Taith Pêl-Droed

• Wrecsam 2 Stockport 1 27/4/2024

  

  Gêm derfynol y tymor i Wrecsam, un i ddathlu ac amser i fwynhau’r prynhawn heb bwysau ar y canlyniad. Gallech chi meddwl roedd mwy yn y fantol wrth wylio Stockport yn codi’r tlws League 2 wythnos diwetha; cyn-chwaraewr Caer Antoni Sarcevic yn canu cân gwrth-Wrecsam, a sawl cefnogwyr Stockport yn gorddweud am eu llwyddiant fel rhywbeth i godi cywilydd ar Wrecsam? Wel, dw i ddim yn ymwybodol am unrhyw un sy’n poeni am setlo am ddyrchafiad heb y pencampwriaeth (yn enwedig cefnogwyr Caer, Antoni), felly mae’n i weld fel bobl pêl-droed yn dangos eu penolau, fel arfer. Mae gemau yn erbyn Stockport yn annog ymddygiad fel hyn, ond dw i ddim siŵr pam. Dw i ddim yn credu bod unrhyw cefnogwr o’r ddau clwb yn ystyried y llall ar frig y rhestr o gelynion. Ond dw i ddim yn cofio unrhyw gêm yn erbyn nhw yn pasio heb ychydig o gas. Un atgof doniol oedd yn sefyll yn y Turf ar ôl gêm ac yn clywed gweiddi uchel tu allan. Ymddangosodd rhywun o flaen fy ngwyneb i weiddi “wyt ti’n mynd i ymladd i Wrecsam!!!” – edrychais ar fy mheint llawn heb ddweud un gair, ac mi aeth o i’r drws mewn tawelwch.

  Dw i wedi sgwennu am benderfynu fy nghyfnod fel perchennog tocyn tymor oedd yn dod i ben yn ystod gêm gartref yn erbyn Stockport yn 2019, ac yn treulio’r ail hanner yn y dafarn. Roedd rhan o’r bai ar fomiau mwg ar y pryd, rhywbeth sydd wedi dod pwnc llosg eto rhywsut. Mi gaeth cefnogwyr eu dal efo nhw ar ôl iddyn nhw fynd ar y cae wedi’r gêm fawr yn erbyn Forest Green, ac wedi derbyn gwaharddiad o gemau. Roedd llawer o ddadl am yr amgylchiadau, ac yn y diwedd daeth Rob McElhenney i mewn i’r drafodaeth. Mae’n i weld fel y clwb wedi newid eu meddyliau am y gwaharddiadau – nid y tro cyntaf maen nhw wedi gyrru un at gefnogwyr am resymau annheg – ond y tro cyntaf mae’r perchnogion wedi achub rhywun sydd wedi ymddangos yn y rhaglen dogfen. Llawer i bigo yno, yn enwedig gan bobl yn hongian baneri gwrth Fleur Robinson nos Wener, ond cyn y gêm ‘ma roedd y clwb yn awyddus i gyhoeddi eu bwriad i gosbi unrhyw un yn trio rhywbeth tebyg eto. Basai hi wedi bod yn bositif i glywed rhywbeth arall am y penderfyniad i ddiddymu ail gemau yn y Cwpan FA, ond byddwch chi’n aros am amser hir i glywed unrhyw beth gwrth yr awdurdodau gan glwb dan reolaeth Shaun Harvey wrth gwrs…

  Rhai pethau annisgwyl i gychwyn, ro’n i’n disgwyl Phil Parkinson i ddewis chwaraewyr yn debygol i adael y clwb, ond dechreuodd y tîm cryfach, gan gynnwys Luke Young oherwydd anafiad George Evans, ond Ben Tozer a Mark Howard ar y fainc, a dim byd o gwbl i Aaron Hayden neu Jordan Tunnicliffe. Roedd pawb yn disgwyl yr awyren yn cario neges cefnogwyr Stockport i ni ond dw i ddim yn deall y rheswm am hynny achos does neb yn gallu ei ddarllen! Roedd hi’n annisgwyl i weld hanner cyntaf mor dda gan Stockport chwaith. Roedd cyfleoedd i Ollie Palmer i Wrecsam, un ar ôl i Ben Hinchcliffe ddod allan o’r gôl heb gosb, ac un arall wedi symudiad da rhwng Cleworth, Barnett a Cannon. Ond roedd hi’n anodd am weddill yr hanner, efo Stockport yn edrych yn daclus a bywiog. Collodd Sarcevic un yn erbyn un ond doedd dim dianc am amser hir. Sgoriodd Connor Lemonheigh-Evans pan agorodd yr amddiffyn wedi hanner awr, a pherderfynodd o dilyn patrwm y dydd gan dathlu o flaen y cefnogwyr Wrecsam heb edrych ar ei gefnogwyr ei hun o gwbl – tipyn bach yn gwirion.

  Roedd angen i ail-drefnu yn ystod yr egwyl a daeth yr effaith yn syth wedi’r ail-gychwyn. Daeth pas wych drwy’r canol i ddod o hyd Ollie Palmer yn yr ail munud, ac roedd o’n cryf a gosteg cyn iddo fo orffen i newid y gêm. Heblaw un cyfnod ble Stockport ergydiodd heibio’r postyn yn agos, roedd yr ymwelwyr yn hapus i fod yn amyneddgar heb gymaint o berygl, ac mi gaeth Wrecsam fwy o feddiant peryglus na’r hanner cyntaf. Ond ro’n ni’n disgwyl gêm gyfartal pan, allan o nunlle, daeth ergyd pwerus gan Andy Cannon i gipio’r tri phwynt. Ar y pryd ro’n i’n siarad amdano fo fel fy chwaraewr y tymor, fel arfer dw i ddim yn edrych pa mor clyfar!

  Erbyn y diwedd doedd dim byd yn y fantol ar ôl heblaw cystadleuaeth canu, “Champions Again” v “It Took You Two Years”. Er gwaetha’r sylwadau gwirion cyn (ac yn ystod!) y gêm gallech chi deimlo awyrgylch gwell nag arfer, yn gadael y ddau dîm i dderbyn llongyfarchiadau oddi wrth eu cefnogwyr. Falle bydd yr ymddygiad gwael yn dychwelyd yn League 1 ond mae’n well hebddo fo. Roedd canol y dref yn gorlawn ac yn barod am barti arall – mwynhewch!

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  Not the game for a slightly fractious week but it was a nicer atmosphere than usual against Stockport. A game of two halves settled by a thunderous strike. It’s unusual to look as smart as when you discuss your player of the season and he immediately scores.

  27th Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Summary Saesneg 2: At The Hop

  

  TL;DR to this rambly piece. The Wrexham thing is a circus but it is a fun one. Respect managers. Welsh football is at another crossroads but we should be backing it from inside rather than outside. Football can furnish your life but it should never take it over. For more…keep reading. You’ll need to really keep reading.

  Wrexham

  I had prepared myself for a season of EFL Trophy games and seeing what came on TV, or a midweek stream if live games hadn’t really happened. I took the choice to stop being a club member when a charge was introduced that I felt was poor value for money, so I was at ease with the fact that I wouldn’t get to choose when to go anymore. Last year it was TV only for Notts County and Boreham Wood, I was fine with it and that was that. As it stands, I have ended up with the opportunity to go the Racecourse quite regularly this time due to spares floating around. This has been a welcome bonus; I’ve never stopped enjoying watching the team even though my commitment to the grind has evaporated, and I got quite a mixed bag of games. Being 2-0 down to MK after ten minutes of the opening day took the wind out of everyone’s sails and it looked like the team wasn’t prepared for the step up. The harshness of the higher level took some time to settle down but provided entertainment in spades; I wasn’t there for the 5-5 (!) draw against Swindon but I was for the 3-3 draw against Crewe. Red card setbacks, a Mullin and Fletcher masterclass, and the crowd roaring the team to a stoppage time point provided a classic topsy turvy encounter, and I hadn’t been so invested in a Wrexham game for a few years – just when I thought I could view these things with arch detachment. A word on those two forwards; Mullin’s form was a hot topic for some of the season. It felt like he was rushed back, and he had a strange dip in form at around the team of the team’s most inconsistent results. Yet he still breezed past 20 goals and when he was good, he was still showing why he’s the first name on the team sheet. While there were plenty of other crucial players, Elliot Lee before Christmas, Andy Cannon after, George Evans when fit and Max Cleworth when picked, I didn’t enjoy watching anyone as much as Fletcher. People talk about certain other forwards who have played for the club as possible top end players who it didn’t quite happen for, but when you watch Fletcher you see why that’s not true. He just sees everything quicker than other players, is almost unbeatable in the air and is the perfect foil for whoever his strike partner is, and if he had a young man’s fitness he wouldn’t even dirty his hands in League 2.

  The thrills and spills mostly eased off, but Wrexham dealt with the challenge. I saw a classic performance as Morecambe were sent packing 6-0, right up there for complete Wrexham performances that I’ve seen, but there were tougher challenges. Yet games I attended against Gillingham, Newport, Wimbledon and Mansfield followed a theme. Each one of them saw the visit of a capable and hard working opponent, but be it early (55 seconds against Gillingham) or later (mid-way through the second half against Newport and Wimbledon) you had the sense of a Wrexham team that was happy to ride out the tough patches and take its chances. The Mansfield game came at the right time for me; I had seen the team draw blanks against Bradford (played all the football and collapsed to defeat in the last ten minutes) and Harrogate (they set up for a point early on and got it from a Wrexham team afraid to shoot). Yet without entirely silencing the critics, the job got done with two games to spare. For all the griping about away form, aside from an ugly January and February the team chipped away at getting enough points on the road to bolster the still reliable displays at home. In the before times, a game like the one against Crawley was the traditional banana skin; game in hand against in-form opponent in front of an expectant crowd, where deep down you’d have probably taken a point. What actually happened was taking the sting out of Crawley’s style, hitting them with back-to-back goals, managing the rest of the game with ease and picking the opponent off as a relaxed crowd felt the aim come even closer. All this leading to a breezy final day everyone could enjoy against, err, Stockport, which meant a lot of grown men, some of whom play for the two clubs, simply couldn’t be normal about it. But it was the least cranky game between the two that I have ever been to, made all the nicer by a come from behind win. This team has cost plenty of money but it still needs a professional job to be done – they have done it repeatedly.

  They’ll be playing in League 1 next time and that is an intriguing prospect. Even while the team was right in the automatic promotion mix it didn’t take much for some people to be writing Phil Parkinson’s obituary, not for the first time since he came somehow. I would admit that the style of play isn’t always lovable and his methods are rigid. Some of the reactions to his team dropping points were hysterical though, with occasional reference to “this is how his other jobs have ended” and, best of all, “League 1 is his ceiling” when he has got teams promoted from it twice! Even the much-discussed away form is judged on feel rather than results – on away form only Wrexham were a playoff team, but you wouldn’t think so after a defeat. What comes next will be a test of everyone’s mettle; there will need to be changes to get this squad near the top of the division, including a smarter focus on who comes in rather than just waving cash around, and I suspect a year to have a look and just be competitive would be fine and dandy. Can people handle a year of win, lose, win, lose, or god forbid, win, draw, lose, lose, draw, win, lose etc? Probably not without the dreaded “I think he’s taken us as far as he can” debate rearing its ugly head, and fans on social media nibbling at opposing fans mocking every dropped point (come on people, you’re going to have to start getting used to that without blowing a gasket). Unless relegation is looming I would say a change next time would be a huge mistake; when he came Wrexham needed Parkinson more than the other way round, and given the man’s pedigree, the club is still blessed to have him. It’s going to require a little more nous and patience next time after two years of bludgeoning the rest with a big bag of swag. Everyone is still as twitchy as hell though, despite success, but he has earned the right to ease his way into League 1 – let him do it.

