The history

Llanelli Town AFC were reformed in 2013, having previously been known as Llanelli AFC. The Club were formed in 1896, and it took them 17 years to win their first major honour, winning the Welsh League Division One title in 1913-14, which they would go on to win on two further occasions. The Reds spent a long period of their history playing in both the Welsh League and English Southern League where, in 1924, they would travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham in the third round of the FA Cup. Llanelli continued to play in both leagues until 1958, when the Welsh FA refused to sanction their stay in the Southern League, which meant they would move to the Welsh League on a permanent basis. The League of Wales era started in 1992, and the Reds were founding members of the league, but financial issues created an unsteady time at Stebonheath Park, which would cause Llanelli to fluctuate between the first and second division of Welsh football for the next decade.

Things started to look to be on the up for the club in 2005, when they were taken over by a wealthy businessman and his consortium, The Jesco Group. In their first season in charge, the side finished runners-up in the top division, qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history. The Reds won the first division with three games to spare the following season, once again qualifying for Europe, a feat they managed to achieve seven years in a row, facing the likes of Swedish side Gefle IF, and Scottish Premier League side Motherwell. Financial pressures once again became a problem, with the club being wound up in April 2013, before being reformed as Llanelli Town AFC later that year. Since the reform, the Reds started in the third division of Welsh football, before being promoted to the second division as champions during the 2014-15 season. Llanelli spent two seasons in the second tier, before being promoted to the top division of Welsh football when they won the title in 2017-18. More success came, finishing champions of the Welsh League before joining the then-Welsh Premier League in 2018-19. The Reds did suffer relegation the following season and became founding members of the Cymru South, where they have been ever since. They have finished as runners-up in the last two seasons, with Barry Town United and Briton Ferry Llansawel gaining promotion to the JD Cymru Premier.

The form

The Reds have been in fantastic form of late, winning seven of their last eight matches, where they scored 26 goals over that period. Llanelli currently sit third in the JD Cymru South, only one point behind second place Pontypridd United and two points behind leaders Trethomas Bluebirds, with the ambition to reach the JD Cymru Premier after two seasons of finishing runners-up in the JD Cymru South.

To reach the fourth round of the JD Welsh Cup, the Reds defeated Clwb Cymric 3-0 away from home in the second round, and booked their place against the Bluebirds after a 4-0 home victory against Pill AFC.

The manager

Lee John was appointed manager of the Reds in 2021, after leaving Goytre United. The 41-year-old had a long player career, amassing over 200 Welsh Premier League appearances, and even having the opportunity to play in Europe. John made nine appearances for the Bluebirds in the 2003-04 season, before joining Port Talbot Town, where he spent the majority of his career, while also playing against Finnish side Turun Palloseura where they were defeated 7-1 on aggregate over two legs.

He retired in 2015, and became manager of Cymru South outfit Goytre United, where he won 25 of his 52 matches in charge with a points-per-game of 1.6. John then joined the Reds in 2021, and has been a key figure in their rise of the second division, winning 64 of his 110 matches so far and scoring over 250 goals in three and a half seasons.

The captain

Attacking midfielder Joe Hopkins joined the Reds in 2021 after playing under manager Lee John at Goytre United. Hopkins made 58 appearances for the Goyt over two seasons, scoring 24 goals before joining Llanelli Town AFC. The midfielder, who can play as a ten or further back, has also been amongst the goals with the Reds, scoring 23 times in 87 appearances, netting twice this season with one coming against Carmarthen Town in August and his most recent in a 2-0 win against Penrhiwceiber Rangers in November.

Key player

Forward Ethan Cann has had a fantastic season so far, with 10 goals in 17 appearances in all competitions, with four goals in his last three appearances. The 22-year-old joined from Taffs Well in 2023, where he made 79 appearances for the Cymru South side, scoring 15 times. Cann had a good debut season with the Reds last year, with 16 league goals in 26 matches, while also scoring a brace during a JD Welsh Cup victory against Cymru Premier side Penybont. His performances earned the forward a call-up to the Cymru C squad for their game against England C last March.

They wore both shirts

Bluebirds fan favourite Sean Pemberton ended his semi-pro career with Llanelli Town. The former County captain joined the Reds in 2022, but only featured in 18 minutes of football over two appearances. Pemberton played his local football in Carmarthen, before joining the Bluebirds and, once his time with the Town came to an end, he joined the coaching set-up at the club, but decided to lace up his boots again and joined Carmarthen Town, where he made nine appearances and scored one goal. At the age of 38, Pemberton is still making an impact, now playing for Pembrokeshire League side Goodwick United, where he has scored five goals in eight Division One matches playing at centre half.