Merthyr Town's home stadium has lost its sponsor's title and will revert to being known as Penydarren Park.

The move is coming about after filmmaker, fan and backer Jonny Owen and a former schoolmate made a "generous" donation to the Southern League Premier Division club.

The Martyrs play in the seventh tier of the English pyramid at what was recently the The MET Coaches Stadium.

Owen says "a half-hearted" remark to BBC Radio Wales led to the move.

"Obviously I'm involved in sponsoring the shirt but in a throwaway comment to Radio Wales they asked what were my ambitions in life and I said, 'Take Merthyr to the Premier League!' messing around and of course it was picked up by the press," said Owen.

"I got an email from an old school friend Anthony Lewis, in Australia, and he said, 'I've just read what you said about the Martyrs, can I help and get involved?' so I said yes!"

"I spoke to the club and we're going to make a donation.

"It's going to stay as Penydarren Park, because we think that's important, but we're going to put a bit of money together, me and Anthony, and hope Merthyr continues this fantastic start to the season.

"Merthyr means everything to me, I think the club is the heart of the town.

"It's a football town, it's fantastically well supported. We've seen at the start of this season the fans will turn up for a good team and they're a good team."

Martyrs manager Paul Michael told BBC Radio Wales sport the financial boost and stadium renaming was "great news".

Michael added: "There is a need for sponsorship and even greater probably at Merthyr Town because we are a supporter-owned football club.

"There is no real single benefactor,Lee Byrne, Joe Morrell, Chris Cooke are all owners and these guys bought an ownership for like £25, we have a few 100 owners and they are what make the club what it is, they keep us going.

"Without having that benefactor means the sponsorship and people who come through the gate, they are what make the football club, they are what fund the football side of it and allow us to compete at the level that we do.

"It is fantastic now that Jonny Owen and Anthony Lewis have come in and said, 'We will plug that funding gap and keep the name as Penydarren Park', which everyone associates with the fantastic times down the years the club had."

Unbeaten Martyrs host Sholing FC in the league on Saturday, 26 August (15:00 BST).

In June, 2021 Owen and wife Vicky McClure - of Line of Duty fame -sponsored the Martyrs' shorts.

Former Wales and British and Irish Lions full-back Byrne recently joined Wales midfielder Morrell and Glamorgan cricketer Cook in becoming one of the club's owners.

Following Wrexham's return to the Football League, the Martyrs are now the only Welsh team playing in the English non-league pyramid and need three promotions to reach League Two.