  I also managed to see the Wrexham women’s team three times. It would have been nice to be more but a) Des Williams is a bad man and you shouldn’t give him your money by going to the Rock and b) the cup final being in Newport is beyond even my enthusiasm. The decision to stream all their games via iFollow really was a boon and if you were watching a contractually obliged Premier League game on Sundays at 2pm I feel like you missed out. To stay in the division would have been a success, but to finish a comfortable third, and only drop points once against the teams below meant this was done with expert efficiency. It wasn’t like the team wasn’t tested as teams who were well beaten early on proved tougher opponents in the return games. This is most clearly shown by the two games against TNS that I went to. The first at Park Hall was a bit of a classic, with Wrexham being 2 down after 12 minutes, but level by the break, and ultimately going on to win 3-2 in a game that could have gone either way. The Welsh Cup semi-final against the same opponents at Flint was a little different; Wrexham had to dig in to win this with a great defensive effort and Rosie Hughes taking Wrexham’s clearest chance. There were harsh lessons for Wrexham too; they played games against Cardiff or Swansea a total of ten times (cup final still to come against Cardiff at the time of writing), and only avoided defeat once, with Cardiff being particularly ruthless. The team got its overdue chance at the Racecourse against Swansea and put in their best performance against either of the big two there. Swansea would have been lucky to escape with a point, so that a freak goal won them all three was a kick in the teeth. An attendance of 2000 there should be celebrated, I saw the men play in front of that many almost exactly a decade earlier. However, I get the sense that the club could have pushed the game harder and earlier seeing as over 9000 watched the team at the Racecourse the previous year. But maybe their season shouldn’t be picked at – it was as good as could be expected and the women ought to be worthy of that Racecourse stage more often.

  The general hype around Wrexham is a curate’s egg. You have to be rather picky, ie like me, to not just ride the wave. The general buzz has nowhere near abated but I’m not sure you can make a leopard change its spots, and in Wrexham’s case that means non-stop emotional incontinence. There are still a lot of petty rows around, and for a ground packing in three times what it was pre-takeover it is only occasionally febrile. Let’s face facts, you know that half of the people there aren’t fans unconditionally, and the excellent home record creates expectation rather than Beatlemania – you need more jeopardy for the latter. My concern about the direction of the club, led by assorted uber-corporate types, remains. It seems to me that the hardnosed and/or cynical tactics to remove WST protection of the ground, and the acceptance of a hefty debt despite the fact that we were promised there would be none, is something that people are reticent to discuss. Yet another staff member removed, but actually providing a peek behind the curtain rather than leaving without saying anything, showed an ugly side of the business we are rather too eager to excuse. As was the club’s refusal to make a statement on the scrapping of FA Cup replays (potentially embarrassing for Shaun Harvey whatever the statement said) and the late season flurry of club fans issued, with McElhenney clearly trying to manage a situation that had got out of control. A lesser told tale of another fan’s treatment over the last summer, at that fan’s own request, is as unpleasant a tale of targeted nastiness as I can ever think of from the club at any point in my memory, based on nothing more than a desire to flatten criticism. It’s unavoidable that the ruthless approach of their people on the ground is exactly what the owners are looking for, bar the occasional flashpoint, and I’m not quite sure how people keep looking past that to allocate no blame to them. You have to drink a fair amount of the Hollywood Kool-Aid to truly believe in the myth of community being at the heart of the motivation of anybody working for the club, or owning it for that matter. However, it’s been nice to get more of a slice of it this season than I did last time. It will be a period of the club’s history that is talked about for as long as anyone is alive to remember it, and it won’t last forever, so it’s worth stopping to smell the flowers. God knows I have my issues with the whole circus of it, and I only take part on my terms these days, but I can’t deny that it’s mostly fun.

  WELSH FOOTBALL

  The Racecourse got its moments in the sun for internationals too. Wales men hadn’t been here since 2019, so even a changed team playing a friendly against Gibraltar isn’t to be sniffed at – qualifiers aren’t a realistic prospect. The game was a sell-out and a bit of a breeze at 4-0, but a reward for the North Wales fans who put the miles in, one we should ideally have every year. Of course, we now know there is no other reward this summer; to have taken one of 13 European places at the World Cup but now not be part of a 24 team Euros is a big regression, albeit with the mitigating circumstances of some big players being missing since then. However, I’m the last apologist for Robert Page, less because of passionately wanting to keep him, and more because even during his period of success the way people have talked about him is disgraceful. He got the job in difficult circumstances while the Giggs shadow remained. Getting out of the last Euros group wasn’t to be sniffed at but there was better to come. To have become the only Wales manager to qualify directly for the World Cup seems to be underrated somehow, overshadowed by not performing very well at the tournament, despite the fact that we should have been thankful the team got there at all. This is particularly laughable when you consider the mostly respectful attitude there is to – takes breath – Mike Smith, Mike England, Terry Yorath, Mark Hughes, John Toshack and Chris Coleman. Not one of those men finished higher than third in World Cup qualifying and Page’s record trounces any one of their records generally except Coleman. I would also argue that the performances immediately after Bale and Allen retired bottomed out a year ago, creating a risk in making a change now rather than then. Page has lost the people so he’s probably wasting his time trying to turn the tide, and you can’t ignore that decline in performance, but he should never have to buy a drink in Wales again. In years to come when you’ve stopped sulking you’ll all claim you weren’t on his case. However, I have a sinking feeling that if he stays the discussion around him will get worse rather than better, and that would be a bit bleak.

  The return of the women’s team was also overdue – literally, as a slot for a Racecourse game was announced for a year earlier and not mentioned again. Rhian Wilkinson took her first game as manager against Croatia, and a competitive game to boot. While her predecessor Gemma Grainger did a good job, her team was a bit of a tough watch. If the game at the Racecourse was anything to go by there is going to be a sea change in style under Wilkinson, albeit there will be tougher tests than her opening games. Croatia were played off the park, beaten 4-0 in front of a crowd of 4100. This number is worth noting; the team came to Wrexham in 2012 and drew 1000 when entry was free. The next time they came in 2020, 2000 people paid £5. Double that again paying £10 each is moving very much in the right direction. While the men’s team will always play competitive games in Cardiff, I would like to see the women rotate theirs between East, West and North, and hopefully the turnout will show that this is viable.

  The club scene in Wales is having one of its many existential crises. I got a sense of it at my first competitive game of the season. Connah’s Quay, clearly the second best team in Wales, having to play a European game at TNS’ home Park Hall, not getting a kick against their opponents from Iceland and out of Europe before the kids even broke up from school. I saw a handful of games in the Cymru Premier this time, and I would always recommend a trip to Newtown in particular, a quirky and characterful ground where the host club always punch above their weight. Bala is a lovely day out although they perhaps display one of the league’s challenges; a club in a tiny place paying decent money to incomers to play for them despite there being a ceiling on the kind of club they can be, and if you want a drink you’d better stay in the town. Despite the size of the club, they are always pushing for Europe. There is a general sense that the money in Welsh football is in all the wrong places, with some pumped up clubs with no fans while a tantalising dream of all of our bigger clubs being in the top division at once continues to evade us – we should all groan at Rhyl’s Devon Loch leading them to another year at level 3. This season rammed this home more than ever as TNS showed themselves at their most ruthless, yet they might actually feel disappointment in losing two cup finals. Their Irn Bru Cup final defeat in Scotland displays the size of their next challenge; once they went behind they faced a match situation they didn’t know how to handle, and it’s hard to avoid the feeling that this will continue to hobble their chances of European progress. They are the lightning rod for a lot of criticism of the league, but it’s worth reminding yourself that they aren’t really doing anything wrong, and just hoping they go away is a race to the bottom. How you create more clubs like them, making themselves the best club they can be, is a challenge for greater minds than mine.

  Just like the previous couple of seasons, the Cymru North proved to be rather more interesting, with a genuine three-way title race that lasted the distance before Holywell won out. My visit there convinced me that they would be the team that won the title; even though they had a long winning run last season they looked even more lively and incisive this time. Their ground isn’t the most slick and modern but you would have hoped they found a way to make it Premier compliant. To have had their Premier licence turned down drew much wailing and gnashing of teeth but I’m not sure what to make of that, all the more so as the club didn’t even appeal. I definitely don’t agree that the FAW should lower standards, the league was, and is, in need of off field standards and I’m not sure that many of them are unreasonable for a league you can qualify for Europe from. However it does seem that the process of becoming compliant isn’t the two-way journey it ought to be. It feels more like “you can apply in September, and we’ll judge you in April” without enough input in between to help the clubs get from A to B. The FAW gets a lot of banal criticism about the licencing process; in my opinion, it has been a canary in the coalmine for clubs who weren’t fit for the league. Without it I’m not sure clubs would spend any time on the necessary elements the licence requires, but the FAW needs to help clubs become compliant, and not just punish the ones who aren’t. The announcement that clubs will be receiving funding to employ someone full-time to run their clubs makes sense, and should hopefully assist both general administration and marketing.

  Airbus were competitive after a nightmare relegation from Cymru Premier, albeit being a little less ruthless than the Champions. I have always enjoyed going there but the match day experience was a little inconsistent, with food availability unreliable and an amazing club shop open…sometimes. I have no bias but I was pleased to see Flint get the promotion spot, as they have the most fans of the three title contenders (and most of the Premier clubs) and a ground I prefer to the others, despite the temptations of Holywell’s social club with a view of the pitch, compared to Flint’s before you get in. There were other delights at this level; Buckley is a great ground whose veranda is possibly THE place to watch football from, and it was a blow that they were forced to play elsewhere for a time due to someone pouring undiluted weedkiller on the pitch. I made my first trip to Denbigh in several years on a filthy Friday night and got my game of the season, a 6-5 triumph over Buckley which could have seen even more goals. The FAW love their ground and if their social club plans take place it will rival Buckley as a loved venue, despite me needing a 37 point turn to get out of the car park. Despite the stress of needing expert clutch control to leave the ground, a visit to Mold is worth your time, child friendly, dog friendly, beer friendly, and a good team too, and hopefully a managerial change over the summer won’t derail their superb season. Chirk will have to settle for level 3 football next time but this is also a much improved venue, more seats, more cover, but still no place to be in winter. Despite that, I still hope to visit them next time and hope their improved end to this season gives them momentum to bounce back. Prestatyn also got a first visit in a while, a perfect stop off on a seaside day out that meets all your needs. The local public has disengaged from them somewhat, and off field rumours that have plagued their last few years continue to abound, exposed by a points deduction for playing a ringer. The game is almost entirely unregulated when it comes to who owns clubs, they look like the next set of victims of that, and this remains something nobody in Welsh (or English?) football really has a grip on.

