PRESTATYN SPORTS (Gronant Playing Fields)

WELSH ALLIANCE DIVISION TWO, PRESTATYN SPORTS 5-0 PENMAENMAWR PHOENIX, ATTENDANCE: 30 (official)

After last weekends European travels I kept it closer to home this Saturday. I took the opportunity to complete visits to all of the clubs and grounds of the Welsh Alliance League. The opportunity of a 'champagne job' admittedly influenced my decision to head to Upper Gronant today.

Prestatyn Sports were formed as recently as 2013 and have enjoyed a fair amount of success in it's short history. The club won the promotion to the Vale of Clwyd & Conwy League Premier Division in its first season before going one better and winning promotion to the Welsh Alliance League as champions in 2015. The club also won an unprecedented quadruple by adding NWCFA Intermediate Cup, Premier Cup and Presidents Cup to their trophy cabinet.

In order to gain promotion to the Welsh Alliance the club left behind their Meadows home in Prestatyn, as that ground did not meet league criteria due to a lack of changing facilities and dugouts, and moved to the Gronant Playing Fields.

The ground is pretty basic but is railed behind one goal and up to halfway line, meeting the minimum standards for the Welsh Alliance. I am led to believe Prestatyn Nova and Greenfield have previously played on this ground. Whatever the ground lacks in facilities though it certainly makes up with vista, offering great views of the Irish Sea and of the Dee Estuary looking towards Point of Ayr lighthouse and Talacre Beach. There were refreshments available and a hot brew at half time was most welcome on a bitterly cold day.

The fact that the club are playing at Gronant led to them being voted out of the Welsh Alliance at the beginning of this season. Gronant does not fall into the catchment area of the league as it is in Flintshire (which is covered by the Welsh National League) and Prestatyn are a Denbighshire club. The club appealed the decision and won meaning they were reinstated to the league. Plans are in place for a suitable home back in the town but lack of funds are proving problematic. 

Penmaenmawr Phoenix were the visitors to Upper Gronant this afternoon. The opening exchanges were very scrappy with neither side able to take control. The turning point was a penalty to Sports and red card to a Phoenix defender midway through first half, for deliberately handling on the line. Ian Griffiths (33) stepped up to convert the spot kick and after that it was one way traffic and basically shooting practice for the home side. 

Goals from James Harper (50) Chris Owen (53) Mike Jones (60) and Jack McDougall (80) ensured a comfortable afternoon at 'The Fortress' for Prestatyn and luckily for Penmaenmawr some of the other finishing was poor or the scoreline could have been a hell of a lot worse! The result leaves Sports second in the table, 22 points behind leaders Glan Conwy, but they still have a whopping 10 games in hand. 

CPD LLANNEFFYDD (Cae Llan)

WELSH ALLIANCE LEAGUE DIVISION TWO, CPD LLANNEFYDD 2-1 CPD GAERWEN, ATTENDANCE: 52 (h/c)

After the madness of last week (click here) I decided to keep it relatively local this Saturday and headed down the A55 to the Conwy/Denbighshire border and the village of Llannefydd.




The football team were founded in 1998 and joined the Clwyd League in 2007. Last season the club won the League, now the Vale of Clwyd League, along with three cup competitions. The club took the promotion to the Welsh Alliance League Division Two and this is their debut at level four of the Welsh pyramid system.

The club play on a pitch just on the outskirts of the village. There are smart new changing rooms, which were paid for through donations from people and businesses of the village. There is a tea bar located on the corner, dispensing the usual fayre.

The pitch, at this moment in time is roped off but there is small overhang from the changing rooms with hand standing if the Welsh weather behaves as it normally does!

Luckily there was none of that today as it was a gloriously sunny afternoon. The kick was slightly delayed until 3pm as the visitors from the Island, Gaerwen, couldn't pick up their mini-bus in time for the normal 2.30pm start.

Llannefydd have got of to steady start with a draw, a defeat and a win in their opening three games.

Both teams were evenly matched and largely cancelled each other out. Having said that, Gaerwen probably had the more clear cut chances in the opening first half. However it was the home side who took the lead through Ynyr Clwyd after 31 minutes before Gaerwen levelled things right on the stroke of half time thanks to Lee Jones.

Jared Jones headed Llannefydd back into the lead after 48 minutes. As the second half progressed tempers began to flare and Gaerwen were reduced to 10 men midway through the half.. Even with a man less, the visitors still piled on late pressure but could not find an equaliser.

An excellent afternoons entertainment!

CPD LLANYSTUMDWY (Parc Dwyfor)

WELSH CUP FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND, CPD LLANYSTUMDWY 0-1 NANTLLE VALE, ATTENDANCE: 43 (h/c)

My final Welsh trip of this week dropped me back to the fifth tier of Welsh football (in the North anyway) with a Welsh Cup 'Derby' between Gwynedd League CPD Llanystumdwy and Welsh Alliance side Nantlle Vale.

Llanystumdwy is a small village on the A497, between Criccieth and Pwllheli, located at the point where the road crosses the Afon Dwyfor river, giving the football ground it's name of Parc Dwyfor.

The village is where former British Prime Minister (from 1916-1922) David Lloyd George grew up and is where he is laid to rest. His grave (pictured right) is yards from the football pitch, just over the river.

The ground is located down a narrow dirt track between the village church and the river and is a lovely rural setting. The pitch is fenced off but, apart from some old dugouts behind the goal, there is nothing to protect spectators from the elements. Fortunately today, as much as it tried to, the rain held off. There was a tea hut at the ground, serving up a very welcome brew!

I was expecting Nantlle Vale to have too much for their hosts, and indeed they wasted a chance to take the lead inside 10 seconds, but as the game went on, despite lots of Vale pressure, Llanystumdwy dug in and were very difficult to break down.

As extra time loomed large Nantlle Vale finally managed to break Llanystumdwy's resistance and book themselves a home game with Penley in the next round.