Glamorgan Gazette sports writer Tony Poole takes a look back on the local football scene during 2017
PENYBONT finishing runners-up to Barry Town United in Nathaniel Cars Welsh League Division One was the biggest achievement of the year.
Under player-manager Rhys Griffiths, Bont finished five points shy of the Jenner Park side who accepted promotion back to the Welsh Premiership.
Having endured a slow start to the campaign, the Bridgend super club finished like a steam train, and were unbeaten during their closing nine league matches.
Four players achieved double figures on the Kymco Stadium goal chart with Marcus Griffiths topping it via 22 strikes.
Josef Hopkins hit the target a sweet 16 times; Cullen Kinsella got 12 goals to finish two in front of player-manager Griffiths.
Penybont also reached the final of the South Wales Senior Cup staged at Cambrian & Clydach only to lose out to Taffs Well, 4-3, on penalties.
When the new season got underway back in August, Bont once more made a shaky start, and by early December they had bowed out of all the cup competitions.
Though the Bridgend super club pushed Cardiff Metropolitan University all the way in round three of the J D Welsh Cup during December, they went down 3-1.
All that’s now left in the season is a decent league finish, and the hope that they will extend grandstand accommodation up to 250 seats to get a secondary FAW Domestic Licence.
Caerau once more flattered only to deceive in Division Three and again missed the promotion boat.
Having headed the table for long periods during the season, the Riverboaters became becalmed and finished fourth.
There was also a change at the management helm at the Riverboat during the summer via the return of Adrian Shearan.
Caerau also took over the Sports Bar, and announced plans to move to a new Metcalfe Street stadium in the foreseeable future.
It will incorporate a 4G playing surface while also embracing a new grandstand and floodlights.
The old floodlights on the Riverboat proved the villain of the piece last October when former Arsenal and England international Paul Merson made a shock return to the game.
A friendship struck with new Caerau secretary David Hooper led to Merson playing for Caerau in a Welsh League clash against Pontyclun.
It attracted one of the biggest attendances witnessed at the Riverboat in modern times, but with Caerau 3-2 up the lights went out midway through the second half.
Since then they’ve maintained form without suggesting they will be involved in the promotion shake up come April.
However, Llantwit Major did secure promotion out of Division Three aided by a plethora of former Penybont players.
During a remarkable April that saw the Windmillers involved in 10 matches – only losing to runners-up STM Sports - they were duly crowned champions.
Rob Jones was top scorer last term with 18 goals, finishing eight clear of Luke Cox, who shook the local football world in October in striking a lucrative deal with ambitious Vale United.
At Highadmit South Wales Alliance level, Pencoed under the baton of Mark Powell enjoyed some fine cup runs that lit up Felindre Road.
But the big success story at Alliance level was the reawakening of a sleeping giant in Pontycymer.
Garw won Division Two in canter from Trebanog and Cefn Cribwr, and at one stage the Blandy Boys seemed on course to complete an invincible season.
They also reached the W J Owen Cup semi-finals, but lost out to Cardiff Draconians at White Tips Stadium in Treforest.
They were expected to carry on where they left off last season in taking Division One by storm.
But though they showed the fighting spirit on day one against Porthcawl Town at a packed Lock’s Lane, the Seasiders swam with the tide to complete a thoroughly deserved 4-1 victory.
Rumblings at Blandy then led to manager Ryan Blanche packing his bags, and he eventually emerged at Division One rivals Cornelly United.
Blanche along with the existing team of Jason Bekker, Mark Dewar and Steve Jones have made Cornelly shape up.
The Meadow Street boys are through to the last-16 stage of the South Wales Senior Cup that they lifted two seasons back, and are viewed as promotion outsiders.
But two clubs who weren’t considered likely promotion candidates, Porthcawl Town and Cefn Cribwr, have taken the division by storm.
The Seasiders, who lost cherished Welsh League status back in 2011, have halted a recent decline under former players Paul Downes, Damian McCann and Raymond Walker.
A young side is going great guns and with superb facilities at Lock’s Lane matching team aspirations
Young hitman Jorge Crofts has been a revelation this term, scoring goals almost for fun, while Mattie Ellis, Andrew Fisher Morgan Thomas and veteran Thomas Warren have provided valuable assists.
And Cefn Cribwr under manager Scott Dryden have gone from consolidating in elevated company in Division One to becoming genuine promotion candidates.
A fine blend of youth and experience has got the Riders going under captain Tom Harris, who is top scorer with 13 goals, while former Cornelly United star Dan Jenkins has hit peak form and has netted 12 times.
Finally, Vale United have built on an all-conquering season on the Vale of Glamorgan League circuit in this time around pushing for promotion out of Alliance Division Two.
Vale chief Lloyd Williams made a big statement in sniffing out fox in the box Luke Cox, and they have lit up leafy Corntown.
It, however, remains to be seen whether Vale can gain promotion at the first time of asking.
So, another exciting end to the season - when matches come thick and fast during the business end of the campaign – is once more in the offing.