Ebbw Vale FC

[Emma Hughes]

Hello everyone. Does anyone know where I can find information about the now defunct football club Ebbw Vale FC? My great grandfather played for them sometime in the 1920s and I have contacted what I thought was the club but actually this turns out to be a much newer club which was connected to the steel works.

Many thanks
from Emma

[KGarrad]

Some details here (but nothing re players?!):
http://fchd.info/EBBWVALE.HTM

And here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebbw_Vale_F.C.

[MarMnkly]

Hi Emma
Ebbw Vale Steelworks Museum has a FaceBook page, which seems to show information of the archives they hold.

Mar

[Emma Hughes]

Thank you very much ill have a look!

[Canary]

Researching football clubs (not the egg chasers) in Ebbw Vale is difficult. There have been various clubs over the years, some professional, some amateur. In the 1920s they had a pro team playing in the Southern League. I have a little bit of information. What was his name?

[Emma Hughes]

Hi canary, thanks for the offer. I haven't signed in for ages. The player I'm looking for was called William Cyril Thomas. I have snippeta of newspaper articles about him, he was banned from the Welsh football association for some sort of misconduct along with 2 Irish internationals. I've never been able to find out what happened. The newspaper mentioned that they appealed. He went on the play for Portsmouth and then for aldershot when the won the southern cup. He was known as a 'fearless Welsh defender'

[Canary]

I think I may have made a little progress on this one. Ebbw Vale won the Welsh Cup in 1926 by beating Swansea 3-2. The team included Thomas at right back and Billy McCandless, who was an Irish international player. I've found a report in the BNA that C Thomas and a G Bradburn were suspended by the Football Association of Wales for 14 days from the start of the 1925-26 season.  Bradburn was a former international, but with England.  You could only find out what they'd done by looking at a newspaper such as the Merthyr Express, or the FAW minutes which are at the National Library of wales in Aberystwyth. Hope this helps

[Emma Hughes]

Yes well done. The newspaper report I have says " a big surprise has been created in Welsh football association circles  by the dismissal from the mid-Rhonda club at 14 days notice of three of their players. Mc candles, outside left, capped on several occasions by Ireland: Doran, centre forward, formerly of Brighton and Manchester City and Irish international and Cyril Thomas, a right half, well known in Welsh football circles. The dismissals are due to an alleged breach of club discipline which the players deny. Dorian, in an interview said that he will appeal to the players union. They all complain of being dismissed without hearing"

I'll try what you suggest to look in the papers. In the family We are desperate to know what they did.

I've just read about the other two and their subsequent careers but no mention yet of what they did

[Stoob]

Cyril Thomas was captain of that 1926 side that came from two goals down to defeat Swansea.
The club quit the Southern League in 1932 but became a nursery club particularly for Tottenham.
Willie Evans, Eugene O'Callaghan and Bill Whatley all went to Spurs, not sure about Cuthbert Phillips and Jack Pullen but all 5 became Welsh Internationals.