Ym marn GO sums it up...................

Gareth Jones is Head of Lower School at Ysgol Gyfun Bro Myrddin. As well as being a regular supporter of Carmarthen Town AFC he is a respected 'mind' of information on sporting matters. Gareth is Chairman of the Ceredigion, Carmarthen & Pembrokeshire Schools Football Association. Each month, in his own inimitable way, he summarises League of Wales events for the Richmond Park supporters.

Tymor / Season 1999/2000 | Tymor / Season 1998/1999

CROESO I’R ‘CHAMPIONS ELECT’ 14/04/01

 

YN DILYN YMLAEN O  SADWRN DIWETHAF nid yw trefnydd y gêmau wedi bod yn ffafriol iawn i Gaerfyrddin wrth groesawu'n  tîm sydd ar frig y gynghrair, heb sôn am y gêm nos Lun. Mae’r Barri yn cael eu cydnabod fel y tîm gorau yn y Gynghrair. Gobeithio y cewn weld eu doniau heddiw.

 

Barry remain at the top of the table but I must admit that Cwmbran have done really well to play their games in hand and to win them as well. Cwmbran must also hope that Barry are forced to replay their game in the Premier Cup to increase their fixture load. The only advantage that Barry retain is a slightly better goal difference. I cannot imagine any other side getting nearer to the top two.

 

The next four clubs are battling for third position. Newtown were very impressive last Saturday especially as they had lost their two previous games. They battled for the points and made Carmarthen look quite ordinary for the first 70 minutes. The Richmond Park faithful need some cheering up today especially with a difficult run in. How will their disappointing defeat in the Welsh Cup semi final affect Aberystwyth? It could be difficult to motivate them in their next fixture. Rhyl appear to have overcome the selling of Lee Trundle to Wrexham and have been gathering points steadily and efficiently.

 

The remaining clubs in mid table are battling for places in the Premier Cup next year. Caersws appear to be in pole position with games in hand as well. T.N.S. have the option of winning the Welsh Cup in order to qualify for Europe.  Haverfordwest, after striking form after Christmas, have slumped in recent games and will need a major effort to boost their chances. Rhayader still retain slight hopes of finishing in the top eight.

 

For the rest of the teams it is a matter of finishing their games or battling to avoid the drop. Flexsys Cefn Druids will be disappointed with their recent form and need to improve on their away performances. Connah’s Quay on the other hand will be disappointed with their away form. Port Talbot will hope that they maintain the 9 point gap between them and Llanelli while near neighbours Afan Lido will also have similar thoughts.

 

We then enter the relegation zone. UWIC Inter Cardiff have already departed but who will join them? Llanelli must be favourites  especially with their poor form away from Stebonheath. Only 4 points away from home will send any team down. But there must be some hope with Oswestry having a torrid time at present. But for their good run at the start of the season they would be much nearer the drop zone. Bangor have been gathering a few points in recent weeks and appear to be clawing their way out of trouble. Thus it looks like goodbye to Llanelli unless Oswestry do not win any more points this season.

 

WRTH I’R TYMOR ddod i ben yn ara’ deg mae’n rhaid cyfaddef bod syniad y Premier Cup yn ychwanegu at gadw brwdfrydedd y cefnogwyr yn fyw. Yn ogystal ag Ewrop mae yna rywbeth arall i anelu amdano. Stori dda o ddydd Sadwrn diwethaf yw bod rhywun wedi enwi Tomi Morgan fel chwaraewr y flwyddyn. Nid oedd neb wedi sylwi ar y ffon wen, mae’n amlwg! Nid yw un gôl yn ddigon i ennill yr anrhydedd yma.

 

CROESO I GONCWERWYR Y BARRI 06/03/01

 

Bydd heno’n gêm anodd iawn unwaith eto yn erbyn un o dimau mwyaf trefnus y Gynghrair. Pawb yn cydweithio ac yn rhoi o’u gorau bob amser. Hwb mawr arall iddynt, ac i weddill y timau yn y Gynghrair, oedd eu buddugoliaeth ddiweddar dros y Barri.

 

Barry still lead but have not drawn away from the rest of the challengers as expected. Perhaps their squad is not as strong as suspected. Cwmbran continue to battle hard and have remained as the main contenders for the title. On present form the League champions will be one of these two sides.

