Archers Hit The Bull's Eye - Lakesiders Pay The Penalty !!

And so to Maes Tegid, home of Bala Town FC - Clwb Pel Droed Y Bala Town - another area where Welsh speakers amount to nearly 80%. This for the final game of the Welsh domestic season, the Europa League play off final against the Archers of Cardiff Metropolitan University FC, and that guaranteed prize money of £200,000.

Bala Town FC was formed in 1880 but there is record of a football club in Bala playing in the 1877/78 Welsh Cup. Bala North End, Bala South End and Bala Thursdays merged to form the current Bala Town, with the first record being the 1921/22 campaign in the Welsh National League North Division 2 East.

In the early 1950s the Lakesiders (naturally enough !!) moved to Maes Tegid from the adjacent Castle Park. The team played in the Welsh National League Wrexham Area between 1950 and 1954, then rejoined the Cambrian Coast League in 1954, winning titles in 1959 and 1963. The club re-entered the Welsh National League Wrexham Area for the 1963/64 season.

For the 2003/04 term Colin Caton (cousin of the late Tommy) took over the managerial reins - he is still in charge - and Bala won promotion to the Cymru Alliance in his first season.

In 2009 the Lakesiders were crowned Huws Gray Cymru Alliance champions and promoted to the Welsh Premier League. In their first season Town finished 11th out of 18, but the Welsh Premier League committee decided to reduce the league to 12 clubs - relegation seemed inevitable but was avoided as no feeder league club was deemed able to reach the criteria to obtain a Domestic Licence.

The Lakesiders took their place in the 'Super 12' but again finished 11th in 2011, once more evading relegation due to Licensing issues.

Since then there has been no more flirting with relegation - Bala finished runners up in 2014/15 and 2015/16 (when the club was being bankrolled by local businesses keen to bring an end to The New Saints' monopoly on titles). The Welsh Cup was won in 2017 when Town fought back to beat TNS 2-1, and the club has qualified for the Europa League five times but is yet to win a tie on aggregate.

Last time the Lakesiders finished a disappointing sixth, but beat fifth placed Newtown 2-1 to earn a home final play off against Cardiff MU.

Last weekend's win at Caernarfon will live long in the memory but a swift resume of the visitors, 'The Archers' of Cardiff Metropolitan University FC, who were formed from a series of mergers and name changes.

It all started with Lake United renaming themselves AFC Cardiff in 1984. In 1990 the club was taken over by Sully FC to form Inter Cardiff FC, which became Inter CableTel AFC in 1996. This club represented Wales in the old UEFA Cup three times, including playing Celtic in the 1997/98 season.

In 2000 a merger with UWIC (University of Wales Institute, Cardiff) produced UWIC Inter Cardiff which became Cardiff Metropolitan University FC in 2012. The Archers, or unofficially known as The International, The Sheep (!) or The Div's (Car-DIFF), then won three promotions in four seasons to reach the Welsh Premier League.

Since then the club has qualified for the Europa League play offs every season, this time via finishing top of the relegation group, but without winning the final and moving on to play in Europe. Also this season The Archers won the Welsh League Cup for the first time, beating second tier Cambrian & Clydach Vale Boys & Girls Club 2-0 in the final, all under the managerial reign of ex Welsh international Dr Christian Edwards.

So on a cloudy, breezy afternoon I set off past the property that is now styled as the Brexit House, then the well appointed Denzell Gardens, The Stretton Fox and Daresbury Park. Not long before the ridiculous numberplates appear - today we have X 11ON X, H1 2OLD (too old for what ??), N1NJA, ADD 2 (add two what ??), GR03 VEG, CAR 123X (??) and D3KLN. A fool and his money are soon parted....

Then the wind turbine farm and belching fumes that is Stanlow before I join the A494, skirting Buckley and Mold. A wry smile at the We Three Loggerheads, in Loggerheads itself, the Druid Inn at Llanferres and some glorious Welsh countryside scenery on the winding road from the heights of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.

That takes me to Ruthin and its Gaol, a brief flirtation with the A5 and a left turn at The Druids, beyond Glassblobbery and into Bala. Time is on my side so I take in the magnificent views of Lake Bala - 3.7 miles long by 0.5miles wide. It was the largest natural body of water in Wales until its level was raised by Thomas Telford to help support the flow of the Ellesmere Canal, and the sight of it is utterly breathtaking.

Then I take the minor B road by the eastern side of Lake Bala down to Llanuwchllyn, a one track road with the odd passing place - I, uncomfortably, come head on to several classic cars, all sporting a 'Hills and Valleys Tour' blue badge.

At the foot of the hill Llanuwchllyn is the home of the Bala Lake Railway, a 4.5 mile ride taking 25 minutes (and £11.50 return !!) to Bala Penybont, along the side of Lake Bala. The locomotive shed and heritage centre reveal 6 engines and various wagons, plus Winifred, the steam engine operating today.

