TREARDDUR BAY UNITED (Lon Isallt)

FAW WELSH TROPHY 2ND ROUND, TREARDDUR BAY UNITED 1-1 LLANFAIRPWLL (After Extra Time, Trearddur Bay won 5-4 on penalties) ATTENDANCE: 54 (h/c)

This weekend my travels took me along the North Wales coast and onto the Isle of Angelsey for a Welsh Trophy cup tie. My destination was the village of Trearddur Bay (or Tywyn y Capel, to give it's Welsh name) on the west coast of Holy Island. 

It was about a 35 minute stroll from Holyhead railway station to the village (passing Holyhead Hotspur's New Oval football ground en route). I had built up a bit of a thirst by the time reached Trearddur Bay itself, so I had to head into the Trearddur Bay Inn (which is next to the ground) for some well earned liquid refreshment (It was a JW Lees house and the Mancunian Pale Ale went down a treat).

The beach at Trearddur Bay, where an ancient burial ground was excavated in 2003, is a popular tourist destination and just a stones throw away is the home ground of Trearddur Bay United Football Club.

Formed in 1989, Trearddur Bay are members of the Welsh Alliance Division Two, as are their opponents Llanfairpwll. 

This is the clubs' first season at this level, having been crowned champions of the Gwynedd League in 2012/13 after going through the season unbeaten in the league.

The Lon Isallt ground is basic and open, but the location is fantastic. I think it helped that today the village was bathed in some lovely late summer sunshine, so that allowed me to sit on the stone wall that runs along the touchline and feel the warmth on my back. I don't think it would be quite the same on a bleak winters afternoon!

No admission was charged but the club do produce a programme and the little lad selling them did a roaring trade as he went along all the people sitting on the wall. There is also a cafe at the ground but if a bacon butty wasn't your thing you could nip across to the beach a get yourself an ice cream. I went with the former especially after a couple of beers.

The game was a really good Welsh Trophy cup tie that went the full distance, the homesters going through by virtue of a penalty shoot out after two hours of play couldn't separate the teams.

It was a very even first half and neither goalkeeper had a meaningful save to make however The Beach Boys did go in leading at the break, thanks to a superb solo effort from Craig Moore. A Llanfairpwll corner was cleared and landed at the feet of Moore, well inside his own half, who ran with the ball all the way into the LlanfairPG box and fired the ball home (33m).

The visitors were level soon after the restart when the ball was headed back into the area and it landed at the feet of Richard Owen, with his back to goal, who turned and shot home from six yards out (48m).

Llanfairpwll were now in control of the game and Kelvin Frazier missed two glorious chances to give the visitors the lead. Trearddur Bay rode the storm and had a decent chance of their own, Barry Haigh firing over with goal at his mercy, but it wasn't to be and extra time beckoned.

The visitors made the running in the first period of extra time but once again could not make the breakthrough, their best effort coming from Brendan Hogan's 'Leighton Baines-esque' free kick which was tipped over by Gareth Owen.

The second period saw both teams reduced to ten men with Anthony Parry and Gavin Jennings receiving straight red cards after an altercation (I didn't get a good view of what actually happened but someone sitting nearby said it was an elbow, then retaliation) and with that the game petered out to the lottery of penalties.

After the regulation 5 penalties it was still square at 4-4, both teams having had a spot kick saved. The first of the sudden death penalties were both saved before Ian Williams stepped up to score for Trearddur Bay to make it 5-4. Llanfairpwll skipper Jack Williams had to score to keep his team alive but his spot kick was saved by Owen and it was The Beach Boys that went through to the next round.

The extra time meant I missed the bus back to Holyhead, so I had to walk back to catch my train but it was well worth worth it. All in all a fantastic afternoon down by the sea.

Trearddur's Gareth Owen saves Jack Williams' penalty to send his
team through to the next round

CPD PENRHYNDEUDRAETH (Maes Y Parc)

FAW WELSH CUP 1st QUALIFYING ROUND, CPD PENRHYNDEUDRAETH 3-1 CPD LLANFAIR PG, ATTENDANCE: 32 (h/c)

After the long journeys of recent weeks, it was something a little closer to home that caught the eye this weekend. The early rounds of the Welsh Cup always throws up some interesting ties and this one stood out for me.

CPD Penrhyndeudraeth (which roughly translates as Peninsula with two beaches) of the Welsh Alliance Division Two were taking on CPD Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch of the Welsh Alliance Division One in the Welsh Cup.

I don't need that many grounds to complete the Alliance but Maes Y Parc was one of them. However with the benefit of hindsight maybe I should have waited until a more drier day (yes, I know that could be a long time in North Wales).

The rain was persistent all afternoon and did not let up for more than a few minutes. At the end of the game I was so wet it was like someone had poured a bucket of water over me!

The village of Penrhyndeudraeth is on the main A487 road and most people will pass the football ground as they enter the village en-route to Porthmadog or to the village of Portmerion, where cult 60's TV show 'The Prisoner' was filmed.

Despite the weather, the game was entertaining enough and Penrhyn thoroughly deserved their place in the next round of the cup.

The homesters took the game to their higher ranked visitors from the off and never gave them a chance to settle, Penrhyn playing some lovely stuff and deservedly 2-0 up at the break.

After 21 minutes a cross was headed home at the back stick by Matthew Hughes and the same player scored with another header after 39 minutes.

Llanfair came out for the second half fired up, no doubt after a good rollocking, and halved the deficit almost immediately after 48 minutes when a shot took a wicked deflection and looped over the helpless 'keeper.

They began to dominate proceedings and an equaliser looked inevitable but Penrhyn held firm and effectively sealed the tie after 72 minutes to go when they scored a third, a long range effort from Tom Hughes.

Both teams hit the woodwork but there can be no complaints about the result.

There is no football furniture at Maes Y Parc, though there is a tea hut and the welcome was warm and inviting from the chap on the gate. The pitch is just roped off and there is no hard standing. I could not wait to get home at the final whistle as I was absolutely soaked through to the skin. If I end up with pneumonia and trench foot it won't be a shock, summer football eh? Don't you just love it!