ON a warm summer’s evening , more than 300 adults and children gathered at Cae’r Odyn Galch to celebrate CPD Talybont’s official return home to the village.

The highlight of the occasion was a friendly match between the current CPD Talybont first team and The Talybont Exiles, with former Swansea City favourite Lee Trundle adding a touch of star quality to the event.

Before kick-off, Football Association of Wales deputy president Will Lloyd Williams officially opened the field and congratulated all those involved in bringing football back to the heart of the community.

Played in a fantastic spirit, the match featured several former Talybont players turning out for the Exiles, who were managed by Sion Southgate. It was Trundle who opened the scoring, delighting spectators with some of the skill and flair that made him a household name during his playing career.

The game proved to be an entertaining end-to-end contest, with CPD Talybont eventually running out 10-5 winners. Tom Benjamin scored twice, Paul James netted four, while Aled Parry-Evans, James Graham (2) and Owen Roberts also found the net for the hosts.

Despite the result, one of the loudest cheers of the evening came late in the game when Exiles substitute Patrick Hutton-Jones struck a rapid-fire hat-trick to give his side a more respectable scoreline. The Exiles’ goals came from Hutton-Jones (3), Lee Trundle and Garmon Nutting.

The Talybont Playing Field Association thanked the evening’s sponsors: MW Scaffolding, Gwesty Marine, Cutting Edge Aberystwyth, Bar 46, Anthony Southgate, LRJ Plumbing and Y Lolfa.

A spokesperson said: “Without their generous support, the event would not have been such a success. It was wonderful to see so many people come together to celebrate this special occasion.”

With the field now officially open and football firmly back in the village, organisers have already begun discussing plans for a similar event in 2027.