CLUB HISTORY courtesy of the Football Club History Database

1937-38   Welsh League Division Two West Champions
1938-39   Welsh League Division Two West Champions
1946-47   Welsh League Division Two West Champions
1971-72   Welsh League Division One Champions

1979-80   Promoted to Premier Division
1982      Relegated to Division One
1983-84   Placed in National Division on league re-organisation
1991-92   Welsh League runner-up
1992-93   Founder members of League Of Wales
1994      Left League Of Wales
1994-95   Welsh League Champions
1995-96   Rejoined League Of Wales
1997-98   Rejoined Welsh League
2001      Relegated to Division Two
2001-02   Promoted to Division One

SEASON    LEAGUE     P    W    D    L    F    A    P      POS

1978-79   WELSH-1   34   15    8   11   62   47   38      7/18
1979-80   WELSH-1   34   20    9    5   60   31   49      3/18
1980-81   WELSH-P   34   15    7   12   50   52   37      6/18
1981-82   WELSH-P   34    7    6   21   34   62   27     17/18
1982-83   WELSH-1   32    5    8   19   43   78   23     15/17
1983-84   WELSH-N   30   14    6   10   46   36   48      6/16
1984-85   WELSH-N   32   10    6   16   47   54   36     10/17
1985-86   WELSH-N   32   15    9    8   66   50   54      6/17
1986-87   WELSH-N   32   14    8   10   46   41   50      8/17
1987-88   WELSH-N   34   13   10   11   49   47   49      9/18
1988-89   WELSH-N   32   10    6   16   45   58   36     11/17
1989-90   WELSH-N   30   16    6    8   58   43   54      6/16
1990-91   WELSH-N   30   12    6   12   63   67   42      7/16
1991-92   WELSH-N   30   23    1    6   76   43   70      2/16
1992-93   WALES     38   10    9   19   61   87   39     17/20
1993-94   WALES     38    8    9   21   53   84   33     20/20
1994-95   WELSH-1   36   29    4    3  118   40   91      1/19
1995-96   WALES     40   11    9   20   64   91   42     17/21
1996-97   WALES     40    5    1   34   39  129   16     21/21
1997-98   WELSH-1   36   12    3   21   63   94   39     14/19
1998-99   WELSH-1   34    9    9   16   46   66   36     14/18
1999-00   WELSH-1   34   13    6   14   45   55   43     11/18
2000-01   WELSH-1   34    9    8   17   49   66   35     17/18
2001-02   WELSH-2   30   18    6    6   62   30   60      3/16
2002-03   WELSH-1   34   14    4   16   49   53   46      7/18
2003-04   WELSH-1   34   11   11   12   53   45   44      9/18

BRITON FERRY ATHLETIC - A Brief History by David Rapson

It was no coincidence that the club’s upturn in fortunes at the start of the 1990s, followed the appointment of Carl Harris, the former Leeds United winger and Welsh International, as the team’s player-manager. Harris had a fine pedigree, having played in 308 Football League games for Leeds, Charlton Athletic, Bury, Rochdale and Exeter City. In addition, he gained two dozen full Welsh caps, the last against England in 1982.

For a long time during the 1991/92 season, Briton Ferry led the pack and it was not until the early Spring that they were overtaken in the Welsh League title race by the eventual champions, Abergavenny Thursdays. Despite the disappointment of finishing second, Ferry were the League’s leading goalscorers and it was anticipated that the Old Road side would be a force in the new League of Wales.

With the benefit of hindsight, it can be said that Ferry failed to live up to that promise yet the 1992/93 campaign began very well for the team. After eight games, Ferry were right up with the pack winning five, drawing a couple and netting two dozen goals. The run culminated with a League of Wales ‘best’ 7-1 home win over Llanidloes Town when Simon Dyer scored four goals, the second time in successive home games that a Ferry striker, Francis Ford was the first, had netted four times in a League of Wales match. Unfortunately, the re_selfing thirty fixtures that season produced just five wins and the team finished in seventeenth place.

Relegation followed at the end of a very disappointing 1993/94 season when Ferry lost 21 games and won only two of the last fifteen. Having tasted life in the new national league, the players and officials of the club were keen to regain their place. Honours had been thin on the ground during the near seventy years existence of the club although, either side of the war, Briton Ferry Athletic was a team to be reckoned with in Division Two of the Welsh League. Thus, in order to get back into the League of Wales, Ferry had to win the Welsh League title and this they did at the very first attempt after a glorious 1994/95 season.

The record books show that the team, under the leadership of Ray Davies and Mike Lenihan, won 29 of their thirty six league matches and netted 118 goals taking the title comfortably with a massive 91 points, eighteen more than runners-up Haverfordwest County. During the season, Caerau were beaten 9-0 and both Pembroke Borough and Pontypridd Town suffered 8-nil defeats at Old Road. Back in the League of Wales, Ferry consolidated by winning five games in the autumn and, with another half dozen successes following at intervals, their status was retained for another term.

Sadly, the 1996/97 campaign was little short of a disaster. Only five matches were won, one (at home to Caersws) was drawn and the rest were lost; all 34 of them. After winning at Cwmbran in October 1996, Briton Ferry failed to take a single point from the re_selfing sixteen away matches and finished the season with eleven straight defeats. With relegation a certainty, the results went from bad to worse and they ended their League of Wales career to date with a 1-8 mauling at the hands of Llansantffraid.

Currently fifth in Division One of the Welsh League, Ferry will be hoping that the good times return. Five seasons at this level since being relegated in 1997, has included one (last year) in the second division of the Welsh League. Fortunately, promotion was gained at the first attempt giving the club its best season since 1995. As the Welsh Premier League gains credibility, so its former members will be striving to be a part of it and Briton Ferry Athletic will be at the forefront no doubt.

LEAGUE OF WALES STATISTICS

"A Brief History of Briton Ferry Athletic" by David Rapson ©"The Welsh Premier Times" 03 03 2003