THE NORTH WALES FOOTBALL MAGAZINE Issue 1: Monday 18th April

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1 Place you r m essag e h ere. Fo r m axim um i mpact, use two or t hre e se ntenc es. THE NORTH WALES FOOTBALL MAGAZINE Issue 1: Monday 18th April This Issue s Featured Club is Holyhead Hotspur Including an interview with first team manager Mark Williams FAW orders split of Clwyd League FAW flexes its muscles yet again Summer League Set For Big Kick-Off Full preview ahead of tonight s kick-off North Wales team lose to a late goal in Holland Full match report of FC De Bilt v Neuadd Willis FC

2 CONTENTS PAGE Pg.1 - Front cover Pg.2 - Contents page and notes Pg.3 - Principality Welsh Premier League news Pg.4 - Principality Welsh Premier League action and standings Pg.5 - Huws Gray Alliance League news Pg.6 - Huws Gray Alliance League action and standings Pg.7 - Lock Stock Welsh Alliance League news and action Pg.8 - Lock Stock Welsh Alliance League standings and fixtures. Pg.9 - Llandyrnog & District Summer League preview Pg10 - Llandyrnog & District Summer League preview Pg11 - Llandyrnog & District Summer League preview Pg12 - Llandyrnog & District Summer League preview Pg13 - Llandyrnog & District Summer League fixtures Pg14 - Dutch adventure for young North Wales team Pg15 - Gwynedd League action and standings Pg16 - Clwyd League news - FAW order league to disband! Pg17 - Clwyd League fixtures, results and standings Pg18 - Club feature: Holyhead Hotspur Pg19 - Club feature: Holyhead Hotspur Pg20 - Other League Standings Pg21 - A look ahead at most league s fixtures Pg22 - A look ahead at most league s fixtures Pg23 - End of Season Award nominations We need volunteers in order to cover every league, so far we have been able to cover the majority but not all. I hope this doesn t put you off our magazine and that you enjoy this first issue. By next issue we aim to have sorted everything out and hope to offer more in-depth coverage of North Wales football scene, bare with us! Please get in touch to let us know that you think! northwalesfootballpost@hotmail.co.uk EDITOR S NOTE Thank you for subscribing to the North Wales Football Post! If you know anyone who would enjoy this free online magazine then please ask them to sign up to our mailing list. I hope that you all enjoy this new venture of ours, please remember that this is put together by a small amount of volunteers, so it is not yet within our capability to cover every league to the same standard - but we will do our best! If there is a league that you would like to help us cover, please get in touch by contacting us by ing us at our main address - northwalesfootballpost@hotmail.co.uk As we endeavour to provide the best service that we can for you North Wales football fans, we can only do so to our own knowledge and capability. Despite not all leagues having the same coverage, all tables are included in this magazine. If you can help us with coverage of a league, get in touch! Also, a big thank you to Shaun Davies of the Denbighshire Free Press for his preview on the Llandynrog & District Summer League. And also to the officials at Holyhead Hotspur FC who were very helpful in allowing me to do the club feature. We also thought it would be interesting to run our own end of season awards competition, its nothing official but just to see who you think should win what category! I hope you enjoy the read! SUMMER LEAGUE INFO. For those of you that don t know, the Llandyrnog & District Summer League is a long established village league which was founded in The League is made up of twelve teams mainly from Denbighshire but also includes a couple of sides from the Flintshire border. The League season begins in mid April and ends in mid July with the Shield competition. The League has some very unique rules which make it all the more appealing to neutrals. To play for a club a player must live within that particular team s catchment area, which ensures a local league for local players. However, for the first time this season a club can sign former players that live outside their catchment area at the expense of 2 points per player. Now, if you ve never been to a Summer League match before they re well worth a look! Here follows a preview for each team by Shaun Davies of the Free Press. The League kicks off tonight - this week s fixture list is also included. TO ALL CLUBS AND WEBSITES Please feel free to use any articles from this magazine in your club programmes or on your websites, all that we ask is that you give a credit to the articles author and the magazine! Also, we will be running a match reports section - separate to the featured match reports. In this section any club that wishes to send us a match report is welcome to do so, just it to the usual address! The whole purpose of this free magazine is to raise awareness of as many clubs and leagues in North Wales as we can, so if you want exposure to a large subscription list that is growing daily with people from all over North Wales (and abroad!) then please get in touch! We welcome your feedback - good or bad - so if you have any suggestions or encouragement please send us an !

3 PRINCIPALITY WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS FROM THE LAST FORTNIGHT WITH ETHAN JONES FOUR NORTHERN CLUBS AWARDED DOMESTIC LICENCE Of the eight northern clubs to apply for the Domestic Licence, which is mandatory for a club to compete in the Welsh Premier, only half were successful at the first attempt. Three of the current four northern WPL clubs achieved both the Domestic Licence and a European Licence, these clubs were Airbus, Bangor City and Prestatyn with Bala Town failing at the first attempt. The other successful club was Llandudno of the Huws Gray Alliance. Congratulations to all those successful and also the best of wishes to Bala, Cefn Druids, Connah s Quay and Flint in their appeals. FARRAR ROAD PLANNING LATEST ON Monday 11th April Gwynedd Council granted planning permission for a new supermarket on Bangor City s historic Farrar Road ground. These latest developments bring to an end a long-running saga, which has been going on for the best part of a decade. These developments should see the Citizens finally move to a new stadium at Nantporth, which will be located on the banks of the Menai Straits. Property developers Morbaine, on behalf of Deiniol Development, had submitted amended proposals which met the changes that Gwynedd Council had demanded from the original planning application. The development of Farrar Road stadium will see a new Asda supermarket built on the site, which will create 240 jobs. Reacting to the news, Bangor s chairman Dilwyn Jones said, We support the application and as far as the club is concerned, all eyes are on Nantporth. We really want this new stadium to be useable for the whole community. LACK OF DISCIPLINE LEAVES NEV FUMING THE recent poor discipline of Bangor City s players has resulted in manager Neville Powell reading the riot act. Powell told the Daily Post that, It s disappointing that our discipline standards have dropped and it s something that we need to cut out. In their last Welsh Premier fixture, at home against Prestatyn Town, the Citizens had defender Peter Hoy sent off in the ninth minute following a late challenge on former Blue Paul O Neill. Hoy s sending off was the latest in a string of red cards for the Welsh Premier title chasers. In their last 13 fixtures Bangor have picked up 23 yellow cards and 6 reds - four of which were against Prestatyn. Before Christmas Bangor topped both the Welsh Premier League table and the Fair Play League, having picked up only 11 yellow cards and 1 red. The drop in City s discipline can be argued to be the cause of their recent dip in form. Powell finished his warning by telling the players that, Red cards mean suspensions and we can t afford to have players banned at such a crucial stage of the season. TOWN THRILLED TO CLINCH LICENCE The news that Prestatyn Town had achieved both the Domestic Licence and European Licences was greatly received by everyone associated with the Seasiders. This is testimony to all the hard slog put in by many people but especially Secretary Tom Butterworth who has worked tirelessly to make sure everything went smoothly. Well done Tom and team, says the clubs website ( This is certainly great news for the club and shows how far they have come in a relatively short period of time. Prestatyn are certainly an example to the rest of the teams throughout the Welsh Pyramid as they are a living example that shows a club can rise from the Clwyd League to the Welsh Premier. Well done to all involved!

