Port Talbot Town and Afan Lido will rekindle a famous old rivalry on Saturday when the two teams meet at Victoria Road in a much-anticipated JD Welsh Cup derby (KO 14:00).
Just a few hundred yards separate the two clubs based near Aberavon beach and the draw has brought back plenty of memories for current Port Talbot Town assistant coach Robert Cockings.
As a player, Cockings represented the club between 1997 and 2007, and featured in several memorable derby matches when the two teams were competing together in the top division.
“Port Talbot versus Lido? That’s a derby, that’s a proper derby,” explained Cockings to FAW.cymru this week. “They were special fixtures that brought everyone from the town into the ground. The game would take care of itself, but it was an occasion for the town. There was a nastiness and an edge to it as well. We were all good mates after the game, but when you crossed that white line, you had to win.”
A versatile full-back, Cockings signed for Port Talbot from Trefelin as a 21-year-old in 1997. During the next decade he would play a key role in the side gaining promotion to what was then the League of Wales and lift the Welsh League Cup. Dai Rees and Craig Duggan were in charge at the time and are two of a number of individuals who have crossed the short divide between the clubs over the years.
“Dai and Craig personally knocked my door,” Cockings explained. “It was more than just a phone call. There was no social media back then, there was barely any messaging, so they knocked on my door and said ‘Look, we really want you to be a part of this, we think we can build a team around you’.
Robert Cockings (centre) won the Welsh League Cup as a player with Port Talbot Town in 2000
“To go from Trefelin, who were in the lower leagues at the time, to come to Port Talbot was a massive step up for me, but one I didn’t have any hesitation in doing. As far as I was concerned Port Talbot were the biggest team in the town at the time, and everyone wanted to play for Port Talbot. To be honest, the ten years that I spent at the club made me both as a footballer, and as a person.”
Port Talbot Town are currently competing in the South Wales Premier League (Tier 4) while Afan Lido are two divisions above them in the JD Cymru South. However, both teams have made significant impressions in the top division over the years, with both qualifying for Europe and reaching the JD Welsh Cup final. It was during this era that Cockings remembers those famous derby games.
“The one that does stick out for me was the Boxing Day game at the Lido in 2003,” he explained. “There was torrential rain before kick-off and a great crowd. We won 2-1 with Craig Hughes scoring a late winner which I thankfully got the assist for. I saw an opening and picked out Craig at the back post. It’s probably my best memory of the derby from a footballing point of view.
“Lido had some great players in those early days. Mitch Patton was a goal scorer; he’d always find a gap, he would always be there. Brian Thomas in goals was just a pest but absolutely superb. Paul Evans in midfield would do anything for that Lido badge. Sean O’Leary was another one, and Phil Holmes, who played for both clubs. So many brilliant local players have played in this derby, and you could tell what it meant to all of us.”
Evans scored the Lido goal in that 2003 match, and the current Trethomas Bluebirds manager has played for and managed Port Talbot and Lido, while current Briton Ferry Llansawel boss Andy Dyer also managed both clubs in the top division.
The list of players and managers to wear both badges is extensive, and there will be plenty of interest in Saturday’s fixture with Port Talbot undefeated in all competitions this season.
“We’re in a much healthier place from 12 months ago,” explained Cockings. “We had to sign a number of new players, so it was a hard transition. These boys have played at a higher level, and they had to get used to the league. It’s been a really positive start. This is a bold statement, but it’s probably the best group that I’ve been involved with because of their togetherness off the field.”
Port Talbot Town completed an impressive cup double last season as they claimed the Dragon Signs Amateur Trophy and the SWFA Senior Cup as the club look to move back up the pyramid after a difficult couple of years. Cockings returned to the club last summer following the appointment of Richard Ryan as manager, while Ryan also has his own history with the club having come through the youth ranks.
“From the first phone call Richard said he was going to tug on my heartstrings a little bit,” Cockings explained. “We had both seen the club going through tough times, and it was a case of we need to get involved. It was the right time. We have a passion for the club; we need to get the support back and we need to put the club back where it needs to be.”
As a player, Cockings was part of the Port Talbot Town squad that reached the semi-finals of the JD Welsh Cup in 2004 and 2006. Afan Lido were beaten by Carmarthen Town in the 2007 final, while Port Talbot Town suffered the same fate against Bangor City in 2010. Sgorio pundit Mark Jones was manager of Port Talbot Town for those games in 2004 and 2010, and of Carmarthen in that 2007 victory over Lido.
“Joner was brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” explained Cockings. “A lot of people found him more of a tactical manager, but his man-management skills were superb. If you had a bad time in training, or if you had a bad game, he was always supportive. His management style was just about instilling confidence, and when you’re in that team, you don’t want to relinquish that jersey to anyone.”
Robert Cockings and family before his testimonial match against Swansea City in 2008
Cockings then played under Wayne Davies before departing the club in the summer of 2007 following the appointment of current Haverfordwest County boss Tony Pennock.
“I honestly think if it wasn’t for my shift work in the steelworks, I never would have left,” he added. “I tried a few pre-season games straight off night shifts and I just couldn’t do it; I was physically drained. I had a chat with Tony and we just agreed for me to mutually leave, which wasn’t a problem.”
However, Cockings’ contribution to the club was recognised in a testimonial match against Swansea City the following season, while his face is painted on a mural at the club alongside former striker Martin Rose, the only player to score for Port Talbot Town in Europe.
“When the supporters did that mural for myself and Rosy it was great,” he explained. “You need that connection with the supporters and the volunteers. That’s what we’re instilling into the players here now. It’s not just about you. There are people who give up their precious time to enable you to play football. So, it’s about how you show your appreciation for the people that are providing a platform for you.”
The focus for Cockings now is very much on the current generation, and the opportunity to renew the rivalry against Afan Lido on Saturday is one he is relishing.
“We were in the club a couple of nights before the draw talking about it and you just had a feeling. A couple of my ex-teammates in Lee Surman and Liam McCreesh are still playing for Lido, and Garry (Taylor – Lido manager) will have them fired up.”
Afan Lido defeated Port Talbot at the quarter-final stage on their way to the 2007 JD Welsh Cup final, and the most recent meeting between the two teams in the competition also went the way of the Lido in 2021/22.
“Lido are two tiers above us and that’s where we want to be, it’s where we’re aspiring to be,” Cockings added. “We know how passionate that day will be and how derby games go, but it’s just a case of keeping people’s emotions in check. Lido will think they can win it, and we have got sort of a free hit, but can we win the game? Yes.”
