Cup Final Tickets

Lost 1-0

Bangor have played up since the last time I saw them.  Gary Taylor-Fletcher is in charge there now and the relegation candidates of a couple of seasons back who bought their way out of the bottom two while owing everyone to the milkman and paper bill are playing football to the width of the park again.

They also now owe private debts of in the region of £200k and the board is resigning in easy stages.  However, they move the ball about a lot better now and although they didn't overly threaten, they did keep the ball which against us is an achievement.  They also decided that the midfield is young and therefore there to be leant on.  The twins come in for some sly pops and some less than sly pops but it was Steady who snapped and outright kicked one bloke right in front of the ref.  Straight red and he was inconsolable.

In other games, Aberystwyth look in trouble - lost at Cefn and have one point, achieved by being given a non-goal by the ref at Barry.  Carmarthen are still on zero as well.  Bala win, TNS nicked a single that was enough at Barry and Llandudno stuck it to GCQ to be the only 100% record still.

Chips and curry were sound, had the Guinness.

Holywell in the League Cup away in the week.

Gibbo rested Hayesy and Parker (which would make the side look unusual - either/or or both is a given and has been for five seasons or so) but we still had enough to have all the play, go one up after fifty and two up after 75. Conceded in 88 and 93, so extra time. Scored 95, conceded 121 and as such ended up the first side to play in a new ABBA penalty shoot-out.

And lost. Second half of extra time started at a minute after ten. On the one hand, a distraction now gone (the money tie against Rhyl had gone after they lost to Flint the night before so there'd be little but midweek games for very little prize money and nothing else) but on the other, game time for those fighting for places gone west.

In other news, we brought Ross Stephens home in the window. Left-sided midfielder, scored the second in the Welsh Cup win and a welcome bit of experience in the middle of the park.

Also, colleague in work had been playing indoor 5-a-side in the week and got himself a big eye and a mass of scratches down his side and back off a ringer who was there presumably to kick lumps out of people. Turns out it was former Cefn full back/centre back Bruno Fernandes. Seen him play. Sounds about right.

FaceBook game tonight. 2-2, report to follow, been a bit off for the last few days

Me too mate

Cefn away on Friday last but I was at my boy's end of season cricket do and so was never going. Had the best burger I have ever had off a barbecue there and a pint of Shipyard American Pale Ale that short of actually pulling my pants down and fellating me, was as close in recent times as a beer has offered me a sexual experience.

Anyway, the FaceBook game was repeated. 2-2, one down early, pulled it back and went one up and gave an equaliser up in the last ten. Game we should have won, we took it to them and outplayed them. No Parker and no Hayesy, Steady still playing out a red, it's all looking promising for when we're at full strength but I still believe we should have taken six points off Cefn this season before the split - a chance missed.

Llandudno remain top - we're the only side to have stopped them winning. TNS drww with the students and Bala took a hiding, 0-4, at home to Carmarthen. Unfathomable. Bangor were also leading GCQ 1-0 on Friday and the floodlights went out. That's a GCQ trick of old, tbh, except that they were at Bangor... Meanwhile, 5 games in, Aber have one point, from their only goal at Barry which never crossed the line. Twatted 4-0 at Newtown and Neville Powell is Redknapping them.

We have Newtown Saturday. First time I'll get to see them if I go (looks likely but I've been a tad iffy)

Bala

The coin flip that was Bala and GCQ and since the start of the season, GCQ have taken on 7 full professionals.

I think we know why/how they weren't spending money in the close season now...

Report to follow. A few odd things came to light - we are having some bad fucking luck this season.

I updated this and I think I fell asleep (out of tiredness) and didn't save. Dickhead.

Last week, the kids were otherwise occupied (daughter was off to buy essentials for the school residential away trip, son at Goodison) and so it was me and Hurricane Brother for Newtown. We were there for kickoff and the side had an oddish look about it. Hayesy was out, Parker was out (rare indeed, said this before), Jacko was out and Steady was on the bench so our last four captains for whatever reason (excluding Wozza who skippered on his birthday but only appears mid-season, which suggests he might not have been harvested yet) were all unavailable. As a result, TK was in the armband.

Parker was in club off-pitch garb but Hayesy wasn't. Having said he broke down the other week, it turns out he didn't crock himself. He did however become the first person I am aware of ever to have been subbed for hyperthyroidism. He was utterly knackered and had still managed a sterling hour in a WPL game. He's lost a stone since and is on the way to recovery but fuck me, of all the bad luck for him and by extension, us.

