It's the opening day of the season and I am not sure whether we actually had a break !!!
Away at Bryntirion Athletic today with a young and exciting side which has had a good pre-season and will be looking forward to giving one of the league's most consistent teams a good game in Bridgend today. The sun is shining and if only it could stay like this for the rest of the season !!!!
Kick Off is at 2:30pm so we hope everyone makes the journey up to support the lads as we start our season, as usual, on our travels.
Meanwhile, and at the new ground in Parc Ynysderw, the reserves / neath league squad have a tough home friendly against Swansea Senior league outfit Ragged School. The youth then start their pre-season against Dinas Powys on Sunday.
The whole debacle with the Neath League seems to have ended now as we have no option to appeal any higher than we have done so have to accept that we will now be in Division One. The target must now be to win the Division and do well in the cups as we have put together a good bunch of lads who have a blend of youth and experience.
The New Ground has been great but we are still chasing Neath & Port Talbot and Celtic Community Leisure for the lease or letter granting us the lease ... without that we cannot get the grants we need to build the ground to Welsh League standard ... every day I am being asked why does it take so long .... the answer is I don't know !!!!! ... Can you help to speed this up ? ... Welsh League Football may not be important to the Council but it is to the players, supporters, managers and coaches of Pontardawe Town.
Well off to pack the car full of black tape for black socks (new rule that tape must be colour of socks!) and so pleased we don't play in pink !!!
Good luck to all teams this season and look forward to meeting everyone on the journey.
Saturday, 11 August 2012
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Hope Feels No Pressure ....
"Team GB coach Hope Powell has defended her
decision to name a squad dominated by England players for London
2012. Two Scots - Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke - are
the only non-English among the 18 selected for the Games, with Wales and
Northern Ireland not represented."
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2164995/London-2012-Olympics-Team-GB-womens-football-squad-announced.html#ixzz1yvSecGPG
Well doesn't that just sum up the the way the GB Olympics and let's face it Mr Beckham couldn't have made it more plainly clear when he was asked would he like to play for the GB men's team he responded by saying he always loves playing for England !!!!
16 out of the 18 players in the GB Women's Football Squad are English and they have the English manager. So no room for the Wales players who recently beat the Republic of Ireland (Away) and Israel (Home) and who I saw put in a great performance at Tynecastle against Scotland. No room for Wales captain Jess Fishlock, Gwennan Harris (who spoke so well on the BBC tonight) and Pontardawe Town's very own Loren Dykes.
Is their ommission down solely to the English Manager or do the FAW have to take some of the blame for this? ....
What really stinks is that the Welsh public will no doubt be accused of not supporting the events when the GB Women's team plays at the Millenium Stadium despite no-one from the Welsh squad involved.
I certainly won't be there ... I'll be supporting Sweden !!!
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2164995/London-2012-Olympics-Team-GB-womens-football-squad-announced.html#ixzz1yvSecGPG
Well doesn't that just sum up the the way the GB Olympics and let's face it Mr Beckham couldn't have made it more plainly clear when he was asked would he like to play for the GB men's team he responded by saying he always loves playing for England !!!!
16 out of the 18 players in the GB Women's Football Squad are English and they have the English manager. So no room for the Wales players who recently beat the Republic of Ireland (Away) and Israel (Home) and who I saw put in a great performance at Tynecastle against Scotland. No room for Wales captain Jess Fishlock, Gwennan Harris (who spoke so well on the BBC tonight) and Pontardawe Town's very own Loren Dykes.
Is their ommission down solely to the English Manager or do the FAW have to take some of the blame for this? ....
What really stinks is that the Welsh public will no doubt be accused of not supporting the events when the GB Women's team plays at the Millenium Stadium despite no-one from the Welsh squad involved.
I certainly won't be there ... I'll be supporting Sweden !!!
Sunday, 24 June 2012
And They're Off
The 2012/2013 Season is here and things are now ramping up as we have almost confirmed our pre-season friendlies, had our presentation evenings and submitted our cup and league registrations.
I am pleased to be on the new committe member of the West Wales Youth League which is a West Wales version of the SWFA Under 18s league which, of course, we won last season. Dan Thomas has stepped down as coach and we are welcoming interest for new coaches and new players ... it should be a good season ahead again for the Youth.
At the League AGM yesterday I was presented with the Youth West and Reserve West plaques which was a first for me and it was nice to represent the club at the meeting. The draw was also made for the League Cup and we were drawn at home to Abertillery Bluebirds.
The season;s preliminary fixtures were also released and we kick off at Bryntirion Athletic on Saturday 11th before a midweek trek to Haverfordwest County followed by a trip to AFC Porth. Our first home game for the First team is the Cup game and the first home league game is against Ton Pentre a week later.
