PHOTOS:
Both teams pre-match
Referee Kevin Williams, who had a cracking game
John Luke, Luke Harding and Steve Lewis
Gary Hall sets up an attack for the 'Legends'

 
Tregroes Park enjoyed a special match on New Year’s Eve as current players and veterans from other eras turned out in numbers to play in a match between the ‘Steve Lewis Young Guns’ and the ‘John Luke Legends’ to raise funds for a very special charity.
 
Talented Fishguard Sports player Luke Harding is battling lung cancer and a brain tumour but courageously decided to battle his illness with fund-raising for Ward Ten at Withybush Hospital as a focal point.
 

Original target hugely surpassed

 
His original aim was to raise £1.000 but with great support from the community in events like this football game he now hopes that there will be in the region of £10,000 to hand over.
 
A large crowd gathered in perfect weather conditions to swell the coffers and an auction at the Pendre Inn, the social home of Fishguard Sports, provided another boost that had Luke telling us how delighted he has been with the response from family, friends, businesses, plus  sportsmen and women.
 

Young Guns make a great start

 
The Young Guns clearly thought they had opened the scoring with a cracking shot from Niall Kinsella which Carl Woodhouse appeared to palm into his own net but without goal-line technology referee Ben Williams waved play on.
 
But justice was done within minutes when Matthew Lewis put in an inch-perfect cross which was beautifully headed into the top corner by his brother Steve, despite Woodhouse’s despairing dive.
 
Steve Lewis then turned provider for his brother Matthew after Brian Kinsella and Gary Owen tried to clear the danger, although the Maradonna ‘hand of God’ might have had an influence before the ball trickled into the net.
 

Memories of yesteryear revisited

 
Performances of yesterday were revived when RV Jones and James Dean showed great touches before Bernie Armstrong survived two nasty falls whilst chasing balls to send in an excellent diagonal cross for Nigel Davies, who fended off a would-be tackler to rifle a low shot past Andrew Pepper in the youngsters’ net.
 
Niall Kinsella and Steve Lewis had other chances but typically sound defence by Andrew Davies and Sean O’Connor kept them at bay – whilst at the other end a Nigel Davies’ sole effort flew tantalisingly wide of the far post.
 

Kinsella strikes – and sub Banks buries vets’ hopes

 
But Kinsella finally made it 3-1 to Steve Lewis’s boys just before half time as he cleverly chipped a through ball over Woodhouse to give his team a two-goal interval cushion.
 
Lewis Banks was one of a number of young players who came off the bench for the current Sports’ players and he added two goals, one from a free kick and the other came from a netted rebound, before Jordan Griffiths laid claim for the goal of the match as he curved his shot into the far top corner to make it 6-1.
 

Davies double for old timers – and moment of the match as Luke scores late on

 
But Nigel Davies added his second for the veterans with a well-taken shot which he celebrated with a few hitch kicks.
 
With time running out Brian Kinsella was rightly yellow-carded by referee Williams for a dreadful tackle inside the area and the match ended on a perfect note as Luke Harding, on for a short cameo at the end, slotted the spot-kick before being mobbed by both teams.
 
Owen Duggan thanked everyone for their magnificent support and this match showed the good that football can do in local communities, as Luke Harding emphasized to us after the game.
 
Steve Lewis’s Young Guns:
David Pepper: Billy Moore; Matthew Lewis; Anthony Cole; Josh Lawrence: Matthew Morgan; Steve Lewis; Jamie Vaughan; Dan Hopkin: Niall Kinsella; Keegan Summers.
Subs:  Jordan White; Paul Thomas; Mark Vaughan; Josh Vaughan; Lewis Banks; Jordan Griffiths; James Wade; Joe Thomas; Jason Llewellyn; Paul Thomas; Geoffrey Pepper; William Lamb; Sion Jones.

John Luke’s Legends:
Carl Woodhouse: John Luke; Brian Kinsella; Sean O’Connor; Andrew Davies: Bernie Armstrong; James Dean; RV Jones; Rob Evans; Kevin White: Richard Morgan; Nigel Davies.
Subs:  Gary Hall; Tom Jones; Matthew Lamb; Gary Owen; Ali Davies; Matthew Jones
Referee: Kevin Williams

PHOTO:
James Dean tackles well

 

Luke Harding Charity Match Snippets:

 
**Luke Harding showed what an incredibly courageous character he is by willingly  chatting to us about his health – but preferring to focus on the good that will come out of this special match.


**There was a pre-match minute’s silence for Bryn Price, the former Fishguard Sports’ player who had been a reserve when the club won the West Wales Cup but sadly passed away on Christmas Day.


**Kevin Williams did a cracking job as referee, allowing the game to be played in the right way whilst keeping a careful eye on things. Well done Ben!


**The Tregroes pitch was in tip-top condition thanks to groundsman Gareth Thomas’s efforts the previous day – so well done ‘Gaffer’!


**It was also Gareth’s idea to hold the match in the first place – what a cracking thought!


**The vets showed what a canny bunch they were because they started the game with 12 players and when legs became very tired in the closing stages they actually had 15 players on the pitch at one time!


**Oldest players on view were Andrew ‘Satch’ Davies (68) and John Luke (67), both members of the legendary Fishguard Sports’ team which won the West Wales Cup – a pair of real ‘legends’ for the Sports!


**Andrew was also delighted that in the last ten minutes his football-mad grandson Matthew Butler joined him, despite being only nine years old – an amazing difference of 59 years between team mates!


**There was also another grandfather and son duo playing as Kevin ‘Chalkie’ White showed his old skills and Jordan White turned out for the youngsters.


**’Chalkie’ is fast approaching 60 but showed he is still the tough cookie he was in his hey-day as he played with a cracked rib, sustained over Christmas as he tripped over the dog in his kitchen!


**There were two father/son combinations in Brian and Niall Kinsella alongside RV Jones and his son Tom – some useful players in that quartet!


**There were also plenty of brotherly combinations as befitting a family club, with David and Geoffrey Pepper, Matthew and Steve Lewis, Mark and Jamie Vaughan all turning out for the Young Guns.


**The collection at the ground raised an amazing sum of over £900, with a special auction at The Pendre which included a signed Aston Villa ball supplied by Mike Delaney on behalf of his son Mark and family.


**Luke Harding thanked everyone back at The Pendre in an emotional few words delivered without fuss - and is clearly an inspirational figure for others finding they have serious illnesses – and sports people around our county will wish him good luck in his continued health battles.

PHOTOS:
Andrew Davies & Matthew Butler
Kevin & Jordan White
Bernie Armstrong - as strong as ever
Luke Harding - scoring the last goal from the spot
Owen Duggan thanks everyone for their superb support