West Wales Premier League
Saturday 21st September 2024
Kick Off 11.00 On Time!
Ynystawe Athletic 2 Dafen Welfare 2, attendance 194
16’ 0-1
34’ 1-1 (pen)
54’ 1-2
58’ 2-2
@ Ynystawe Park
Park Road
Ynystawe
SA6 5AP
£5 Admission, including programme, whether you wanted it or not! (I certainly don’t want one at any event organised by Groundhop U.K.)
After an overnight stay in Llanelli, it was off to Ynystawe Athletic, just north of the M4, for what was the first game, of three, on today’s ground hop. Heading north from the motorway it is a right turn off the A4067 into Park Road, the ground is about 100 yards along on the left. There is a very small car park, but no problem parking along the road side. You enter behind the goal, with the fully railed pitch running lengthways away from you, with a pair of dugouts on the left and the changing rooms behind the far goal. A cricket square separates the main pitch from a second pitch, slightly offset, that was also hosting a game today (Reserves ?) with a later kick off. As with last night, the players had to get changed elsewhere (changing rooms here being used for the other match), this time at Ynystawe Cricket Club and walk the 300-400 yards to the pitch. Again, as with last night (there’s a theme developing here), no facilities pitchside, so again the full potential of the money making opportunity was not grasped. It was probably a shock to the locals to be charged £5 admission too (I doubt that they actually are charged the inflated price), although this was the only club (of the 4 I’d be doing) to enforce the cost of programmes whether you wanted one or not.
The match was 8th versus 11th. Dafen Welfare took an early lead, finishing into the bottom corner after being played through on goal. Ynystawe levelled with a penalty eleven minutes before halftime. Dafen went back in front nine minutes into the second half, when a first time shot beat the ‘keeper at his near post. Ynystawe were only trailing for four minutes, drawing level with a header that took a slight deflection on its way in. The hosts should have won it late on, but the player slipped over with the goal gaping. They also had a player sin binned in stoppage time, but too late to have any effect on the game.
It had rained quite heavily in the hour up to kick off, but the pitch was in excellent condition. It was one of those days where the weather forecast was that it was to improve as the day went on. Let’s hope they’re right.
