Welsh F.A. Cup

2nd Qualifying Round

Friday 23rd July 2021

Kick Off 19.00. On Time !

Merthyr Saints 0 Penydarren Boys & Girls Club 3, attendance 443

7’ 0-1 (pen)

32’ 0-2

53’ 0-3

@ I.C.I. Rifle Fields

Bryniau Road

Pant

Merthyr Tydfil

CF48 2SR

£3 Admission

£1 Programme, 28 pages (2 blank). Very poor and a waste of money.

Back on 24th August 2002 I saw Merthyr Saints lose 1-3 to Bridgend Town in a Welsh League Division 2 match. When looking from the clubhouse/changing room building, the pitch used that day was to the right (Still there, the two photos below taken tonight). During the last year or so, the pitch 50 yards to the left has been developed, now being fully railed off and floodlit, as well as having a seated stand on the far side.

Tonight’s match was a local derby, as South Wales Alliance League Premier Division (Tier 4) hosted Ardal League South West (Tier 3). The visitors took the lead with a penalty after seven minutes, but it looked like they would really have to work hard to hold on, after they had a man red carded just 24 minutes in, but they still led 0-1 at the break. Six minutes into the second half they doubled their lead, the home ‘keeper spilling a free kick which was tapped in from close range, then two minutes later it was 0-3, this time the ‘keeper being beaten by a shot at his near post. Saints never looked like ever getting back into it, even with the extra man and they were easily beaten by a team who outfought them in all departments.

As with last Friday, the traffic on the trip down to Wales was horrendous. I left home at 12.30, taking an hour and a half to drive to the meeting point in Slough. It then took just seven minutes short of four hours to cover the 148 miles from there to Merthyr Tydfil.

Friendly

Wednesday 21st July 2021

Kick Off 19.30 Actual 19.32

Clapton 1 Romford 3, attendance 40

7’ 0-1 (pen)

9’ 0-2

74’ 0-3

90’ + 1, 1-3

@ The College of Haringey, Enfield & North East London (Enfield), 3G Pitch

73 Hertford Road

(enter via The Ride)

Enfield

EN3 5HA

No Admission or Programme.

This was my second visit here, having been previously on 23rd June 2019, when I saw Enfield Borough 2 Rising Ballers 4, in a friendly, but that match was played on the grass pitch that is beyond the 3G cage used tonight, running parallel.

Tonight’s match was Essex Senior League (Step 5) versus Isthmian League North (Step 4). The game could have done without the constant whinging at every decision, with both sides equally guilty and we got the inevitable free for all half an hour in, which had been brewing from the start. It was a shame, as it was a really good game when they concentrated on the football.

Romford raced into a two goal lead inside ten minutes, striker Christian Adu Gyamfi scoring both, the first from the penalty spot. They had the better of the exchanges, with both sides hitting the post, and going close a number of times, but no more goals followed in the first half. It wasn’t until sixteen minutes from time that Romford went 0-3 up, when Gyamfi completed his hattrick. Clapton netted a consolation goal in stoppage time.

North Wales Coast East League

Division 1

Tuesday 20th July 2021

Kick Off 19.00. On Time !

Cerrigydrudion 10 Caer Clwyd 0, attendance 34

13’ 1-0 (pen)

31’ 2-0

48’ 3-0

52’ 4-0

67’ 5-0

72’ 6-0

78’ 7-0

80’ 8-0

81’ 9-0

88’ 10-0

@ Canolfan Addysg Uwchaled

Ffordd Yr Alwen

B4051

Cerrigydrudion

LL21 9SW

No Admission

£1 Programme, 4 pages.

This is the nearest ground from home in the North Wales Coast East League, but it is still a round trip of 480 miles! At least I didn’t have to drive, apart from getting to the meet up point, which was made more awkward than it needed to be, following the refusal of the other passenger to get himself to where the driver was starting from, even though he lives 20 minutes drive east of where we were meeting!

Cerrigydrudion is twenty miles west of Llangollen, on the A5, and although the ground is very basic, it is certainly up there with the best as far as scenery goes and you get to see the sun setting over Snowdonia as well.

Caer Clywd started well and it was against the run of play when Cerrigydrudion took the lead from the penalty spot. By halftime it was 2-0, but the visitors were still well in the game. The second half was one way traffic, helped by the fact that Caer Clwyd gave up once the score line was 6-0 and they deserved the double figure hammering they got. Goal of the match was the fifth, which was curled into the corner of the net from 20 yards.

The win sees Cerrigydrudion go top of the league table, ahead of second placed Llandudno Amateurs on goal difference. Caer Clwyd are fourth bottom, having taken just two points from their first four matches. The bottom three clubs have yet to pick up a point.

Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy

Group B

Sunday 18th July 2021

Kick Off 12.00 Actual 12.01

Four Crosses 5 Ellesmere United 3, attendance 72

2’ 0-1

14’ 1-1

34’ 2-1 (pen)

35’ 3-1

40’ 4-1

73’ 4-2

79’ 4-3

87’ 5-3 (pen)

@ Gobowen Playing Field

St. Martin’s Road

Gobowen

SY10 7GA

No Admission or Programme, £1 Raffle.

