their two goal lead, when what looked more like an attempted cross, rather than shot, beat the ‘keeper at his near post. Resolven hit back again, with another close range finish to make it 2-3, but the visitors made the game safe when they added a fourth goal with six minutes left, dispossessing the ‘keeper in the six yard box before forcing the ball in from a tight angle.

Resolven Park is very basic. It’s just an open pitch, with the changing rooms hidden out of site at the back of the bowls club. Good to see a three figure crowd here, despite light rain falling for the majority of the match and even better to have had a trouble free journey each way, apart from a closure of the M4 at J11 on the return.