BRECON Corinthians Football Club will compete in the Watson Financial Mid Wales League South next season.

The Rich Field club has competed in South Wales football since the 1950s and climbed as high as the South Wales Premier League as well as reaching two Welsh Amateur Cup finals.

The club dropped into recreation leagues in 1998 and since competed at various levels of the South Wales pyramid.

However the club has now returned to Central Wales with vice-chairman Baz Jones confident the move would help the club achieve its long term goal of promotion to the Welsh football pyramid.

Jones said: “The announced restructuring of the FAW pyramid has been the key driver in our quest for change and a return to top flight football.

“We’ve not taken this decision lightly and are more than aware of the quality and commitment Mid Wales League South teams have shown over the years.

“We’ve been overwhelmed with messages of support for the biggest change to the club since relegation from the South Welsh League in 1998 and are ready to embrace the new challenge.”

Jones hoped the move would also help the club engage with the community and provide a pathway for their thriving junior section.

“This change is all about community involvement and we’ve taken some inspiration from Brecon Rugby Club and their success this year,” said Jones. “We have more than 150 junior members and we needed to return to Central Wales to provide regional football for them and secure the future of our club.”

The club, affectionately known as the Corries, can now look forward to derbies with Talgarth Town and Hay St Marys as well as the first ever cross town derbies with Brecon Northcote.

Meanwhile Rhayader Town Reserves and Knighton Town Reserves will also enter sides in next season’s Mid Wales League South to boost membership to 14 clubs.

The league annual meeting was held at Hundred House Inn last week when the Corries were accepted pending final confirmation from the Central Wales Football Association (CWFA).

The season will kick off with its usual curtain raiser on August 10 when Talgarth Town host Penybont United in the Summer Cup.

Meanwhile the serving committee was re-elected en-bloc with Rhayader’s Brian Bufton continuing as president and Llanidloes’ Edward Parry as chairman with Presteigne’s Alan Randell the vice chairman.

Phil Woosnam of Rhayader will continue as treasurer with Paul Worts of Hundred House the secretary.

The league executive committee will continue to comprise of Rhayader’s Dave Lewis, Boughrood’s Neil Mathias and Llandrindod Wells’ Kevin Price.