The Graham Edwards Memorial Trophy is named after the former Weston Rhyn and Gobowen player, who died from leukaemia when he was just 21 years old. It was first played for in 1975, with all matches played at Gobowen Playing Field, home to Shropshire County League side Gobowen Celtic. There are two groups of 4 teams, who play each other once, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi finals.

These two had both lost their opening matches, Four Crosses 0-5 versus Gobowen Celtic and Ellesmere United 0-4 to Morda United, so it was vital to pick up a win today, if they were to have any chance of staying in the competition. The skill level wasn’t great, but both sides gave it their all and it made for decent entertainment as a neutral. It can’t have been much fun playing in that heat, so fair play to them. Ellesmere took an early lead, but by halftime they trailed 4-1 and looked out of it. They recovered well in the second half and pulled it back to 4-3 with eleven minutes left, but were unable to nick an equaliser, before Four Crosses made the game safe, with a penalty three minutes from time to give them a 5-3 win.

The original plan had been to stay for the second match, between Gobowen Celtic and Morda United, but with the kick off being put back by half an hour to 15.30, we decided to give it a miss as the 30 degree heat was unbearable, especially with so little shade. As it turned out, we were leaving Warwick Services, on the M40, just as the game would be about to start, so it felt like we’d made the right decision.

F.A. Wales Trophy

1st Round

Saturday 17th July 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.59

Bryn Rovers 1 Giants Grave 1 (6-7 pens), attendance 46

70’ 1-0

83’ 1-1

@ Cae Criced

Bryn Avenue

Upper Brynamman

SA18 1BD

£2 Admission, including Programme, 8 pages.

It was back down to Wales for today’s match, but at least it was as a passenger. The match was Neath & District League Premier Division (Tier 5) versus West Wales Premier League (Tier 4). Unlike the previous three matches I’ve been to this season in Wales, where there were no checks whatsoever, this match was subject to the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Welsh F.A. This meant a 100 crowd limit, manual Track and Trace (no QR code available) and temperature check, although these were done by the bloke on the gate, so not sure how accurate they are (the driver showed 33.4 degrees Celsius on the first attempt. 36.1 to 37.2 is generally the norm), if at all. It was far easier to enforce it here, as there was just the one entrance and it wasn’t possible to view from outside the ground either.

The two teams were very evenly matched and put on a decent show considering the searing heat. They were so well matched, that it looked like neither side were going to be able to make the breakthrough. With twenty minutes left, a speculative shot was totally misjudged by the visiting ‘keeper and the ball somehow evaded him and trickled over the line to give Bryn the lead. Giants Grave pushed hard for an equaliser, and it came seven minutes from time, when a header came back off the crossbar and the rebound was smashed into the net from six yards.

We headed straight to penalties at the end of the ninety minutes. Giants Grave won the shootout 7-6 (18 penalties taken). Yet again, as with last night, the Welsh F.A. and media appear unable to report the correct score. The Cymru App gives it as Bryn Rovers 7 Giants Grave 8, whilst All Wales Sports has it as Bryn Rovers 3 Giants Grave 3 (4-5 pens). I know rugby is the main sport here, but come on………

F.A. Wales Trophy

1st Round

Friday 16th July 2021

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.03

Trinant 0 Treowen Stars 7, attendance 98

6’ 0-1

35’ 0-2

61’ 0-3

74’ 0-4

83’ 0-5

84’ 0-6

85’ 0-7

@ Trinant Recreation Ground

Llanerch Lane

Trinant

NP11 3LH

No Admission

£1 Programme, 8 pages.

This was my only option for a competitive match tonight, which meant taking a gamble that it would go ahead. Games in Wales have been called off at a high rate in the last week, due to players/officials having to self isolate, (the ‘guilty’ clubs then forfeit the tie) having been contacted by the N.H.S. Track and Trace COVID-19 app. With this in mind, I decided to travel on my own, rather than have the hassle of having to cancel or abort the trip at short notice. As it turned out, if I had taken passengers, then I wouldn’t have made it to the game anyway. The M25 was queuing from Junction 9 clockwise and even by taking the short cut via the M3 didn’t help, as it took me an hour and a half just to get to Bracknell. The M4 was then closed between Junction 14 and 15, due to a lorry fire, so I only arrived 23 minutes before kick off, with the 155 mile journey taking 4 hours 47 minutes! The return journey was only two and a half hours.

The game itself was a local derby, the two clubs being just three miles apart. On the field there was a three level gap, with Trinant being in the Gwent Premier League Division 2,(Tier 6 in Wales) whilst Treowen Stars are in Ardal League South East (Tier 3). The early goal for the visitors set the tone, but they only managed to add one more goal before halftime, to take a 0-2 lead into the break. They comfortably doubled their lead in the second half, before a three goal burst late on gave a final score of 0-7, which was a bit harsh on Trinant. For some reason, both the new Cymru App and All Wales Sport have the score as 0-8, but it was definitely only seven!