            Third position appears to be up for grabs. No team is playing consistently well and are dropping points in games that they expect to win. Carmarthen remain in third position not because of their fine form but because other sides are also dropping points. Newtown are in a similar vein of form as well as Aberystwyth. Inconsistency is not an easy concept for a football supporter to understand. It also makes managers feel inadequate and prone to fiddling with their team selection.

 

            T.N.S. appear to be contenders for the third position as well as the three clubs previously mentioned. If they finish as consistently as last year they will be a threat to the European aspirations of other clubs. Flexsys Cefn Druids score a lot of goals but they also concede a large number as well. That will not win you titles but makes you very entertaining. Rhyl are now Trundle-less but are still a good footballing side who could prove difficult to beat.

            Caersws have slipped up recently and need a confidence booster. Rhayader have also suffered a major loss with the luring of their manager to Stebonheath. Hopefully they will be able to resume playing as soon as possible.  Haverfordwest are one of the form teams at present with points now being won at home as well. Oswestry will now be becoming rather worried as they are on the fringes of the relegation battle. They should survive but also need some good results.  Similarly, Connah’s Quay Nomads are not out of the woods yet!

 

            Despite their battling performances Port Talbot are also in the battle to remain in the League. They are the team that the teams below are aiming for. Llanelli under new leadership are still surprising a large number of people with their inconsistency. They have to pick up points in all of their games in order to ensure that they remain out of the bottom two. Bangor, even though they have games in hand would then find it very difficult to climb above Llanelli. The North Wales side have been boosted by the goalscoring form of  Marc Lloyd Williams recently but must be worried with the build up of fixtures. UWIC Inter Cardiff are still in the league until the end of the season but could then disappear for ever.

 

Nifer fawr o newidiadau wedi bod i dîm Caerfyrddin mewn trefn chwarae ac mewn chwaraewyr yn ddiweddar. Pethau mawr wedi digwydd ers mis Ionawr. Mae’n anodd iawn symud o un system i system arall mewn pêl-droed. Mae’r chwaraewyr yn dod yn gyfarwydd â’u ffordd o chwarae ac yn aml iawn yn cymryd amser hir i setlo lawr i ffordd arall, yn enwedig os oes chwaraewyr newydd  hefyd. Mae’n anoddach fyth i gadw cefnogwyr yn hapus os nad yw’r newidiadau’n llwyddo yn syth. Rhaid defnyddio bach o’r hud ar ddilynwyr Myrddin!

 

THE ONLY WAY IS UP! 25/11/00

GOBEITHIO bod hyn yn wir am Fangor. Er nad wyf yn ffan mawr o’r clwb, ni all y Gynghrair Genedlaethol fforddio colli presenoldeb yn y Gogledd Orllewin, un o gadarnleoedd pêl- droed yng Nghymru. Mae’r clwb wedi sicrhau digon o sylw yn y cyfryngau ond nid am ennill gêmau yn anffodus.

Beth bynnag, beth sydd wedi bod yn digwydd yn y Gynghrair ers y gêm gartref ddiwethaf? Cwmbran still continue to lead the League despite the ‘experts’ saying that they are not good enough. Perhaps their squad has more quality this year compared to other seasons. Carmarthen are in a rich vein of form at present and will be pleased with their season so far. Mid Wales sides will also be very pleased with their progress. Aberystwyth have put together a long unbeaten run but have dropped several points at home. Caersws have managed to win at Cwmbran which is impressive by any standard. Newtown remain in the running as usual while the early season leaders Oswestry although not winning their games at present will be delighted with their progress.

The other teams from this area are T.N.S. and Rhayader. Major changes are taking place at T.N.S. and we will have to wait to find out how influential Dr. Andy Cale was at the club. They have a very strong squad but for how long? Rhayader have produced solid form but need to turn draws into wins. Rhyl appear to be the flavour of the month at the moment with their strikers gaining a great deal of attention. Let’s wait and see how good the defenders perform. Connah’s Quay produce their usual mixture of results without making much progress. I am still very impressed with Flexsys Cefn Druids’ home form but until they produce victories at away grounds they will not progress much further up the table.