  So what to do about the challenges in the league system?There are numerous issues but it’s hard to find silver bullets for any of them. While I think that gripes about a league of twelve clubs and repeat fixtures are overstated – plenty of other leagues have something similar – most would say that this setup has overstayed its welcome and will cheer the expansion we know is coming. In the short term an expansion is likely to lower standards but if the variety stimulates interest then it is probably worth taking the short term hit. It also makes sense to focus investment into pitches as was stated in the FAW’s strategic plan. This will presumably include grass but I’m also happy with more 4G pitches rather than less, but with community agreements. Installing them needs to come with conditions of access to local clubs, which can’t be withdrawn by vindictive owners or committee men (hello again Des Williams). Engagement at every level is key. I’m also positive about the league moving to Friday nights, it has always felt like a more natural fit for games that I have been to, although we’ll see how they manage sending Haverfordwest to Flint then, that has to come with FAW assistance somehow. An increase in Premier numbers has been announced for two seasons time but we will see to how many that will be in September. I’m resistant to some of the other oft-mentioned ideas; splitting the league into North and South would only make a league with an image problem even more tinpot and a switch to summer doesn’t convince me either – people seem to forget that this opens up at best a few clear weeks of other competing football. Although I must admit that being positive about Fridays but not further regional groups may contradict each other, and nobody calls the NFL tinpot. It will also be interesting to see how S4C juggle more Friday nights – you don’t want your TV and live audience to cannibalise each other by too many schedule clashes.

  If the promised investment into the league is to make a material difference it needs to be targeted in the right places – it’s a shame that some of it will have to pay for the dreaded VAR due to UEFA edicts, although at least they are contributing to that. Dare I suggest a Rugby League style cherry picking of who is deemed to add value to the Cymru Premier, encouraging a merger or two, a bitter pill to take you quicker to the outcome you’re hoping for organically? Including a one shot deal to Merthyr to sign up now into a 16 team top flight? It might need something as drastic as that to improve gates. I would also like to see the English based clubs have their arms twisted to join a revived Premier Cup; four groups of five with either a home or away game against an EFL team guaranteed in the group stage before quarters, semis and a final. This with no pressure on who the EFL teams pick to play but that the games must happen at their proper grounds. I loved the old tournament; it could give the domestic game a boost now and it’s the least the EFL clubs can do (Cardiff and Swansea played in the Nathaniel MG Cup this season anyway). There could be other pathway activities for players – a more formal system of loans for young players at the EFL clubs, or EFL trials for young players at Cymru Premier clubs to be part of the mooted plan perhaps. Maybe a mandatory slot in Wales under 21 and under 19 squads for a Cymru Leagues player as a carrot too? It would also help to enter a partnership with the EFL clubs to ensure their grounds are available for nearby Cymru Premier clubs to host European games, and/or ensure the bigger Cymru Premier venues are up to scratch in every region, as some of the scratching around for venues has been disappointing. It must be said that the England based clubs are the elephant in the room; while they operate there the league here will always be second rate, but they won’t be coming back this side of an independent Wales, a thing I would like but don’t expect to see any time soon.

  Grassroots clubs face enough challenges as it is without the FAW waiting for things to go wrong and paddling clubs with fines and points deductions, and it was positive to hear the FAW acknowledge that even they want to see the back of that, and funded full time employees will help. If best practice is identified that helps clubs engage with their communities, don’t just wait for clubs to find it and keep it to themselves, but share the information and investment needed so everyone can do it, perhaps the central funding will ensure that happens. Recent focus is on the top division but we also need to help the pyramid lower down; I have enjoyed attending level 3 games at Brickfield, Penycae, Llay,Llangollen and Llansantffraid this season, and that those clubs have decent facilities for fans really does help, whereas others are basically parks with a 100 seat stand plonked next to them. For what is ostensibly a local league, some of the travelling involved is quite incredible and most people will have noticed that the league names and geographical reality don’t match up. An additional division at level 3 to cover mid-Wales, and ensuring that the North East and North West divisions mean just that, seems like a no brainer. One of this season’s positives was seeing the level 4-5 North East Wales League complete its campaign without any teams folding before the end of the season. I hope that this doesn’t mean they are forgotten, as it’s easy to only pay attention when clubs at that level are having a crisis or doing something wrong. You would hope for encouragement to help those teams progress if it suits them (Brymbo, Rhostyllen and Lex feel like clubs that should be playing higher), but also if it doesn’t (Queen’s Park seem to be doing just fine as they are).

  Ultimately, we have to leave nothing concrete off the table and be prepared to listen to anyone. The strategy has been released but this should be a process rather than just an event. We need to open to spending the game’s money on anything that increases the numbers of people involved, on the field, in the stands, in the bars, and makes life simpler and more entertaining for those people. That simple then! No doubt, there are people whose desires are very different to mine, or whose methods to get there are different, and getting a unified approach is as big a challenge as anything else is. In the meantime, we should be backing the league rather than making every issue a showstopper. Welsh society is a bit like this anyway; we can’t just have unpopular policies from Welsh Government without a groundswell of opinion that Welsh democracy should be wholly absorbed into England’s (where they must have no issues of course). I would like to see Welsh football be more mature than this – it’s our league and we’ll get more out of supporting it than cursing not being able to allow clubs into the Northern Premier League. Early reaction to the still vague plan is still mixed so we could do with some people cooking their jets.

  And finally…

  My writing has been a useful project to me. It served a purpose to help me increase my Cymraeg skills in order to pass an exam, it continues to be my most reliable way to stretch my knowledge there and is the prime motivation for the site existing. I work from home and speaking opportunities aren’t what they could be. To make a tiny contribution to Welsh language culture is another motivation, despite occasional indulgences like this and the Welcome to Wrexham piece (by far the biggest driver of traffic to the site). It’s a niche pursuit otherwise, sometimes it is clear that I have written only for myself, but that’s worth doing as well. Social media is my only way to get any kind of audience, if indeed I get one at all, but it has its downsides. I’m more inclined to try to stretch myself on here in both languages rather than there in the future, to take the echo chamber to its logical conclusion, and use social media mainly just to promote this place and try to do a little better than be talking to myself here. It’s scary out there so maybe I’m better off here.

  In the years leading up to Covid I was going to plenty of games but mostly Wrexham games at the Racecourse. When I decided that a season ticket there didn’t suit me anymore I hoped my seasons would look something like this one; I got the Wrexham games in that I needed, albeit I required the support of others for that. I must admit I gave the season ticket up not anticipating that I wouldn’t be able to bank on buying a ticket just when I wanted one, but my decision was the right one. I got enough time to support Welsh football elsewhere, internationals, women’s club games, men’s club games from levels one to five, a scattering of cups and cross border excursions. I could curse what I missed – no Ruthin, Llanrhaeadr, Guilsfield, Saltney or Whitchurch as I had hoped, and I still keep my distance from what was my favourite place at The Rock since Dirty Des did his dirty deeds there. However, it’s worth remembering that it shouldn’t be a tick box exercise, although I can lose sight of that. 

  It is also worth remembering that there are other things in life. One motivation to give up the Wrexham season ticket was to not be tied in to times and dates, so if a family trip to a trampoline park comes first, come first it must. Although the football has been a family pursuit as well. My daughter is autistic and has had a tough time of it lately. She’s not a football head but she has been my companion to about half of my games this season, and it’s nice to have something for us. On occasion the four of us have all clicked the turnstiles; hopefully this will continue. We should ignore the Barton-led footy lad backlash, it’s the last act of a dying breed. This is for all of us.

  25th Ebrill 2024

  Uncategorized

• Llansantffraid 2 Rhos Aelwyd 2 23/4/2024

  

  Mae’n hawdd anghofio’r ffaith bod Y Seintiau Newydd oedd y clwb yn torri’r rhediad o bencampwriaethau gan un tîm yn dominyddu tymor ar ôl tymor yn y gorffennol. Yn 2000, sylwais i lun o’r pencampwyr cyfoes ar wal yn ystod fy nghyfweliad swydd gyntaf erioed, yn TNS yng Nghroesoswallt. Ches i ddim y swydd, ar ôl ddau gyfweliad, broses digon hir a thorcalonnus i baratoi fy hun am weld Y Seintiau’n diflasu’r cefnogwyr clybiau eraill. Ond do’n ni ddim yn gwybod hyn ar y pryd, dim ond diolchgar am rywun, unrhywun o gwbl, yn peidio un bencampwriaeth am fynd i’r Barri eto. Aeth y teitl i Llansantffraid, ac aeth sawl mwy yno hefyd. Ond mae pethau’n wahanol yno rŵan wrth gwrs…

  Mae atgofion yn bwrw cysgod hir yn Llansantffraid. Roedd y cydsoddiad rhwng TNS a Chroesoswallt yn 2003, a’r symudiad i Neuadd y Parc yn 2007, ond roedd hi’n bosib dod o hyd gwirfoddolwyr yn hapus i feirniadu’r Seintiau yn ystod fy ymweliad cyntaf i Llansantffraid yn 2021. Hwn oedd noson ryfedd beth bynnag, y gêm olaf yng Nghymru cyn egwyl am fis i bêl-droed oherwydd y cyfyngiadau olaf Covid. Mi gaeth bêl-droed a chlybiau nos eu gwahardd ond dim byd eraill, ond mae gen i ddiddordeb yn dim ond un ohonyn nhw. Roedd eu gêm yn erbyn Aber-miwl yn un adloniant, 6-2 i’r tîm gartre, felly ro’n i’n gobeithio am rywbeth tebyg heno heb y tristwch.

  Mae’r gemau’n dod yn aml ym mis Ebrill. Daeth Rhos Aelwyd i Dreflan yn Ardal North East, dim ond ddeg diwrnod ers chwarae yn erbyn ei gilydd yn Rhos. Enillodd Rhos 2-0 ond roedd hi’n dal yn anodd rhagweld yr enillydd heno, efo dim ond un pwynt yn cadw Rhos uwchben Llansantffraid. Mae’r ddau glwb yn saff ynghanol y tabl ond bydd Llansantffraid yn hapusach na’r ymwelwyr. Mi ddaeth Rhos yn 6ed yn yr un adran y llynedd felly bydd hi’n anodd gorffen mor uchel eto. Dyma’r tymor cyntaf yn yr ardal i Llansantffraid ar ôl ddyrchafiad, wedi’i ennill oherwydd y broses trwydded ar ôl iddyn nhw ddod yn 3ydd yn lefel 4. Maen nhw wedi gwneud yn dda i fod yn saff o’r cwymp, ond daethon nhw i’r gêm heb fuddugoliaeth yn saith gêm. Roedd y cyflwr Rhos yn well, gan gynnwys gêm gyfartal yn erbyn Penrhyncoch, y pencampwyr tebygol.

