It’s not every weekend that the Dragon Signs Amateur Trophy throws up a fixture steeped in rivalry, community history, and an unexpected slice of English Premier League folklore.
But when St Joseph’s Swansea host St Joseph’s Cardiff this Saturday, more than just local bragging rights is on the line. It is a rare grassroots clash between two clubs that share a name, a spirit, and a mission — yet stand proudly on opposite sides of the M4.
Beyond the local rivalry and cup progression, one name in the Swansea squad is bound to stir memories far beyond West Wales.
Now 28, one of St Joseph’s Swansea’s leading figures Charlie Morgan is best remembered not for his goals, but for a split-second moment more than a decade ago — a flashpoint that lit up global headlines, and inadvertently launched a very different kind of career.
Rewind to January 2013. Swansea City were defending a 2–0 lead against Chelsea in an English League Cup semi-final at the Liberty Stadium.
With the Premier League giants growing increasingly desperate, a young ball boy did what many would — he clung to the ball to help the clock run down.
Cue Eden Hazard. The Belgian winger lost his cool, and after a tussle for the ball, kicked it from under the teenager’s body. A red card followed and so did a media storm. The clip went viral, sparking debate, memes, and infamy.
The young supporter, it turned out, was no ordinary fan. Then just 17, Morgan made headlines across the globe for the incident — a moment captured in one of the most replayed clips in Premier and English League Cup history.
To many football fans, his name is instantly familiar — not as a striker, but as the teenage ball boy famously kicked by Eden Hazard that night.
“It’s one of those moments that sticks with you for life,” Morgan says today. “It was chaos at the time, but now it’s been a while, I can look back and laugh. It’ll always be a big part of my journey.
“Looking back, I never imagined it would become such a talking point. It went global overnight and still gets brought up to this day — it’s mental how much it stuck in people’s minds.”
In a full-circle moment earlier in 2024, Morgan and Hazard reunited to mark the 11th anniversary of the incident, involving golf, photos and a kick-about.
“It was class,” Morgan reflected on the day. “We spent the day playing golf, did an interview, had a knockabout with a football. He’s a great guy. He even WhatsApp’s me quite regularly now with photos of him drinking AU cans on the golf course.”
When the media storm eventually passed Morgan returned to his everyday life — but the moment would prove to be the unlikely start of a remarkable journey.
While some would have dined out on viral fame alone, Morgan had other ideas. In 2015, he co-founded a Vodka business with school friend Jackson Quinn, launching a brand that began as a Swansea-based side hustle and exploded into one of the UK’s leading premium vodka labels.
“The idea came about back in 2015 — me and my mate Jackson spotted a gap in the market,” Morgan explains. “We started small, literally labelling bottles ourselves in a small office in Swansea, but had a clear vision to create something that could stand out on shelves and online.”
That vision worked. The vodka brand — famous for its metallic gold bottles and bold social media presence — is now stocked globally. Celebrity investors and ambassadors include Floyd Mayweather Jr, Ronaldinho, Jake Paul, and Charlie Sloth, who also holds a stake in the business.
“Growing up watching those names dominate their sports, and now working with them on AU — it’s something I’ll never take for granted,” he says. “They’re not just big names either — they genuinely back the brand, which means everything to me and the team.”
The company now ships to over 40 countries, making him one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs under 30.
Despite his success in business, Morgan never turned his back on football. In fact, he still plays regularly — leading the line as a striker for St Joseph’s Swansea, a club that sits proudly in the grassroots tiers of Welsh football.
“I’ve been involved for about 8 or 9 seasons now, and I absolutely love it,” he says. “It’s a proper community club with great people involved.”
Formed in 1921 in Swansea’s Greenhill area, St Joseph’s is steeped in heritage. Their iconic green and white kit was donated by Celtic FC over a century ago, and they still wear the iconic colours with pride today.
After clinching the Swansea Senior League title in 2023-24, they earned promotion to the West Wales Premier League (Tier 4) last season, where they mounted a strong campaign and came close to securing back-to-back promotions.
“Last season was another great season but were gutted to miss out on the league and come second,” he says. “We also went far in the West Wales Cup but lost to a last-minute winner in the semis!”
Despite their narrow margins in last year’s campaign, they kicked off the new season in style last weekend, cruising to a 5–1 win over Alway FC in the JD Welsh Cup.
Rikki Hayden was the star of the show, assisting four of the five goals in a commanding attacking performance. And Saturday’s next domestic cup tie brings an added layer of edge — a rare clash of namesakes, and a chance for continued momentum.
“Everyone at the club is buzzing for it,” Morgan says. “Games like these are what you look forward to — they bring everyone together. A strong cup run would mean a lot to the club and to the boys who’ve put so much into it.”
You can follow all the first qualifying round action from all the ties across the weekend HERE.
