Glan Conwy 1 Conwy United 2
Pentreath Welsh Alliance
The thought of spending a pleasant Spring evening in the open air is one to get the mind yearning, especially in the depths of a North Walian winter. When this opportunity arises, in the guise of a local derby, I'm not one to turn it down. Hence here I am at Cae Ffwt to see Glan Conwy Vs Conwy United. This time it was £2 to get in, I'd never paid before. As Ged pointed out later, £2 to stand on a pavement. (One of the touchlines in flanked by a bend in the road)
As I was waiting for the Kick Off Ged pounced upon me. We chatted until the teams came out. The officials were last on to the pitch and I recognised one from the Jet Set's six a side days. His presence didn't conjour up any pleasant memories for me. There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly; he seemed to be on good terms with the scally teams (players that played in local leagues by the look of it. Secondly; he was crap.
Anyway out he came, with a stuttering gait, indulging in banter with the crowd, even Ged. Despite my less than generous feelings people like him are the grease that allow the wheels of football to run smoothly; without officials no games would ever take place. This is especially the case at this level; recruitment can be a problem. However my opinion of him wasn't altered by today's game, he is still crap.
The game was fairly good, if a touch physical. Conwy looked good and Glan Conwy didn't progress much over the half way line for the first 20 minutes. Just after halfway into the first half Conwy eventually scored and just after this Ged left me to get a cup of tea.
This gave me the chance to ponder matters. What struck me was the large amount of time that the ball was in the air. Maybe lower level football should come with a government health warning. Blows to the head can produce brain damage after all on the other hand, am I just a symptom of our nanny culture? At local level scything challenges are probably more of a health risk anyway and there were a couple of those in the first half. At least they were evenly distributed. 1-0 to Conwy at half time.
The air developed a slight chill as the sun disappeared behind Snowdownia, the clubhouse beckoned. The presence of a certain Mr Williams with a group of fawning scallies, all of whom spoke in voices that were slightly too loud, soured my position and acted as a catalyst for movement.
If the clubhouse's perspex weren't so misty it could be an excellent executive box. You can just imagine the deals cemented here. I bought a bottle of orangeade and a biscuit from the potential executive bar. The hot dogs on offer would surly be a boon to any high roller that came in search of a suitable location to tie up the loose ends in a multi-million Euro business deal. The clatter of studs upon porcelain announced the imminent arrival of the second half.
Conwy scored an early goal and Glan Conwy didn't look likely to reply. Conwy had several dangerous attacks but couldn't score any more. One of the attacks ended with a rather theatrical dive by a Conwy player, accompanied by the laughter of the Glan Conwy Crowd. This would have been shameful if it hadn't been so laughable. Like the quality of the play the standard of cheating is also of superior quality the higher the level you watch. The match was looking like running out of steam until Glan Conwy scored. A cultured hoof into the box and a header halved the deficit.
Something else happened, a Glan Conwy Player was rude to me! I was holding the ball and the left back just said "Here y'are" is a very disdainful tone. No Please, no thank you. The youth of today, I despair of 'em!! And another thing why do some fans believe that they are the funniest people in the world? On the way to Junction Ged reinforced my opinion of the official, apparently he likes the attention. Now I know that at least some of my prejudices have some substance to them.
Far from the madding crowds