  Ar ôl ymweliad cyflym i’r clwb cymdeithasol, ble dw i’n meddwl rhai pobl oedd yn yfed ar ôl angladd, aethon ni i’r eisteddle. Mae eisteddle mawr tu ôl y gôl, ond mae arwyddion o broblemau achos rhai pobl wedi torri rhes o seddi, rhywbeth rhy gyffredin yn bêl-droed lleol. Penderfynon ni i sefyll tu ôl y seddi, a gwelon ni hanner cyntaf fywiog iawn. Roedd y ddau dîm yn awyddus i ymosod o’r munud cyntaf, efo angen arbediad da gan David Jones, gôl-geidwad Llansantffraid, ac un cyfle arall ble’r ymosodwyr Rhos rhwystrodd ei gilydd. Roedd Llansantffraid yn agos unwaith yn benodol wedi rhediad troellog cyn iddyn nhw daro’r trawst – basai hynny fod wedi bod yn gôl anhygoel. 

  Yn araf dechreuodd Rhos ddominyddu, ac allai’r tîm gartre ddim yn cadw Rhos allan. Daeth y cyntaf wedi 36 munud gan James Haynes, wedi’i helpu gan wyriad bach. Roedd Rhos yn awyddus i fanteisio ar gyfnod cryf, a daeth yr ail o gic rydd wedi 44 munud gan Aled Bayley, wedi’i helpu gan wyriad enfawr y tro ‘ma, yn gadael David Jones yn gweiddi cyn i’r bêl guro’r rhwyd. Perfformiad perffaith oddi cartref… ond roedd digon o amser i orfodi cic rydd eu hunain gan Llansantffraid. Efo cic olaf yr hanner, curodd James Clewlow ergyd fel bwled i adael rhywbeth i gydio wrth ar yr egwyl.

  Do’n i ddim yn disgwyl pethau i newid pa mor gyflym wedi’r egwyl. Yn syth ar ôl y gic gyntaf, aeth bas drwy’r canol yn gadael ras rhwng gôl-geidwad Daniel Roberts a Chris Aitken. Cyrhaeddodd Aitken y bêl yn gyntaf i sgorio. Doedd dim gymaint o gyffro wedi hynny, efo llawer o ymdrech ond y ddau dîm oedd yn canslo ei gilydd. Roedd gamgymeriadau gan Jones yn y gôl Llansantffraid ond, diolch byth, dim byd i golli’r gêm, a bydd y ddau dîm yn hapus i rannu’r pwyntiau. Hyd yn oed ar ôl i’r gêm fynd i’r diwedd heb gyfle gwych i gipio’r tri phwynt, roedd y gêm yn ddifyr wedi’r cyfan. Roedd hi’n bosib chwarae’r gêm heb gymaint o ymrwymiad heb bethau yn y fantol, ond daeth y reddf gystadleuol i’r arwyneb. Dylen ni ganmol y chwaraewyr.

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  The spirit of TNS title triumphs casts a long shadow at Llansantffraid. The two teams could have been forgiven for not being as committed as they were. Give space to social club drinkers in case they’ve been to a funeral.

  23rd Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, football, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Yr Wyddgrug 0 Fflint 4 16/4/2024

  

  Oherwydd y ras ar frig y tabl, a’r nifer o gemau ar ôl oherwydd y tywydd, mae gan Cymru North wythnos brysur. Mae’r gynghrair wedi ymestyn y tymor erbyn wythnos, ac yn croesi bysedd na fasai mwy o gemau wedi gohirio. Roedd llawer o gemau wedi’u symud i gaeau 4G i adael sefyllfa hylaw. Hefyd roedd gymaint yn y fantol ar y cae beth bynnag. Basech chi’n disgwyl Treffynnon i ennill y bencampwriaeth oherwydd gemau ar ôl ble dylen nhw ennill. Tasai Fflint yn ennill yn Yr Wyddgrug, bydd angen un pwynt mwy o leia gan Dreffynnon ar y dydd olaf i sicrhau’r bencampwriaeth (efo Treffynnon yn ennill un awr yn hwyrach heno). Ond fel arfer mae pethau’n fwy cymhleth yng Nghymru…

  Mae’r broses o gael trwydded i gael dyrchafiad yn un dadleuol. Dw i’n cytuno efo’r syniad oherwydd yr angen i godi safonau ym mhob adran, ond dydy’r broses ddim yn teimlo’n hollol agor, a gallech chi’n dweud bod hi’n deg i adael un tymor i glybiau newydd i gyrraedd y safonau ar ôl dyrchafiad. Mae Treffynnon wedi methu’r broses, dydyn nhw ddim yn apelio, ac mae Fflint ac Airbus wedi llwyddo, felly er bosibilrwydd cryf o weld y tlws yn mynd i Dreffynnon, mae aneliad gwahanol i Fflint. Roedd y gêm yn Yr Wyddgrug yn un wrth gefn, a basai buddugoliaeth Fflint yn golygu dim siawns i Airbus, ac yn gadael cyfle i Fflint ar y cae ond yn ennill dyrchafiad oddi ar y cae ar yr un pryd! Mae hynny wedi digwydd yn y gorffennol mwy nag unwaith, dw i’n cofio Derwyddon Cefn yn sicrhau dyrchafiad o’r ail safle cyn iddyn nhw golli 7-0 i’r pencampwyr Caernarfon. Ond edrychwch ble mae Caernarfon a Derwyddon rŵan – weithiau mae methiant yn creu rhywbeth cryfach yn y dyfodol.

  Beth bynnag sy’n digwydd mae Sir Fflint wedi dominyddu’r gynghrair, yn cymryd safleoedd 1-4 yn y tabl. Doedd Yr Wyddgrug byth yn y ras i ennill y gynghrair ond maen nhw wedi cael tymor llwyddiannus. Mae safle pedwerydd yn berfformiad positif iawn ganddyn nhw, ac maen nhw’n edrych ymlaen at y gêm derfynol o’r cwpan Gwasanaeth Gwaed Genedlaethol ar yr 20fed yn erbyn Briton Ferry. Bydd y gêm yn heriol iawn yn erbyn y tîm sydd wedi sicrhau eu lle yn yr Uwch Gynghrair y tro nesa. Oedd hi’n bosib gallai’r chwaraewyr Yr Wyddgrug yn mynd yn haws i achub eu hunain am y gêm derfynol a dim byd ar ôl i ennill yn y gynghrair? Rhywbeth i ystyried – basech chi’n disgwyl Fflint i eisiau’r fuddugoliaeth yn fwy.

  Gorfododd Yr Wyddgrug gic cornel yn y munud cyntaf ond roedd rhaid iddyn nhw dreulio gweddill yr hanner yn amddiffyn. Mi gaeth Fflint ddau gyfle i sgorio yn y deg munud cyntaf, peniad yn erbyn y trawst gan Akpa-Akpro ble dylai fo wedi sgorio, ac un arall wedi’i chlirio oddi ar y llinell. Roedd ergydion agos dros y trawst gan Ben Hughes a Jake Phillips hefyd cyn y moment mawr. Mewn cwrt cosbi brysur, gwelodd y dyfarnwr llawio gan amddiffynnwr Yr Wyddgrug. Ymddangosodd y penderfyniad yn llym, ond nad oedd Josh Jones yn poeni am hynny, i adael Fflint ar y blaen yn ystod hanner amser.

  Roedd Yr Wyddgrug yn fywiog ar ôl yr egwyl, yn creu gofod ar y dde a Fflint oedd yn lwcus i ddianc dwywaith heb gosb, yn enwedig y tro cyntaf ble roedd y bêl yn sownd dan y traed ymosodwyr Yr Wyddgrug. Dyma amser peryglus ar y gwrthymosod wrth gwrs, ac aeth yr ail gôl gan Elliott Reeves wedi tafliad hir ar ôl 65 munud. Chwarae teg i’r Wyddgrug achos roedd angen dau arbediad gan Rhys Williams yn y munudau wedyn. Daeth y prif sgoriwr Danny Warren ar y cae wrth Yr Wyddgrug yn teimlo’n hyderus (pam nad oedd o’n dechrau?)…ond roedd Fflint yn barod i fanteisio ar ei dulliau ymosodol. Sgoriodd Josh Jones ei ail wedi 73 munud â foli anhygoel oddi ar y postyn. Llawer o amser iddo fo gyflawni hatric, a gwnaeth o hynny yn amser ychwanegol tra’r amddiffyn yn blino. Felly mae Fflint yn gallu dathlu dyrchafiad efo gêm ar ôl er amgylchiadau anfodlon, ond byddan nhw’n gobeithio am golled Treffynnon ar nos Wener i gipio’r bencampwriaeth. Mae’r sefyllfa yno wedi dod hyd yn oed mwy cymhleth oherwydd damwain meddygol yn achosi eu gêm yn erbyn Llanidloes i beidio – rhaid iddyn nhw drio eto rhywbryd.

  Noson dda iawn ym Mharc Alyn ble mae’r tîm gartre yn gallu bod yn hapus efo eu hymdrechion er y sgôr – pob lwc yn dod â’r tlws i’r Gogledd dros y penwythnos! A diolch am ddarparu teganau a llyfrau lliwio yn y clwb cymdeithasol – mae fy merch wedi mwynhau rheina.

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  The constant off-field shenanigans of Welsh football made this game more live than it would otherwise have been. Flint dominated despite Mold’s hard work, but were more clinical when counter attacking. The toys and colouring books in the social club were a nice touch.

  16th Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, football, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Wrecsam 4 Crawley 1 9/4/2024

  

  Mae tensiwn yn cynnyddu ac mae nerfau’n crynu wrth Wrecsam yn agosáu at ddyrchafiad eto. Mae’r tymer ar gyfrwng cymdeithasol yn un gobeithio am ddim ond gwneud y swydd heb gymaint o ffys a phroblemau. Falle llai o ffys na’r gêm oddi cartref yn erbyn Colchester dros y penwythnos. Roedd angen gôl brin yn hwyr gan Max Cleworth i sicrhau’r tri phwynt, ac roedd materion dadleuol i drafod. Yn gyntaf, roedd sôn gan Danny Cowley, rheolwr Colchester, am chwaraewyr Wrecsam yn ymladd yn y tynal wedi’r hanner cyntaf, ond baswn i’n awgrymu dylai fo canolbwyntio ar ei chwaraewyr ei hun. Yn ail, mae Paul Mullin wedi cwyno am gefnogwyr Wrecsam yn canu am gyflwr gwael oddi cartref y tîm. Mae cefnogwyr yn awyddus i amddiffyn y gân, yn dweud ei bod hi’n eironig, ond dw i’n cytuno â Mullin. Mae cefnogwyr Wrecsam yn tueddu gorymateb i’r colledion, felly does dim byd eironig yno, yn enwedig achos mae’r cyflwr oddi cartref yn 5ed yn y gynghrair. Bydd angen iddo fo groen trwchus os mae cyflwr yn dod yn wael mewn gwirionedd, dydy Mullin ddim wedi clywed camdriniaeth waethaf y cefnogwyr. Ond mae o’n gywir am y gân, a does dim rhaid iddo fo gyfiawnhau mynegi ei farn.

