By James Dow

Ahead of today’s JD Cymru Premier encounter at SDM Glass Stadium, we’ve taken a closer look at Penybont with Meet the Opposition!

History

Penybont FC were founded in 2013, following the merger of Bridgend Town and Bryntirion Athletic. Bridgend Town had the more illustrious history of the two sides, winning the English Southern League in 1979-80 while also reaching the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup on two occasions. In Bont’s debut season, they finished third in the Welsh Football League Division One behind Monmouth Town and Taff’s Well, and spent six seasons in the league before finishing as champions during the 2018-19 season, which saw them gain promotion to the JD Cymru Premier as they finished undefeated, winning 25 of their 30 matches.

Penybont avoided relegation in their first season in the top-flight, which was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The finishing positions were decided by a points-per-game ratio, with Penybont’s superior to both Carmarthen Town and Airbus UK Broughton after 25 games. Penybont have since established themselves as a top side in the division, reaching the final of the JD Welsh Cup in 2021-22, where they were narrowly beaten 3-2 by The New Saints at Cardiff City Stadium.

The following season saw Penybont finish third in the league, and due to The New Saints winning the JD Welsh Cup, third place resulted in automatic qualification to the following season’s UEFA Conference League first qualifying round, which saw Bont face Andorran side Santa Coloma, losing 3-1 on aggregate. They drew the home leg 1-1 at the Brewery Field in Bridgend, and held their opponents to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes in the second, but were eventually defeated after conceding two goals in extra time. Penybont have not managed to reach the European stage since, but have a fantastic opportunity this season, finding themselves at the top of the JD Cymru Premier.

Form

The league leaders will be looking to bounce back after their 3-2 defeat to The New Saints 10 days ago, but overall Bont have been in fantastic form. Having only lost two league games all season, Penybont sit one point ahead of second place TNS on 37 points. They have scored the second most goals in the league behind the Saints, and have only conceded 12 goals in the league, with the Bluebirds the only team to concede less than the leaders (8). Before their defeat at Park Hall last week, Penybont were seven games unbeaten in the league, with their last loss coming against Briton Ferry Llansawel in September.

Manager

Rhys Griffiths joined Penybont in 2016 in a player-manager role, and enjoyed promotion to the JD Cymru Premier in his second season with the club. The ex-forward enjoyed 11 years in the Welsh domestic system, playing for the likes of Carmarthen Town, Llanelli Town, Port Talbot Town and the Bluebirds. Griffiths’ most successful time came at Llanelli Town, where he won the golden boot twice in two seasons, scoring 30 and 40 goals respectively. His goalscoring record saw the striker sign his first professional contract in 2012, where he joined English Football League side Plymouth Argyle, where he scored on his league debut in a 3-2 win against Northmapton Town.

Griffiths made 11 appearances for the Pilgrims, scoring three goals before moving back to Wales and joining non-league side Newport County. Griffiths spent one year at the Exiles, and while suffering with injuries during his time there, was part of the side that won promotion to League Two when they beat Wrexham 2-0 at Wembley to return to the Football League after a 25-year absence. He then returned to Wales and rejoined Port Talbot Town.

Griffiths also had one season at Aberystwyth Town before joining Penybont as player-manager a year later. So far, the 44-year-old has managed 208 matches for Penybont, winning 89 times and having a points-per-game average of 1.5. He also picked up the Cymru Premier Manager of the Year award for the 2022-23 season.

Captain

Kane Owen has been ever-present for Penybont since joining the side in 2016, making 183 appearances and registering 23 goals. The left-back started his career at Cardiff City, before joining Afan Lido. Owen did not make an appearance for the Cymru South side, and soon after moved west to join Aberystwyth Town. He made six appearances for the Seasiders during the 2015-16 season and was picked up by Penybont the following summer.

Owen tasted success in 2018-19 with not just Penybont, when the side gained promotion to the Cymru Premier, but also won a league and cup double with the University of South Wales, while also picking up the Best Male Sportsperson award for USW that season. The 30-year-old took over the captaincy during the 2020-21 season, and led his team out on the European stage during the 2023-24 season when they faced Andorran side FC Santa Coloma in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying rounds. So far this season, Owen has made 19 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals. The defender has also made three international appearances for Cymru C, with his most recent coming in a 1-0 win against England C in March.

Key player – James Crole

Forward James Crole signed from English Football League side Cardiff City this summer, and so far has been one of the best signings of the summer window. The 20-year-old came through the Bluebirds academy, and made his senior debut for the Championship club in a 5-2 Carabao Cup defeat to Blackburn Rovers last season. Crole had two loan spells last year, starting with National League side Torquay United, but that was short-lived due to injury. He then went north and joined Scottish side Queen’s Park, but was unable to stamp down a starting place in the team. The forward then joined Penybont over the summer, and has had a fantastic start with nine goal involvements in 16 appearances in the league, with four goals coming in his last four matches, including a brace against The New Saints last week.

They wore both shirts

Mason Jones-Thomas spent one season with the Bluebirds in 2021-22, after joining from Penybont. The winger, who can play on both flanks, started his career with Swansea City, where he made a number of appearances for the development team, playing alongside current Cymru internationals Liam Cullen and Oli Cooper. Jones-Thomas then had a spell with Bont, where he would go on to make seven appearances.

The young Welshman then joined the Bluebirds in the 2021-22 season, where he would link up with Gary Richards, who worked with the winger during his time in the Swansea City academy. Jones-Thomas made 19 appearances for the Bluebirds in all competitions, scoring four goals, primarily appearing as an impact player off the bench. The forward then moved to JD Cymru South side Trefelin BGC on loan in January 2022, where he would go on to help the side finish 11^th in the second tier, while scoring five goals in nine matches, including braces against both Goytre United and Port Talbot Town on the final day of the season.

Jones-Thomas would then make his move to Ynys Park permanent, making 30 appearances in the following season, helping Trefelin avoid relegation to the Ardal Leagues. The forward has spent the last two seasons at Carmarthen Town. So far this season, he has played 13 times for the Old Gold, but is yet to score. Jones-Thomas has also played for his country, playing at both under-17 and under-19 level for Cymru.

(Featured image: Lewis Mitchell/FAW)