Then into Bala, with its eclectic mix of pubs, galleries and cafes - including one called, naturally enough, Sospan Fach !! Not much to Bala away from the High Street, bearing in mind its population of less than 2,000 at the last census. However there is a striking clocktower in honour of John Jones of Tremynfa, and a statue of Thomas Edward Ellis, a prominent Welsh Liberal politician, emanating from the Bala area.

Left at The White Lion and then onto Castle Street brings me to Maes Tegid and Bala Town FC. No problem parking at the ground this week but it comes as no surprise, given the shambolic marshalling and sheer imbecility and selfishness of some drivers, that there is utter chaos and gridlock at the final whistle; fortunately I am away within ten minutes.

£6 at the gate and a crowd of 623 for the final, including a healthy number of away fans making the near 300 mile round trip and several groundhoppers.

Inside the main stand is to my left, a piecemeal affair made up of no less than 5 separate covered structures plus a press box - and with stunning views of  Snowdonia shrouded in mist in the background. At the top end is the house on the hill, whilst opposite are the dugouts and TV gantry with the near end providing the dressing rooms, snack bar and a small three step terrace behind the goal. It is here that the Bala Ultras congregate, their flags completely outnumbering the solitary 'The Roving Sheep On Tour' at the far end - a Merthyr Town supporter who is 'neutral'. Dial M for Merthyr....

The Lakesiders are in white with black sleeves and shorts, the Archers in claret and blue with yellow trim, and the officials in all yellow - so no colour clash this week. Bala start with 4 Welshmen and 7 English players - by the end it's 2 Welsh and 9 English - whilst Met have the complete reverse - 7 Welsh and 4 English.

Unlike last week the Archers start strongly with Adam Roscrow hitting the bar in the first minute and then heading against the inside of the post on 12 minutes. However Bala take the lead eight minutes later when Nathan Burke's cross is flicked on to Kieran Smith and glanced in by Henry Jones.

Four minutes later parity is restored - Will Evans given far too much space, drawing a save from Keighan Jones, but Eliot Evans pounces on the rebound to equalise. Smith hits the sidenetting for Bala as we approach half  time.

The second half is a cagey affair with few chances and solid defending. The Archers' keeper Will Fuller denies Henry Jones and Mike Hayes, whilst Met's Will Evans has a goal disallowed and is then booked for simulation in the penalty box.

Tension mounts as we move into extra time; in the first period Chris Baker heads against the post for Cardiff, whilst in the second Fuller makes a splendid save from Anthony Stephens but is then helpless as Hayes and Stuart Jones strike the bar within seconds - how the ball does not cross the line defies belief.....

Inevitably penalties and further unbearable tension which transmits itself to the players.... After 6 penalties the score is 1-0 to the Archers, with Keighan Jones saving two weak Cardiff penalties, and Bala skying one over the bar and having two saved, the second superbly by Will Fuller. The final three are scored, the last by Eliot Evans for a 3-1 win for the Met, and ecstasy on the pitch and the terraces as the students' team qualify for Europe !!

Archers Arrow In On Play Off Final - Canaries Sick As A Parrot !!

And so to the Oval and a Welsh Premier League Europa League play off between the Canaries of Caernarfon Town and the Archers of Cardiff Metropolitan University FC. Or the home of Clwb Pel Droed Tref Caernarfon, befitting a town that boasts greater than 86% of the population being Welsh speakers - Caernarfon residents are colloquially known as Cofis, and Cofi is used to describe the local dialect incorporating many words not used in the Welsh language. The overall winners of the Europa League play offs secure a place in the cup draw and a guaranteed £200,000 prize money....

The first football club in Caernarfon was established in September 1876 and known as Carnarvon Athletic, playing at various grounds and moving to The Oval in 1888. Athletic folded in 1891 and what followed was a plethora of short lived clubs - Carnarvon Ironopolis, Celts, RWF (Royal Welsh Fusiliers), United and a reincarnation of Athletic which was liquidated in 1930 and then revived two years later before quitting over problems using The Oval.

In 1937 a group of local soccer enthusiasts began Caernarvon Town FC (now Caernarfon Town FC). The Canaries had a 39 year unbroken membership of the Welsh League (North), winning the championship twice, until internal problems caused the club to withdraw from the league in 1976. Within months Town was reborn and immediately won consecutive titles.

The Welsh FA then gave Caernarfon permission to join the Lancashire League, becoming a founder member of the North West Counties Football League in 1982.

In 1985 the Canaries were elected to the Northern Premier League and during the 1986/87 season, under the tutelage of John King and inspired by Austin Salmon (a missed car name if ever there was one !! ), embarked on a record FA Cup run. Fourth Division Stockport County were beaten 1-0, Third Division York City 2-1 in a replay at Bootham Crescent (a match I shall never forget) before losing 1-0 in a replay to Second Division Barnsley. Cofis finished third in the NPL and felt that, if not for the FA Cup run, they would probably have gained promotion to the Football Conference.