  Ro’n i’n ystyried gêm yn y Cymru North ond wrth ystyried y tywydd, sydd wedi achosi’r gemau’n cael ei ohirio beth bynnag, a’r cynnig o’r tocyn sbâr, gwnes i baratoi am y gwynt a glaw, dan do diolch byth, i fynd i Wrecsam eto (gwaith da i’r staff Wrecsam am gadw’r gêm yn addas i chwarae wedi’r tywydd a’r nifer o gemau’n ddiweddar). Mae’n bosib hwn oedd fy ngêm olaf yno’r tymor ‘ma, felly mae’n teimlo fel y penderfyniad cywir. Roedd y gêm ar ôl yn un bwysig i ennill, i greu bwlch rhwng Wrecsam a’r cystadleuwyr Milton Keynes, ond doedd dim byd hawdd am y her i ennill y pwyntiau. Mae Crawley yn ymladd i ymestyn eu tymor, yn dechrau’r diwrnod yn y safle ail-gyfle olaf, felly basai unrhyw fath o fuddugoliaeth yn ddigon da (tebyg i’r buddugoliaeth 1-0 oddi cartref).

  Falle dylwn i wedi bod yn fwy uchelgeisiol. Dechreuodd Crawley fel tîm llawn o hyder, yn gyfforddus ar y bêl, hapus i basio oddi wrth yr amddiffyn, ac yn ymestyn amddiffyn Wrecsam, ond heb drafferthu Arthur Okonkwo yn y gôl. Pan ddaeth y gôl agored i Wrecsam wedi 21 munud mi ddaeth o allan o nunlle, efo pêl hir yn dod o hyd y sgoriwr annhebygol Ryan Barnett ar y postyn pellach. Ymhen ddau funud daeth yr ail ar ôl symudiad gwych rhwng Barnett, Andy Cannon a, pwy arall, Paul Mullin. Roedd gweddill yr hanner yn gyfforddus i Wrecsam, a jyst cyn yr egwyl dylai Ollie Palmer wedi penio’r trydydd pan gallai’r gôl-geidwad dim ond gwylio’r pêl mynd heibio’r postyn. 

  Mae pobl yn dweud bod 2-0 yn fantais beryglus, ond dydy hynny ddim yn wir ar noson fel hyn. Roedd Crawley yn awyddus i barhau efo’r cynllun, a dw i wedi gweld timau gwaethach yn fy mywyd. Gwnaethon nhw orfodi dau arbediad gan Okonwko hefyd, un o bell, un arall pan frwydrodd Wrecsam i glirio’r bêl. Ond mae gan bawb cynllun tan iddyn nhw gael trawiad yn y geg. Daeth y trawiad efo 15 munud ar ôl, wedi’r cyflwyniad Steven Fletcher, pan wnaeth y gôl-geidwad llanast oddi wrth ergyd Elliot Lee i adael cyfle i Andy Cannon – dylai fo wedi gwneud yn well efo hynny hefyd. Roedd Paul Mullin yn gallu rhwbio halen yn y briw wedi 82 munud hefyd, wedi camddeall rhwng amddiffynnwr a’r gôl-geidwad i’w adael Mullin un yn erbyn un, i gyflawni buddugoliaeth hollbwysig. Os dych chi’n anwybyddu gôl yn amser ychwanegol gan Klaidi Lolos, ond wnaeth cefnogwyr Crawley ddim dathlu’r gôl chwaith!

  Ddylech chi byth yn dathlu tan i chi wedi gwneud yn siŵr o’r wobr, ond mae Wrecsam yn agos rŵan. Mae’n bosib sicrhau’r dyrchafiad dydd Sadwrn tasai Wrecsam yn ennill ac mae Milton Keynes yn methu, ond mae’r canlyniad heno’n teimlo fel croen banana wedi’i osgoi heb broblemau o gwbl. Dim angen i ymladd â’r cefnogwyr neu gyd-chwaraewyr!

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  A surprisingly fractious build up to this one with a couple of squabbles hid a huge opportunity to get most of the job done. Crawley were in great form and looked an accomplished side, but ultimately didn’t get a sniff once Wrexham hit the front. It’s hard enough against Paul Mullin without rolling the ball straight to him.

  9th Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, football, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Are You Experienced? Practical Lessons To Negotiate Welsh Football

  

  This season saw me bringing up the milestone of my 1000th football game attended, albeit it has been post-Covid that games in the Welsh system have started to dominate my time. To even know this figure indicates a certain type of personality, that of a regimented and hyper organised person right on top of things (and a total nerd). This is true to a point, but it’s amazing how carelessness and complacency can catch you out. Every day’s a school day, so here are the lessons learned in Welsh football in 2023/24, but probably forgotten all too soon.

  BEWARE FUSSY STEWARDS

  My children came to games a lot with me this season, and this means hyper preparation. I arrive at games with them with a backpack that makes me look like I’m scaling Everest rather than attending a sparsely attended football match in Wales. Snacks, phones, drinks in appropriate cups, ear defenders, whatever item they have decided they can’t live without today, and all the other things you need as an autism parent on the go. Naturally I slip an emergency bottle of Lowes lemonade in there because why wouldn’t you, one of the appeals of life down the leagues is being able to walk in unchallenged with your bag, when you get the Vaselined glove treatment for this in pro football. Therefore I was somewhat caught out at Connah’s Quay’s European tie at Park Hall when a couple of hired goons were there to check bags. They zoned straight in on my lemonade, insisted the bottle top had to go (blah blah blah missile policies) and I had to manage with it sloshing around. This makes me grind my teeth disproportionately despite the fact that it has been part of pro football’s killjoy policies for years. I have finally wised up and kept a loose bottle top in my jacket pocket for such eventualities. I also hesitate to say this seeing as the Racecourse stadium manager is such a nark but…on the way in there they check your bags but not your pockets, so if you want to avoid mega queues and high prices and sneak a drink in, slip it in there – at least until they start banning you for that.

  DON’T RUN YOUR MOUTH

  All Cymru North regulars will be fans or haters of the legendary Asa Hamilton. He’s a super player at that level, now trying his luck as player-manager of Buckley, but his behaviour is somewhat volatile, blowing a gasket at all and sundry, with a range and frequency of swearing that beggars belief. This is a topic of discussion at other clubs, I sat in front of a group of fans at Holywell who spent several minutes digging him out. I saw Buckley a few times this season but he saved his most volatile display for a home game against Airbus. He did his nut at a perceived slight and a group of people next to me were giggling. Me and one of the group looked at each other and I said “he can’t be enjoying doing this can he?” to which he replied “no…he’s my son”. Mercifully for me daddy Hamilton seems like an easy going guy and was happy to discuss his boy’s tendency to go off on one, while I thanked my lucky stars that I chose my words carefully. Asa came over to his dad after being subbed off and said “this ref’s a twat…he sent me off twice last season”. So maybe I’m not the only one with lessons to learn. I’m also mindful of what happened at Lex last season when someone in the stand criticised the referee harshly and was given a gobful by said referee’s mum.

  BE CAREFUL WHERE YOU PARK

  Denbigh 6 Buckley 5 was my game of the season. I hadn’t been there for a few years and ended up pouring through the turns via Nant y Garth pass on a filthy Friday night that positively screamed “a 45 year old man was pronounced dead at the scene”. But we made it with a few minutes to spare, and parked up in one of those bloody awful diagonal parking spaces opposite the ground, so bloody awful that it was a nuisance to back in due to the lack of space opposite. So I drove in forwards and forgot about it, especially as the game was such a classic. The 29 point turn that was required for me to get out again, including mounting the pavement repeatedly while trying not to hit the wall or any pedestrians, made me wonder if an 11 goal thriller was worth it, as did another driver going through Coedpoeth at 12mph. My trips to Flint were smoother, with parking planned with military precision, public transport in Wales being something you only take when you’re absolutely desperate.

  LIES MAKE BABY JESUS CRY

  The whole family got strong armed into going to Prestatyn v Buckley by way of having a seaside day out first. Somehow despite the best of plans it required some aggressive dad walking to get into the ground for kickoff, but we all made it. Managing a faster than usual walk, getting everyone to keep up with the speed, managing an aforementioned mega rucksack and a dog must have impaired my judgement. I had what I thought was the right money on me for all of us and then noticed that my now 12 year old daughter was subject to an entry fee of, gasp, £1. I don’t know what I was thinking but I decided to vibe it rather than muck about with bags, dog leads, wallets again and just whispered “she’s eleven, ok?”. The turnstile operator asked how old my daughter was and I answered with a breezy “eleven!” before my son, not noted for his listening skills said “NO SHE’S TWELVE” at the precise point that there seemed to be no other sound in the vicinity. Game recognises game, the turnstile operator winked and let us all in without paying the additional, oh god, ONE pound, and frankly it wasn’t worth the embarrassment. I bought more cans of Pepsi than I really wanted to make up for my sin as it’s important to pay alms, and decided not to do this again. Airbus took advantage of this by charging £4 as soon as you hit twelve but that’s on them and not me.

  DRESS FOR THE WEATHER YOU’VE GOT

  This really should be obvious, but the 2024 sight of women in Dryrobes with boyfriends in shorts shows that some people just aren’t listening. Plus who among us can’t say we have never picked our jackets based on the calendar rather than what is happening outside. Preparation preparation preparation. Yes you must check all three of your weather apps. Yes your coats must all have gloves in one pocket and a hat in another. You must not shy away from the bucket hat when it’s hot or you will BURN. Your umbrella must stand up to wind as well as rain (having my pathetic effort turned inside out by the wind at Chirk was a chastening experience). But if you like local football you must really think about shoes. Your Adidas Gazelles are all well and good on the terraces, but when you walk across the grassy area at Brymbo in October you will slide for several metres, and club volunteers might laugh at you (me). Ludicrously Brymbo was the venue where two boys, old enough to know better, decided to throw themselves around while shirtless and shoeless into every muddy patch they could find. This was much to my daughter’s hilarity until she discovered they had made the toilet unusable while cleaning themselves up in there. From the Premier League to Cymru Premier you can dress at Wrexham Trainer Revival, but lower than that you need Mountain Warehouse.

  DON’T GO TO GAMES HUNGRY

  My overwhelming memory of the years I watched Wrexham home and away was being hungry all the time. True sustenance on the road is harder, or more expensive, work than it ought to be. Footy scran has taken on a life of its own due to this, with pro clubs desperate to sell you a Katsu chicken curry and naan for £12. Maybe this is understandable for people who have travelled a long way but if you have stayed local there is no need to be taken in by this. The 2.30 or 3pm kickoff has many benefits but an underrated one means you have lunch before you leave home and tea when you get back. Anything else should be snacks only, something forgotten by clubs trying to sell you a gourmet burger for a tenner. Plus where I travel these days the experience is inconsistent. I went to Airbus aware of their slooooow food kiosk from the previous season, but decided I would fill a gap there during a game I thought would be quiet. I could have burst into tears when I saw that the kiosk had gone – how could I leave myself hungry again after those years of harsh lessons on the road? The club who gets what you need is Llangollen Town. Their £2 sausage, chips and curry sauce is the ultimate snack, enough to plug the gap, or merely eat it when you aren’t hungry, but it won’t ruin your dinner later. If you really must stuff your fat face then order two. But as you drop the leagues you’re in the lap of the gods. Some places only sell hot drinks and no cold. Some only have crisps and chocolate when you want something more substantial. Some do have substantial offerings but they are expensive. You have to take the pressure off the day by making food a bonus rather than necessary.