4 PRINCIPALITY WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES, RESULTS & STANDINGS RESULTS Friday 8th April Carmarthen 1-0 Hav west Saturday 9th April Newtown 2-1 Bala Town Prestatyn 2-0 Port Talbot Sunday 10th April Aberystwyth 2-0 Airbus Friday 15th April Airbus 1-1 Bala Town Hav west 1-3 Aberystwyth Prestatyn 0-2 TNS Saturday 16th April Bangor 2-5 Llanelli Carmarthen 2-1 Newtown Port Talbot 1-2 Neath WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE: CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE (17/4/11) 1 TNS Bangor City Neath FC Llanelli AFC Prestatyn T Port Talbot WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE: PLAY-OFF CONFERENCE (17/4/11) 7 Aberystwyth Airbus UK Carmarthen Newtown Bala Town Hav west Co Key: Green = Automatic European Qualification. Yellow: Europa League Play-Offs Red = Relegation Zone FIXTURES Friday 22nd April Llanelli v Prestatyn TNS v Neath Saturday 23rd April Hav west v Airbus Newtown v Aberystwyth Port Talbot v Bangor Sunday 24th April Bala Town v Carmarthen Monday 25th April Port Talbot v Prestatyn TNS v Llanelli Neath v Bangor Saturday 30th April Aberystwyth v Carm then Airbus v Newtown Bangor v TNS Llanelli v Port Talbot Neath v Prestatyn Bala Town v Hav west Last weekends action: Bala lose out in relegation six-pointer! On Friday night a good crowd of over 500 witnessed Nick Harrhy s 56th minute strike condemn local rivals Haverfordwest to almost certain relegation in a 1-0 win for the Old Gold. The win also boosts Carmarthen s Europa League Play-Off hopes. Elsewhere in the Play Off Conference, Saturday s match at Latham Park was the scene of a vital relegation six pointer between Newtown and Bala Town. Despite playing the better of the two teams and taking the lead, thanks to a Chris Mason penalty in the 59th minute, the referee and a cruel piece of luck deepened Bala s relegation fears. Whilst Aberystwyth strengthened their bid for a Europa League Play-Off slot after two wonder strikes from James McCarten and Bari Morgan were enough to close the gap on Play-Off leaders Airbus UK. With three of the top six on Welsh Cup duty there was only one game in the Championship Conference. Bastion Road was the location and two goals from the prolific Lee Hunt boosted the Seasiders chances European adventure next term. This puts added emphasis on next week s fixtures for all northern teams as Airbus and Bala meet at The Airfield in a big fixture for both sides, Bangor play Llanelli and hope to keep their title hopes alive and Prestatyn aim to frustrate TNS title hopes. This weekends action: City s title chances take heavy blow at Farrar Road A very disappointing 5-2 home defeat at the hands of Llanelli could well have dealt a critical blow to City s title hopes. The game really was a game of two halves as the Citizens started the better and were 1-0 up in the first minute thanks to a well worked move started and finished by the impressive Sion Edwards, before the Reds equalised just before the break. A Llanelli counterattack caught the home defence out and Kris Thomas put Llanelli into the lead, then Bangor fell to pieces. Three goals in ten minutes for the visitors as City crumbled. The hardworking Les Davies gave 100% throughout and was rewarded with a consolation goal in the 79th minute. City now rely on other results going their way if they are to lift the title. Elsewhere in the Championship Conference, two goals in the first ten minutes from Danny Holmes and Chris Sharp increased TNS lead at the top to four points at Prestatyn. Neath continue to keep their runners up hopes alive with a 2-1 away win against local rivals Port Talbot. In the Play-Off Conference a Mark Connolly equaliser in the 87th minute strengthened Bala s survival chances whilst Airbus new boss Darren Ryan is still looking for his first win. Carmarthen ensured Welsh Premier status for next season after beating Newtown 2-1, a result which closes the gap between Bala and Newtown to two points.

5 HUWS-GRAY ALLIANCE LEAGUE NEWS FROM THE LAST FORTNIGHT DRUIDS DEFENDER WINS ACCOLADE Cefn Druids defender Adam Hesp has been awarded the Charisma Trophies Huws Gray Alliance Player of the Month award for March. The defender put in several top class performances last month and was key in helping the side through an unbeaten month. Druids won three and drew two fixtures throughout the month of March. Druids manager Huw Griffiths told the club website, It s great news for Adam to get the award and to be the first player from the club to receive it. NOMADS DO THE LEAGUE PROUD Huws Gray Alliance leaders Gap Connah s Quay gave Welsh Premier high-flyers Bangor City a tough game in the Welsh Cup semi-finals but had to suffer cup heartache (full match report on pg. 24). In what was a very close tie, played in glorious weather in sunny Rhyl, the Nomads seemed to be on course for taking Bangor City into extra time. With City missing several chances and Nomads keeper Louis Mackin pulling off a couple of top class saves it was a late Chris Jones 25-yarder that won it in the 85th minute. The Nomads returned to league action this Saturday against relegation certainties Rhayader Town in a bid to regain their Welsh Premier League status. Whilst City march on to their fourth consecutive Welsh Cup final against Llanelli at Parc Y Scarlets. Congratulations Adam. PORT BOOK PLACE IN CUP FINAL ON Wednesday 13th April Porthmadog booked their place in the Huws Gray Challenge Cup Final at the expense of Buckley Town at Rhyl s Belle Vue Stadium. Port will now face Guilsfield in the final which will be played on Saturday 7th May at Cefn Druids The Rock Stadium (2:30pm kick-off). Despite missing several first team players and many others carrying knocks it is perhaps surprising that they overcame Buckley Town by a 3-1 scoreline. In a tightly contested first half Buckley dominated the early possession but could not turn their dominance into goals, mid-way through the half Port began to get a hold of the game and went in 1-0 up at the break thanks to a 43rd minute goal from Marcus Orlik. Orlik s goal just before the interval proved to be a confidence booster as Port came out strongly and doubled their lead when Paul Roberts latched onto a Jones-Evans cutback. Port s dominance continued as the ever threatening Orlik was upended in the box with Mike Foster calmly converting the spot-kick in the 59th minute. Following a Buckley brake away there was another penalty, this time when a Port defender handled in the area and Anthony Williams scored from the spot in the 63rd minute. The Bucks then went on the attack and had a couple of chances to get back into the game with Stuart Hayes going close, but they failed to take their chances. LLANDUDNO ARE THE ONLY HGA CLUB TO GAIN LICENCE Llandudno were one of ten clubs to be awarded the Domestic Licence and the only club from the two feeder leagues. It is also the second season in succession that the club has been awarded the mandatory licence for Welsh Premier football, which is very difficult to obtain. Llandudno FC have been granted the Welsh Premier League Domestic Licence for the second season in succession! Congratulations goes to all the committee members and staff of the club for their tremendous hard work in achieving this accolade, said a statement on the club s official website. Despite it being mathematically impossible for Llandudno to gain promotion this season, it does highlight their ambition. The fact that three of the Welsh Premier League s current teams did not gain the licence, at the first time of asking, just shows how far Llandudno have improved off the field and where they aim to be in the future. Congratulations to Porthmadog and good luck in the final!