Friendly

Wednesday 14th July 2021

Kick Off 19.15 Actual 19.18

Benfleet 3 Rayleigh Town 1, attendance 42

28’ 1-0

39’ 2-0

70’ 3-0

85’ 3-1

@ Woodside Extension

Manor Road

New Thundersley

SS7 4PB

No Admission or Programme.

At the start of the 2018/19 season, Benfleet made the move up to Step 6, having gained promotion to the Eastern Counties League Division 1 South, despite playing in the Essex Olympian League Division 2 (Step 9) the previous season. In doing so, it meant moving to ground share at Canvey Island F.C. in order to meet the ground grading requirements. Their traditional home ground is now only used by the Reserves and Youth teams, so tonight was a chance to see the first team here, as they still use the ground for hosting friendly matches. The pitch used tonight (the only one currently marked out) runs parallel to what was the old first team pitch (brick dugout bases still in place) and is beyond the former, furthest from the changing rooms. There is room for a third pitch, which is to the left, running the opposite way.

As expected, it was a comfortable win for Benfleet, against their Essex Olympian League Premier Division opponents. They dominated for the majority of the game, but actually had very little end product, despite scoring three goals. Having missed a penalty at the end of the first half, that smashed against the crossbar, Rayleigh Town did head in a consolation goal late on, to make the score 3-1.

Welsh F.A. Cup

1st Qualifying Round

Saturday 10th July 2021

Kick Off 14.00 Actual 13.58

Ruabon Rovers 2 Saltney Town 7, attendance 228

19’ 0-1

21’ 0-2

24’ 0-3

27’ 0-4

41’ 0-5

52’ 1-5

59’ 1-6

78’ 1-7

83’ 2-7

@ The Recreation Ground

Maes-y-Llan Lane

Ruabon

LL14 6AE

No Admission

Programme available.

I had narrowed down my choice of Welsh F.A. Cup matches today to four ties (the other options finished 6-2, 0-6 and 6-4!) but settled on this game, which was a Tier 5 versus Tier 3 clash, as North East Wales League Championship division hosted Ardal League North West.

Ruabon Rovers were formed last year, but only played their first competitive match last week, due to COVID-19 causing a shutdown of football in Wales at all levels below the top tier. It also saw football make a return to Ruabon, as the Recreation Ground has been used by previous clubs in North Wales football, although not for a number of years. The town of Ruabon is where the F.A. of Wales was formed back in 1876, and the Wynnstay Arms pub, where the meeting was held, backs on to the Recreation Ground at the goal end where the main road runs through the town. To mark their big day, the Welsh F.A. Cup (or perhaps just a replica?) was on display before kick off. The club had also done a souvenir programme (plenty of photos on Twitter), but at no time did anyone come round trying to sell any and I only saw two people with them, so I assume they were all snapped up by the ground hoppers in attendance, judging by the number of them here.

As with last week at Greenfield, there were little, or no, Covid-19 precautions in place and you just wandered in. Then again, there was little the club could do anyway, as the pitch is in a public place and accessible from at least three entrances. If the ground had been enclosed, then the 100 spectator limit currently in place in Wales would have certainly been a problem.

Their big day went rather flat in the end, although realistically they were unlikely to beat a team two levels above them. Three goals, in a six minute spell midway through the first half, saw Saltney go 0-3 up and by the break it was 0-5. Ruabon did better in the second half, as the teams shared four goals, as well as Saltney having a penalty saved when it was 1-5, giving a final score line of 2-7. I actually thought this was quite an unusual score, but a check of my records showed it’s the fourteenth time I have seen it, and for the third time in my last 20 matches.

Friendly

Thursday 8th July 2021

Kick Off 18.30. On Time !

Eynesbury United 6 Gamlingay United 1, attendance 38

2’ 1-0

17’ 2-0

21’ 3-0

37’ 4-0

42’ 5-0

51’ 6-0

84’ 6-1

@ Alfred Hall Memorial Ground (Eynesbury Rovers F.C.) Pitch 2

Hall Road

Eynesbury

PE19 2SF

No Admission or Programme.

Pitch 2 here is accessed either via the main ground (if you arrived late enough for the gates to have been unlocked) or by entering through a gate off the rear car park of the Ernulf Academy in Barford Road.

I had seen these two play each other in a Cambridgeshire County League Premier Division match last season, but Eynesbury United have made the sideways move into Spartan South Midlands League Division 2 for this season, which suggests they are looking to progress up the pyramid. They already groundshare here at Eynesbury Rovers, so have the necessary set up to match their on field ambition.

The match was pretty one sided, especially in the first half. Eynesbury cruised into a 5-0 lead, with their No.10 bagging himself a hat trick as well as missing a penalty that was saved by the ‘keeper. The second half saw Gamlingay tighten up at the back, conceding just once more and at least they got the final goal of the night, to pull it back to 6-1 late on. They could have added a second, but their No.9 blazed a penalty over the crossbar.

The main ground here is another one that I don’t remember much about. I had seen Eynesbury Rovers beat Kempston Rovers 4-2 here, in a United Counties League Cup 2nd Round match on 14th January 2003. The photos below show what it is like now.