  LIFE’S BETTER WITH DOGS

  Amongst the victims of more professional setups in Welsh football are our four legged friends. Increasingly they are getting banned from grounds and this is sad – check the Non League Dogs social media and tell me they shouldn’t be there. But when I peppered the nearby Cymru North clubs to ask if dogs were welcome the only reply I got was a positive one from Prestatyn Town. We didn’t take our dog to Newtown but the match experience there was heightened by there being quite a few good boys around with their cute faces and friendly attitudes, even in the social club. But there is a responsibility required – I got home from Newtown and noticed that Aberystwyth Town announced that too many owners hadn’t picked up their dog’s mess, and now they were banned. Sometimes we don’t deserve nice things, but we must praise those clubs who still allow them. 

  HAVE A PLAN B

  This season has seen clubs sail pretty close to the wind with postponements. Games have been called off quite late at times and you need to be aware of who else is on and, more importantly, whose grounds are bulletproof. A possible trip to Llansantffraid bit the dust and good old reliable Airbus and their 4G pitch stepped into the breach. If you’re still banging on about “plastic” in this day and age, hankering back to bobbly, muddy surfaces and knowing how easily games get postponed, you are not just a dinosaur but a maniac. Sometimes it’s best just to play safe; I had intended to cross the border to Whitchurch despite rain on and off. They said game on at 10am, I checked social media about fifty times and when 2pm came I headed there. This despite noticing Ruthin announcing their team just after half 1, the possibility that I could go there instead, and a sense of foreboding I just couldn’t shift. I arrived in Whitchurch, checked my phone…the game was called off at 2:06 with no previous communication of changing weather, a pitch inspection or anything else – unforgivable. I had to settle for the second half at Chirk while I seethed, knowing I should have listened to my heart instead of being rigid with the plan.

  ANY OTHER BUSINESS

  Give yourself time on the roads – there’s always a chance of being stuck behind a tractor. Make sure you have some cash, who knows just who and where will accept your card. Support match day programmes because they are dying out. Support social clubs too, I heartily recommend Penycae and Brickfield for setting these up at Tier 3 grounds when others at that level are basically just parks with a 100 seat stand plonked next to them. Two pints is the optimum pre-match beer amount, you’ll feel more unsatisfied with one than none and three means a session is underway (plus beer bladder). Don’t go to games at The Rock unless you’re a scab. If your child gets into Sum 41 during the season, let them have their music either there or back but not both, or you’ll go mad. If you find yourself at a Wales game you need to have practised your singing – the “i’r bur hoff bau” bit of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is really hard to reach. Most of all, amongst Welsh football’s many crises don’t let them stop you from going to the game – you let pro clubs get away with murder so apply the same grace to clubs who just want a few of your pounds and we’ll have a stronger domestic setup.

  7th Ebrill 2024

  English

  football, soccer, sports, wales

• Cymru 4 Croatia 0 5/4/2024

  

  Ar ôl y siom o’r dynion yn methu cynhwyso Ewro 2024, dyn ni’n dibynnu ar y tîm merched i droi pethau o gwmpas a chyrraedd eu pencampwriaeth gyntaf erioed. Mae’r FAW wedi dewis y Cae Ras fel y lleoliad i gychwyn eu hymgyrch rhagbrofol Ewro 2025 (yn cael ei gynnal yn Y Swistir). Mae’r system ragbrofol yn fwy cymhleth nag arfer – mae tair haen ac yn Lefel A bydd dau dîm yn cymhwyso’n uniongyrchol o bob grŵp. Yn anffodus mae Cymru’n chwarae yn Lefel B, felly hyd yn oed tasai Cymru’n ennill eu grŵp bydd angen i chwarae yn ddau rownd o gemau ail-gyfle i gyrraedd y bencampwriaeth. Mae’n i weld i mi fel system i benderfynu pwy sy’n chwarae heb gymaint o drafferth i’r gewri, a dw i ddim yn cytuno â dulliau fel hyn. Ond bydd Cymru’n rhan o’r gemau ail-gyfle beth bynnag tasen nhw’n osgoi’r safle gwaelod – basech chi’n gobeithio bydd hi’n bosib heb drafferth.

  Mae’r tîm wedi wynebu heriau annisgwyl yn ddiweddar. Enillon nhw ddim ond un pwynt yn eu hymgyrch cyntaf yn y Gynghrair Genhedloedd Lefel A (canlyniad da iawn i gyfartalu 0-0 yn erbyn Yr Almaen) felly bydd y tîm yn chwarae yn Lefel B y tro nesa. Ond roedd syndod i weld y rheolwr Gemma Grainger yn ymddiswyddo a chymryd y swydd fel rheolwr Norwy. Gwnaeth hi swydd dda – roedd y tîm yn anffodus i golli allan o’r Cwpan y Byd – ond teimlodd llawer o bobl bod daeth y tîm yn ddiflas. Doedd y tîm ddim yn gyffrous i wylio ac roedd synnwyr bod hi’n rhy anodd i gael cyfle i chwarae tasech chi’n allan o’r tîm. Falle mae’r swydd Norwy wedi bod y canlyniad gorau i Grainger a’r tîm Cymru ar yr un pryd.

  Rhian Wilkinson ydy’r rheolwr newydd. Mae hi’n chwaraewr profiadol iawn efo 181  o gapiau Canada (mae ei henw hi’n dod o’i fam Cymraes! Hefyd treuliodd hi amser yn Y Bont-faen fel plentyn). Mae hi wedi gweithio fel cynorthwywr i’r timau Lloegr a Phrydain Gemau Olympaidd, a’i swydd olaf oedd fel rheolwr Portland Thorns, yn ennill y bencampwriaeth NWSL yn 2022. Ond roedd rhaid iddi hi adael y swydd pan ofynnodd y chwaraewyr am ei ymddiswyddiad wedi’r llwyddiant. Mae’n ddiddorol i apwyntio rhywun ar ôl sefyllfa ddadleuol, yn enwedig ar ôl beth ddigwyddodd i Ryan Giggs fel rheolwr o’r tîm dynion cenedlaethol. Ond mi gaeth hi ei chlirio o gamymddwyn, a dw i ddim yn siŵr dylen ni gymharu’r ddwy sefyllfa. Allai Cymru ddim denu rhywun efo ei CV mewn amgylchiadau arferol yn fy marn i – gobeithio mae hi’n gallu ail-adeiladu ei gyrfa yma. 

  Fy ngêm merched erioed oedd y gêm gyfeillgar rhwng Cymru ac Estonia yn y Cae Ras dim ond un wythnos cyn y cyfnod clo cyntaf yn 2020 (felly’r gôl gan Nadia Lawrence oedd fy ngôl olaf wedi’i gweld am chwe mis). Dw i wedi disgwyl y tîm i ddychwelyd yn gynharach na hyn achos roedd cyhoeddiad am gêm merched Cymru yn y Cae Ras ym mis Mawrth 2023…ond doedd hi ddim yn digwydd heb esboniad. Roedd achlust am CPD Wrecsam yn gwrthod y gêm i ddiogelu’r cae ond mae dyletswydd efo’r clwb i gynnal gemau fel hyn yng Ngogledd Cymru. Roedd 2000 o bobl yn mynychu’r gêm yn 2020 yn chwarae £5, ar ôl daeth 1000 i wylio’r gêm merched rhyngwladol yn Wrecsam yn erbyn Israel yn 2012, efo mynediad am ddim. Felly mae’r dorf o 4100 yn talu £10 i weld y gêm ‘ma yn dangos gwelliant, gobeithio mae’r FAW yn cytuno ac yn dod â’r tîm yn ôl i Wrecsam eto cyn bo hir (bydd y gemau eraill yn y grŵp yn digwydd yn Llanelli).

  Croatia oedd yr ymwelwyr i brofi Rhian Wilkinson yn ei gêm gyntaf. Achos byddan nhw yn Lefel B yn y Gynghrair Genhedloedd nesa, ac yn ddiweddar maen nhw wedi stryglo sgorio’n aml (tebyg i Gymru), ro’n i’n disgwyl gêm gystadleuol a’r amddiffynwyr yn dominyddu. Ond yn yr hanner cyntaf mi gaeth Croatia lawer o gyfleoedd i ymarfer amddiffyn. Dechreuodd Cymru’n gyflym, un y pum munud agored roedd Angharad James yn agos o flaen y gôl, un ergyd heibio’r postyn gan Rachel Rowe, cyn i Rowe yn dod o hyd Jess Fishlock yn ofod i rolio’r gôl gyntaf heibio’r gôl-geidwad. Roedd hi’n anodd i orfodi gymaint o arbediadau am weddill yr hanner ond roedd Cymru’n amyneddgar ac yn dominyddu’r meddiant, efo Rowe ac Ella Powell yn beryglus ar y dde. Falle gallai Elise Hughes yn well efo peniad cyn yr egwyl, ond roedd Cymru’n gyfforddus, wrth Croatia’n stryglo dianc eu hanner.

  Daeth Ffion Morgan ar y cae am yr ail hanner yn lle Powell (anffodus iddi hi) a gwnaeth Cymru’r niwed ymhen deg munud. Sgoriodd Fishlock yr ail hefyd ar ôl iddi hi ddilyn ei hergyd ei hun oddi ar y trawst i benio yn y gôl wag, ac un munud yn ddiweddar sgoriodd Rowe wedi symudiad cyflym i goroni perfformiad werth seren y gêm. Daeth y pedwerydd cyn bo hir ar ôl i James siglo at y postyn pellach i orffen wedi pas hir. Doedd dim byd i wneud i’r ymwelwyr heblaw gobeithio am drugaredd – a gwneud trosedd neu ddau. Roedd Cymru’n fodlon i reoli gweddill y gêm a gwneud eilyddion. Roedd  perfformiad bywiog Ceri Holland yn nodedig oddi ar y fainc, ac roedd hi’n anffodus i weld ergyd o bell yn taro’r trawst. Doedd dim ymateb ymosodol o Croatia o gwbl, ond Gemma Evans oedd yn effeithiol i dorri unrhyw gwrthymosod. Felly buddugoliaeth hawdd i gychwyn cyfnod ac ymgyrch newydd i Gymru.

  Mae’r wythnos yng Ngogledd Cymru wedi bod yn bositif i’r tîm, efo’r ffocws ar ferched lleol Elise Hughes a Rhiannon Roberts, cyfle i dimau merched lleol i wylio’r tîm yn ymarfer, a buddugoliaeth o flaen torf annogol. Bydd y tîm yn gobeithio i ennill eto ar ddydd Mawrth yn Kosovo, sydd wedi colli yn erbyn Wcráin i gychwyn. Dewch yn ôl i Wrecsam cyn bo hir merched!

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  Women’s national team crowds continue to move in the right direction. Wales’ performance was an almost perfect mix of dominating the ball and taking chances when on top. Hopefully this is the right job for Rhian Wilkinson to rebuild her career.

