Saturday 13th April 2019 14.30
Welsh National League Premier
Queen’s Park 2 Corwen 0 HT: 1-0
33,86
from The Dunks
Tag: Welsh National League
Mynydd Isa Spartans
Tuesday 14th August 2018 18.30
Welsh National League Division One
Mynydd Isa Spartans 4 Castell Alun Colts 0 ht: 0-0 att: 17 hc
Davies 67, 75, 89 Robins 82
from Argoed Sports Centre
Mynydd Isa Spartans came back into Welsh football last season. The original club, Mynydd Isa, were founded in 1976 and played in the step two Cymru Alliance between 2006-09, before folding. The new club has added the suffix Spartans to their name but play at the same Argoed Sports Centre as the original club. While sounding like a small Welsh savings account, Mynydd Isa means lower mountain inWelsh. Continue reading “Mynydd Isa Spartans”
Offa Athletic
Tuesday 21st August 2018 18.30
Welsh National Division One
Offa Athletic 1 Llangollen Town 7 HT: 1-3 Att: 45
from Gresford Colliery Club
Ramone Nelson 15 : Day 1, 23, 48, Wilson 76, 78, Weir 88
Offa Athletic are named after Offa’s dyke, a large linear earthwork that roughly follows the border between England and Wales, named after King Offa of Mercia (757-796). The dyke runs west of Wrexham, where Offa Athletic play.
They are new to the Welsh National League this season, having been promoted from the North East Wales League. Continue reading “Offa Athletic”
Saltney Town
Saturday 20th January 2018 14.00
Welsh National League Premier Division
Saltney Town 2 Llay Welfare 3 HT: 1-2 Att: 26 headcount free entry no prog no refreshments
from Saltney Community Centre
This weekend was a study in precipitation. Snow, sleet, hail and seven kinds of rain fell on top of an already saturated land. Rivers flowed in the gulleys in roads, and windscreen washer did overtime to wipe the salt ridden smears caused by riding through puddles. All my local games were off due to either frozen or waterlogged pitches. I didn’t want to travel far, given the tenuousness of ‘still on’ games, so I plumped for Wales. It’s been a while since a hop in the principality and I’ve noticed a more relaxed approach to boggy pitches there. Continue reading “Saltney Town”
Llangollen Town
Saturday 2nd February 2013
Welsh National League Division One
Llangollen Town 1 Corwen 0 ht: 1-0 att: 26 (head count)
from Tower Fields
Tower Fields in pictures
Plans to do Llanrhaeadr in the Cymru Alliance against Flint Town United were dashed by Flint being ordered to play a cup game against Caerau Ely. It was to be combined with Pistyll Rhaeadr – the highest waterfall in Wales – and a pub lunch with my two boys. I wanted to choose somewhere else with points of interest, so it forced me into my first ever Welsh National League game. The Welsh National league is one of the three step three northern leagues, along with the Spar Mid Wales league and the Welsh Alliance. The Welsh National is centred around Wrexham and its environs.
I chose the scenic town of Llangollen, lying third against mid table local rivals Corwen. The football club has been going since 1908, but at the time Arosfa and Berwyn Rangers were the pioneering clubs in the Vale of Llangollen. They have enjoyed football in the 2nd tier Cymru Alliance in recent years but were relegated during the big restructure, when the Premier league reduced down to 12 teams.
Llangollen, the town, is very picturesque. We had lunch in the Deeside café which overlooks the rushing white water of the river Dee, as it flows under the bridge in the centre of town. The ground lies just above the town, part of a larger complex of rugby pitches.
If you have time to spare I’d recommend the walk up Castell Dinas Bran, a medieval castle that sits atop a hill overlooking Llangollen and the river Dee. The view are spectacular from the top, including of course the Tower Fields ground.
The ground has a large clubhouse with two rows of seats sheltered underneath, about 50 in total. It is a smart structure and the only furniture in the ground. The views from this side of the ground are impressive though with a very hilly backdrop overlooking the river Dee.
