View From The Seventh Tier — Cefn Hengoed FC
This article was first published in Cardiff Met FC’s matchday programme for their home tie against Penybont on 31.08.21
Cefn Hengoed is a village located in the middle of the Rhymney Valley, built at the start of the last century to provide housing for the workers at Powell Duffryn’s flagship colliery at Penallta. Said colliery is approaching 30 years since its closure but the derelict site can still be viewed from The Graveyard, the home of Cefn Hengoed FC.
The club has existed in various forms for as long as the village has stood, playing on the same pitch for its entirety. The black and white colours of our kit are the same that cover the walls of the village pub, the Cross Keys Inn. This pub predates the village, being a popular stop for horse and carts travelling through the valley before the creation of the automobile. Players and fans alike drink here, club chairwoman Carrie-Ann can be found behind the bar, player-manager Gavyn Hegarty is often seen with a Stella in hand cutting shapes with the rest of the squad after a win on Saturday’s and since the club has remerged in the Taff Ely & Rhymney Valley League’s in 2019, there has been plenty of wins to celebrate.
In our first season back, we went undefeated in the league and reached the semi-final in the cup. This was cut short by the pandemic but those months whilst the season was running, a strong fanbase was building around the club. 100+ fans were turning up to The Graveyard, clubs in the league were struggling to accommodate our away following with multiple coaches travelling across the valley to see the boys in black and white. Not bad at all for “a pub team in Tier 8.” As restrictions slowly eased in Cymru, friendlies were being played despite no fans being allowed within the ground to watch. Even then, over 100 were there to watch from behind the fence surrounding The Graveyard to see an entertaining draw against a newly formed Gelligaer FC, another club within the lower section of the Welsh football pyramid with a quality following. A memorable day for the club came last July with our first game in the Welsh Cup. Over 150 were there to see a valiant performance against 3rd tier Aberbargoed Buds, with many more having to watch outside with numbers capped due to COVID restrictions at the time. Despite a 2–1 loss to a much higher quality of opposition, the noise from the home fans was unreal for a club that plays in the 7th tier. People don’t like coming to The Graveyard, and I don’t blame them one bit. The name alone has some nervy connotations and those who come to watch in numbers make it as hard for the opposition to play at as the players do. At the time of writing, we sit on top of the league with us only dropping points to Cascade YC away (the clubs first league loss since reforming) and a draw at home to AFC Bargoed.
There’s nothing like supporting your local. The rituals we all have every other Saturday is what keeps up coming back for more. Mine is leaving the house, grabbing a bag of cans from the Londis, walking up Gelligaer Road, seeing all the cars parked the length of the ground, setting up my flag on the dirt terrace or on the far side and watching 90 minutes where anything can happen. Win, draw, or lose, it’s back to the cross with players and fans alike. Our squad are like a band of brothers, putting their bodies on the line to get three points. Most of our players have grown up together, their bond off the pitch makes them click so well on it. They bleed and white, the fans know how much of a boost it gives them playing in front of hundreds over just one man and his dog, it’s something that’s rare to see at this level of football, but it’s something that’s class to be a part of.
Cefn Hengoed isn’t a glamorous place, it’s one of many villages in the South Wales valleys that was built on industry and left to rot once said industry disappeared. But it’s a village with a massive heart, somewhere that puts its community first. We’ve got something to be proud of with our football club, they give us something to cheer on every weekend and the work that the club does off the pitch through the cross and their many family nights for the kids here is impeccable. The sky is the limit for our boys, so remember the name. CHFC, OK.