Anyway, the game was of few chances, Newtown were obdurate and we should have won it but we came out 0-0. The charmed invincibility we had last season for injuries and suspensions until Christmas has clearly left us. As a further point, Myles was outstanding last week. He's out this week.

NotBert wrote:  He did however become the first person I am aware of ever to have been subbed for hyperthyroidism.

Lost 2-1 at Cardiff last week, pulled one back at the death but too late. Fucking bollocks to that.

Carmarthen at home tomorrow. Another school entry test in the morning. Plan is comfortable to do both.

Never got to Prestatyn Saturday, a tale for another day. Won 3-2, though, late winner again (90+), we do love that last ten for the old blood pressure.

Lost 6-1 at TNS today. I reckon we might have gone expecting to lose and planned accordingly - Parker was back but looks like he's gone off injured, Hayesy was back but on the bench, no Myles again and Fez was partnered by PaulO. The consistency of injury-free lineup we had last season has deserted us - no Rossco at all either after a few tidy shows since rejoining.

First team to score at TNS this season. Shame it was 6-0 at the fucking time.

NotBert wrote:

First team to score at TNS this season.  Shame it was 6-0 at the fucking time.

Bangor at home on Friday.  Couldn't go, again, more about that some other day, and the augurs weren't great - Paulo was out (the centre back curse continues) and Parker was a doubt, Ben was a doubt and Hayesy still on the comeback trail.  Unsure of whether Myles was fit and we were beginning to look patchwork despite having more depth of squad than any time in the last four years.

Come kick off, the line up has Hayesy in.  It has Parker in.  It has Ben in.  Myles is on the bench.  After the preview and doubts listed, we look at effectively full strength if fitness is taken on trust - Carlo between the sticks, TK and Jacko at full back, Hayesy and Fez in the middle, the twins, Parker and Steady in midfield and Ben and Jack Kenny up front.  Alec, who can and will play anywhere and do himself justice, is on the bench and as Myles is too, we look surprisingly strong, given the original prognosis.

And we were a goal up after two minutes.  A bit like the Welsh Cup final four years ago.  Except we hung on for an hour then and not six minutes as bow.  The game continued to be an end to end scrap, they went two-one up and we equalised and went in halfway, 2-2.  The second half they started brighter, we came back in, Steady got a yellow, and as is customary in this fixture, a second yellow and so a red was to follow.  But not for Steady, but for one of them who registers two yellows in four minutes and so at a rate that would have him suspended longer than Mussolini if he'd carried on.  Eleven plays ten for the last fifteen or so.  Within two minutes of the red, Ben scores a snorter by all accounts and we're a goal up and a man in front.  Can't go wrong, can it?  Last minute goal?  Yes, but again, it's Jack Kenny, bookending the game with one at each end and we win 4-2.  Cracking result overall and the late one which is becoming something of a custom in our games means that had we hung on a couple of times, we'd be top half, five wins from ten. As it was, up to seventh for the time being and clear water between us and the bottom two again as Aber gave up a goal lead to lose 2-1 at home to TNS

Nice write up Bert

A) What has happened to Bala?
B) Where's Puskas?
C) Is that right Merson's playing in Wales?

Nobby Cheese wrote:Nice write up Bert

A) What has happened to Bala?
B) Where's Puskas?
C) Is that right Merson's playing in Wales?

Bala have recovered from their bounce, Tone - up to seventh but they fell down a hole at the start of the season, took two shellackings that they'll have kicked themselves about (away at Cefn and bizarrely, 0-4 against Carmarthen who've won one other point all season, at Cefn yesterday). Amazing couple of results which were back to back. They've gone more or less to form otherwise, lost to TNS and Nomads away which after last year, I'd have been looking at points.

Puskas I know not. Don't know whether he's gone back to the minors (he came down the road to us from Meliden) or just packed in altogether. Same with Chris Davies (who was at Town the other week, though).

Merson turned out for Caerau in the third tier, Saturday. Floodlights failed. Not related

Aber at home, lost 1-2. Led for 64 minutes, behind for 15. One up after 8 (Parker) and in charge by the sounds (couldn't go, had to watch on fucking Twitter) and then they score on 72 and 75. Bollocks.

GCQ Friday, so no easy game there (may yet try and get there), and the students at home on the 11th, which I'm aiming to be at.

Couldn't get back from Deeside tonight, so missed out. Lost by the odd goal in three having spent the last ten minutes laying siege on their goal - scored on 86 and bombarded them with corner after corner for the last few and four minutes of injury time on top.

Bollocks.

Cardiff Met at home next week. Plans are to go, one we need something from.