  5th Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Y Waun 1 Porthmadog 1 1/4/2024

  

  Ro’n i’n gobeithio am siwrne dros y ffin i dreulio amser cyn i mi ddychwelyd i’r gwaith ar ôl wythnos i ffwrdd. Does dim byd yn well i anghofio’r teimladau o boeni am beth sy’n aros ymhlith fy e-byst. Mi ges i ddewisiadau oherwydd rhestr lawn o gemau yn Cymru North a llond llaw yn y gynghrair Gogledd Dwyrain Cymru hefyd. Ond mae Whitchurch Alport yn un o fy hoff lleoedd i fynd. Mi es i yno’n union flwyddyn yn ôl, cyd-digwyddiad bach ( https://taithpeldroed.wordpress.com/2023/04/01/whitchurch-alport-2-walsall-wood-1-1-4-2023/ ) ond baswn i’n hapus i fynd yno’n amlach – yn yr erthygl blaenorol trafodais i’r cyfleusterau wych yno, gan gynnwys rhywbeth prin yng Nghymru, terasiad dan do. Ond am unwaith ro’n i eisiau gwneud rhywbeth gwahanol na pori drwy’r problemau yn pêl-droed Cymreig, ond yn mwynhau rhywbeth arall yn ei lle!

  Dylai’r gêm heddiw wedi digwydd yn y Midland League, pum dyrchafiad o’r EFL. Mae’r lleoliad yn apelio i mi ond do’n i ddim yn siŵr am ddisgwyl gymaint o ddrama ar y cae. Doedd y ddau dîm yn mynd i fyny neu i lawr eleni, ac hyd yn oed mae cyfrif Facebook Alport wedi disgrifio’r ymwelwyr Shifnal fel cymdogion, dw i ddim siŵr mae hynny’n wir. Felly ro’n i’n dibynnu ar y gêm ei hun i ddarparu’r adloniant heb destun pwysicach. Falle dylwn i fod yn ddiolchgar am hynny, does dim byd yn fwy dramatig na’r gêm yma yn 2020 pan gyhoeddodd yr arweinwyr Prydeinig yr ail gyfnod clo tra i mi wylio Whitchurch v Skelmersdale yn y glaw…

  Ond daeth y ddrama o rywle arall. Roedd y dydd yn wlyb weithiau, a sylwais i bobl yn gwneud sylwadau am y perygl o’r gêm yn cael ei ohirio. Roedd sylwadau yn y bore yn dweud bod y gêm yn mynd ymlaen, a dim byd arall…cyn i mi gyrraedd Whitchurch a sylwi post gan y clwb o 2:06yh yn ymddiheuro am na fydd y gêm ymlaen. Mae clybiau’n dibynnu ar wirfoddolwyr, ac mae’n gwneud synnwyr i drio cyflawni gemau ym mis Ebrill. Ond dydy o ddim yn dderbyniol i fethu dweud unrhywbeth o gwbl am arolygiad y cae tan i’r dyfarnwr ohirio’r gêm yn hwyr. Basai cyhoeddiad am y peth fod wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth i mi, hyd yn oed am 1:30 neu 2:00. Roedd y clwb yn amddiffynnol ar gyfrwng cymdeithasol ond dylen nhw wedi cyfathrebu’n well.

  Felly gadawais i’r maes parcio – ar ôl i mi dalu! – yn trio achub y diwrnod. Gwybodais i gallwn i gyrraedd Y Waun i wylio’r ail hanner o’r gêm Cymru North yno. Do’n i ddim yn disgwyl gymaint o ddrama yno chwaith. Bydd Y Waun yn cwympo beth bynnag, ond ers y cadarnhad o’r cwymp maen nhw wedi ennill dwywaith allan o dri a gyfartalu’r llall – ble roedd y cyflwr ‘na’n gynharach! Ond mae’r ymwelwyr Porthmadog yn gwynebu sefyllfa’n fwy ansicr na hynny. Roedd angen i gael pwynt o leia i aros i fyny ar y cae, ond dydy pethau ddim yn syml yn Gymru. Mae Prestatyn yn aros am benderfyniad o’r cosb am ddewis chwaraewr anghymwys, ac yn sefyll yn y safle uwchben Porthmadog! Mae pobl wedi cael digon o’r sefylfeydd oddi ar y cae yn dylanwadu’r canlyniadau ond mae’n digwydd eto ac eto ac eto.

  Cyrhaeddais i mewn pryd i weld amser ychwanegol yn yr hanner cyntaf. Roedd Y Waun ar y blaen yn barod, efo gôl sgoriwyd gan Rhys Edwards, chwaraewr sy’n gwisgo gwallt addas i Twisted Sister (does dim digon o bethau fel hyn yn bêl-droed). Ond yn yr ail hanner aeth y traffig dim ond un ffordd, o blaid Porthmadog. Aeth asgellwyr Porthmadog heibio chwaraewyr Y Waun yn haws yn aml, ac aeth y gôl i unioni cyn bo hir, gorffeniad syml gan Rhys Williams (Rhys is the word!). Mi ddaeth Borthmadog yn ôl eto ac eto ond rhywsut arhosodd Y Waun yn y gêm. Dylai Porthmadog wedi sgorio â foli efo amser a gofod, ac roedd ciciau rhydd a chiciau cornel i greu trafferth. Hefyd roedd dau arbediad campus gan Jack Edwards, gôl-geidwad newydd o’r Seintiau Newydd, un oddi ar y trawst. Derbynnodd o (a’r amddiffynnwr Jake Ellison) gerdyn melyn am wastraffu amser, i ddangos ble roedd y gêm yn mynd. Ond rhywsut gallai’r Waun wedi cipio’r fuddugoliaeth, ar ôl iddyn nhw daro’r postyn wedi gwyriad yn ystod ymosod prin. Yn y diwedd roedd angen i’r ymwelwyr setlo am ddim ond un pwynt. Digon i gael cyfle i aros i fyny ar y cae ond bydd rhaid iddyn nhw chwarae yn erbyn Treffynnon, felly maen nhw angen ffafr o’r FAW – rhywbeth eitha cyffredin beth bynnag!

  Yn y diwedd mi ges i rywbeth allan o ddiwrnod anodd, gan gynnwys digon o gyfleoedd i ennill dwy gêm. Dw i ddim yn gwybod pryd dw i’n mynd i Whitchurch eto, ond bydd rhaid iddo fo ddydd sych iawn i ystyried y peth eto.

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  If you’re having a pitch inspection it really is a minimum standard to actually tell people that it’s happening. Chirk had to grimly hang on in a second half where it all went Porthmadog’s way, although somehow they could also have won. We are in yet another situation where we are waiting for points deductions to influence where teams finish.

  1st Ebrill 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, dim-categori, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Wrecsam 2 Mansfield 0 29/3/2024

  

  Dyn ni’n agosáu’r rhan hollbwysig o’r tymor ym mhob cynghrair. Mae’n enwedig yn wir yn League 2 ar hyn o bryd, efo chwe dîm yn brwydro i gael un o’r tri safle dyrchafiad awtomatig. Heddiw oedd un bwysig i Wrecsam hefyd, efo Mansfield yn dod ar frig y tabl, ac mae’r timau eraill yn chwarae gemau basech chi’n disgwyl eu bod nhw i ennill. Yn sydyn mae cyflwr Wrecsam yn edrych yn rhyfedd, efo cymysg o ganlyniadau gartre Ras gan gynnwys colledion yn erbyn Tranmere a Bradford, ond dim ond un golled oddi cartref allan o chwech. Heddiw oedd y cyfle perffaith i ail-adeiladu hyder er her enfawr i wneud hynny.

  Cyn y gêm roedd llawer o drafodaeth am y sefyllfa ariannol oherwydd cyhoeddiad y cyfrifon 2022/23. Mae’r clwb wedi colli £5 miliwn o bunnau dros y tymor, yn gadael dyled o £9 miliwn i’r perchnogion. Dyma rywbeth gwerthfawr i drafod. Dw i’n gallu cofio’n glir sut mae Ryan Reynolds wedi dweud bod na fydd angen i fuddsoddi efo dyled ar ôl iddo fo dderbyn cwestiwn uniongyrchol am y peth yn ystod eu cyflwyniad i’r aelodau WST yn 2020. Doed dim byd annisgwyl am fenthyg arian i glybiau fel perchennog, ond dwedodd o’r peth gwrthwyneb ar y pryd, a ddylen ni ddim yn anghofio hwn. Dw i ddim yn disgwyl gymaint o risg i’r clwb achos mae’r clwb wedi bod yn llwyddiannus ar y cae ac oddi ar y cae. Ond dw i ddim siŵr dylai perchnogion yn llwytho’r risg i gyd ar y clwb a diogelu eu hunain – mae’n iawn i Wrecsam, ond yn fentrus i glybiau eraill. Gallwn i dderbyn y ffaith os roedd y perchnogion yn onest ar y pryd, hyd yn oed heb gytuno a’r ymdrin, ond dw i ddim siŵr pam neb yn siarad am y clwb yn torri addewidion.

  Erbyn tri o’r gloch, doedd neb yn poeni am faterion oddi ar y cae, heblaw’r cymysg o amodau tywydd, weithiau daeth y gwanwyn, weithiau glaw drwm. Roedd hi’n anodd i ymdopi’n gynnar, a doedd yr hanner cyntaf yn glasur. Dylai Elliot Lee yn mynd ar ben ei hun i Wrecsam, ac roedd Wrecsam yn lwcus i osgoi cosb ar ôl iddyn nhw greu eu problemau eu hunain. Ond pan aeth y cyfle cyntaf, mi aeth o i Wrecsam, wedi pas wych o’r amddiffyn gan Max Cleworth i ddod o hyd Andy Cannon, i groesi at Paul Mullin, a dydy o ddim yn methu yno. Aeth y gôl allan o nunlle i ddweud y gwir, ac heblaw un ergyd gan Mansfield drwy’r cyrff heibio’r postyn doedd dim digwyddiadau eraill. Nid adloniant i’r cynulleidfa ar Sky ond dim cwyniant i’r dîm Phil Parkinson, yn enwedig oherwydd gêm tawel Davis Keillor-Dunn, cyn-chwaraewr Wrecsam.

  Gwelon ni ddechrau positif gan Wrecsam wedi’r egwyl ond trododd y gêm mewn cyfnod lwcus iddyn nhw. Daeth Arthur Okonkwo i ymyl y cwrt cosbi i gasglu’r pêl, ond cipiodd Keillor-Dunn y pêl i ergydio i’r gôl wag, ond penderfynodd y dyfarnwr fod trosedd ar y gôl-geidwad. Tipyn bach yn feddal yn fy marn i ond doedd neb yn dadlau â’r dyfarnwr. Cyn bo hir, aeth Wrecsam i fyny’r cae, ac er rhai pasiau llac roedd digon o berygl i ddenu trosedd ar Luke Bolton yn y cwrt cosbi. Roedd y cic o’r smotyn gan Mullin yn agos i’r gôl-geidwad ond yn bwerus i’r to’r rhwyd. Roedd 25 munud ar ôl ond doedd dim lot o gred gan yr ymwelwyr; gadawodd Keillor-Dunn i gyflwyno chwaraewyr uniongyrchol, ond roedd gôl arall Wrecsam yn fwy tebygol. Yn y diwedd roedd dwy gôl yn ddigon heb gymaint o bryder…heblaw am y glaw.

