Llanelli Town A.F.C.
| Badge of Llanelli A.F.C. | ||
| Full name | Llanelli Association Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Tinmen, The Reds or Scarlets | |
| Founded | 1896 | |
| Ground | Stebonheath Park Llanelli | |
| Capacity | 3,700 | |
| Chairman |  Robert Jones FINST SMM | |
| Manager | Peter Nicholas | |
| League | League of Wales | |
| 2006-07 | League of Wales, 3rd | |
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Llanelli A.F.C. is a Welsh football team that plays in the League of Wales. Its home ground is Stebonheath Park, Llanelli. It has a capacity of 3,700 - 700 of which may be seated. The current manager is Peter Nicholas. The club is run by the JESCO Group. Former Celtic and Scotland international manager Jock Stein played there briefly in the 1950 season.
In February 1998, the club's 40-year-old player-manager Robbie James (a former Wales international who also played more than 800 English league games between 1973 and 1994) collapsed and died during a Welsh Football League First Division fixture against Porthcawl.
The club is owned by Catherine Zeta-Jones' uncle, Robert Jones.
History
The club was a founder member of the League of Wales, but was relegated during the 1995/6 season. Three years later however it achieved promotion back to the top division, achieving its best finishing position of fifth in the 1999/2000 season. It was lucky to survive the following season, staying up because no team in the Welsh League Division One met the promotion criteria. llanelli was eventually relegated two years later, but bounced back immediately for the 2004/5 season.
During the summer of 2005, "Tinopolis" announced ambitious plans to become a full-time side. This move led to unprecedented success in the league, culminating in the best-ever finish of second, behind fellow full-timers The New Saints. Finishing second in the league also qualified the club for the 2006/7 UEFA Cup.
On April 11, 2008, Llanelli A.F.C. won the Welsh Premier League for the first time in their history.
Recent Performances
Intertoto Cup - 2007/08
Llanelli A.F.C. qualified for the Intertoto Cup after finishing third in the Welsh Premier League behind The New Saints and Rhyl F.C.The Reds travelled to the Lithuanian capital Vilnius for the first leg of the first round against FK Vėtra where they lost 3-1. A magnificent return leg(played at Carmarthen as Stebonheath did not meet UEFA criteria) saw Llanelli come agonizingly close to qualifying, taking the game from 3-2 down at half time to 5-3 up in the last minute and missing a last gasp opportunity to finish off their badly shaken opponents, going out of the tournament on away goals.
UEFA Cup - 2006/07 Season
Llanelli A.F.C. won the first qualifying round draw against the Swedish team Gefle IF (2-1) on aggregate. They then went on to play the Danish side Odense BK in the second qualifying round.
Because of UEFA regulations on stadia, the club played its home leg of the first qualifying round at Llanelli's Stradey Park, home of the Llanelli Scarlets rugby union region, and played the second round home leg at Swansea's Liberty Stadium. However, they suffered a substantial loss during the home leg and were ejected from the UEFA cup tournament (1-6) on aggregate.
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Jordan Follows Premier League Interest
One of the Llanelli AFC Academy products, Jordan Follows, has continuously been linked with transfer moves to the English Premier League with teams such as Manchester City and Blackburn Rovers becoming interested in the 17 year old. During a short trial with Blackburn, he scored in a reserve match but unfortunately was injured. Therefore, he was sent back to Llanelli.
