Erthyglau / Articles Millennium Season 2000 - 2001
Statto - a profile of Dave Rapson LoW News | Following Another Team
of Reds - Stephen Edwards | Gareth M Davies on the
LoW | Emlyn Schiavone on the Club's Junior Section | Town Team of the 90s -
Nigel Williams | College Soccer American Style -
Matthew Delicâte | Alun Charles writes about TG | Happy
Christmas from Lawrence Hourahane | On Form Ian Gwyn
Hughes | So You Really Think You Know Welsh Football
- Alun Evans | Celebrations - Alun Charles
| The Oldest Club in Wales - Ian Garland | Derbies - Alun Charles | I Just
Can't Win says Ian Walsh | Winning Away with Malcolm L
Williams
|
WINNING AWAY -
Malcolm L Williams AS I WRITE it is hard to believe that yet another season is drawing to
a close, albeit with a few vital games to come. Back in July the pre season friendlies resulted in some
injuries that meant we were not at full strength for the early season
games. Nevertheless a hard fought draw
at Lido was followed by our first trip North that saw us win 4-3 at Flexsys
in an exciting game with Siôn getting the winner. Subsequent visits did not, however, prove as fruitful as the
previous year’s ‘gog wash’ when we were unbeaten in Alun Charles’
homeland. Narrow defeats at Connah’s
Quay and Rhyl meant long journeys home.
However the happy band that follow Town on the long away trips had
happier returns recently at Bangor.
We are fortunate on these trips to have the company of some excellent
raconteurs whose recall of past escapades, often involving our esteemed
Secretary, are indeed memorable. Mid Wales has also proved difficult this year with more to come. A narrow defeat at Newtown was compensated
for by an excellent draw at Aber and Richie Parker’s late late winner at
Rhayader provided revenge for the disappointing Welsh Cup exit at the same
venue. We travelled to Rhayader on
one other occasion only to be snowed off.
Some welcome hospitality was provided by Phil Woosnam stalwart of Rhayader at his hostelry, the
Castle, which also served as an excellent new breakfast stop on our travels
north. The Premier Cup has been a welcome addition to our itinerary. Being entertained at the impressive
Racecourse whilst providing stern opposition on the pitch will live long in
the memory and of course events at the Vetch showed how far we have come as a
club. Earlier in the competition
there was the impressive victory with Neil O’Brien’s brace at Park Avenue and
the nail biting last 15 minutes at Bangor before confirming our passage to
the quarter finals. Let’s hope for
more next season. Travelling with the team during our time in the LOW has been a lot of
fun but also it's been interesting how the opposition views us. I think we are generally thought of as a
friendly welcoming club and the hospitality we provide is returned on our
away visits. Our ladies committee, in particular, are highly thought of by
clubs without exception. On the field
we were originally viewed with interest but not seen as a serious threat to
the bigger clubs. Now we are seen as one of the major clubs in the LOW
chasing for honours and, as a result, teams lift themselves for our
encounters. The club is respected
wherever we go and the way it has been managed both on and off the field is
the envy of many. THANKS to the players and management for the entertainment on and off
the field. Thanks also to the fellow
travellers and the drivers of Morris Bros.
Come away with us next year, the company’s good, the journeys not as bad
as you might think and nothing beats the pleasure of WINNING
AWAY. I JUST CAN'T WIN
- Ian Walsh (BBC) BEING
BORN IN ST DAVIDS in West Wales I was pretty much deprived of any
professional football in the area. I grew up just like most boys today,
supporting Manchester United, they were a great team with the likes of George
Best and Bobby Charlton. I moved
to London at a very early age to play for Crystal Palace under the management
of Malcolm Allison and Terry Venables. I spent seven years at the club and it
quickly became my life. From there I went on to play for Swansea and Cardiff
amongst other teams. Whilst I was at Palace and Swansea I won my 18 caps for
Wales. Nowadays
I'm recognised as a voice on BBC Wales more than anything else. I take a keen interest in all of the Welsh teams.
However, it is sometimes hard for the fans of each club to understand this.
They fail to realise that my comments are unbiased and I regularly receive
letters from them. The
Swansea fans tell me that I must have a blue car, paint my garden fence blue
and wear blue pyjamas to bed. The
Cardiff fans believe that I must have an allegiance to Swansea because of my
West Wales accent. In
Wrexham I have been told many times to return to South Wales, but in a more
x- rated way. When I am
commentating on the national team it is a different matter. All the fans get
behind me because we are all pulling in the same direction. Another
time that I love commentating is when I get the chance to visit the League of
Wales clubs like Carmarthen Town, Aberystwyth and Barry. I always receive an
excellent welcome wherever I go and always feel right at home. The fans don't
get on my back at all. The
introduction of the FAW Premier Cup has been great for the League of Wales.
It's increased awareness in all four corners of the country and hopefully a
European place is just around the corner. I CAN'T
FINISH without a mention for your own Tomi Morgan. Good luck today and for
the rest of the season. You and the team are doing a great job.