6 HUWS-GRAY ALLIANCE LEAGUE FIXTURES, RESULTS AND STANDINGS RESULTS Saturday 9th April Caersws 2-2 Llandudno Cefn Druids 0-1 Buckley Guilsfield 2-0 Rhydymwyn Llangefni 1-3 Rhos A wyd Pen coch 0-0 Welshpool Porthmadog 4-2 Rhayader Tuesday 12th April Guilsfield 2-1 Welshpool Rahayder a-a Pen coch Rhyl 2-4 Rhos Aelwyd Saturday 16th April Caersws 2-1 Rhyl Druids 2-1 Porthmadog Guilsfield 0-3 Ruthin Llandudno 0-0 Buckley Pen coch 3-1 Llangefni Rahayder 1-1 Flint Rhos A. 5-1 Welshpool Rhydymwyn 0-4 Gap CQ HUWS GRAY ALLIANCE STANDINGS (16/4/11) 1 Gap CQ Rhyl Cefn Druids Rhos A wyd Llandudno Flint Town U Caersws Buckley Porthmadog Penrhyncoch Llangefni Ruthin Guilsfield Rhydymwyn Rhayader Welshpool* FIXTURES Wednesday 20th April Gap CQ v Pen coch Saturday 23rd April Buckley v Rhayader Gap CQ v Cefn Druids Guilsfield v Pen coch Rhos A. v Porthmadog Rhydymwyn v Llandudno Rhyl v Flint Ruthin v Llangefni Welshpool v Caersws Monday 25th April Guilsfield v Rhayader Ruthin v Porthmadog Rhyl v Welshpool Rhydymwyn v Caersws Rhos A. v Llangefni Saturday 30th April Guilsfield v Llangefni Porthmadog v Caersws Rhayader v Flint Rhos A. v Cefn Druids Rhyl v Welshpool Ruthin v Llandudno Last weekends action: Druids promotion hopes take another knock in home defeat! Cefn Druids promotion hopes may have been dealt a critical blow at The Rock last Saturday following a 1-0 reverse against Buckley Town. A Jack Rowlands goal in the 70th minute won the game for the Bucks, who continue to finish the season strongly. Turning to the Recreation Ground, any slim promotion hopes Llandudno still held were mathematically ended in a 2-2 draw with Caersws. Rhos Aelwyd continue to surprise this season and push up the table thanks to a 3-1 away win at Llangefni. Despite the kick off being delayed by 30 minutes goals from Wayne Phillips, Mike Burke and Ben Jones won the day. At the other end of the table Rhydymwyn s survival chances took a turn for the worse when they lost a sixpointer 2-0 away at Guilfield. In the all mid-wales clash Penrhyncoch were held to a goalless draw at home to already relegated Welshpool. Whilst Porthmadog s 4-2 away win condemns Rhayader to certain relegation, two goals apiece from Paul Roberts and Carl Roberts earned the points. In the mid-week games Rhos Aelwyd came away from Belle Vue with a shock 4-2 victory over title chasers Rhyl. In the Welshpool derby it was Guilsfield who came out on top 2-1, whilst Rhayader s match was abandoned. This weekends action: Advantage to Gap Connah s Quay as Rhyl slip up, again. Gap Connah s Quay strengthened both their championship and promotion chances at the expense of Rhydymwyn on Saturday, a result which makes Rhyd s survival chances look bleak. Goals from player manager Mark McGregor, Danny Forde and Jamie Petire had the game won by halftime with Forde adding another in the second half, a strong 4-0 win. Despite a 9th minute goal from Scott Beckett, Rhyl went down 2-1 away at mid-table Caersws with Jacob Smith and Gareth Williams scoring for the mid- Wales Bluebirds. Cefn Druids also kept their faint promotion hopes alive with a 2-1 victory at home to Porthmadog with a late double from Andrew Swarbrick winning the day after Marcus Orlik had given Port a half time lead. Elsewhere, Ruthin Town guaranteed their second tier status with a comfortable 3-0 away victory over Guilsfield, an Aaron Aby penalty gave Ruthin a half time lead with Adam Jenkins and Kevin Garland completing the scoring in the second half. At Maesdu Park Llandudno failed to consolidate fourth spot as they were held to a goalless draw by Buckley. Rhos Aelwyd capitalised in Llandudno s slip up and moved into fourth place after thrashing relegated Welshpool 5-1 at home with the help of a Mike Burke hat-trick and goals from Steve Powell and John Rush. Llangefni continue to limp over the finishing line after going down 3-1 away at Penrhyncoch despite Darren Thomas giving Cefni the lead. And a Ben Jones strike earned Flint a draw away at relegation doomed Rhayader.

7 WELSH ALLIANCE LEAGUE DIVISIONS 1 & 2 NEWS FROM THE LAST FORTNIGHT THREE YOUNGSTERS EARN WALES CAPS Three of the Welsh Alliance League s up and coming stars earned Welsh Schoolboys Caps in the draw with Northern Ireland at Airbus UK s Airfield stadium on Friday night. Congratulations to Gethin Maxwell of Llanberis, Iwan Price of Llanrug United and Dion Donohue of Bodedern. All three look like promising prospects and are sure to make their way up the pyramid levels in the years to come. TAKE STOCK VAN HIRE CUP FINALISTS KNOWN Following last Saturday s semifinals we now know that the Cup Final will be played between Caernarfon Wanderers and fellow promotion chasers Bodedern. Both semis ended in a 3-1 victory to the visiting sides. Bodedern overcame fellow Anglesey side Gaerwen, whilst Wanderers beat Nantlle Vale. Both sides are chasing promotion in Division Two so this is bound to be a good spectacle for the neutrals! The final will take place on Thursday 24th April at Conwy United s Y Morfa ground with a 7:30pm kick-off. BETHESDA CHAIRMAN PASSES AWAY It is sad to write that well known Bethesda Athletic Chairman Bob Jones passed away last week following a long illness. It is sad to report the death of long serving Chairman Richard (Bob) Jones of Bethesda Athletic, he has passed away after a long illness. He was the longest serving Chairman in the League and had been a connected with football in North Wales all his life. He will be a great loss to football and to Bethesda Athletic, said a statement on the Welsh Alliance League s website. I would like to echo the Welsh Alliance League s words and offer my condolences to Bob s family. Last weekends action: Bethesda keep in touch with shock win at Holywell Starting with the action from Tuesday night. Bethesda strengthened their survival hopes with a shock 3-1 win away at in-form Holywell. David Bulayima, Kevin Edwards and Jamie Whitmore on target for Pesda, who move within touching distance of safety. Elsewhere in the relegation scrap a Gwyn Jones double was not enough as Llanberis went down to the odd goal in five at home to Pwllheli, the Darrans survival chances now look bleak. Glan Conwy came out on top against local rivals Llanrwst at Cae Ffwt, Gareth Jones and Brad Jones had Glan 2-0 up but a late strike from Leighton Griffiths failed to spur a come-back. Caernarfon s poor run continues as they went down 3-2 at Llanfairpwll, whilst a Toby Jones double helped Conwy overcome plucky Llanrug 4-2 at Eithin Duon. On Wednesday Holyhead kept their title push on track with a 3-1 home win over Nefyn with James Parry, Barry Haigh and Jay Gibbs sealing the points after Rhodri Scott had given Nefyn the lead. In the other fixture, Gwalchmai eased their relegation fears at the expense of Llandudno Junction with an 88th minute Gary Allman goal settling the result. In Division Two, Amlwch may well have had their say in the title race as they came away with a well worked 2-1 win over Caernarfon Wanderers. A Mark Jones hat-trick helped Bodedern to a 5-2 win over relegation threatened Gaerwen. Local rivals Greenfield and Halkyn shared the points in a 2-2 draw, whilst Connah s Quay Town overcame promotion rivals Llandyrnog 2-0 with goals from Robert Ashbrook and James Gambino. This weekends action: Connah s Quay Town blow Division Two title race wide open! On Saturday the Division Two title race was blown wide open when Connah s Quay Town beat current leaders Caernarfon Wanderers 2-1 at home, Bobby Raggett and Carl Wilson netting those crucial goals. With the title now a three horse race, Bodedern certainly strengthened their claim with a 2-0 home win over lowly Halkyn with Dion Donohue and Billy Evans scoring in the last 20 minutes. Llandyrnog remain outsiders for promotion after thrashing Blaenau Ffestiniog 4-0 at home, a Josh Davies double helped Dyrny to victory. At the other end of the table, Penmaenmawr Phoenix all but guaranteed their Division Two status for next season after demolishing bottom club Gaerwen 6-1 with the impressive Shane Jones notching a hat-trick. In Division One a last minute Chris Williams goal for Llanrwst has condemned Llanberis to relegation, should the promotion finishers in Division Two meet the criteria. Goals from Darren Cassidy and Tom Patel eased Junction s relegation fears against Barmouth, Paul Lewis netting for lowly Barmouth. Last season s Gwynedd League champions, Gwalchmai, have goen a long way to preserving their Division One status with a decent goalless draw at Denbigh. Nefyn snatched the three points at Glan Conwy in the last ten minutes with goals from Robert Jones and Caron Williams after James Williams 9th minute goal had separated the sides for much of the game. Pwllheli earned themselves a very good 3-1 victory over Llanfairpwll thanks to a Barry Evans double and a Danny Rylands effort in the 74th minute. Still all to play for in both divisions!

