Saturday February 14th 2016 ko 14:00

Gwent Premier League, Premier Division
PILL AFC 1 (Simmons 38)
P.I.L.C.S. 1 (Jayne 24)

Att 25 at Pill Harriers Sports Club, Newport

Free Entry

You may recall the Welsh Hop paying Pill YMCA at Mendalgief Road a visit back in 2018. It was during Pill’s fairly brief merger with Newport YMCA; Pill AFC moved back to the other side of the Transporter Bridge to their spiritual home of Pill Harriers Sports Club soon after out visit. I’m not sure why they did, but unquestionably you do get a better view of the bridge!

Now last time I used just about every Public Imagine Limited/P.I.L./ John Lydon reference I could muster, but what perhaps isn’t so well-known is that the name “Pill” is an abbreviation of Pillgwenlly or “Pîl Gwynllyw” in Welsh. It references an inlet or harbour, usable by shipping- highly apposite as this part of Newport was built around the docks nearby. I’ve never met anyone that calls this place anything other than Pill, and for the avoidance of any doubt, PILCS aren’t from here, the name is an acronym and the P is for Pontyfelin, near Pontypool.

Since the demise of shipping Pill has struggled both econimically and socially. You’ll see both the exuberantly decorated Victorian commercial properties, do have a look at the wonderful Waterloo Hotel on the way to the ground, but you’ll also see the social housing built following slum clearances in the 1960’s and 70’s. Neverthess former Stoke City and Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis hails from here, as does former Newport County manager Mike Flynn.

Pill returned to a facility for both football and rugby and just over the street the 2nd XI played a fixture that I’d have been tempted by had the game times not overlapped. What makes the firsts’ pitch interesting is the man-made hillock behind the near goal. By the looks of it, it was built as some sort of drainage access, but there is a path up to the top, and the view from the top is superb, and if you want to get the transporter bridge in your photos that’s where you head. I could have watched the entire game from there!

So while the game was a derby in homonym only it was highly entertaining. Two well matched sides foughted out a fair-on-both-sides draw, and we headed back to the M4 satisfied with our day out!