DERBIES - Alun Charles In a
letter dated 19 October 1720, Anna Beynon of Bargoed, an entertaining
writer, described a ‘football match’
the previous Christmas Day between the parishes of Llandysul and Llanwenog. Anna had the capacity of a first-rate
sports-writer. She vividly brings the ‘derby’ game to life. ‘Many
had brewed in readiness for the match and took food and drink with them, and
what running and kicking and noise there was! Now one side was winning, and then the other, but Llandysul was
winning oftenest. Play ceased for an hour for bread and cheese and beer and
everyone was as merry as a cuckoo. Soon after play began again in the
afternoon they began to quarrel and swear and kick each other. Some of them were drunk, and the rest had
taken too much, and it was a fearful sight to see them fighting, and the
girls running and screaming, and trying to rescue their brothers and friends,
but in spite of all that could be done they kept on fighting like
bull-dogs. I think they were at it
for an hour till the Llanwenog men were forced to retire .’ Such colourful writing would guarantee a
back page spot in the Journal for
Alan Latham every week! Yes, derbies
go back a long way, though things have cooled down a little by now! It was a name given originally to games of
such popularity that they rivalled the Epsom Derby. The most intense ‘local
derby’ in the countries of Britain is probably that between Scottish rivals
Rangers and Celtic. No doubt, Rob Fulton, Town vice-president and Rangers
fan, could tell a tale or two about the Old Firm giants! Also vying for that title would be
Liverpool v Everton, Arsenal v Spurs, Manchester United v Manchester City,
Newcastle v Sunderland, Inter v AC Milan, Lazio v Roma, Juventus v Torino and
Real v Atletico Madrid. To the fans,
these matches are as important as, if not more so than, any cup final. Arguably,
the most dramatic ‘derby’ moment in a Manchester United v Manchester City
match was in 1974 in which City won the game and doomed United to relegation
in the Second Division. The scorer of
the goal was former United idol Dennis Law!
Probably the most important goal in an English derby game came at
Tottenham’s White Hart Lane in 1971 when Ray Kennedy (who later played for
the Swans) scored in the 89th minute to give Arsenal the League
Championship. Arsenal went on to do
The Double. Two Merseyside derbies
have been played at Wembley to contest the FA Cup Final : in 1986 and
1989. Liverpool won both games (3-1
and 3-2), with the former Welsh striker Ian Rush bagging two goals in each
game. In Scotland, Rangers and Celtic have contested the Scottish Cup Final
no less than 23 times. In the
LoW we have our fair share of ‘derbies’. Bangor and Rhyl on the NW Coast have
been arch rivals since their days in the English Pyramid system. Then, in Mid
Wales, games involving Aber, Rhayader, Caersws, Newtown and
TNS always create additional
interest. Take also newcomers
Oswestry Town - their games against Flexsys Cefn Druids and TNS are something
special. And what about Town? I wonder who we really regard as our true
derby rivals? Is it Haverfordwest,
Llanelli or Aberystwyth? But all
these ‘so-called’ derbies pail into insignificance in comparison with one
particular location - the steel town
of Port Talbot. This is the town that
holds one unique record for having two sides in the LoW. This is the home of a true derby that nowhere else in our National League can rival! Port
Talbot, founded in 1902, and Afan Lido, founded in 1967, come together for
the first time this season in the LoW.
The secretaries of both clubs say that this has created much interest
in the town. A mere quarter of a mile
separates their stadia. The derbies have added significantly to the gates.
There is big rivalry but it is all in a friendly spirit. Port Talbot won this season’s League games
but Afan Lido had the upper hand in the Gilbert Cup. And this
remarkable industrial town could really set the tongues wagging next season.