8 WELSH ALLIANCE LEAGUE DIVISIONS 1 & 2 FIXTURES, RESULTS & STANDINGS RESULTS Saturday 9th April Barmouth 2-0 Denbigh Glan Con. 1-1 Holyhead Llanberis 1-5 Holywell Llanrwst 1-1 LlanfairPG Nefyn 2-1 Caernarfon Pwllheli 2-2 Gwalchmai Tuesday 12th April Glan Con. 2-1 Llanrwst Holywell 1-3 Bethesda Llanberis 2-3 Pwllheli LlanfairPG 3-2 Caernarfon Llanrug 2-4 Conwy Wednesday 13th April Holyhead 3-1 Nefyn Junction 1-2 Gwalchmai Thursday 14th April Bethesda 2-2 Llanrwst Llanberis 1-2 LlanfairPG Pwllheli 2-1 Llanrug Saturday 16th April Denbigh 0-0 Gwalchmai Glan Con. 1-2 Nefyn Llanberis 0-1 Llanrwst Junction 2-1 Barmouth Pwllheli 3-1 LlanfairPG RESULTS Saturday 9th April Amlwch 5-4 Halkyn CQ Town 2-1 Penmaen. Ll yrnog p-p Blaenau Wednesday 13th April C fon Wdrs 1-2 Amlwch Gaerwen 2-5 Bodedern Halkyn 2-2 Greenfield Ll yrnog 0-2 CQ Town Saturday 16th April Bodedern 2-0 Halkyn CQ Town 2-1 C fon Wdrs Ll yrnog 4-0 Blaenau Penmaen. 6-1 Gaerwen WELSH ALLIANCE DIVISION ONE STANDINGS (16/4/11) 1 Holyhead H Conwy Utd Denbigh Llanfairpwll Holywell Caernarfon T Pwllheli* Nefyn Utd Gwalchmai Glan Conwy Llanrwst Utd Llandudno J Llanrug Utd Barmouth Bethesda Llanberis WELSH ALLIANCE DIVISION TWO STANDINGS (16/4/11) 1 C fon Wndrs Bodedern CQ Town Llandyrnog Greenfield Amlwch Nantlle Vale Pen Phoenix Blaenau Halkyn Utd Gaerwen* FIXTURES Tuesday 19th April Conwy v Pwllheli Glan Con v Holywell Gwalchmai v LlanfairPG Llanrwst v Bethesda Wednesday 20th April Denbigh v Junction Nefyn v Llanrug Thursday 21st April Llanrwst v Holywell Saturday 23rd April Barmouth v Holyhead Bethesda v Denbigh Glan Con v Llanrug Llanberis v Conwy Llanrwst v Pwllheli Monday 25th April Gwalchmai v Glan Con Holyhead v Conwy Llanberis v Barmouth Junction v Pwllheli LlanfairPG v Holywell Llanrug v Bethesda Nefyn v Llanrwst FIXTURES Saturday 23rd April CQ Town v Bodedern Halkyn v Gaerwen Monday 25th April Amlwch v CQ Town Bodedern v Nantlle C fon Wdrs v Halkyn Gaerwen v Ll yrnog Saturday 30th April Amlwch v Penmaen C fon Wdrs v Blaenau CQ Town v Gaerwen Halkyn v Nantlle

9 SUMMER LEAGUE SET FOR BIG KICK OFF TONIGHT! Full season preview by the Denbighshire Free Press Sports Editor Shaun Davies A quick look at all 12 clubs and which players to watch out for this season! CAERWYS (2010: 11 th ) - THEY will want away day blues to become a thing of the past at Caerwys! John Owens charges concluded the 2010 season next-to-last in the league standings and the main reason for this lowly finish was the fact that Caerwys were pointless away from home. Caerwys Summer League record has seen them lose their last 19 games away from home in the League. They lost their last eight away games of 2009 and all 11 matches away in Their last away win in the Summer League was a 2-0 triumph at Rhewl on May 7 th, 2009! We were only 11 th last season because Trefnant got (points) deductions! said team boss Owens. What we are looking for is more consistency in the side and to improve performances away from home, where we got nothing last year. I will be very happy with a mid-table position. Looking at his squad, Owens said: It s swings and roundabouts, as they say. On the negative side we have lost long-serving keeper Gareth Williams. That s a big loss to us because he has been one of the most consistent keepers in the Summer League for several years. One of the problems we had last season was a lack of goals, so hopefully new signing Dan Beale will go some way to addressing that. Caerwys hope that Mike Howie will make more appearances this season. We have got a very strong squad and I think we have got 12 U-16s in that 30 (man squad). Caerwys will also have a number of more experienced figures to call on, including the likes of Nick Voyle, Geraint Jones and Arwyn Davies, while a lot is expected of Jake Yog Spencer and Tom Smith. CEFN (2010: 1 st ) - CAN Cefn achieve a spot of Summer League history again this season? Under the stewardship of Gwyndaf Pritchard, Cefn impressively gained their sixth Summer League title, but the challenge now is to see if they can achieve back-to-back championships for the first time in the club s history. The key to Cefn s success last term was their form after losing 4-2 at home to title rivals Clawddnewydd just short of the midway point of the season. They embarked on a twelve match unbeaten run after that to see off any potential rivals - and they finished the league season with a fantastic run of nine consecutive wins. There are some changes this time around, most notably in the manager s hot seat. Gwyndaf Pritchard has relinquished the reins and he has handed over the role to Steve Hicklin. A club spokesman said: We would like to thank Gwyndaf for all his hard work and wish Steve all the best in his new role as player manager. On the playing side, a big loss from last year will be top scorer Edward Davies, who has suffered a broken leg. Sam Benbow has left the area after being with the club for the past eight years, while last year s player of the season Chris Evans has also moved away. On the plus side for Cefn, Summer League veterans Floyd Richards and Neil Cross are back in the area, while new players for this year are Ali Parsonage and Martin King. As usual, Cefn will be relying on seasoned campaigners Owain Roberts, Dewi Jones, Alun Owen and captain Dilwyn Roberts, and of the youngsters, brothers Ifan Roberts and Gethin Roberts will have benefited from full winter league campaigns with Llannefydd. There are also high hopes for youngster Gwion Owen. With so many changes it will be tough to emulate last season s achievements, but we will be aiming to be in contention again and a run in the shield is always a big target, added the spokesman.

