Port Talbot Town and Afan Lido will rekindle a famous old rivalry on Saturday when the two teams meet at Victoria Road in a much-anticipated JD Welsh Cup derby. Just a few hundred yards separate the two clubs based near Aberavon beach and the draw has brought back plenty of memories for current Port Talbot Town assistant coach Robert Cockings. . As a player, Cockings represented the club between 1997 and 2007, and featured in several memorable derby matches when the two teams were competing together in the top division. . “Port Talbot versus Lido? That’s a derby, that’s a proper derby,” explained Cockings to FAW.cymru this week. “They were special fixtures that brought everyone from the town into the ground. The game would take care of itself, but it was an occasion for the town. There was a nastiness and an edge to it as well. We were all good mates after the game, but when you crossed that white line, you had to win.” . A versatile full-back, Cockings signed for Port Talbot from Trefelin as a 21-year-old in 1997. During the next decade he would play a key role in the side gaining promotion to what was then the League of Wales and lift the Welsh League Cup. Dai Rees and Craig Duggan were in charge at the time and are two of a number of individuals who have crossed the short divide between the clubs over the years . For the full article go to: https://faw.cymru/news/welsh-cup-port-talbot-afan-lido/