Yes, it could well be the home for three LoW clubs - with Goytre United of
the CC Sports Welsh League hot tips for promotion. This would be an
incredible achievement for a town the size of Port Talbot.. Mouth watering
derbies indeed! THE OLDEST CLUB IN WALES - Ian
Garland In
this month's Welsh Football Dic Mortimer says that Wrexham is the 2nd
oldest club in Wales. This begs the obvious question - which is the oldest
club and are we talking continuous existence? Ian
Garland the much respected Welsh football historian whose long term aim, with
Gareth M. Davies of Holyhead, is an Encyclopedia of Welsh Soccer
notes some of the dates and ponders some of the possibilities. In
North Wales Druids (as Plasmadoc) date from 1869, but is the present
club the same one? The
original Wrexham club was formed in September 1872, not 1873 - an
error that is often repeated and features on the club’s badge! But they were
expelled from the English FA in 1884 and the club subsequently collapsed. A
new club 'Wrexham Olympic' was formed from the wreckage of the old one. They
changed their name to Wrexham in 1888. Other
clubs in Flintshire in existence in March 1881 included Mold, Rhyl (2
clubs ), Flint, Holywell and Bagillt. The last two
formed during the 1880-81 season. A
club was formed in Bangor in December 1876, but again there is some
doubt about their continuous existence. Later, there was Bangor Town and
Bangor Athletic Club. In 1885 the Athletic club was having a hard time and
some of the Athletic players joined Town. Bangor Town was probably the
original 1876 club. Caernarfon was formed in September 1876 but is not a
continuous entity. Chirk were reported as celebrating 50 years of
existence in the 1925-26 season – the club still exists and still plays on
the same field (the Hand Field). Rhyl's first recognised club was formed in the 1870's but over
those early years the club often ended the season in debt. There would be a
change in Secretary, committee and playing staff over the summer, but
essentially the club would still be known as the Rhyl club and many
characters would remain involved. There is a note saying Rhyl Athletic was
started in 1892 "on proper lines" when previous club Rhyl FC
"left a pile of debts". Clearly financial difficulties amongst
Welsh clubs is nothing new! There
is the oft-repeated claim that Oswestry was formed in 1860 but there
is a report saying the first club (St Oswald's) was formed about 1870. Is
this the same club as Oswestry White Stars and where does Oswestry FC from
the same era fit? In
1886 the Oswestry club were called Oswestry Town, but interestingly there was
no club from Oswestry in the Welsh Cup in 1889-90. Oswestry United was formed
in September 1893 but when did this club become Oswestry Town? There are some
doubts about the claim that the present Oswestry club were founder members of
the FAW, but that's for another day and for more research. I'm
sure there's much more in my notes, but I hope I have thrown some light on
the early days of Welsh football. Many thanks to Ian for allowing us to edit his notes and include them
in our programme. Thanks also to Gareth Hughes for his note on Rhyl. Alun Evans........ SO YOU REALLY THINK YOU KNOW WELSH FOOTBALL?! WHILE
THE CHRISTMAS turkey is settling in your stomach, what better way to relax
than to try a little test of knowledge. Our subject today will be ‘So You
Think You Really Know Welsh Football?’ Remember, it’s the first answer
that counts, so let’s not be too eager to jump in. Here goes. Q: A club prefers to play in English leagues and only fields
reserve strength sides in the FAW Premier Cup. What is it? A: Trying to raise the profile of Welsh football. Q: Well done! How many clubs are there in the League of
Wales? A: Too many. There should only be twelve clubs so that every
game is competitive - unless our club lies between 13th and 18th places, in
which case the league is getting stronger and there are no easy games. Q: A commendable grasp of the mathematics of the game,
indeed. Now, the stadium doesn’t meet the League of Wales ground criteria,
with too few seats, a poor pitch and floodlights which would do better with
candle-power. What should you do? A: Commend the club for preferring to spend all their money
on players from across the border. Q: Even if those players are not loyal? A: Especially if they’re not loyal. Q: Splendid! Now the manager of the home team is what? A: An astute football thinker. A master tactician and great
motivator. Q: So how would you describe the away team manager? A: A footballing dunce and whinger who should keep himself
hidden in the dug-out and swear the Trappist oath of silence. Q: You really do know your stuff. But how would you describe
the referee’s task? A: Thankless. They aren’t paid enough for the unfair abuse
they put up with. Q: So how would you assess their performance? A: Terrible. Inconsistent. Card-happy. Never up with the
play. They ruin the game. I don’t know how they get appointed to these
fixtures. Q: An impressively detailed answer. Now what about the
players. What do you call a home player who kicks everything that moves,
swears at the other players and gestures at the opposing fans? A: He’s a leader and an inspiration to the rest of the team. Q: Precisely correct. And a visiting player who behaves the
same way? A: A psychopath. He should be kicked out of football. Q: I don’t think I’ve ever tested such a shrewd class of
students. Talking of which UWIC Inter Cardiff are reckoned to be the most
popular team in the league. With whom? A: The other teams. They are favourites to take up one
relegation spot which halves the worry. Q: Will anyone be disappointed if they do go down? A: People who love the wide, open spaces. CELEBRATIONS - Alun
Charles LET’S
HOPE TOWN supporters have got over the Christmas day celebrations and will be
fully focussed on today’s game. Mind
you, our supporters have had plenty of cause to celebrate almost from the
word go this season, with quality goals being scored from week to week. Dean
Rossiter’s cracking goals are fast making him a household name to viewers of Gôl.
