Steel Derby Returns At Lido’s Marstons Stadium

The Steel derby returns this afternoon (Saturday) when Port Talbot Town make the short trip to Afan Lido’s Marston’s Stadium (2pm).

The Blues sit a point above their neighbours in the Division One table with 23 points, although Lido have four games in hand following a spate of fixture postponements due to bad weather.

Town are without a permanent manager since Paul Evans stepped down last month.

His decision was due a change in circumstances and Port Talbot said in a statement: “We were sad to see Paul go and thank him for all his hard work.

“The club had just come down from the Welsh Premier League and was in a bad state off and on the pitch. Paul’s efforts contributed massively towards the club’s progress.

“His efforts in building a solid Division One first-team can now act as a foundation for the future.”

Port Talbot earned a double against Lido last season, winning 1-0 and 4-0.

Afan Lido’s last league outing resulted in a 3-0 home win against Caerau Ely, while the Blues earned draws against Goytre United and Haverfordwest County plus a 5-1 win against Ton Pentre in their last three games.

Rivalries aside, however, the clubs will be uniting off the field to raise money for a good cause.

This year’s steel town derby sees senior and youth team members from both clubs unite in a joint initiative to raise funds for the Port Talbot Foodbank over the Christmas period.

Representatives of both clubs will be working together on the day to raise awareness and recognition of the work being performed by the volunteers of the town’s Foodbank. There will be bucket collections and fundraising activities.

The Foodbank is part of the nationwide network of initiatives supported by the Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK. It was founded three years ago by volunteers from various local churches and community groups, and is based at Carmel Chapel in Aberafan.

Afan Lido general manager Mark Robinson says: “This season marks our 50th anniversary and, to celebrate, we wanted to give something back to the community at Christmas.”