By James Dow

Ahead of today’s JD Cymru Premier MD10 encounter at Stebonheath Park, we’ve taken a closer look at Llanelli Town with Meet the Opposition!

History

Llanelli Town were reformed in 2013 following financial difficulties, having previously been known as Llanelli AFC. The original club was founded in 1896, and claimed their first major honour 17 years later, winning the Welsh League Division One title in 1913–14, which would be a trophy they would lift twice more in their history.

For much of the 20th century, the Reds competed in both the Welsh League and the English Southern League. A highlight came in 1924 when they travelled to Craven Cottage to face 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 Southern League involvement, forcing the club to return full-time to the Welsh League.

The League of Wales era began in 1992, with Llanelli as one of the founding members. However, financial instability at Stebonheath Park saw the club fluctuate between the first and second tiers of Welsh football throughout the next decade. A turning point came in 2005 when the club was taken over by businessman Leighton Samuel and his consortium, the Jesco Group. Their arrival sparked immediate success: the Reds finished runners-up in their first season under new ownership, qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history. The following year, they won the league with three games to spare and went on to qualify for European competition seven years in a row, facing teams such as Swedish side Gefle IF and Scottish Premier League club Motherwell.

Despite that success, financial pressures once again took their toll, and the club was wound up in April 2013. Later that year, Llanelli were reformed as Llanelli Town. Starting in the third tier of Welsh football, they won promotion to the second division as champions in 2014–15 and spent two seasons there before claiming the title in 2017–18 and earning promotion to the top-flight.

More silverware followed as the Reds were crowned champions of the Welsh League, but relegation struck the following season. They became founding members of the JD Cymru South, where they remained until last season when they secured promotion back to the JD Cymru Premier, finishing five points clear of Trethomas Bluebirds.

Form

Llanelli have endured a difficult start to their JD Cymru Premier season. Their 2–1 victory at Briton Ferry Llansawel on Tuesday was their first win of the campaign to date, with one draw and seven defeats leaving them 12th in the table, a point behind both the Bluebirds and Cardiff Metropolitan. They are also the league’s lowest scorers with five goals, while conceding a league-high 27.

In cup competition, Llanelli reached the third round of the Nathaniel MG Cup but were edged out 1–0 by fellow Cymru Premier side Barry Town United, who will now face the Bluebirds in the next round.

Manager

Lee John was appointed manager of the Reds in 2021 after leaving Goytre United. The 41-year-old enjoyed a long playing career, making over 200 Welsh Premier League appearances and even featuring in European competition. He made nine appearances for the Bluebirds during the 2003–04 season before joining Port Talbot Town, where he spent the majority of his career. During that time, he also played against Finnish side Turun Palloseura, with Port Talbot falling 7–1 on aggregate over two legs.

After retiring in 2015, the former winger moved into management with JD Cymru South side Goytre United, where he won 25 of his 52 matches in charge, averaging 1.6 points per game. Since taking over at Llanelli in 2021, John has been instrumental in their rise to the JD Cymru Premier, winning 78 of his 139 matches so far with an improved average of 1.84 points per game, while his side have scored 294 goals under his leadership.

Captain

Midfielder Joe Hopkins joined the Reds in 2021 after previously playing under John at Goytre United. During his time with the Goyt, he made 58 appearances across two seasons, scoring 24 goals before moving to Llanelli Town.

Capable of playing as a number 10 or in a deeper midfield role, Hopkins has continued to contribute goals for the Reds, netting 23 times in 116 appearances. While he is yet to score since the club’s return to the JD Cymru Premier, he has featured in all 11 matches across all competitions so far this season.

Player profile – Rio Booth

Winger Rio Booth was the hero off the bench in Tuesday’s win over Ferry, scoring the decisive goal in the 86th minute, which was his first since joining the Reds in the summer.

The 20-year-old began his career at Pontardawe Town, breaking into the first team during the 2022–23 season and registering six goals and two assists in 25 league appearances. He spent another year at Parc Ynysderw before moving west to Carmarthen Town, where he made 27 league appearances, scoring three times and helping the Old Gold to a seventh place finish in the JD Cymru South.

Booth joined Llanelli ahead of this season and, like captain Hopkins, has featured in all 11 matches across all competitions.

They wore both shirts

Kurtis Rees played a key role in the Bluebirds’ promotion to the Cymru Premier in 2020, scoring four goals in 21 appearances before making a further 50 top-flight outings in the following two seasons.

The central midfielder began his career at Pontardawe Town, with a spell at Cwmamman United before moving to Pembrokeshire ahead of the 2019–20 campaign. After three seasons in blue, he joined Pontypridd United in the summer of 2022. Rees featured 21 times in his first season with the Dragons, contributing one goal and one assist as they avoided relegation.

He remained with Pontypridd for the first half of the following campaign before joining John’s Llanelli in the January transfer window in search of more consistent game time. Over a season-and-a-half with the Reds, the 26-year-old made 45 appearances and scored twice, with his final goal coming in a 3–0 win over Trefelin on the last day of last season in his final appearance for the club.

Rees moved to Carmarthen Town ahead of this season and has made seven appearances to date.