And who will ever forget that wonderful strike by Tomi Morgan to clinch
victory in the Rhayader game! That’s quality for you! Where would Goal of
the Month be without us? Town
players are comparatively restrained in the way they celebrate when that ball
hits the back of the net. Huge grins, embraces and arms uplifted, but that’s
it really. You get the odd side that’s far more demonstrative than this in
its celebrations. Take Rhyl, for example. Fans of Gôl will no doubt
have noticed the peculiar ritual the Lilywhites perform when Trundle,
Brewerton and Co. are on target. And often, in the FA Cup when non-league
clubs meet the Goliaths of the Nationwide and Premier Leagues, we are
intrigued by the original way some of the ‘minnows’ celebrate a goal. How
many of you saw the Ginola gem a week ago on Match of the Day when
Aston Villa drew 2-2 with Manchester City? Villa Chairman Doug Ellis had good
reason to be grateful to the Gallic genius. The spectacular equaliser four
minutes from time defused a fans protest which was threatening to become a
full-blown demonstration. No shrinking violet, the Frenchman divested himself
of his shirt by way of celebration - and was booked! Yes, the referee can now
show a yellow card as a way of inviting the stripper to readjust his clothing
in conformity with Law IV. Gallic
genius maybe, but Ginola was not half as shrewd as a Bayern Munich player I
read about recently in the FIFA Magazine, October 2000 (courtesy of
John Evans, Newquay). The player went off the pitch after having scored a
goal, pulled off his shirt and waved it above his head like a windmill. When
he saw the referee bearing down on him, yellow card at the ready, the player
reacted quickly by giving his shirt to a handicapped fan - and receiving an
ovation for the gesture. Ex
FIFA official Michel Vautrot (France), commenting on this incident, felt that
the referee would have needed a heart of stone to punish the offender for
such a generous if not altogether spontaneous gesture and although the Law
really demanded it, the ref was intelligent enough to leave the card in his
pocket. But imagine how the opposing coach would have reacted if one of his
own players had already got a yellow card and then another, and was sent off,
for having, for example, taken off his shirt and thrown it into the crowd?
Now then Messrs. Latham, George, Jones and Hannington - how would you have
reacted in this situation? WELL,
LET’S HOPE we have plenty to celebrate this afternoon. and into the New Year.
And who knows, we may come across teams and players with new ideas on how to
celebrate scoring a goal - all within the bounds of decency, we hope! Cheers! Ian Gwyn Hughes (BBC Cymru / Wales) 'ON FORM' (Inspired by a recent article by Tomi Morgan in the Cambrian News) In the media and press recently much has been made about the Census
form and the lack of a box to tick whether one is Welsh or not. And
immediately I thought of football. And how Welsh football simply cannot make
up its mind whether to be Welsh or not. Here are a few examples to support my case. In the build up to the
Welsh Cup third round there was very little mention in the press or media
about the competition. All the talk was of the first round of the FA Cup and
the Welsh clubs playing against those giants of football, Bournemouth,
Rotherham and Bristol Rovers. Can you imagine the Danish newspapers
previewing the German cup and ignoring its own? Talking of the FA Cup brings me to the Millennium Stadium. The final
is to be held there, the Worthington Cup final and the play-offs. Great news
for Cardiff, great news for the stadium, but is it for Welsh football? Who
benefits from it financially? - not the game in Wales, that's for sure. So
every effort is made to welcome a foreign governing body. But play a Welsh
Cup final there, be it Premier Cup, Welsh Cup, Gilbert Cup or Women's Cup -
that would be too much. Giving Welsh football the chance to play a final in
its own backyard. Don't be silly! Three years ago at a FAW Annual Awards dinner a speech was made by a
prominent Cardiff councillor who said that the League of Wales was the best
thing to happen to Welsh football in the past ten years and that as a council
they were proud of Inter Cardiff. I bet UWIC Inter Cardiff are delighted with
that and the League of Wales table shows the effect of the support the club
has received from those in power. But I bet that councillor will receive his
ticket for the Cup final and tell everyone what a great fan he is of the
game. And what of the prominent Welsh people in drama, the media and music
who will sing Hen Wlad fy Nhadau during the rugby, vote for devolution and
are anti English and then travel to Old Trafford to fill the coffers of the
richest club in the world while hammering another nail in the coffin of the
game here in Wales. And we wonder why we struggle at international level! And when it
comes to filling in the Census form, I wonder how many will tick Welsh just
because it's convenient and the 'in thing' to do. HAPPY CHRISTMAS! NADOLIG LLAWEN! Lawrence Hourahane (TV Sports Producer)... League of Wales fans, though, must be thinking that the fixture
computer has gone Christmas crackers this year. Just look at the list. Sure, Newtown face Caersws, but that's just
about it for local derbies. Aberystwyth are down to play at distant Connah's
Quay; Afan Lido and Port Talbot are playing Llanelli and Barry and not each
other; and the box office staff at Leckwith Stadium may have to be laid off,
such will be the level of interest in the clash between UWIC Inter Cardiff
and Haverfordwest County. What's gone wrong? Christmas used to be the time for packed houses and
competitive games against deadly local rivals. Until the late 1950's, they
even played Football League games on Christmas morning, with the return match
the following afternoon. The venerable Idwal Robling recalls that the
pervasive smell at grounds on these days was of cigars and new leather
gloves. And even Newport County played in front of packed houses at Somerton
Park in those days. That's how long ago it was! Idwal also remembers playing in Lovells Athletic v. Llanelli Southern
League Christmas derbies in the early 1950's (Barry Town and Merthyr would be
knocking seven bells out of each other in a Christian and To round off the day, they battled through growing snowdrifts to get
home again to Monmouthshire, but was the Boxing Day rematch cancelled? No
blimmin' way! Times were certainly different then, even if they did have the
nutritional benefits of Milky Lunch bars to keep them going. Nobody expects Christmas Day fixtures to return, but is it asking too
much for everyone concerned in planning the fixtures to get round a table and
provide us with some traditional Christmas - and New Year LOOK OUT for me at Richmond Park when Cwmbran visit on 26th. December
- I'll be the one eating the creme eggs - they've just gone on sale in
Safeway! Alun Charles writes
about .... TG IN
THE LATEST EDITION of the The Times Football Handbook (13.11.00),
Brian Labone, who played 533 times for Everton, selects his greatest Blues
eleven. It reads like this : (1) Neville Southall (2) Alex Parker (3) Ray
Wilson (4) Tony Kay (5) T G Jones (6) Howard Kendall (7) Alan Ball (8) Bobby
Collins (9) William Ralph Dean (10) Royston Vernon (11) Colin Harvey. It
includes, of course, three Welsh internationals - Llandudno born goalkeeper
Neville Southall, Ffynnongroyw born inside forward Roy Vernon, and Connah's
Quay born centre half, Thomas George Jones, or TG as he was generally known.