  Diwrnod llwyddiannus i Wrecsam, efo Mullin yn edrych yn hyderus eto, a pherfformiadau da iawn gan Andy Cannon yng nghanol cae a Luke Bolton ar y dde. Mae Crewe wedi cael gêm ddi-sgôr felly mae’r gemau ail-gyfle’n edrych yn debygol iddyn nhw, ond mae’r pump eraill yn dal yn cystadlu am y pencampwriaeth. Ymddangosodd enfys ar y chwiban olaf, falle bydd aur ar ei ben i Wrecsam cyn bo hir. Dyn ni’n gallu anghofio am y dyled os mae hynny’n wir.

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  Pre-match chat about debt is soon forgotten when the ball comes out. Mansfield were ultimately kept quiet with Davis Keillor-Dunn having a quiet, but unlucky, return. Paul Mullin looks like he has his confidence back.

  29th Mawrth 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, wales, welsh, welsh-language

• Wrecsam Merched 2 Abertawe 3 24/3/2024

  

  Dw i heb ddweud hwn gynt ond dw i ddim yn hoffi gemau ar ddydd Sul. Yn fy marn i, dylech chi dreulio dydd Sul yn cerdded o gwmpas y sŵ, neu balu ar y traeth, neu fwyta cacen mewn caffi Ymddiriedaeth Genedlaethol, neu ddelio efo eich pen mawr. Fel ffan rygbi gynghrair, rhaid i chi ddod i arfer gemau ar ddydd Sul ond mae’n wastad yn teimlo fel dylech chi fod rhywle arall – roedd fy nheulu yn y fferm hufen iâ Cheshire yn y bore cyn y gêm ‘ma. Ond mae’r gêm merched yn gyffredinol wedi setlo ar ddydd Sul, ac mae’n gwneud synnwyr. Mae angen i rannu cyfleusterau efo’r gêm dynion a denu sylw pan nad ydyn nhw’n chwarae. Heddiw, roedd gêm cyffrous i’r tîm merched Wrecsam hefyd. Roedd gêm lwyddiannus iawn ganddyn nhw’r llynedd pan ddaeth dros 9000 o bobl i wylio eu gêm yn erbyn Cei Connah ( https://taithpeldroed.wordpress.com/2023/03/26/wrecsam-merched-2-cei-conna-1-26-3-2023/ ). Dw i wedi cael llawer o bethau i ddweud am y penderfyniad i chwarae yn y Graig y tymor ‘ma felly doedd dim angen i ail-adrodd. Felly, teimlais i fel y gêm yn erbyn Abertawe yn y Cae Ras oedd yn bwysig i gefnogi am sawl rheswm, i ddangos dylai’r tîm yn dychwelyd yn amlach, ac achos mae’r tîm yn haeddiannol o’r achlysur wedi tymor llwyddiannus, beth bynnag sy’n digwydd am weddill y tymor.

  Mae’r tîm merched wedi cyrraedd y rownd derfynol Cwpan Cymru yn Rodney Parade, Casnewydd oherwydd buddugoliaeth yn erbyn Y Seintiau Newydd ( https://taithpeldroed.wordpress.com/2024/03/03/wrecsam-merched-1-y-seintiau-newydd-0-3-3-2024/  ). Mae rhai pobl wedi cwyno am y lleoliad ond dylen nhw chwarae eu gemau mwyaf mewn stadiwms fwy. Ond mae’n amlwg bod y gêm yn gorffen am 8yh ar nos Sul yn anghyfleus, a dydy’r tocynnau £91 am drên i Gasnewydd ddim yn apelio (fydd bws i gefnogwyr? Dylai un yn sicr). Felly, mae’r cyfle i chwarae yn y Cae Ras yn bwysicach eto achos hwn oedd y cyfle gorau i longyfarch y tîm am eu gwaith anhygoel y tymor ‘ma. Hefyd, roedd angen i gyfnerthu’r tîm wedi cychwyn anodd yn y gynghrair ar ôl yr hollt. Dechreuodd Wrecsam efo colled 3-2 yn Abertawe, y perfformiad gorau yn erbyn y gawresau De Cymru ers gêm gyntaf y tymor (hefyd yn erbyn Abertawe). Ond daeth Wrecsam i’r gêm yn y Cae Ras ar ôl golled 6-1 yn erbyn Caerdydd. Doedd y gêm ddim yn adlewyrchu’r perfformiad gan Wrecsam yn ôl y bobl yno i wylio, a Gemma Owen o’r clwb, ond mae Wrecsam wedi colli pedwar allan o bedwar yn drwm yn erbyn y pencampwyr (sgôr cyfanswm 15-2 i Gaerdydd hyd yn hyn, efo dwy gêm i fynd, gan gynnwys y gêm derfynol Cwpan Cymru). Ro’n ni’n gobeithio am adwaith o flaen llwyfan mwy yn y Cae Ras.

  Abertawe oedd yr ymwelwyr i’r Cae Ras, felly doedd dim cyfle hawdd i ail-adeiladu hyder. Mae Caerdydd yn dal y ffefrynnau i ennill y gynghrair, ond oherwydd eu buddugoliaeth yn erbyn y pencampwyr cyn yr hollt, mae gan Abertawe gyfle bach i gipio’r bencampwriaeth. Bydd rhaid iddyn nhw ennill y ddwy gêm ar ôl yn erbyn Caerdydd, ond mae cyfle bach yn dal yn gyfle, ac yn ystod y gêm olaf yn erbyn Wrecsam, dangoson nhw pa mor beryglus eu bod nhw’n gallu bod. Y gêm yn Llandarcy oedd y sioe Katy Hosford, yn creu perygl di-baid ar y chwith a sgorio dwywaith. Mae Stacey John-Davis yn un o’r chwaraewyr mwyaf talentog yn y gynghrair hefyd, felly roedd angen i Wrecsam osgoi creu eu trafferth eu hunain fel yr wythnos flaenorol. Bydd Abertawe yn wynebu Caerdydd unwaith eto yn y Tlws Adran hefyd, felly roedd y gêm yn un heriol iawn yn erbyn tîm yn dal yn cystadlu am wobrau ac yn edrych defnyddio’r gêm yn Wrecsam fel carreg sarn i’r gemau yn erbyn eu cydymgeiswyr mwyaf.

  Roedd llawer o bethau annisgwyl, gan gynnwys prynhawn heulog yn y Paddock, fy nhro cyntaf yno am flynyddoedd. Mi ddaeth Abertawe heb John-Davis, a dechreuodd Wrecsam efo tair yn amddiffyn, Carra Jones fel wing-back a Brooke Cairns yn cefnogi Rosie Hughes. Roedd y ddau dîm yn ymosod o’r cychwyn. Roedd Keren Allen yn lwcus i ennill trosedd i beidio Robyn Pinder o’r cyfle yn erbyn gôl-geidwad Del Morgan, ond roedd gyfleoedd i Cairns hefyd, un heibio’r postyn ac un arall dros y drawst, ac roedd angen i glirio oddi ar y llinell gan Abertawe. Daeth y gôl cyntaf allan o nunlle, sylwodd Lili Jones y gôl-geidwad Chelsea Herbert oddi ar ei llinell, a churodd lob i fanteisio – gôl gampus! Basai pethau wedi bod yn ddiddorol os mae Wrecsam wedi cyrraedd yr egwyl efo’r fantais, ond ymhen saith munud ennillodd Abertawe cic o’r smotyn wedi camgymeriad gan Allen – hanner anodd iawn iddi hi. Sgoriodd Robyn Pinder i unioni er lawer o waith caled gan y ddau dîm.

  Yn syth ar ôl yr ail-gychwyn gwelon ni’r un lefel o ddwyster. Ymhen eiliadau caeth Cairns gyfle wych un yn erbyn un, ond cymerodd hi ormod o amser i ergydio. Basai hi wedi bod yn haeddiannus o gôl o berfformiad seren y gêm, yn fy marn i. Basai Wrecsam yn difaru’r methiant; ar ôl iddyn nhw glirio cic cornel, defnyddiodd Monet Legall yr ysbryd o Tony Yeboah i sgorio oddi ar y bar – gôl wych arall. Ond roedd Wrecsam yn benderfynol i ddal ati, er berygl gwrthymosod Abertawe, efo’r angen tacl wych gan Allen i beidio Hosford, ac arbediad ar y postyn agosach gan Del Morgan. Pan ddaeth y gôl i unioni gan Rosie Hughes, hwn oedd yn haeddiannus, efo’r eilydd Annie Small yn gwneud gwahaniaeth. Sgoriodd Hughes efo peniad wedi croesiad da gan Carra Jones i greu sŵn uchel o’r cefnogwyr. Ond mae pêl-droed yn creulon. Yn amser ychwanegol tarodd TJ Dickens (eilydd arall) y postyn o’r cic cornel ond ymhen un munud aeth Abertawe i fyny, daeth croesiad i mewn y cwrt cosbi gan Ellie Lake, heibio pawb i ddod o hyd y rhwyd. Roedd y dathliadau’n wyllt, gwybododd Abertawe bod y buddugoliaeth yn anodd, ond maen nhw’n dal yn ddi-guro yn erbyn Wrecsam y tymor ‘ma.

  Yn y diwedd roedd yr achlysur yn llwyddiannus. Roedd  y canlyniad yn siomedig er berfformiad annogol gan Wrecsam; hwn oedd y tro cyntaf teimlais i fel dylai Wrecsam wedi ennill allan o’r wyth gêm hyd yn hyn yn erbyn Abertawe a Chaerdydd. Rhaid i mi gyfaddef am obeithio gweld torf mwy i’w wylio. Ar yr un llaw, falle ddylwn i ddim bod wedi bod yn disgwyl rhywbeth i herio’r 9000 o’r llynedd, hwn oedd “mellt mewn potel” (ymddiheuriadau am yr idiom Saesneg! Dim syniad os mae’n cyfieithu neu beidio). Hefyd, mae’r tîm wedi cael ei dorf uchaf y tymor ‘ma o 700 cyn heddiw, ac wedi setlo i 300-350 yn ddiweddar, felly denu 2008 i’r Cae Ras yn dda mewn cynghrair hanner proffesiynol – dw i wedi gwylio’r dynion o flaen torf llai yn y 21ain ganrif. Ond ar y llaw arall dw i’n teimlo fel gallai’r clwb wedi gwneud mwy i ddenu mwy. Mi gaeth y gêm yn erbyn Cei Connah y cyfle i adeiladu tocynnau wedi’u gwerthu dros sawl wythnos, ac roedd llai o rybudd am y gêm ‘ma. Hefyd, doedd dim sôn am y gêm ar unrhyw o’r negeseuon e-bost wythnosol o’r clwb. Ond dyn ni wedi gweld yn union pam dylai’r tîm merched yn dychwelyd yn amlach yn fy marn i – gobeithio y tro nesa fel ennillwyr y cwpan? Bydd yr her nesa yn perfformio fel hyn yn erbyn y pencampwyr.

  SUMMARY SAESNEG

  I still feel like I should be somewhere else when I’m at a game on a Sunday. This was the first game where I felt like Wrexham should have beaten one of the South Wales big two. The occasion was successful but it feels like it could have been more so.

  24th Mawrth 2024

  Cymraeg

  Cymraeg, cymru, wales, welsh, welsh-language