Name : Carl Clement
Position : First team manager
Bio : Carl joined us as first team manager at the start of the 2018-19 season. He joined at a time when we were a mid-table Alliance Premier Division side and joined alongside Paul Evans (who quickly left to manage Afan Lido), Les Redwood and Chillo.
Carl has been central to the development of the team on the pitch and the club away from the pitch, transforming both impressively over the last 5 years.
In Carl’s first season, it took a little while for the change in personnel to bed in, along with a different style of football. That season, Ynyshir were promoted into the Welsh league and we were awarded tier 3 criteria by the FAW for the first time.
The 2019-20 season was shortened due to Covid and we were victims of our own success to a certain extent by being very successful in the FAW Amateur Trophy, reaching the semi-final at Cardiff Met. The league was ultimately decided on a points per game basis with Pencoed being crowned champions.
The 2020-21 season was writen off due to the Covid-19 pandemic but we got back to football the next season for what would turn out to be the biggest season of our club’s history. A league campaign that resulted in our crowning as champions took place at Merthyr Saints, a few weeks after Baglan lost narrowly to Mold Alexandra in the final of the amateur trophy in Caersws. With champion status, came the tier 3 licence and promotion to the Ardal South West division where we would play some familiar faces in the likes of Pontyclun, Cardiff Dracs and Penydarren but also some of the long standing Welsh league sides like Cwmamman United, Garden Village and Port Talbot Town.
The 2022-23 season was even better. A slow start to the campaign made us among the favourites to go straight back down but an unbelievable run of results took us to the top of the league while we waited for the eventual league champions, Caerau Ely, to play their game in hand. They won their final game against Garden Village and secured their place in tier 2 so it was up to us and Risca Utd to play out a play-off final at Penydarren for the remaining slot in the JD Cymru South. An incredibly dogged performance from our boys, numerous saves from Mathew Stanton and two goals from Jordan Evans saw us run out winners earning our place in the JD Cymru South.
Carl enjoyed a very successful playing career within all levels of the Welsh pyramid and played at Welsh Premier League level with Port Talbot Town. He continues to play veterans football for Briton Ferry Llansawel.
Carl is a UEFA B licence manager and is the managing director of one of our biggest sponsors.
Name : Paul Lewis
Position : Assistant manager
Bio : Paul joined us at the start of the 2023-24 season and has been a breath of fresh air.
Paul’s playing career was cut short aged 27 due to a cruciate knee injury. He was playing for Morriston Town at the time in the Welsh League.
Prior to that, Paul played in the Welsh League for Milford United and Monkton Swifts. In 1994, Paul transferred to Maesteg Park in the Konica League of Wales, making his debut away to Porthmadog and was told on the long coach trip north that he would be marking the Welsh legend Mickey Thomas. Before the game, another Welsh legend Carl Harris, who was a team mate of Paul, gave him some advice – just kick him as you won’t get near him. He was right and Paul had a bit of a baptism of fire and they lost 5-0.
Paul went on to play 12 games in the League of Wales before transferring back to Morriston Town, where they went on to knock champions Inter Cardiff (now Cardiff Met) out of the cup. Then lost 12-1 to Bangor in the next round.
Paul started coaching the reserve team at Morriston Town shortly after he finished playing. He loved the game and was passionate about developing young players and enjoyed watching those players he coached go on and do bigger and better things.
Paul joined Garden Village in the early 2000s, working with the reserves team, they went on to win the league in the 2007-08 season without losing a game. The following season saw Paul move from reserve team manager, to first team manager. In his first season, Paul steered Village back to Welsh League division 1 where they stayed for 2 seasons.
In 2011, Paul left to join Pontardawe Town alongside Jason Dykes. In their second season, Pontardawe reached the Welsh league Cup final, losing on penalties to AFC porth.
Paul stayed at Pontardawe until 2019 before returning to Garden Village to work alongside ex Swansea City player David D’Auria.
Paul joined Cwmamman last season and then joined us at the start of the season and we’re lucky to have him.
Paul is Carl’s assistant and also holds the UEFA B licence.
Name : Adrian Barnsley
Position: Goalkeeping coach
Bio : Adrian joined us as our goalkeeper coach at the start of the season after a long playing career within the Welsh league.
Aged 16, Adrian played twice for Swansea City Youth before moving into the Welsh League with BP Llandarcy who played in the second division. After BP Llandarcy, Adrian moved to Morriston Town, also in the second division at the time. Haverfordwest of the league of Wales was the next destination for Adrian where he featured in Cup games and a few league appearances. The next season, Adrian signed a dual contract with Haverfordwest and Pontardawe of the first division, where he would play the Cup games for Haverfordwest and league games for Pontardawe Town.
After signing solely for Pontardawe, Adrian then moved on to Ammanford Town, also in the first division, then moved on to Seven Sisters where Adrian was coached by the late, great Paul Evans. At Seven Sisters, they finished second in the third division and earned promotion to the second division.
Adrian then moved to Cwmamman United in the third division before hanging up his gloves aged 35.
Adrian holds the FAW C certificate and the FAW C Goalkeeper coach certificate and coached at the FAW Centre of Development.
Alongside his role at Baglan, Adrian is also a coach for Pontardawe Town academy’s under 11 goalkeepers.
Adrian has been a secondary school teacher for 24 years.
Name : Sean Cayford
Position: Coach
Bio : Sean joined us in June 2019 and has been an ever-present by Carl’s side ever since. In charge of strength and conditioning, Sean leads by example and his hard work and influence on the playing squad has been evident through their fitness over the last few seasons, particularly when it mattered the most.
Sean played Welsh league football for Tata Steel, Goytre United, Port Talbot Town and Neath AFC. Sean has also chased an egg around for Taibach Rugby Club where his pace was said to be “deceptive”, but not in a good way.
Sean is a full-time firefighter and plays veteran football at Trefelin.
Name : Matthew Herman
Position: Physiotherapist
Bio : Matthew is an NHS serving Physiotherapist who was also an excellent footballer.
Matthew played junior football for a very successful Afan Lido side and gained a number of boys and girls club of Wales caps and captained the side at under 16 level.
Following a home nations international, he was asked to join the BUSA championship winning Swansea University team for their participation in the European University Championships in Rome, playing against the best University sides across the continent.
At the age of 16, Matthew made his Welsh Premier League debut for Afan Lido and made a number of appearances before heading away to University.
At University, Matthew captained the University team to the league title while playing for Tata Steel when home, a club that’s close to Matthew and his family, as Matthew’s father played there and Matthew has fond memories of following them as a child.
On his return from University, Matthew was made captain of Tata Steel at the age of 21 and alongside Carl Clement, MaIchael Davies and Mathew Stanton, they earned several promotions taking the club from the South Wales Amateur League to Welsh League Division 1.
In 2016, Matthew joined Port Talbot Town before joining back up with Carl at Baglan at the start of the 2018-19 season.
Matthew hung up his boots last season but has rejoined the club as the club physio from the start of this season.