Went on the train with my daughter, there in plenty of time, bought a Ceefax mug with the cup-winning legend on it from 2013, chips were red hot, gravy and curry were thick and decent respectively, and we camped out in the final third for the last hour.

Yet lost 2-0 to a corner that pinballed about a bit and a full-on break out of the bombardment (we had anywhere around 20 corners in the second half) where the bloke scored having run 80 yards out of the right back slot with no-one tracking him back, picking up the through ball forty yards out and doing Carlo one on one. Had to be seen to be believed, actually said post-game in the car park that I could not believe the result and I'd seen the bleeding game.

Great day out barring the result

Carmarthen away and bear in mind that Carmarthen have, going into the game, 4 points - a complete left-field 0-4 win at Maes Tegid which may yet cost Bala (now fifth and clearing their throat at Bangor as they're sitting in their seat) the league, and a draw at Cefn, whose fairytale run in the top half is still ongoing because (i) Llandudno, the early leaders, have fallen down a hole and are now in the bottom half and (ii) someone has to be seventh-worst, rather than sixth.  "Fairytale" describes Cefn's place in that everyone sees it and goes "that's fucking unbelievable, you're making it up".

We were bottom two going into this week's round of fixtures.  We moved out of the bottom two last night while packing the kit, beer and jimmy hats (in case the travellers get lucky in the fleshpots of industrial South Wales with a meat packer with a wonky eye, say) for the trip to Carmarthen as Aber lost, GDs matched and we leapfrogged them on goals scored - fucking "result"  As a result, we could only pass one side today in any fashion, and only if we bettered Newtown's result against Barry.  The three games last night had seen Bala win at Aber, TNS win at Tudno's and unexpectedly, Bangor go to Deeside and shut out GCQ while scoring two of their own.  So three aways.  Of the three left, Barry would do well to knock over Newtown - both were obdurate at Bastion Gardens - Cefn should struggle to do the same at the Students tomorrow (who will go top again if they win) and so us at Carmarthen would be the best chance of a fourth and the pools putting out a dividend (it's the 70s and I'm Bob Colston)


The ghost of Bob Colston today trying to escape a photo frame to read out the WPL scores

The coach (would have been £15 a head, I reckon, they'd have got good numbers - a score otherwise) was leaving the ground at 8am and it would have been one I wouldn't have minded going to, one on my unchecked list, of course, but it would involve leaving Liverpool, given the parlous transport links of NW England to NE Wales, "on about Thursday?"  So I had to watch it on Twitter, which is always worse than seeing it in real time.  As the side went up, I looked straight away at midfield and it was Edwards, Edwards, Shackleton, Edwards.  So the midfield was sourced from a grand total of two wombs or three fertilizations, depending on how you want to look at it.  No Steady (Connor had a good game last week, kept his slot on form, Steady may have been on the bench - read on) and no Parker.  As I began to slump, I looked at the back four - TK, Jacko, Myles and... Parker (c).  I don't like Michael in the back four, we're a better side when he isn't - he ran an entire division last year from defensive midfield after all - but at the same time he is there.  Fez might be on 5 yellows, would have to check, but obviously, no Hayesy again.  Checks the bench, and Hayesy is on it.  Twice.  I think the second one is Steady, tbh, but I'll forgive the club account admin - they had to be up at 4am and pack a gross of cock balloons in case they fell upon a factory hen night after the game, you're going to make mistakes.  Ben and Jack Kenny as ever, Carlo in goal, Alec waiting on the bench to fill the gaps as he is wont to do, we look all right, we have an unusual-looking start line but we can shuffle and move them around.  Must win for both sides, see how we go.

5 minutes in, the first goal.  Seems it goes well because it was Ben from a Connor free kick.  And we kept it like that until the last twenty.  Gibbo swapped Alec for Myles (which means technically, we didn't have a recognised centre back on the park, although Parker and Jacko would both be capable, Alec slotting in at left back or left mid with Zeb moving back - as I said, options) and needless to say, on bringing him on, Alec proceeds to double the lead with another tidy outside-the-boxer.  The last two swaps were the two strikers for two strikers and Gibbo looked like some sort of tactical genius as the Flake (Jack Higgins - he wears the number 99) comes on for Jack Kenny and gets on the scoresheet as well to tap in a tidy move by all accounts.

Three-nowt away from home, Newtown win so we don't move but we've got a GD edge and three points on Aber and you can see Llandudno, Barry and Newtown from here.  Even if the travelling fans come home with a few packs of sausages and a bout of chlamydia it's been worth it.

**Fez not suspended. Noah is for next week. We may try and play both twins anyway and hope the ref doesn't see they're different people