Carmarthen’s nearest neighbours Haverfordwest and Llanelli are both struggling at present. Llanelli have already changed their manager with an internal appointment, but they now need a couple of confidence boosting performances. Perhaps there will be changes at Bridge Meadow before long also. With a number of players being suspended they will have to battle hard during the coming months.

Port Talbot and Afan Lido have settled down with solid home performances which will probably be enough to keep them out of trouble but perhaps the lack of experience at Port Talbot will mean that they will find it more difficult. That leaves two teams at the different end of the spectrum. UWIC Inter Cardiff are still struggling to get their act together. What will happen to their squad during the Christmas student holiday? Barry appear to be going in a different direction. They are making steady rather than spectacular progress and will be the team you have to beat if you have ambitions of winning the League.

AR ÔL YR HOLL GÊMAU CWPAN o wahanol fathau yn ddiweddar mae’n braf cael croesawu Bangor i chwarae gêm gynghrair ar Barc Waun Dew. Mae Caerfyrddin yn chwarae pêl-droed deniadol iawn ar y foment ond bydd chwarae yn erbyn carfan sy’n cynnwys enwau megis Giggs, Blackmore a Brown yn dipyn o brawf iddynt. Efallai fod angen y ‘Myrddin’ ei hunan o biti’r lle!

 

CROESO I’R ‘BIG CUP’! 14/10/00

MAE’R PRIF GWPAN yn gyfle gwych i glybiau fel Tref Caerfyrddin gael sylw ar y teledu a hefyd i’r Gynghrair Genedlaethol gael sylw, yn enwedig os ydi’r ‘timau bach’ yn cael rhywfaint o lwyddiant. Mae hefyd yn gyfle da iawn i chwaraewyr ifanc addawol ddangos eu doniau.

Mae pêl-droed yn holl bwysig y dyddiau yma i ddyfodol chwaraeon ar y sgrîn fach. Mae’r ddau yn cydfyw’n agos iawn. ‘Does dim rhyfedd fod y cystadlu am yr hawl i ddarlledu gêmau byw mor gystadleuol a bod y pris sy’n cael ei dalu am yr hawl yn saethu lan. Heblaw am y gêmau byw, beth arall mae’r cyfryngau yn ei gynnig i’r ffan pêl-droed, yn enwedig yng Nghymru?

Mae’n siðr bod y BBC yn siomedig iawn i golli’r hawl i ddarlledu Match of the Day. Er bod y cyflwynwr Gary Lineker yn edrych yn drist iawn pan gyhoeddwyd y newyddion, pwy a ðyr - efallai y bydd ITV yn medru ei ddenu oddi wrth y gorfforaeth. Nid hyn fyddai’r trosglwyddiad cyntaf rhyngddynt. Rhaid dweud fy mod wedi colli llawer o ddiddordeb yn Match of the Day ers troi at deledu lloeren. Er nad wyf yn cytuno â phob dim y mae Andy Gray yn ei ddweud, mae’n gosod ei sylwadau’n glir ac yn bendant. Mae Sky Sports wedi newid agwedd darlledwyr yn gyffredinol tuag at y gêm, ac wedi gorfodi gwella ansawdd y rhaglenni’n gyffredinol. Mae’r holl opsiynau sydd ar gael gan ddarlledu digidol yn ei gwneud hi’n anodd iawn i ddewis y ffordd orau o wylio gêm. Diddorol iawn yw gwrando ar ddau gefnogwr yn sylwebu ar eu tîmau.

Beth am y sefyllfa ar deledu Cymru felly? Mae Sgorio wedi bod yn llwyddiant ysgubol dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae wedi dod ag enwau chwedlonol fel Batistuta yn wynebau cyfarwydd i wylwyr y rhaglen. Trueni bod y penderfyniad wedi ei wneud i beidio â dangos y gêmau byw o Serie A ar y Sul. Rwy’n sylwi bod rygbi’n dilyn yr un trywydd gan ddarlledu gêmau o Ffrainc ar y nos Fawrth o hyn ymlaen. Wrth sôn am ddarlledu gêmau Sul o’r Eidal, a fyddai’n bosibl i drosleisio’r sylwebaeth i’r Gymraeg gan mai o’r stiwdio y mae’r sylwebaeth Saesneg yn cael ei wneud fel arfer?