10 CLAWDDNEWYDD (2010: 3 rd ) - WHEN the year ends in an odd number, then Clawddnewydd have surely got to be in the mix for honours! Mark Lewis side were champions in 2007 and 2009, but the Clawdd supremo anticipates a season of transition this time around. Clawdd thought they would have to make do without Llion Jones for the campaign as he had moved from the area. But Jones, who has scored 65 goals over the last six seasons, has signed on as a concessionary player for This means that Clawddnewydd will open their campaign on minus two points. There are doubts about how often Dafydd Jones will be able to play over the course of the summer. On a positive note for the club, Dave MacCarter has moved back into the area and will be available to bolster the squad. And Clawdd will also concentrate on developing their younger players this year, in what is expected to be a transitional campaign. Among the talented younger batch who will get the chance to shine is Joe Vaughan Evans. I think it will be a changed team again this year, admitted Lewis, with one eye turned towards the club s future. Club captain for this season is expected to be Danny Jellicoe, who can always be relied on for an important goal or two from set pieces, while Dave Millington will again be an important figure if Clawddnewydd are to realise their top-six target come the end of June. And Clwadd could not wish for a more experienced man to be in charge of the side. This will be Lewis 11 th season as Clawddnewydd manager and he has a fantastic record, leading his club to top-three finishes in five of the last ten seasons. HENLLAN (2010: 5 th ) - GIVING youth a chance is the message from Henllan ahead of the big kick-off - and plenty of goals! Top Park boss Chris Brown isn t talking about silverware aims ahead of the new campaign, but there were times last season when Henllan were on the fringes of the title picture. Looking ahead to the coming few months, Brown said: Predominantly we have got a pretty young team and that theme will continue this year. Bright, breezy, forward-thinking players and I think we will score goals. In terms of committing ourselves to a challenge (for honours), it would be foolish to say we are contenders. Momentum is a key element. There were a number of positives for Henllan to take from last season. At the halfway point of the campaign, Henllan were on the fringes of the title chase while they were one of only two clubs to lower the colours of League champions Cefn. Alex Ballard got the only goal in Henllan s 1-0 win at Cefn and the Top Park side claimed four points in their two matches against the champs. As for the Henllan squad this season, Rob Jennings and last year s top scorer Alex Ballard are likely to provide the main goal threats. Owen Jones is available again after returning to the area following a spell in New Zealand. Full back Steve Williams will be another key performer for the Top Park side and he is expected to be available for much of the campaign. But Gary Madoc-Jones misses the summer campaign as he is out with a cruciate ligament injury. Madoc- Jones finished second in the club s individual scoring charts with 12 goals in Who does Brown think will be the main contenders in 2011? I think Llandyrnog will be strong, as well as Cefn, Nantglyn and Clawddnewydd. LLANDYRNOG (2010: 4 th ) - THE most successful club in the Summer League s history wouldn t mind starting in a similar fashion to the way they did 12 months ago! Back in 2010, 16-time champions Llandyrnog roared out of the blocks in fantastic fashion to win their first five games. Something similar wouldn t go amiss at Cae Nant as the club looks to build on their fourth placed finish last time out - Llandyrnog s highest Summer League placing in eight years. Once again, the squad is looking very strong. Llandyrnog have been successful in re-signing most of last season s squad, while the club have been bolstered by the addition of a few youngsters A clubs spokesman said: The management feel that the squad has developed together of late and hopes to improve on last year s performance. Overall we are looking forward to participating within the new format and are eager to progress further in the Shield, as well as the League. Phil Hinchcliffe is once again the Llandyrnog manager for the coming campaign and he will be assisted this season by Jimmy McNally. It is fair to say they re quietly confident at Cae Nant ahead of the big kick-off and last season s assistant manager Mally Hughes said: We have got a big squad this year. We have got a lot of youngsters, and we have got a choice of four keepers. Iain Robertson had a fine campaign between the posts in 2010 and he is likely to be the fist choice keeper this summer, but strong back-up for the number one jersey will be provided by Jack Williams and Daniel Jones. As for the other end of the pitch, Llandyrnog s main goal threat is likely to come from teenager Josh Davies, who bagged a sweet 16 goals last time around. It s not looking good for us oldies to get in! joked Hughes. It s looking pretty good and let s hope we can build on last season. If we can better last season s fourth place, we will look at that.

11 LLANFAIR (2010: 8 th ) - A COUPLE of major injuries are hampering Llanfair ahead of their tilt at this season s Summer League. Roger Beech s charges ended their 30 th season back in the league in disappointing fashion when they lost their shield crown on the back of a preliminary round defeat to Rhewl. Late in that tie, influential keeper Steve Roberts severely injured his shoulder and this injury will unfortunately keep Roberts out for most - if not all - of the new season. Another absentee is Garry Gattuso Teeson, Llanfair s player of the season last term, who has broken a metatarsal in a freak accident involving a shovel whilst working on the A55 road works. On the positives, Llanfair welcome back Mel Evans after he missed all of last season due to injury, and laso back in the fold are Gethin Foulkes and Dave Safe Tudor, who have both moved back into the area after a few years away. Another new player is Phil MacCarter, who has moved to the area from Clawddnewydd and his rubbing his hands already in anticipation for the first game of the season away at Clawdd! Chris Murray from the White Horse Inn is also a new addition. Team boss Beech said: Due to the need to reduce the constant rising average age of Llanfair, there are some young hopefuls who will be introduced and hopefully progress within the season. They are Maredudd Jones, Elgan Lightfoot and also Ifan Roberts, who impressed in his appearances towards the end of last season and will be the player to watch at Llanfair this year. As for what Llanfair s hopes are for the coming campaign, Beech added: Improve the league position, challenge again for the Shield and to develop the young players who will be so important in the coming seasons. Also not forgetting to mention yet another appearance for Mike Halsall, in his 31 st consecutive season! LLANGYNHAFAL (2010: 9 th ) - MARTIN Dyer believes he has got a Llangynhafal squad that could cause trouble for anyone in the Summer League. Unfortunately for the Rhewl-based side, though, it proves extremely tricky to get that XI out more than a handful of times a season. On that basis, Llangynhafal will utilise their younger players again over the course of the campaign and Dyer is aiming for more consistency. He said: There s no new signings and the young lads are now 12 months older. It all depends on winter league commitments because we have got a team there that can beat anybody. Unfortunately for Llangynhafal, they were only able to field their strongest side on three occasions last time out and Dyer will be hoping to increase that number this season. Garmon Hafal - described by Dyer as one of the best players in the Summer League - is expected to be available for selection at the start of the season, as well as the end of the campaign. Llangynhafal will have to make do without talented keeper Dylan Jones for much of the season as well, as he is away from the area studying. The club does have a talented batch of youngsters coming through, most notably in the form of defender Ifan Hafal and front man Tirion Roberts. They re 12 months older now and they will get a bit more experience this year, added Dyer. Jak Newell has had a good winter league season and has captained Ruthin s U-19s. That will give him a bit more maturity in his game. As for what he wants the club to achieve in 2011, Dyer is targeting an improvement on last season s ninth place league finish first and foremost. On the issue of player concessions this year, Llangynhafal aren t dipping their toe in. Dyer said: We are just sticking to what we have got from the parish, they way Summer League was meant to be played. In fairness, the committee works hard to try and keep teams in this league. LLANRHAEADR (2010: 6 th ) - A GOOD blend of youth and experience could well do the trick for Llan-rhaeadr this season. Summer League figures have been whispering Llanrhaeadr as potential 2011 challengers, but they will have to open their campaign on minus points. Llanrhaeadr will start the season on -4 points on the back of last Wednesday s first league registration meeting. That s because Llan have secured the signing of striker Ian Evans, who now lives in Denbigh, while they ve also signed 16 year-old Osian Davies as a concessionary player. Any clubs signing concessionary players from outside their catchment area are eligible for two-point deductions on each outside player they sign. Llan hope they ve wrapped up the signing after the second registration meeting. Club Secretary Bryn Evans said: I can see us having a good season, especially when everyone will have finished their winter league games. I d settle for a top half finish and it would be lovely to go one step further and win the Shield this season. Managers Aled Davies and Arfon Griffiths will once again mastermind Llanrhaeadr s challenge and their main goal threat is likely to come from Ian Evans, who was the league s leading scorer last season with 28 goals. Llan are also hoping to have midfielder Kevin Evans available for much of the summer, although he is awaiting a knee operation. Evans added: It s nice also that we can bring youngsters like Rhys Hughes, Iwan Davies, Oliver Williams and Osian Davies for their first season. We expect the likes of Chris Williams, Sion Davies, Gari Evans, Alun Williams and Llion Edwards to play a very big part for us this season. And we are hopeful that Tom Roberts who has been on Man United s and Aston Villa s books recently, will play his part in the season as much as he can. We then have the experience of Huw Roberts to call upon as he is entering his 34 th year consecutive season in the league.

