GREENFIELD FC (Mainetti Park)

WELSH ALLIANCE DIVISION TWO, GREENFIELD 4-1 BETHESDA ATHLETIC, ATTENDANCE: 16 (h/c)

With it being the Saturday before Christmas, I had no particular desire to travel so today, for a change, I kept it as local as I possibly could.

I opted for a jaunt along the A548 to Greenfield and their Welsh Alliance clash with Bethesda Athletic. I'm sure many readers of this blog did this very basic ground on the 'Hop' back in August (click here).

Despite the heavy rain that had been battering North Wales over the previous days, there was no danger of the game being off and the pitch was in great nick (luckily the next lot of rain held off until well after the final whistle). 

This current incarnation of Greenfield was formed in 2005 but for many years the name of Greenfield was synonymous with Courtaulds, the textile company, it's factory being a massive local employer back in the day.

Courtaulds Greenfield played at fairly senior level of north Wales football, most notably in the late 1970's and early 1980's, the works side winning the Welsh League (North) title in 1981/82 (this league was the forerunner to the Welsh Alliance) and also enjoying a run to the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup, losing 2-1 to Hereford United.

The works, and with it the football club, disappeared in the mid 1980's. The reformed club have also enjoyed recent success winning the Clwyd League Division 1 in 2008 before joining the Welsh alliance Division 2 in 2010.

The current home is on the site of the old Courtaulds pitch and is known as Mainetti Park, after the adjacent factory which dominates the ground.

The game, in the end, was a comfortable win for the homesters with two goals in each half. Tom Carney opened the scoring after 13 minutes with a 25 yard screamer into the top corner. Nathan Roberts (16) quickly levelled for Bethesda when he was unmarked to tap in at the far post.

Terry Jones (27) restored Greenfield's lead with a nice turn and shot, low into the bottom corner and Greenfield went into the break with the lead.

Two minutes after the restart, Greenfield went further ahead when Adam Price's lob over the advancing 'keeper came back off crossbar and hit the covering defender for an unlucky own goal.

3-1 soon became 4-1 as Tom Carney (58) grabbed his second of the game when he was played in and dinked the ball over the 'keeper. Within 2 minutes Greenfield were down to 10 men when Tom Hogan picked up his second yellow card.

Greenfield were put under real pressure after the red card, Bethesda had 4 great chances and also hit the crossbar but it wasn't to be and Greenfield were eventually able to see the game out for a deserved three points.

and when a train goes by it's such a sad sound....