Labone says of TG : 'A member of the Goodison School of Science class of
1939, the Wales centre half excelled at using his ball skills to play his way
out of danger.' In
Who's Who of Welsh Soccer Players (Gareth M Davies & Ian Garland)
there are quotes by other distinguished players about TG. When asked to name
the greatest footballer he had ever seen 'Dixie' Dean (also named in Labone's
side) said : 'For me he'd have to be an Evertonian - T G Jones. Tommy was
the best all-round player I've ever seen. He had everything. He was neater
than John Charles, for instance, and could get himself out of trouble just by
running towards the ball and then letting it run between his legs knowing his
team mate would be in a position to make it.' And then Tommy Lawton : 'He
had the great capacity to stroke the ball. He also had the best right foot in
the business ...... He was a taskmaster to the team, never satisfied with the
finest performance; never happy unless he was driving. His calmness in a
crisis was supreme and built as he was, he was very good in the air but also
delicate and sophisticated on the ground.' Imagine
the excitement in 1950 when TG turned his back on the Football League, took
the Tower Hotel in Pwllheli and joined the local club as player-manager. His
team packed in the crowds at such clubs as Flint Town United, Holyhead Town,
Holywell Town and Caernarfon Town. TG's Pwllheli & District team was the
one all other Welsh League (North) teams wanted to beat in the early 50's. TG
became manager of Cheshire League Club Bangor City in 1956. He steered them
to a Welsh Cup victory against Wrexham in the 1961-62 season - their first
since 1896. In the first leg at the Racecourse, Bangor went down 3-0; in the
second leg at Farrar Road they won 2-0. In the play off at Rhyl's Belle Vue
Ground, before a crowd of 12,000 (at least), Bangor won 3-1 against a Wrexham
side that had just recently gained promotion to the Third Division. This win
earned Bangor a place in the Cup Winners' Cup. They were paired with Napoli
of Italy. Bangor won the first leg 2-0 at Farrar Road before 12,000 - the
first Welsh side to win a match in European competition; in the second leg at
Stadio San Paolo in front of 80,000, they went down 3-1. In the play-off at
Highbury, with 21,895 in attendance, Bangor lost 2-1 - Napoli's winning goal
only coming in the 87th minute. This was a fantastic achievement for both
Bangor and TG. TG
ALSO SPENT A SHORT TOME as manager of Rhyl, and then became a journalist with
the Daily Post before opening a newsagent's business in Bangor. He
made 156 league appearances for Everton, scoring 4 goals, and won 17 caps for
Wales (and also appeared in 10 war-time internationals). TG had a long and
distinguished career at Goodison Park and in the 'Red Jersey' but perhaps his
greatest accolade is his tremendous contribution to soccer on the North Wales
Coast. COLLEGE SOCCER - AMERICAN STYLE -
Matthew Delicâte 21/10/00 TO
GET OFF TO A GOOD START was vital and when three of my flights from JFK, New
York to Washington DC were cancelled due to bad weather, I didn't take it as
a bad omen. After
arriving at Virginia Commonwealth six hours behind schedule, I was taken to
the apartment that I share with six team-mates, two Americans, a Bolivian, a
Yugoslav, a Spaniard and my roommate who is French. Quite a mix! There are
also lads in the squad from Germany, Mexico, Slovakia, Puerto Rico and Ghana.
Everyone plays to a high standard and expectations are high. The
intense two-week pre-season schedule was very hectic. Two training sessions a
day totalling five or even six hours didn't leave much time to do anything
else but rest. What also made it tough was the weather, normally in the nineties.
