The Breconshire market town of Talgarth has experienced an interesting history with football, with clubs forming and then later folding, along new names appearing on fixture lists.
The former Talgarth FC and Talgarth Town have both experienced spells at senior level in the Mid Wales League but have then reverted back to more local competition.
Being located on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park has meant the King George V Playing Fields club is based the extremities of the Mid Wales League's vast catchment area.
The regionalisation of the new tier four competition for the Central Wales FA region, as part of the FAW's pyramid re-structure, will hopefully enable grassroots clubs on the edges of the region to have the opportunity to compete at senior level.
Indeed, Talgarth Town may also benefit from the changes implemented at tier three, if the Royals are in a position one day to return to this level for the first time since the 1992/93 campaign.
Football in Talgarth has been played under different names over previous decades, with the current incarnation plying their trade in the Mid Wales League (South) but when competitive football resumed following the First World War, the then Talgarth FC joined the Mid Wales League.
This competition included Brecon Depot, Brecon Sports, Builth Wells, Hay, Llandrindod Wells, Llanfaes, Newbridge and Rhayader in its membership. Although the club finished mid-table in their maiden campaign, the Royals claimed the championship the following term, finishing eight points ahead of Brecon Depot.
When the league structures were re-organised by the FAW, for the beginning of the 1921/22 season, Talgarth were placed in the Mid Wales section of the Welsh National League (Central Wales).
The league structure was again revised the following term, with the club placed in the ‘Mid Wales area’ of the Welsh National League (Central Wales) First Division, where they finished third at the conclusion the following season.
Fortunes took a turn for the worse, however, as the Breconshire club finished bottom of the table for the next three seasons. They did conclude as runners-up to Aberystwyth Town in 1926/27 before the Central Wales League was wound-up in September 1927.
Not a great deal of Talgarth’s history prior to the Second World War is documented but the club were members of the Mid Wales League (South section) in 1947-48.
When the FAW met in May 1950, to discuss merging the two sections of the Mid Wales League, Talgarth turned down an invitation to join the competition and were possibly in membership of the Brecon and District League instead.
It appears the club folded in 1962 but a match on Boxing Day in 1969, between Talgarth Youth Club and Talgarth Veterans, eventually saw the reformation of Talgarth FC at the beginning of the following term.
The King George V Playing Fields men finished in the top-half of the Brecon and District League on their return to competitive action and were runners-up to Vale of Arrow the following term after taking advantage of the demise of Glasbury United.
The Royals remained unbeaten in the Brecon and District League throughout the 1972/73 season - the first team to do so since the Brecon-based 24th Club in 1968/69 - landing the title in the process and lifting seven other trophies for good measure.
The Royals made the step-up to the Mid Wales League in 1973/74, where they would spend the next eight seasons in the lower-half of the table, before returning to junior football in the Mid Wales League (South).
The Royals did not fare particularly well at first on their return to the lower echelon, but were eventually crowned champions in 1987/88, after finishing four points ahead of Builth Wells.
Despite concluding the following term in fourth position, Talgarth enjoyed the consolation of lifting the Radnorshire Cup for the first time, before re-joining the Mid Wales League at the beginning of the 1989/90 campaign.
The Royals finished in the lower-half of the table during their first two seasons back at senior level, although reached the League Cup final in 1990/91, eventually being defeated by Caersws Reserves following two replays.
Talgarth enjoyed two further seasons in the league, including a fourth-placed finish in 1992/93, before the club were forced return to the Brecon and District League.
The King George V Playing Fields club concluded one place off the basement of the eight-team league, before an improvement in fortunes 12 months later with a mid-table finish, in addition to reaching the Billy Harris and Billy Woodcock Cup finals.
The 1994/95 season was significant for football in the town with the Talgarth-based Gwernyfed making their debut in the same league.
Talgarth folded in 1997/1998 with Gwernyfed representing the town for the next decade, reaching the semi-finals of the Emrys Morgan Cup in 2005 and reaching the final of the Radnorshire Cup in 2008.
The club experienced a change of identity during the close season of 2010 when they changed their name to Talgarth Town and launched a reserve team under the banner of Talgarth Rovers.
The Royals made the step-up to the newly-formed Mid Wales League Second Division for the following campaign, as senior football returned to the town for the first time in nearly two decades.
Talgarth Town concluded the 2013/14 campaign in eighth position and negotiated their way to another Radnorshire Cup final appearance. Unfortunately, the King George V Playing Fields club met Rhayader Town and went down 4-0 to the then Cymru Alliance outfit.
The Royals consolidated back in junior football in 2015 and a brief stint back in the Mid Wales League was followed by a return to the lower level, winning the title in 2019 under Mark Walsh who was succeeded by Scott Powell last season.
The FAW announced on May, 20 2020 that the domestic season had been brought to an end due to the pandemic with the Royals third.
With changes taking place to the pyramid over the summer, the introduction of the Mid Wales League (East) provides Talgarth Town, and other clubs in the Mid Wales League (South), with an opportunity to compete at a higher level without long cross-country journeys to the coast.
Football in this market town has experienced many peaks and troughs, over the course of the past century, and now appears to be starting an ascent towards a new chapter in the football history of this corner of Breconshire.
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