A LARGE crowd turned up at Mardy Park on Saturday for a day of football and fun which went on all day and into the evening, reports CLIVE HARRY.

The entertainment at Mardy AFC’s Fun Day started at 10am with a game between Mardy Under 10s and their Raglan counterparts followed by the Under 11s also against Raglan .

Youngsters at Mardy AFC celebrate their end of year awards
Youngsters at Mardy AFC celebrate their end of year awards. (Mardy AFC)

The Junior section then held their end of season presentations in the Hall followed by a game between a team made up of the Committee and Coaches against Mardy U15s.

Mardy's teenagers with their end of season awards
Mardy's teenagers with their end of season awards (Mardy AFC)

The youngsters put up a spirited display before losing out against bigger and definitely heavier opposition.

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The Mardy AFC Committee and Coaches took on the U15s (Mardy AFC)

The final game featured the present squad against a squad of many former players with the current team going ahead straight from the kick off when Aaron Norman beat keeper and club chair Chris Price with a lob from the halfway line.

With the lead increased to 4-0 in the second half and more goals looking on the cards, the past team surprisingly came back strongly and scored several of their own thanks to shrewd use of substitutes (i.e. players coming on but nobody coming off) and some sympathetic refereeing from Bobby Evans.

The fun continued well into the evening thanks to the presence of a number of food and drink vendors before the mobile bar ran out of supplies!

The club will be holding its Annual General Meeting in the village hall this Wednesday (June 12) from 7pm and the end of season presentation evening this Saturday.

The club posted: “We’re always looking for people to join who feel they can help take the club in the right direction in a variety of roles including Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer or a variety of other positions through to purely committee members who are willing to help out without the stress of a higher position. Anybody is welcome to attend.”

Mardy AFC's award for Gwent Premier League Programme of the Season
Mardy AFC's award for Gwent Premier League Programme of the Season (Mardy AFC)

And while there were no trophies on the pitch last season, they are still winning off the field as they scooped the Gwent Premier League Programme of the Year award, designed and hosted on their website by Ten10 Medias.

Meanwhile, Goytre FC ended their Ardal South East campaign by finishing fourth just a point behind Risca United, with Trethomas Bluebirds the champions followed by Newport City in second, and Blaenavon Blues 12th.

Abergavenny Town FC will be joining Goytre and Blues back in Ardal South East next season following relegation from the JD Cymru South League.

They will be kicking off their 10th anniversary year with a Past XI v Present XI match at Pen-y-Pound on Saturday, June 29, kick-off 2pm, before launching their pre-season preparations at Cwmbran Town on Wednesday, July 3 (7.45pm).

That’s followed by Goytre United at home on Saturday, July 6 (2.30pm), Canton Libs at home on Friday, July 12, (7.30pm), and Abertillery Excelsiors away on Tuesday, July 16 (6.30pm).