By James Dow
Ahead of tomorrow’s JD Welsh Cup tie at LHP Stadium, we’ve taken a closer look at Trethomas Bluebirds with Meet the Opposition!
The history
Trethomas Bluebirds were formed in 1903 when a piece of land in the village was bought by a group of local miners. Llanbafon Drive Playing Field was formed and this was to become the home of Trethomas football for over 100 years. The first records of Trethomas were during the 1925-26 season, when they finished 11th in Division 2 Section A of the Welsh Football League. They played in this division until the start of World War 2. After the war, the Bluebirds continued competing in the national league for one season, until a tough 1947-48 season saw them participate in local football as they joined the Monmouthshire League.
At the start of the millennium, the club took the opportunity to add ‘Bluebirds’ to their name, a decision which came about by club members being inspired by Cardiff City. The Bluebirds were competing in the Gwent County League at this time, and participated until the 2015-16 season saw Trethomas become Gwent County Division One Champions, and the prize was a return to Welsh League football. The Bluebirds improved year-on-year, while also moving to the Centre of Sporting Excellence in Ystrad Mynach to improve their facilities and ensure they would be well-placed for promotion. Their season, however, was cut short due to the pandemic, which meant the club finished third on a points-per-game basis. This meant the club were unable to achieve promotion and, due to the restructuring of the Welsh Football League, they competed in the Ardal Southern League East from 2020-21.
As a club, Trethomas continued to improve and have enjoyed some real success in recent times, winning the Ardal Southern League Cup during the 2021-22 season. This achievement was soon followed by more cup success with the Bluebirds winning the FAW Amateur Trophy in 2023-24, while also achieving domestic success by winning the Ardal South East League and gaining promotion to the JD Cymru South for the first time.
The form
The Bluebirds currently find themselves sat at the top of the JD Cymru South, winning six of their 11 matches so far this season, only losing once at home so far in the league while also being impressive on the road, picking up wins at Pontypridd United and Ammanford. They have also scored the joint-highest amount of goals in the league with 22 to date, with only Carmarthen Town equalling this tally. Trethomas reached the second round of the JD Welsh Cup after picking up a narrow 1-0 away to Taffs Well in September.
The manager
Mark Dunford was appointed manager of the Bluebirds during the 2020-21 season, and he helped lead the club to the Ardal Southern League Cup in his first full season in charge, while also finishing fourth in the Ardal South East. He then guided the Bluebirds to another fourth place finish, while also achieving national success after winning the Dragon Signs Amateur Trophy after a 2-1 win against Denbigh Town at Newtown’s Latham Park. The following season, Dunford led Trethomas to league success when they were promoted to the JD Cymru South as champions. They enjoyed a very successful season, picking up 78 points and racking up 100 goals, finishing seven points clear of second place Newport City. The 43-year-old was also named JD Cymru South Manager of the Month for September.
The captain
Midfielder James Saddler was named captain at the start of last season when he joined from JD Cymru Premier outfit Pontypridd United. The 32-year-old began his career at Ely Rangers, before joining Barry Town United in 2011. Saddler spent six years with the Linnets before having a year out and joining JD Cymru Premier side Penybont at the start of the 2019-20 season. He spent one full season with Bont, making 27 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal. Saddler then left at the end of the season, joining Pontypridd United. The midfielder captained the Dragons on several occasions, as they were promoted to the top-flight in his first season. He made 13 appearances for Pontypridd during their first campaign in the JD Cymru Premier. A year later, Saddler moved to Trethomas, captaining his side to promotion in his first season. Saddler has so far made 13 appearances across all competitions for the Bluebirds this term.
Key player
Goalkeeper Harry Irving has been ever-present between the sticks this season, playing all 11 matches with three clean sheets and even picking up an assist during a 3-2 win away at Ammanford. The 22-year-old started his career at Pontypridd United, and made one appearance during their promotion-winning campaign to the Cymru Premier in the 2020-21 season. Irving had two loan spells at the Bluebirds, one during the 2021-22 season, where he made 16 appearances in all competitions, before rejoining the club at the start of the 2022-23 season, making six league appearances before signing permanently in the summer of 2023. Irving played all 30 league games during their title-winning campaign last year, keeping 15 clean sheets and only conceding 25 goals throughout the season.
They wore both shirts
Bobby Briers is a product of the Haverfordwest County AFC academy setup, and spent three seasons in Pembrokeshire, making 36 appearances for the Town over three seasons, scoring one goal. The defender then moved east and joined neighbours Carmarthen Town during the 2010-11 season, where he made nine league appearances over two seasons with the Old Gold.
Briers had spells with both Barry Town United and Pontypridd United before signing for Trethomas in 2019. The defender made over 75 appearances for the Caerphilly Bluebirds in all competitions, scoring six goals as he was part of the squad who won promotion to the JD Cymru South last season.