Mae Gôl hefyd wedi sefydlu ei hunan fel rhaglen werth ei gwylio. Ceir golwg manwl ar y Gynghrair Genedlaethol gan ddangos goliau o nifer o’r gêmau. Y person sy’n serennu yn y rhaglen yw Ian Gwyn Hughes. Mae’n medru crynhoi ei sylwadau’n effeithiol heb orfod ceisio bod yn ddoniol - darlledwr profiadol yn dangos ei ddoniau.

Yn bersonol fy hoff raglen yw Ar y Marc. Rhaglen radio yn gynnar ar fore Sadwrn sydd yn ceisio crynhoi mewn hanner awr fer iawn beth sydd yn digwydd yn y byd pêl-droed yw hon. Er bod gormod o duedd tuag at y Gogledd ar y rhaglen, mae’n fywiog ac yn gyfoes fel rheol.

FELLY MAE PÊL-DROED yn cael tipyn mwy o sylw ar y cyfryngau nag yn y gorffennol - ond dim byd tebyg i rygbi, gwaetha’r modd!

CROESO CEI CONOR 30/09/00

BYDD HI’N ANODD IAWN CURO CYFFRO gêm Llanelli yr wythnos ddiwethaf. Canlyniad penigamp ond goliau gwell fyth. Tybed beth yw barn John Lewis am y Gynghrair erbyn hyn. Roedd ei ddatganiadau ar ddechrau’r tymor yn ddigon dadleuol hyd yn oed cyn iddo ef a’i dîm gael dechrau mor drychinebus i’r tymor.

What is going to happen this season? I am certain that Oswestry will not win the league but it is also very difficult to predict who will win. The easy way around this is to cross off the so called no hopers in the league. With apologies to some of these clubs I will add the following to the list of clubs which will not win the championship this season

UWIC Inter Cardiff Afc will definitely not win the league and are probably going to be relegated unless some very good students appear on the scene. After last week’s trouncing I cannot see Llanelli doing as well as last year. What happens if this manager leads his team to a lower position than fifth? Haverfordwest have already lost too many games to be any threat while the teams from Port Talbot and Afan Lido will be battling amongst themselves to see who finishes highest in their own personal battle.

Caersws despite having made a very good start to the season will do well to finish in the top eight, even lower if one of the Nationwide league clubs has enough sense to give Graham Evans a first team chance. Newtown also appear to be a mid table side at present while Rhayader would be happy with such an improvement. Rhyl and Flexsys Cefn Druids would, I think, be happy with a mid table finish. Today’s visitors have made a creditable start to the season but I wait to see some of their results from places in the deep south.

I will also add Bangor to this list because I do not think that they have a divine right to do well whatever their committee thinks. I will look forward to their visit as I am usually proved wrong in such circumstances and should shut down the word processor before predicting who does well or who does badly. To be even more controversial I add Carmarthen to this list. Though the football is of a high standard most of the time I do not think that the side has enough class, at present, to win the league, but they could do better than last year!

That leaves the contenders. Last year's champions TNS will find it far more difficult to defend the title than winning it. Therefore I do not think that they will retain their title. The dark horses this year rather than favourites for the title are Barry. Under the leadership of the highly regarded Peter Nicholas they are an unknown quantity at present but I cannot envisage them not doing well. That leaves Cwmbran who have started the season well. Does this correspond with Mark Aizlewood’s departure? He has mentioned already that he does not think that they have a strong enough squad but perhaps that will be the incentive that they need to win the league. That leaves Aberystwyth who appear to have assembled a very strong squad, at what cost I do not know, but if they retain their star players and keep them happy, will be battling it out for the title at the end of the season.

YMDDIHEURIADAU i’r chwaraewyr , chwaraewr reolwr, a’r cefnogwyr ond nid wyf yn gweld Caerfyrddin yn ennill y bencampwriaeth eleni. Gallaf ddychmygu cael ein diddori bob Sadwrn ond efallai fod y garfan yn rhy fach ar hyn o bryd. Rhaid torri’r got yn ôl y brethyn ar hyn o bryd. mae’n siðr.