Unfortunately the game didn’t match the setting or the weather. Despite it being a local derby against their rivals Corwen, 10 miles west along the river Dee, it was a dour affair on this bright February day in the sunshine, with the hosts winning by the only goal, scored in the first half. The heavy pitch didn’t help to make it a memorable Groundhog Day for us. Despite this the day generally was excellent with Llangollen a picturesque town worth visiting in its own right, with Castell Dinas Bran adding an extra dimension to the day.
Penley
Saturday 8th July 2017 14.39
Pre-season friendly
Penley 5 Porthmadoc U18s 2 ht: 2-1 att: 11 (plus 1 horse)
from School Lane
The prologue to my season began on Thursday at Hanley Town, for their narrow defeat to Nantwich. This was my first new ground of the season, though. It was a sweltering July day, but with occasional cloud cover to provide respite from the sun. I headed off to my nearest Welsh venue, Penley. Only 38 miles away, Penley lies in a protuberance of the Welsh border, that sticks out like a thumb under Wrexham, almost as far as Whitchurch. A little bit of Wales encroaching on Shropshire. Continue reading “Penley”
Brymbo
Saturday 24th September 2016 2.30pm
Welsh National League Premier Division
Brymbo 2 Llay Welfare 0 ht: 1-0 att: 35 (hc) Entry: £1.50 inc. programme Coffee £1
Bradshaw 25, McKenna 89
from The Crick, Tanyfron
You can’t get a more Welsh sounding name than Brymbo, so why does Billy Connolly say it in my head? Brymbo also sounds like it could be Frodo’s great grandfather, with his father being Bilbo and grandfather Bungo.
Brymbo FC are the last Welsh National side with a stand I’ve left to do. As far as I know the others I haven’t done are railed pitches. The Steelmen were founded as Brymbo Steelworks FC in 1943, have won the Welsh National League no less than fourteen times and have played at Cymru Alliance level (step two).
Overton Recreational
Saturday 17th September 2016 2.30pm
Welsh National League Premier Division
Overton Recreational 1 Brickfield Rangers 8 ht: 0-5 att: 46 (hc) no entry no prog coffee £1
from Overton-on-Dee Recreation Ground
Something always tempts me over to Wales on a spare Saturday, even though the only nearby grounds I have left to visit, have little about them, except great views in some cases. Even though the Welsh National League is tier three of Wales (one of four tier three leagues), the standard of grounds plummets sharply to the asymptote of pitch with goals. Continue reading “Overton Recreational”
Corwen
Friday 12th August 2016 6.45pm
Welsh National League Premier Division
Corwen 1 Cefn Albion 1 ht: 0-0 att: 85 Ent: free Prog: no Coffee £1
from War Memorial Park
A warm Friday night in August, what better way to spend it than indulging in some Clwb Pêl-droed action in the Principality? In fact this was the first game of the season (along with games at Chirk and Llay). Corwen was just 10 miles west of Llangollen, so a stop off at the beautiful Denbighshire town was a pre-match given. The Corn Mill, lying next to the whitewater section of Dee river that pounds its way under the main bridge in town, sold a number of real ales, and had a veranda out front overlooking the rock-strewn rapids. As beer gardens go, it takes some beating. Continue reading “Corwen”
Johnstown Youth
Saturday 14th May 2016
Welsh National League Division One
Johnstown Youth 0 Llanuwchyllin 13 (THIRTEEN) ht: 0-5 att: 25 hc FREE entry No PROG
Approx Mins: 11,16,22,26,30,50,55,59,72,75,80,84,87
from Moreton Playing Fields, Heol Kenyon
It finally happened! After seeing my first match in 1978, and in all the 38 years since of watching football, I’d never seen a team score double figures (or a nine either, for that matter). Well today smashed that record, going beyond 10 to 13, five more than my previous best. And the goals in game was three better than my joint best of 10. Continue reading “Johnstown Youth”
The Groundhog 