Luckily the humidity has been the lowest recorded in years which certainly
made things a little easier for me to adjust to. Out
of eleven games to date we have won six, lost four and drawn one, in which
three of the losses were against the No1, No2 and No8 ranked teams in the
whole of the United States, losing narrowly by 1-0 each time. I have scored
four goals so far. The past few games we've had five or six players out
injured and we've had to play with only one striker. There's been a lot more
defending than attacking. There
are no points for winning a game and no league table. Our aim is to get into
the NCAA tournament, where the top 32 teams in the nation play it out for the
title. Around twenty four of these teams get automatic qualification by
getting to the final of their conference. Each university belongs to a
particular conference and in mid November the conference tournament takes
place to see who will qualify for the big tournament. The last eight or so
teams are chosen by a panel from the NCAA committee who, they feel, have a
good record and deserve to be entered. We
have two games a week minimum until the tournaments and we train everyday
from 2pm to 5:30pm with a day off after a game. Its fun but also very tiring,
especially when you have to go to classes early in the morning, then train,
followed by an evening class. Not much time for site seeing but there are a
few breaks when we have time to visit places. We also get May, June, July and
two weeks of August for the summer break. There are opportunities to do all
sorts of things from coming home to coaching at soccer camps across America. SO
FAR IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN and a great experience and hopefully that will
continue. I would also like to take this opportunity to once again thank Tomi
and everyone at Carmarthen Town FC for enabling me to have such an
opportunity and wish you the best of luck in your forthcoming fixtures. ____________________________________________________________________________ TOWN TEAM OF THE NINETIES - NIGEL
WILLIAMS 14/10/00 THERE
IS A SELECTOR lurking in every one of us and I am no exception. So when Alun
Charles asked me to write an article for the Programme, I thought : 'This is
my chance to be a manager for a day'. I saw most games during the roller
coaster years of the nineties, so I will attempt to select who I consider to
be the best during that era, using a 4-4-2 formation. Let's
start with the goalkeeper. One cannot forget the stalwart Peter Lewis, a
servant of over 500 games for the club. What about Huw Davies our goalkeeper
in the 95/96 championship team? But I have no hesitation in selecting our
current goalkeeper, Robert Fitzgerald - surely Football League potential. Next
up for grabs is the right back position. The contenders - Peter Price club
captain for many years and voted player of the year three times, Richard
(Beulah) Davies, a certain Mark Delaney and one of my favourite players to
wear the number 2 shirt, Huw (the shuffle) Knight. A surprise here, but I
select Huw Knight ! The left back position reminds me of the two Joneses.
Both Wauniago boys - Kevin who started the decade and Wayne who ended it. But
I opt for the elegant Nigel Nicholas, a true gent. The
two centre backs are difficult but I go for the pairing of two ex Swans and
Welsh Internationals, who probably never played together, Nigel Stephenson
and David Barnhouse. Speedy, who was superb in our championship team, and
Barney, who has led our back line for the last couple of seasons. Next
the midfield, where I bring in Mark Delaney who played in a variety of positions
in his three years with the club, a great talent. I next go for the central
midfield pairing of Tolch and Deano, two great fighters who always pulled out
a number of stunning goals a season (you saw that recently with Deano's goal
against Llanelli). Robert Tolchard played well over 500 games for the club
and Dean Rossiter is currently in his 7th year here. To complete the midfield
I go for Colin Pascoe, only with us for a season, but made a big impression,
both on and off the field with his professionalism and the way he encouraged
the younger players. The
front two were perhaps the hardest to pick. Ex Cardiff City and local boy
Martin Goldsmith, the skills of John Bryson, prolific goalscorer Andrew
(Davey) Davies, the Micky Lewis / Michael Davies partnership, the wonderful
talent of Ceri Williams or the blockbusting power of Richard Parker. I could
mention more. I go for Michael Davies and Richard Parker - what a partnership
that would be. Well I've had my go! The great thing about this is that I can't
be on the losing side! Plenty to debate and I bet John Davo disagrees with me
- not enough defenders ! Here's the team then : Robert Fitzgerald, Huw Knight, Nigel Stephenson,
David Barnhouse, Nigel Nicholas Mark Delaney, Robert Tolchard,
Dean Rossiter, Colin Pascoe Michael Davies, Richard Parker Subs: Richard Davies, Martin
Goldsmith, John Bryson Manager. Tomi Morgan _____________________________________________________________________________ Emlyn Schiavonne (Wrexham
Progragmme) As part of Carmarthen Town's continued developmentof young talent and
with the aim of developing a centre of excellence for the club, Town's very
active junior football teams have been drawn together into a Junior Section
under the Chairmanship of Emlyn Schiavone. In this article Emlyn outlines the
developments IT
IS APPROPRIATE THAT WREXHAM are our visitors tonight at an important phase of
Carmarthen Town's Junior Development programme. Wrexham have become the
flagship in Wales for promoting coaching excellence in relation to junior
development and subsequently establishing a Football Academy under criteria
determined by the Football Association . As
a consequence Wrexham are presently involved in U-17 and U-19 fixtures
against Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle and Aston
Villa, to name just a few. This recent progression is testimony to the Junior
and Youth Development programme established as an integral part of the club. On
a more personal note , my claim to fame as a player was in a game for Bargoed
Rangers against Wrexham in 1977 to mark the opening of a new playing surface
and changing rooms. It was both an exhilarating and depressing experience and
highlighted the chasm between amateur and professional football . More
recently, I had the privilege , together with our manager Tomi, of
participating in a coaching course alongside Joey Jones and Brian Carey. It
was an education and inspiration being in their company. As
part of Carmarthen Town's development programme a Junior Section has been
formalised this season to sharpen the focus and to build on existing
initiatives. One of our prime objectives is to establish a Centre of
Development at the club to maximise the potential of our junior players by
providing quality coaching. It is hoped that additional funding will be made
available by UEFA to facilitate these ambitions. As
part of such an initiative the continued participation in competitive
football at a local and county level will be supplemented by fixtures against
other Centres of Development . It would be particularly pleasing if a junior
fixture could be arranged against Wrexham on an annual basis. We could
greatly benefit from the experience and expertise accrued by them and in
return we might consider showing the blueprint that transformed Mark Delaney
from a League of Wales player to the Premiership and international football.