12 NANTGLYN (2010: 2 nd ) - WITH a fantastic recent Summer League record, you could forgive Nantglyn for feeling confident about their 2010 chances. Nantglyn have finished in the top-two four times over the last six seasons, but they will have to take to the field this season without one of the league s most influential performers. The skilful Osian Jones is embarking on a round-the-world trip and he broke his leg playing his first game for New Zealand club Melville United. Another absentee this season is experienced defender Nathan Jones, who has joined the ranks of the Summer League s referees panel, while the club has also lost the services of Eilir Morris and Rhys Edwards. Nantglyn have the concessions of three players from Llansannan for the current season, which means that they will start the campaign on -6 points. Club Chairman Dei Bibby said: I think if we finish in the top-four, somewhere around there, then that will be good. Bryn Jones is once again the Nantglyn manager this season and as an added boost for the club, Jones will also be showing off his talents on the field of play. A lot of people said they re more scared of Bryn than Osian Jones, said Bibby. One new acquisition is 17 year-old centre back Alun Roberts, who has moved from Henllan. The defence is one area where Nantglyn will be strong, with Josh Jones and Arwyn Jones likely to be important clogs in the back-four, while Nantglyn will also have a safe pair of hands between the sticks in the form of Luke Jones. Much is expected of Endaf Waller this season, while Llion Jones is back from injury to bolster the Nantglyn squad and as far as goals are concerned, last season s joint-top scorers Geraint Jones and Gareth Lewis could hold the key. RHEWL (2010: 10 th ) - AFTER gaining rave reviews for their performances last time out, youthful Rhewl are aiming high in Many Summer League figures and observers singled out Rhewl for their displays last season - and the kids are going to get another chance to show how much they have developed! We have still got the kids and a new addition to the squad is Anthony Marshall, said Rhewl manager Pete Lloyd. Midfielder Marshall has bags of experience and has played up to Cymru Alliance level in the winter league. Lloyd said before the start of the season hopes weren t too high, but they comfortably finished outside the bottom two and claimed six league wins in the process. One of the highlights were the three goals from distance from Dyfan Lloyd, Ian Williams and Elis Owen to beat Ysceifiog 4-3 in a thriller, plus a determined display to knock holders Llanfair out of the Shield, before they lost the replay 5-0. As for his target this season, Lloyd said: I m looking for a top three finish. Fifteen-year-old number one Bryn Jones has recovered from a broken arm and he is preparing for his second season of Summer League football. Star front man Ian Williams is now at university, but he will travel back for most of Rhewl s matches during the season. Since 2006 Williams has provided Rhewl with their main goal threat, topping doublefigures in each of the last four seasons, and he should break through the 50-goal barrier for the club this summer. Williams goal tally currently stands at 48. Much is expected from young defenders Lewis Isaac and Elis Owen, while the Rhewl squad is bolstered by the addition of experienced trio Endaf Jones, Dyfan Lloyd and Dion Lloyd. TREFNANT (2010: 12 th ) - FOR crisis club Trefnant, it will just be an achievement to survive the 2011 season. New boss Dave Bell even quipped: To be fair, if we finish bottom I will be happy! Just a month ago, there were major doubts whether Trefnant would be able to begin the season. Trefnant stalwart Martin Fearnley said: We have got a lot of young lads in and we were going to fold some four or five weeks ago. Quite a few players who played in the Shield final are not available and have moved out. Trefnant have decided not to ask for any players from St Asaph this season, due to the points deductions that entails, and a sweep of the village a few weeks ago yielded a new batch of youngsters keen to turn out. Some of our older players are saying we are going to get thrashed every week, added Fearnley. It s a very, very young side this season, with a few older players helping out. What we have got to try and do is to make sure the lads don t get disheartened. If you learn from it and try to improve at it, then fair enough. We might get battered every week, but two or three years down the line who knows? They have just got to get through this season and next season and hope they get a bit of support from the older players. Fearnely is one of those experienced players who will be able to help out on a few occasions over the coming months, while Russ Vaughan and Gavin Roberts can also turn out every now-and-then. Other players who may make the odd appearance are Duncan Midgley, Gaz John Williams, Phil Evans, Aled Roberts, Stu Roberts and Simon Fez Jones. According to Fearnley, a target for Trefnant is to keep the team together and not fold, and try and help these young lads. Left sided player Xavier McFarline is an exciting prospect ahead of the campaign, while Trefnant are also keeping eyes on Dave Lee Martin, Francis Roberts, Dave Howatson and Lawrie Bell.

13 YSCEIFIOG (2010: 7 th ) - CLUB stalwart Sion Evans is the new Ysceifiog manager for the 2011 season and many pundits are predicting good times ahead for the Flintshire club. Last season s manager Danny Jones said things were looking promising for the current campaign after a tricky season last time out. The only reason we didn t do so well last season was because we had so many injuries, said Jones. In only the second game of last season, player unavailability meant that Ysceifiog had to take to the field with only 10 players and that set the tone for an up-and-down campaign. Things are looking better for the Flintshire club this time around, though, as the experienced squad has been bolstered by the addition of a number of talented U-16 players. Among those juniors who are expected to make their mark are twins Rob and Evan Raynor. Shaun Edwards has moved back into Ysceifiog s catchment area and is expected to feature prominently over the coming months, while goal threat Simon Holloway could be another key figure. Last season s top scorer was Tim Hughes with 12 goals and after a profitable winter league campaign with Sychdyn, he should give defences a headache or two this season. As for any targets for the season, Jones added: We deffinatley want to be up there. If they are going to be up there, then Ysceifiog s home form could be vital to any success. In fairness, their home record over recent times has been second-to-none. Of their last 55 league games at home, covering five seasons, Ysceifiog have won 42 of them, losing just nine times. FIXTURES Monday 18th April - KO 6:45 pm Caerwys v Ysceifiog Cefn v Nantglyn Clawddnewydd v Llanfair Llandyrnog v Llanrhaeadr Rhewl v Llangynhafal Trefnant v Henllan Thursday 21st April - KO 6:45 pm Henllan v Cefn Llanrhaeadr v Clawddnewydd Llanfair v Rhewl Llangynhafal v Caerwys Nantglyn v Trefnant Ysceifiog v Llandyrnog Tuesday 26th April - KO 6:45 pm Caerwys v Llandyrnog Clawddnewydd v Rhewl Henllan v Nantglyn Llangynhafal v Ysceifiog Llanrhaeadr v Llanfair Trefnant v Cefn FINAL STANDINGS OF 2010 SEASON POS TEAM POS W D L GF GA GD PTS 1 Cefn Nantglyn Clawddnewydd Llandyrnog Henllan Llanrhaeadr Ysceifiog Llanfair Llangynhafal Rhewl Caerwys Trefnant* Thursday 28th April - KO 6:45 pm Cefn v Caerwys Llandyrnog v Clawddnewydd Llanfair v Llangynhafal Nantglyn v Llanrhaeadr Rhewl v Trefnant Ysceifiog v Henllan

14 FC DE BILT 3-2 NEUADD WILLIS FC Young Bangor-based side go down to late goal in Holland Article by Matthew McCullagh We are always keen to promote any North Wales football team, so it was very pleasing to hear of Neuadd Willis FC s close fixture against Dutch team FC De Bilt. In the next issue we will take more of a look at Willis as they prepare to join the North Gwynedd & Anglesey Sunday League next season. <-Neuadd Willis FC team photo after 3-2 loss to Dutch side. Back row- R Jones, T Roberts, C Doutch, G Griffiths, JA Liptrot, J Twist & S Thorne Front row D Box, M McCullagh, M Hunter & J Liptrot Dank Je Wel It was a sunny, warm evening when the eleven of us young lads of Neuadd Willis FC arrived at the clubhouse of FC De Bilt in preparation for our first leg of the Dutch tour. The perfect early April weather to kick off an exciting few days, it was just a shame both injuries and hangovers were holding many members of the team in a state one would much prefer to be comforted by the invitations of a cosy duvet. But, when stepping off the coach, looking round to see the perfect facilities that De Bilt had to offer, all the concerns and doubts vacated the minds of each and every one of us. Every boy growing up dreams of stepping out at Old Trafford, Wembley or Anfield to play the game they think about for half their waking hours, but in the cruel harsh world of all sports, the older you grow the more you resign yourself to playing pitches on slopes and covered in gravel. In Holland, the story is very different to what you and I are used to. FC De Bilt are not a team many people even in Holland would have heard about, but the facilities are of the standard of a Premier League training ground. And it is because of the pride every member of the community, whether a fan of football or not, hold in their local team. Where as in Britain, footballers are seen as thugs and the sport often ridiculed, in Holland it seems a different kettle of fish. With a weakened untested starting line-up and no substitutes, Neuadd Willis still had high hopes and rightly so, the strength and height of both front men would be a scary sight to any defence and it was up to the rest of the team to supply them with inviting and defence splitting balls. The First half kicked off energetically, De Bilt preferring to play down the centre but still using the wings to frightening effect, dragging full backs and wingers extremely wide so as to open up the centre and leave holes to take advantage of- it proved successful, with the first half ending 1-0, but it wasn t doom and gloom. The Neuadd Willis lads still had opportunities; Bubbles naturally right footed drifted in to the box to connect to inviting crosses only to be fairly challenged by the keeper on one occasion and then a second challenge which would look more at home at Twickenham. Neuadd Willis seem to be a second half team, with past performances against Bangor City Reserves showing how strong they can fight back from a deficit and in Holland, this was repeated but, not before De Bilt scored a second. Craig Doutch playing his first game for Neuadd Willis then poked the ball through both a defender and keeper s legs to get the first goal on foreign soil after some hard work on the left wing from James Twist and McCullagh. The equaliser was once again hard fought, James Twist winning a corner, which was delivered by McCullagh. After a scramble in the box Simon Thorne, an adventurous right back smashed the ball into the roof of the net from 6 yards. If anyone was to get in the way of it, they also would have ended up in the back of the net; a deserved first goal of the season for the defender who has consistently been a strong performer and nuisance when going forward. At 2-2, Neuadd Willis continued to push on, and ended up hitting the bar on several occasions, one being a thirty-yard shot from centre forward James Twist after clever interplay with Jon Liptrot and McCullagh. The latter hit the bar minutes after drifting in from the wing before unleashing a twenty-yard drive, parried onto the bar by the keeper. It was then a counter attack from FC De Bilt that broke the deadlock and may have also been their only chance since their second goal. The tenacious hard work of both of the Liptrot lads in the centre of midfield continually broke down attacks and pulled strings throughout the game and deservedly the younger, Joe, received man of the match after a commanding performance. If you are interested in taking your sports team on tour, visit Or if you wish to contact and set up a fixture against Neuadd Willis FC, contact Matt on matt.mccullagh@freshstudentliving.co.uk

