Disappointment for ‘Wolvesy’

Bluebirds’ boss Wayne Jones is a realist who always tells it as it is and he must have been disappointed by this display – especially since they had a great early chance but Danny Williams fired wide from 10 yards. He knows how tough it is at this level and he’ll have his squad working hard in Thursday night training to get them in shape before another big challenge on Saturday as they travel to Flint Town United, who postponed their midweek match because of a waterlogged pitch after losing 10-0 to New Saints last Saturday!

 

Wayne is honest about the performance, as usual!

We spoke to Wayne Jones this morning and, never one to shirk his responsibilities, admitted that it had been a below-par performance.

“I was very disappointed after Saturday’s win but it was a reality check for some of the players who were still on a high – but there’s an important training session tomorrow night (Thursday) and we have to pick ourselves up and get going again.”

When we jokingly said we had taken a nice pre-match picture of him smiling he told us,

“By all means use it because I’m a big believer in the old cliché, ‘Smile and the whole world smiles with you – cry and you cry alone!’”

Very philosophical ‘Wolvesy’ but it does sum up your view – and we wish you well on Saturday at Flint Town United!


 

Promotion to top echelon came on 13th April 2019

Penybont AFC is one of the newest clubs in the JD Cymru Premier League after gaining promotion by winning the JD Cymru South League in 2018/19 by winning their final match whilst nearest rivals Cambrian and Clydach Vale B&GC and Cwmamman United both lost. 




 

New club only formed in 2013/14

Penybont was only formed in 2013/14 with the merger of Bridgend Town and nearby Bryntirion Athletic – and they came third in their first campaign in that season. Bridgend’s well-known ground at Coychurch Road was sole and as a result a new 3G pitch was installed at Bryntirion Park, which has been renamed the SDM Glass Ground in a sponsorship deal.

 

Well done Jordan, Julie and Dr Richard

Spare a thought for the hard work done too by the above trio, with Jordan making sure that his tweets during the game were seen by an incredible number of people from loads of different countries. Club secretary Julie Le-Grice had her usual hard work prior to the match and Dr Richard Thompson conducted his temperature checks on everyone entering the ground as the pair also had a form filled in by all who went inside.



 

Tough battle last campaign – but a good start to this one!

Penybont came 10th in last season’s JD Cymru Premier League so maintained their status – and have made a good start to this campaign with two draws, followed by two defeats and were now seeking a hat-trick after two good wins at Cardiff Met (1-0) and home to Newton (2-1). Their draws (both 1-1) were at Caernarvon Town and home to Aberystwyth before a 1-0 away defeat to Connah’s Quay Nomads followed by a heavy 5-1 reverse at home to Bala Town. 



 

Match officials did well

The match referee was well-known official Ryan Kenny (Gorseinon), who is 27 at this time and had a solid match with his firm control and quiet approach to dealing with some very street-wise players who have played at a higher level in the past. His assistants were Harry Hendricks and Bryn Jones, with David Morgan as fourth official.

 

Supporters still hard at it!

There is inevitably still an eerie aura around The Bridge Meadow Stadium because spectators aren’t allowed inside but a hardy band of Bluebirds’ fans deserve a mention for their stickability as almost 50 of them stood stoically up on the bank above the far end of the ground to watch. They include parents of some players who accept the rules but naturally want to see their lads play – and some former team mates before the boys moved up to this level. Even a couple of rain showers failed to dampen their support – and we say well done to all of you as long as you keep socially distancing.







 

Former directors made welcome

Attending the game were former Haverfordwest County directors Barry Vaughan, Alan Thomas and Bill Marchant alongside David Hughes, who remains as a non-executive director after stepping down as chairman. It was nice to see them there and congratulations must go to Barry and Bill for recently being made Life Vice-Presidents as reward for their efforts on behalf of the club over a long period.









 

Tipped to feature in the relegation dog-fight by some pundits in the national press

At the end of all that activity they arrive at The Bridge Meadow Stadium in a creditable sixth place, whereas the pundits had them as one of the sides likely to feature again in the relegation battle! Those experts should have been watching them here!









 

Josh is the next off the talent conveyor belt

We have previously featured the talented youngsters from our area who have made it into the Bluebirds’ squad and with Wojciech Gajda injured it has seen Josh Le-Grice as stand-in keeper in case Steve Hall gets injured. Josh is only 16 and has had trials with Swansea City and he has trained regularly with coach James Devonald and the other keepers – so although we hope he doesn’t get the call to action yet we wish him every success for his future with the club.













 

Manager Rhys still grabs the goals in a cameo role . . .

Penybont are managed by Rhys Griffiths, a much travelled player in his time across Welsh football with a proud record of 269 goals in 342 matches that places him second in the goal-grabbing department. He played for most of the Welsh League clubs along the M4 corridor, as well as for Plymouth Argyle and Newport County – and his most productive spell was at Llanelli, where he scored an amazing 181 times in 180 matches. He came on in the final quarter of this match and slotted home a low left foot shot – and added a headed goal that showed he can still exert his influence.
 

. . . And found the net for The Bluebirds too!

He only found the net once in 22 games as he started out with Cwmbran Town and then his second club was Haverfordwest County, from 2002/04, where he scored 19 goals from 57 starts. He was the Welsh League’s top scorer for seven consecutive seasons, was player of the year three times and played six times for the Welsh Semi-pro team, scoring once. Good job he stopped playing when he did and took up management!

 

Being Welsh rules in The Bont’s squad!

Of the 25 players in Penybont’s squad there are 22 who hail from this country, with the only exceptions being Kosta Georgievsky (Northern Ireland), Matthew Harries (England) and Ismail Yakuba (who looked a class act at the heart of their defence)  and so many Welsh players  in their squad was a change from some of the North Wales’ clubs!