Hopefully the seeds can be sown tonight ! Mae
chwaraewyr fel Mark , Matthew Jones , Wayne Evans, Stuart Roberts , Barry
Morgan , Kevin Evans a Gethin Jones yn adlewyrchiad o'r talent sydd gyda ni
yn Gorllewin Cymru . Yr wyf yn hyderus bod ieuenctid yn ein plith sydd â'r
potensial i gymryd yr awennau yn y dyfodol . To
conclude, I would like to express my thanks to the numerous individuals who
have contributed to the development of Carmarthen Town's junior players in
the past and to those who are presently committed to the cause. It is
encouraging to note that the senior officials of our club are equally
committed to the future development of our youngsters. I hope that tonight's
game will be the first of many encounters of the footballing kind with our
friends from Wrexham . _____________________________________________________________________________ GARETH M DAVIES (Wrexham AFC programme)
on the LOW CONSISTENTLY
POOR RESULTS in Europe, which have hardly been enhanced in the current series
of matches involving Welsh clubs, are proving once again that all is not well
within the structure of the LoW, never mind the playing standards! It
may be fine in winning domestic trophies and European qualification league
places the previous season, so as to earn a chance of glory at the outset
(sorry 'before' the new campaign), but only if the clubs involved can have a
reasonable shot at it. Surely, it is time to call a halt to playing European
qualifying matches before your own domestic season is even under way. This,
to the vast majority of football playing countries, is unthinkable, but
unfortunately a way of life in Wales! The
opposition can be daunting enough in many cases, but to heap more pressure on
the clubs due to lack of competitive match practice and total fitness is
tantamount to soccer suicide. Football is all about opinion, of course, but
could not the Welsh flagship competition commence their new season three
weeks to a month earlier to give those in Europe a more reasonable chance
of competing on a level playing field, at least in regard to fitness levels?
In the above scenario the early start could well see bigger attendances with
no competition from football further up the pyramid to contend with, while
the campaign would end a number of weeks earlier giving clear way for perhaps
the Gilbert (LoW) Cup to be played at the beginning or end of the season, promoting
more interest than it does at present over a long period and seemingly
insignificant alongside the Welsh and FAW Premier Cups. Meirion
Appleton, boss of Bangor City, who suffered a humiliating 0-7 deficit in the
first leg of their UEFA Cup Preliminary Round tie at the Racecourse, Wrexham,
against Halmstad BK of Sweden (half way through their season!!) seems to like
the idea of a series of summer encounters against fellow European qualifiers
from Scotland and Ireland who also face the same problems of lack of 'cutting
edge'. This could perhaps have a title of 'Celtic' Cup attached to it and
develop into an annual tournament played in each country in rota. The above
would probably be on similar lines to the Under-21 competition staged in
Northern Ireland in early June involving Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Wales, which is also set to be a regular event. Whatever the outcome ,
changes have to be made in time for next season as the continuing lack of
success does not do Welsh football any favours with those in high places, who
need little excuse for any sort of adjustment regarding smaller countries if
they see fit! Remaining
with the topic of the Welsh Premier Football League competition it seems
quite uncomprehendable that the LoW remains without a sponsor. It is no use
at all just sending out hundreds of letters hoping there will be some
business or company who will hand over a pot of gold at the flick of an
eyelid. It just does not happen like that in this day and age. The initial
request has to be followed up and personal contact made with any prospective
client. One has to go to Mohammed - Mohammed will not come to you! (He was a
rich merchant)! The fact that there is no official commercial and marketing
full-time post does not help, as one feels that the people who matter are out
there if approached in the proper manner. One
piece of welcome news however was that the LOW has received a Ł125.000
windfall to assist its member clubs to develop local talent through the youth
system. This payment will be made annually by UEFA following the expansion of
the Champions League to 32 teams which increases the competition's revenue to
800 million Swiss francs (Ł333 million). The payment will assist a new
national strategy following a comprehensive look at the League's activities
to help improve standards. The LoW directors including Keith Harding, who
thinks the provision of a dedicated programme is essential to the natural
evolution of the League, are understood to be considering the appointment of
a national development officer. Also, the formation of a national youth
competition, on a regional basis to begin with, perhaps at U-17 level
progressing up to inter-league U-21 representative games. Return to
Match Day Programme ____________________________________________________________________________ FOLLOWING ANOTHER TEAM OF REDS -
Stephen Edwards - Wrexham programme 3/10/00 THE FAN who has moved away from the area in which his home team plays
has a problem. While it is just not possible to transfer your allegiance to
another team, as you might change your brand of cornflakes, you need your