Friday night's presentation was an excellent night, as were the Junior and Ladies presentation nights. The front of the stage was packed full of medals, cups and trophies and I will soon publish the full list of winners. For me it was a massive honour, and surprise, to be awarded the Clubman of the Year as there are so many people involved in the club that deserve this honor. My thanks to everyone who voted and to Jason who presented it to me.
As I type the lads are starting pre-season so hopefully there has been a good turn out. Our pre-season friendlies start against Penrhiwceiber Rangers on our new pitch at the Leisure Centre (as promised to us by Celtic Community Leisure and Neath & Port Talbot Borough Council). We are now looking to develop the ground but we still await the lease which has been promised for so long ... without it our hands are tied.
Sad news today as QPR legend Alan McDonald passed away suddenly at the age of 48. He made 400 appearances for the Superhoops and will be missed by all .
More soon .....
I am pleased to be on the new committe member of the West Wales Youth League which is a West Wales version of the SWFA Under 18s league which, of course, we won last season. Dan Thomas has stepped down as coach and we are welcoming interest for new coaches and new players ... it should be a good season ahead again for the Youth.
At the League AGM yesterday I was presented with the Youth West and Reserve West plaques which was a first for me and it was nice to represent the club at the meeting. The draw was also made for the League Cup and we were drawn at home to Abertillery Bluebirds.
The season;s preliminary fixtures were also released and we kick off at Bryntirion Athletic on Saturday 11th before a midweek trek to Haverfordwest County followed by a trip to AFC Porth. Our first home game for the First team is the Cup game and the first home league game is against Ton Pentre a week later.
Friday night's presentation was an excellent night, as were the Junior and Ladies presentation nights. The front of the stage was packed full of medals, cups and trophies and I will soon publish the full list of winners. For me it was a massive honour, and surprise, to be awarded the Clubman of the Year as there are so many people involved in the club that deserve this honor. My thanks to everyone who voted and to Jason who presented it to me.
As I type the lads are starting pre-season so hopefully there has been a good turn out. Our pre-season friendlies start against Penrhiwceiber Rangers on our new pitch at the Leisure Centre (as promised to us by Celtic Community Leisure and Neath & Port Talbot Borough Council). We are now looking to develop the ground but we still await the lease which has been promised for so long ... without it our hands are tied.
Sad news today as QPR legend Alan McDonald passed away suddenly at the age of 48. He made 400 appearances for the Superhoops and will be missed by all .
More soon .....
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Onwards in 2012
We kicked off the new year with a positive, although losing, performance at home to Taffs Well in the Cup. The lads played with a passion and determination that I am sure will see us right for the remainder of the season. In addition the Neath League lads won their first game of the new year with a good performance.
We are up at AFC Porth on Saturday to watch a repeat of their Bambi on Ice routines we saw during the FAW Welsh Cup game earlier in the season. Huw, the AFC Porth Secretary, and I have been having some enjoyable banter in recent weeks about this and I am sure this will continue throughout the game.
Off the field we are putting all our efforts into getting the new ground up and running and there is a dedicated team working on this led by Martin Blizzard. The Rec has served us well but is looking very tired and is nowhere near the required standard. That said, we did ask the FAW for a grant to help us with pitch barriers but they said NO because of out of date criterea information and an unwillingness to accept eBay as a valid source of barriers !!
The Clubhouse is really bouncing and the live coverage of the Swans is helping us no end ....
I was gutted to see Neil Warnock and Keith Curle given the elbow at QPR but happy that Sparky, and his hangers on, have taken over. Allegedly Samba and Drogba are on the target list ....
Spent last week on a Canal Boat on the Llangollen Canal which was terrific and the photo below is of us crossing the Pontyscyllte Aquaduct ... 127 feet up with not much keeping us in .....
Happy New Year then and I hope to see you down The Rec soon supporting the lads !
We are up at AFC Porth on Saturday to watch a repeat of their Bambi on Ice routines we saw during the FAW Welsh Cup game earlier in the season. Huw, the AFC Porth Secretary, and I have been having some enjoyable banter in recent weeks about this and I am sure this will continue throughout the game.
Off the field we are putting all our efforts into getting the new ground up and running and there is a dedicated team working on this led by Martin Blizzard. The Rec has served us well but is looking very tired and is nowhere near the required standard. That said, we did ask the FAW for a grant to help us with pitch barriers but they said NO because of out of date criterea information and an unwillingness to accept eBay as a valid source of barriers !!
The Clubhouse is really bouncing and the live coverage of the Swans is helping us no end ....
I was gutted to see Neil Warnock and Keith Curle given the elbow at QPR but happy that Sparky, and his hangers on, have taken over. Allegedly Samba and Drogba are on the target list ....
Spent last week on a Canal Boat on the Llangollen Canal which was terrific and the photo below is of us crossing the Pontyscyllte Aquaduct ... 127 feet up with not much keeping us in .....
Happy New Year then and I hope to see you down The Rec soon supporting the lads !
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