 | |||
| Full name | Neath Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Eagles | ||
| Founded | 2005 as Neath Athletic | ||
| Dissolved | 2012[1] | ||
| Ground | The Gnoll Neath | ||
| Capacity | 6,000 | ||
| 2011–12 | Welsh Premier League, 3rd (of 12) | ||
Neath Football Club (Welsh:Clwb Pêl-droed Castell-nedd) was aWelsh professionalassociation football club based inNeath last playing in theWelsh Premier League.[1]
The club was formed in 2005 following the merger betweenNeath andSkewen Athletic. Originally known asNeath Athletic A.F.C. the club played its first two seasons inWelsh Football League Division One before being promoted to the Welsh Premier League.
The president of the club wasPeter Hain M.P., the life vice-president was David Maddock who had been associated with the club and its predecessors (as player, committeeman and secretary) for over 56 years[when?].
The club was formed in 2005 asNeath Athletic afterNeath andSkewen Athletic agreed to merge in an attempt to mount a better challenge to theWelsh Football LeagueDivision One title. Playing at the old ground of Neath F.C.,Llandarcy Park, the new club proved a formidable force in the league, finishing second toGoytre United at their first attempt. Goytre United declined to step-up into the Welsh Premier League, meaning Neath Athletic could take their place. However, due to Llandarcy Park not meeting the required Welsh Premier League ground criteria, Neath was refused entry.[2]
During the2006–07 season, Neath Athletic won the Welsh Football League Division One. With this success and the improvements to Llandarcy Park, Neath Athletic was eligible to play in the Welsh Premier League. Success in the Welsh Football League was followed by a placing of seventh in their first season in the Welsh Premier League.
During summer 2008,Neath RFC agreed to allow Neath Athletic to share its home groundThe Gnoll.[3] With the move to a new home, the club also decided to rename itselfNeath F.C. Following Neath's first match at The Gnoll againstSwansea City, the two clubs announced a partnership that would enable Swansea to send players on loan to Neath to gain first team experience. The first such players to join Neath were Kyle Graves, Dion Chambers andKerry Morgan.
On 23 April 2009, just a couple of days before the end of the2008–09 Welsh Premier League season, Neath announced plans to go full-time for the2009–10 season to challenge the likes ofLlanelli AFC andRhyl for the Welsh Premier League title.
On 13 July 2010, Neath announced the double signing of two marquee players in readiness for the 2010–11 season, former Swansea City favouritesKristian O'Leary andLee Trundle. A year later came the signing ofMatthew Rees a former Swansea defender and ex Port Talbot Town captain.[4][5]
Several other key signings followed transforming Neath into title contenders with a minimum expectation for the club's first European qualification. Attendances at The Gnoll doubled for the 2010/2011 season as a combination of high-profile signings and good results appear to be paying dividends.
On 21 May 2011, Neath defeated Prestatyn Town 3–2 at The Gnoll in front of a club record 1,000 fans in the first ever Europa League Play-off. Chad Bond put Neath ahead after 12 seconds before two late goals from long-serving Andy Hill secured Neath's debut in Europe.
At the end of the 2011–12 season the club were refused both FAW domestic and UEFA licences for the 2012–13 season and were declared ineligible to participate in the end-of-season Europa League play-offs.[6]
On 28 May 2012, the club was wound up, at the High Court.[1]
| Season | League Contested | Tier | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | League Position | Avg. Home Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | Welsh Football League Division One | 2 | 34 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 76 | 32 | +44 | 73 | 2nd of 18 | n/a |
| 2006–07 | Welsh Football League Division One | 2 | 36 | 29 | 5 | 2 | 100 | 32 | +68 | 92 | 1st of 19 Promoted | n/a |
| 2007–08 | Welsh Premier League | 1 | 34 | 15 | 9 | 10 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 54 | 7th of 18 | 211 |
| 2008–09 | Welsh Premier League | 1 | 34 | 10 | 4 | 20 | 43 | 65 | -18 | 34 | 14th of 18 | 260 |
| 2009–10 | Welsh Premier League | 1 | 34 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 41 | 38 | +3 | 47 | 9th of 18 | 221 |
| 2010–11 | Welsh Premier League | 1 | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 58 | 3rd of 12 | 569 |
| 2011–12 | Welsh Premier League | 1 | 32 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 60 | 36 | +24 | 62 | 3rd of 12 Relegated |
Source:[1]
P = Position;Pld = Matches played;W = Matches won;D = Matches drawn;L = Matches lost;GF = Goals for;GA = Goals against;GD = Goal difference;Pts = Points;
| Location | Dyfed Road, Neath |
|---|---|
| Owner | Neath RFC |
| Operator | Neath RFC |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1848 |
| Tenants | |
| Neath RFC (Welsh Premier Division) (1871–present) Neath F.C. (2008–2012) South Wales ScorpionsRugby league Club (2010–present) | |
When first formed, the club had a choice of both grounds of the merged clubs,Llandarcy Park of Neath F.C. andTennant Park of Skewen Athletic F.C.. As Llandarcy Park was the better of the two Neath Athletic decided to call it home.
| Season | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | Q1 |  | Aalesunds FK | 0–2 | 1–4 | 1–6 |