regular footballing fix. One solution is to follow a second team, and so when
I moved down to the area several years ago I started to follow Llanelli. It
isn't quite the same, of course, but you can get very fond of your second
team, and it was with relief that I heard Carmarthen, and not Llanelli, had
been drawn in the same FAW Premier Cup group as my first love Wrexham. The Premier Cup now provides the only arena in which clubs of the
Nationwide League and LoW can be directly compared. It is interesting,
though, to contrast their approaches to the competition, particularly at the
group stage. For the LoW sides it is big news, particularly in its financial
aspects, and as points mean prizes every game is a cup final. For the
Nationwide League clubs, however, it is a different story. Although
qualification from the groups is important, the rewards on offer cannot
compare with, say, a major run in the FA Cup. For example, the fabulous FA
Cup run Wrexham had a few years ago netted the club well in excess of a
million pounds when you add up gate money, TV money and the transfer revenue
generated by having your players in a UK-wide shop window. As a result, the
Nationwide clubs often give reserves a run out in the group stages, although
as Swansea will testify this can lead to embarrassments. Nevertheless, this has not stopped the Nationwide clubs dominating the
competition, and they have so far provided five of the six finalists. I
believe that the reason for this is simple: part-time clubs cannot compete
with full-time professional outfits, and it should be noted that the only LoW
club so far to have made an impact in the final stages has been full-time Barry
Town. Still, it is a wonderful opportunity for the LoW sides to mix it with
the big boys, and the glory of cup games is the possibility of upset, with
smaller clubs producing tales of the unexpected. Wrexham know all about
giant-killing (ask Arsenal), and as the relative giants tonight will not want
to be the victims! _____________________________________________________________________________ STATTO! - R Alun
Charles .... Connah's Quay Programme 30/09/00 HOW
MANY GOALS have Barry Town conceded or Cwmbran scored? How have TNS and
Bangor City performed in their last six away games? These are among the
'vital statistics' that many of us enjoy reading about in the League of
Wales News and also in Y Dewin - our matchday programme - where
they are reproduced.. And for all these interesting facts and figures we owe
a great debt to 'Statto' or Dave Rapson, Connah's Quay Nomads' programme
editor, who assists Mel ap Thomas to produce our excellent league newsletter
by compiling the FixFacts Page. It's
no wonder Dave, being a Liverpudlian, is interested in football. It so
happens that one of his school mates was Joe Royle, manager of Manchester
City and ex Everton centre forward. Joe kept a seat on the bus for Dave each
morning for the first couple of years they attended Quarry Bank Grammar
School together. They still meet from time to time. Incidentally, Dave has
one regret about his schooldays. He had one of John Lennon's maths books -
but didn't keep it!! What a shame - it would probably be worth a small
fortune by now! Dave
moved to Connah's Quay in 1977 and is employed by the railway company, First
North Western as a Resource Manager. He's not the only one in the family who
is keen on football. Mandy, his 24 year old daughter, is an avid Nomads fan
and has hardly missed a game (home or away) for six or seven years. How's
that for a record! Dave became Nomads' programme editor midway through the
1992-93 season. He was watching the Welsh Cup quarter-final game away to AFC
Porth in January 1993 when the previous programme editor told him he had
resigned. Dave volunteered next day! Known
in work as 'Statto', Dave has always been a keen statistician and keeps
plenty of reference books and files and reads them often. He got to know Mel
ap Thomas in 1995 and they have been in regular contact since then. Mel
suggested doing the LoW Newsletter in summer 1999 and Dave agreed to help.
The bulk of the Newsletter is done by Saturday evening. Perhaps we don't
always fully appreciate how much commitment it involves. Indeed, Dave says
:'Mel's whole Sunday is often taken up with it. "My single Stats Page
can sometimes take over an hour to complete, depending on how much or how
little is happening. It's the major features that take the time (all-time
goalscorers, etc.)". It's
not all football with Dave. He's a fanatical follower of Lancashire County
Cricket Club. He quips :'In fact, football only serves to keep me going
between cricket seasons!'. His son, 20 year old Michael, plays cricket for
Flint CC. Dave also does a lot of transport writing and photography and has a
monthly column in Rail Express magazine. WE
COULD SALUTE DAVE for his work in several fields. But we give particular
attention today to his contribution to the LoW Newsletter in harness
with Mel ap Thomas. Both Mel and Dave see it as the 'voice of the clubs'. It
provides an excellent way to advertise our clubs and to continually promote
our teams. The more that is written about the LoW and its members, the
better, for the audience is becoming ever wider. We should certainly treasure
this Newsletter and thank both Dave and Mel wholeheartedly for the
information and pleasure they give us from week to week. Keep at it boys!
You're doing a fine job! And by the way Dave, I wonder if today's game will
throw up any new stats?! |