Rhayader Town will try to raise an under-21 side

Until 2002, Rhayader Town graced Welsh football's top flight, but in recent years had fallen on tough times.

The final straw came when the club held its annual meeting and just a handful of supporters turned up.

Rhayader hit the headlines in 1998 when they signed the Welsh Premier's first Brazilian player, but last season they played in the Spar Mid Wales League.

Official Dylan McPhee said the club had enough players to put out a senior team, but lacked enough committee members to run it.

However, he said there were plans to raise an under-21 team, but the club, as people knew it, had effectively folded.

We had enough players to raise a team, but didn't have enough committee members to run the club Club official Dylan McPhee

Rhayader Town's problems started a few years ago, but came to head last season when committee members and supporters dwindled.

A decade ago up to 150 fans per match paid to watch the team, but only about 20 a game filtered through the turnstiles last season.

The club was in the Welsh Premier League between 1996 and 2002, but has since dropped two divisions in the Welsh football pyramid.

Mr McPhee, who played for Rhayader when they were in the Welsh Premier League, said: "Supporter apathy has really been the main problem.

"We had enough players to raise a team, but didn't have enough committee members to run the club.

"The annual meeting was the last straw. Just a few people turned up and nobody was keen on joining the committee."

Muddy and wet

He added that even ex-players "didn't want the hassle" of committee work because they had played for 20 years every week and now had families.

Spar Mid Wales League secretary Bernie Jones confirmed the club had pulled out of this season's competition.

In October 1998, Rhayader signed Brazilian Jose Ricardo Rodriguez Ferreira, or "Junior".

Junior, aged 20 at the time, from Santos, received an offer of a trial by e-mail after he had advertised his services on the internet.