15 RESULTS Saturday 9th April Cwpan Gwynedd R2 Beaumaris 3-0 Llanys wy Bro G wy 2-1 Llanfair. Glantraeth 3-2 Bethel Tuesday 12th April Gwynedd League Bont ydd 1-3 Bethel Llanfair. 2-1 Beaumaris Cwpan Gwynedd R2 Bangor R 2-1 H head Res Saturday 16th April Gwynedd League Bethel 3-5 Bro G wy Llanys wy 3-4 Llanfair. Black Dragon Semi H head Res 2-1 Glantraeth GWYNEDD LEAGUE COVERAGE Action, fixtures, results and standings. CYNGHRAIR GWYNEDD LEAGUE STANDINGS 16/4/11 1 Bro Goronwy Beaumaris Glantraeth H head Res Llanfairfechan Bangor Uni Bethel Llanystumdwy Bangor City R Bontnewydd FIXTURES Tuesday 19th April Gwynedd League Bangor R v Bethel Bont ydd v Llanys wy Bro G wy v Beaumaris Saturday 23rd April Gwynedd League Bangor R v Llanys wy Bob Owen Semi Final Bethel v Llanfair. Safefule Shield Semi Bro G wy v Glantraeth Monday 25th April Cwpan Gwynedd Semi Bangor R v Beaumaris Tuesday 26th April Gwynedd League Glantraeth v Bethel Saturday 30th April Black Dragon Semi Beaumaris v Bangor Uni Cwpan Gwynedd SF Glantraeth v Bro G wy Last weekends action: Llanfairfechan have their say in title race! Despite not having a chance of promotion Llanfairfechan Town have had their say in the title race in a result which may prove decisive. Previous to their 4-1 defeat at the hands of Llanfairfechan, Beaumaris Town were top of the league and arguably the best placed for the title and promotion. Perhaps the pressure had got to Beau as they had four players dismissed in a feisty affair. In the other Gwynedd League fixture on Tuesday, Bethel heaped more misery on winless Bontnewydd in a 3-1 away victory - Bont are now winless in seventeen league games. The main action of the week was in the Cwpan Gwynedd were all four semi-finalists are now known. Last Saturday, Beaumaris Town produced a comfortable home win at Beach Road with a 3-0 verdict over Llanystumdwy. Bro Goronwy overcame a spirited Llanfairfechan Town by two goals to one at Cae Nerys. In what was perhaps the most entertaining fixture of the weekend, Glantraeth beat a determined Bethel side by the odd goal in five. Two goals from Ian Plemming had the Anglesey side ahead until two goals in one minute by Bethel s Sam Williams turned the game on its head, it took a special Paul Rowlands strike to settle the issue. In the other tie on Tuesday night, new Bangor City Reserves manager Haydn Wyn Jones had his first win to cheer as his new-look side overcame Holyhead Hotspur Reserves in an evenly contested encounter at Farrar Road, Gwion Tegid and Ifan Thomas giving the young Citizens the win. This weekends action: Bro Goronwy now title favourites! In what was a small fixture programme on Saturday, Bro Goronwy s victory over Bethel marks them as favourites for the Gwynedd League title. Goals from John Littlemore and Andy Swindells gave Bro a 2-1 lead at half time, Gari Jones on target for Bethel. The second half began with two goals in the first minute! Andy Williams doubling Bro s advantage before Lee Allen s volley cancelled it out and Bethel went on to equalise on the hour mark thanks to Sam Williams. However Bro s determination paid off as late goals from Andy Williams and Andy Swindells settled the exciting contest. There was even more excitement at Llanystumdwy as seven goals were shared, Llanfairfechan coming out on top with a 4-3 away win. In the Black Dragon Premier Cup, Holyhead Reserves recovered from their cup exit in the Cwpan Gwynedd with a home victory over Glantraeth, which puts Hotspur s second string through to the final. In an evenly contested fixture, Paul Rowlands gave Glan the lead in the 13th minute before Alex Jones headed in the equaliser for Hotspur. Despite a good save from ex-bangor City keeper Kyle Williams, Glan went behind as Bryn Roberts beat the offside trap to put Hotspur through to the final where they meet the winners of Beaumaris Town v Bangor University.

16 CLWYD LEAGUE PREMIER & DIVISION ONE ACTION AND NEWS FAW ORDER LEAGUE TO SPLIT: Following a meeting on Thursday night between the FAW, NWCFA and NEWFA, the FAW ordered that the Clwyd Football League split. The Clwyd League will cease to exist in its current state and will include the current 18 Flintshire sides as well as any new clubs formed in the Wrexham area. The remaining 24 teams from Conwy and Denbighshire will join a new league, which is to be formed by the NWCFA. All this comes despite objections from the Clwyd League, who argued that the league should continue in its current format for the next twelve months so that clubs had time to sort themselves in preparation. But, the FAW have decreed that this drastic change must happen at the end of the season, giving clubs little time to prepare. The FAW had suggested that both new leagues be ran by the current Clwyd League committee. The Clwyd League Officers were unable to give any commitment to the FAW or NEWFA until after the meeting on Wednesday 20th April, with their full executive committee, where the future will be discussed, said a statement on the Clwyd League s official website. Last weekends action: Rovers win title for second season in a row. Abergele completed a remarkable achievement of back-to-back league championships following their 1-1 draw away to nearest challengers Sychdyn. Sam McDougall gave Rovers the lead at half time before Jack Murphy levelled for the hosts in the 75th minute, Rovers held firm to win the title. A Lee Johnson goal gave Meliden an away victory at lowly Aston Park Rangers, who face relegation. Brynford secured their Premier Division status with a 2-1 away win over St Asaph thanks to goals from Mike Davies and Lewis Dakin, Jordan Owen on target for the Saints. Llansannan boosted their chances of a top three finish with a 2-0 win at home to Caerwys, goals from Rhodri Williams and Jake Walker. On Wednesday, Brynford condemned Aston Park Rangers to relegation in a comfortable 3-0 home victory, a Matthew Bennett double helping United to victory. Caerwys held Meliden to a respectable 1-1 draw at home, despite Andy Swan giving the Flintshire hosts the lead. Abergele Rovers continued to dominate the league, thrashing Mochdre 5-1 away from home with Thomas Galvin notching a hat-trick. Rhos United finished their league fixture programme with a 3-0 away loss at Rhuddlan Town. In a short league programme on Saturday, Mochdre bounced back from their midweek thrashing at the hands of Abergele with a massive 6-1 scoreline against relegated Aston Park. Sychdyn secured runners-up spot with a big 5-1 win at home to Meliden. Llansannan again strengthened their claim to a top three finish after beating Brynford by the odd goal in seven. Last weekends Division One action by Lisa Lympany: It has been an exciting week in Division One, with every game including goals. Point of Ayr proved why they are second in the league on Saturday 9th with an impressive 8-0 win over Betws-yn-Rhos. John Terry scored the first gaol fifteen minutes into the game, with Kyle Molyneux and Darren Hughes scoring a couple each. Other goals came from Brett Johns, Stuart Thomas and Simon Fawcett. FC Nomads carried on their impressive run with a 4-1 win against Bro Cernyw. Tom Coghill scored the last two goals of the game with Jamie McConnell and Mike Pruett adding one each, Iwan Williams scoring for Bro. The match between Abergele Dragons and Cerrigydrudion also resulted in a 4-1 scoreline with the Dragons coming out on top. It was the Dragons who took the lead in the 20th minute with a goal from Robbie Dunne, and then two goals from Tom Clark with James Jones completing the scoring, Cory Williams scoring for Cerrig. Connah s Quay Tigers beat Rhyl Athletic by two goals to nil, with Matthew Conway scoring goal number one in the first six minutes, and Gary McNought scoring in the second half, placing them sixth in the table on 35 points, level with Rhyl Athletic. Flint Mountain lost 5-0 to Mostyn Dragons, where David McCully scored twice with Sam Watson, Geraint Rowlands and James Roberts scoring one each. James Price was the star of the show scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win for Prestatyn Rovers over Llannefydd, John McKeown scoring Rovers other goal. Tom Sheridan scoring for Llannefydd. The 12th April saw wins for FC Nomads and Y Glannau, alongside a 4-4 draw between Prestatyn Rovers and Point of Ayr. Point of Ayr again gave a remarkable performance on the 16th with a 10-2 win against Llannefydd, the win puts Point of Ayr only 1 point behind the leaders, FC Nomads. Rhyl Athletic v FC Nomads was the last match of the day, ending 2-0 to Nomads, Paul Hymes and Gary Jones scoring.

17 CLWYD LEAGUE PREMIER & DIVISION ONE Fixtures, results and standings. RESULTS Saturday 9th April Aston Park 0-1 Meliden Llansan. 2-0 Caerwys St Asaph 1-2 Brynford Sychdyn 1-1 Abergele R Wednesday 13th April Brynford 3-0 Aston Park Caerwys 1-1 Meliden Mochdre 1-5 Abergele R Rhuddlan 3-0 Rhos Saturday 16th April Brynford 3-4 Llansan. Mochdre 6-1 Aston Park Sychdyn 5-1 Meliden RESULTS Saturday 9th April Betws 0-8 P Ayr Cernyw 1-4 FC Nomads Cerrig. 1-4 Abergele D CQ Tigers 2-0 Rhyl Ath Mostyn 5-0 Flint M Prestatyn R 1-1 Llannefydd Tuesday 12th April FC Nomads 3-0 Flint M Prestatyn R 4-4 P Ayr Glannau 6-0 Mostyn Thursday 14th April Betws 0-2 FC Nomads Saturday 16th April P Ayr 10-2 Llannefydd Rhyl Ath 0-2 FC Nomads CLWYD LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION 16/4/11 1 Abergele R Sychdyn Llansannan Mochdre S Rhos Utd Rhuddlan St Asaph Meliden Caerwys Brynford U Shotton S Aston Park CLWYD LEAGUE DIVISION ONE 16/4/11 1 FC Nomads Point Ayr Y Glannau Prestatyn R Mostyn D Rhyl Ath CQ Tigers Abergele D Llannefydd Betws-yn-R Cerrig Flint M Bro Cernyw FIXTURES Wednesday 20th April Caerwys v Sychdyn Meliden v St Asaph Rhuddlan v Mochdre Saturday 23rd April Abergele R v Brynford Llansan. V Meliden Mochdre v Sychdyn Saturday 30th April Meliden v Brynford St Asaph v Abergele R FIXTURES Wednesday 20th April Cernyw v Abergele D Prestatyn R v FC Nomads Glannau v P Ayr Saturday 23rd April FC Nomads v Abergele D Llannefydd v Mostyn P Ayr v Rhyl Ath Prestatyn R v Betws Tuesday 26th April Mostyn v FC Nomads Prestatyn R v CQ Tigers Saturday 30th April Betws v Rhyl Ath. Cerrig v Mostyn FC Nomads v Llannefydd Prestatyn R v Cernyw

18 FEATURE CLUB: HOLYHEAD HOTSPUR In our first club feature section we take a look at Holyhead Hotspur. In this section we will look at the club s history, their facilities and an interview to give us more insight. In the next issue we will be taking a look at a club from Gwynedd, we will be going from county to county in each issue - if you want your club featured then get in touch! I would like to thank Holyhead s Press Officer Gareth Davies, Programme Editor & Webmaster Jonathan Taylor and Manager Mark Williams for their help in making this club feature possible. About Holyhead Hotspur FC: Holyhead is a town with a rich footballing history, from Holyhead FC in the late 1800s / early 1900s to the glory days of the 1950s and 1960s when the famous Harbourmen rode high on the stage of North Wales football from their base at Cae Mwd on Turkeyshore Road. Since then, Holyhead has been represented by teams as diverse as the Holyhead Liberals, Holyhead Locos, Holyhead Mountain Rangers and Holyhead United Juniors. Holyhead Hotspur F.C. was founded in 1990, when several prominent people involved in local football formed the Club. At the time of its formation there were four other local Clubs in the town operating in different leagues of the North Wales Coast Football Association. By 1997, with the success of Hotspur, all the clubs had amalgamated, and Holyhead Hotspur F.C. became the modern successor to the 'Harbourmen' of years ago, and formed a senior team, a reserve team and junior / youth teams from under 9 to under 17. The junior / youth teams are called Holyhead Hotspur Peibio in recognition of their past association with Peibio and the work done by many people over the years in fostering junior / youth football at Peibio. The Club has enjoyed great success as can be seen from the Club Honours. In successive seasons 1995/6, 1996/7, 1997/8 the Anglesey League, Gwynedd League and Welsh Alliance League Championships were won, and this was the focus which resulted in the amalgamation of all the Holyhead Clubs in existence at that time. The season 1998/9 saw the reserve team promoted to the Gwynedd League and the senior team promoted to the Cymru Alliance League. The Cymru Alliance League is North Wales's feeder league to the Welsh Premier League. This semi professional league operates in the Wrexham, Aberystwyth, North Wales and Mid Wales areas. It is a very competitive league and no match result can be taken for granted. During the past ten years the senior side consolidated its position in the Cymru Alliance League, and the reserves did likewise in the Gwynedd League. For the 2008/9 season the club formed under 11 and under 13 girls teams, and they compete in the Anglesey / Gwynedd Girls leagues. For the 2009/10 season boys under 10 and under 12 teams were formed. Last season the two senior teams began playing their matches on the refurbished Holyhead Stadium (pictured below by Jonathan Taylor) with its better playing facilities, club house and floodlights, and the junior / youth teams began playing their matches on the New Oval which was the pitch previously used by the senior teams. With the reformatting of the Principality Welsh Premier League having a knock-on effect on the amount of teams relegated from the Huws Gray Alliance League last season, Hotspur First Team find themselves in the Welsh Alliance League Division One for the 2010/11 season. Holyhead s New Stadium is very impressive and is one of the best facilities in not just the Welsh Alliance League but throughout the North Wales football scene. Holyhead s attendances are ranked second in the Welsh Alliance with an average of 170 and a maximum of with this average they d be ranked 3rd in the Huws Gray Alliance attendances! All this goes to show how well established Hotspur are.