After King's departure, to Tranmere Rovers, and the disappointing tenure of Tommy Smith, Town were relegated to the first division of the NPL in 1990. Thereafter followed five seasons of indifferent performances prompting the board to make the decision to return to Welsh football. The Canaries were welcomed back into the League of Wales in August 1995.

In March 2009, with finances at an all time low and the club's entire future in doubt, the chairman and board of directors resigned and a band of volunteers managed to guide Town through to the end of the season. A year later Caernarfon sank to the third tier of Welsh football.

The team won the Welsh Alliance in 2013 and then the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance in 2016, but were deprived of promotion as the FAW denied the Canaries a domestic licence with Cefn Druids going up instead. Nonetheless two years later another championship was bagged and this time the licence was granted - Town finishing 4th in their first season back in the Welsh Premier League, and securing a home Europa League play off.

The visitors, 'The Archers' of Cardiff Metropolitan University FC, were formed from a series of mergers and name changes.

It all started with Lake United renaming themselves AFC Cardiff in 1984. In 1990 the club was taken over by Sully FC to form Inter Cardiff FC, which became Inter CableTel AFC in 1996. This club represented Wales in the old UEFA Cup three times, including playing Celtic in the 1997/98 season.

In 2000 a merger with UWIC (University of Wales Institute, Cardiff) produced UWIC Inter Cardiff which became Cardiff Metropolitan University FC in 2012. The Archers, or unofficially known as The International, The Sheep (!) or The Div's (Car-DIFF), then won three promotions in four seasons to reach the Welsh Premier League.

Since then the club has qualified for the Europa League play offs every season, this time via finishing top of the relegation group, but without winning the final and moving on to play in Europe. Also this season The Archers won the Welsh League Cup for the first time, beating second tier Cambrian & Clydach Vale Boys & Girls Club 2-0 in the final, all under the managerial reign of ex pro Dr Christian Edwards.

So onto Manchester Road, some drizzle, cloud then unbroken sunshine as I pass the carved wooden eagle before reaching the M56 and Stanlow with its belching fumes and overworked wind turbines. And immediately a competition for the worst personalised numberplate - today's contenders are SO 61DDY, SO0 6LAD, M3FLU, 4ODD (factually incorrect !!), T4KCE (yes a taxi !!), GH05T GC and ARK1D. No further comment required.....

Then to Queensferry, where the speed limit is reduced for emission reductions, and the A55, Bodelwyddan Castle, straddling the coast as I approach the abandoned pier at Colwyn Bay. Then panoramic views of Snowdonia and the Great Orme before the Conwy, Penmaenbach and Pen-y-Clip tunnels. Beyond Bangor and the Vales Fall Whisky Distillery and into the royal town of Caernarfon (Fort of Arfon) advertising next weekend's Rail Ale Festival. A sharp left onto Henwalia and right into Marcus Street where I find the car park full a good six hours before kick off, possibly because of the S4C Sgorio live coverage of the match later on.

Caernarfon itself is absolutely packed - today is the annual Food Festival with live entertainment, market stalls and the biggest queues at The Tipsy Giraffe cocktail bar. Slowly I wend my way past the walls of Caernarfon Castle, with its polygonal towers, the statue of David Lloyd George (Caernarfon's most famous son) to Victoria Dock and the Walled Town to a cacophony of Welsh language lilt.

My final stop is the harbour, the River Seiont and the Menai Strait with Anglesey glistening in the sun and then the Welsh Highland Railway, a 25 mile two and a quarter hour journey to Porthmadog - but at £41.50 return and bearing in mind last month's runaway locomotive incident it's probably an attraction I can resist......

To the football, £7 in and directly facing me is the Rondo Stand, 3 rows of covered yellow and green seats emphasising the steep gradient from left to right. The main grandstand is to my right with yellow CPTC seats set amidst green, and a curious covered standing area in the corner complete with window....The near end features a part covered terrace behind the goal together with a snackbar, whilst to the left is terracing, grass bank and gravel, the press box and dugouts. A bumper crowd of 1280 waits in anticipation....

With the sun still blazing the teams enter the fray - the Canaries in yellow and green as expected and goalkeeper Alex Ramsay in all black - the same as the referee and his two assistants. The Archers are in claret and blue with yellow trim, and shotstopper Will Fuller in orange but with a large amount of yellow on his top...

Cofis start well and the Archers sluggishly as in the first minute Darren Thomas is given too much space and Fuller saves his shot with an outstretched foot. Thomas has two other good chances, one crowded out, the other just wide before the inevitable happens. A free kick from captain Nathan Craig and a towering header from Thomas that loops over Fuller and the Canaries are chirping !! A surge at the Town End, a crush and the perimeter wall and advertising hoardings collapse...

There is a lengthy delay with one youngster suffering a minor arm injury and discussions as to whether the match should continue. Eventually play resumes with the Town End patrolled by three stewards, but not evacuated, and only cordoned off at half time when the home fans move to the Rondo Stand. Nine minutes of injury time are played at the end of the first period.

The delay appears to unsettle Caernarfon and Met start to come more into the game. On 36 minutes Chris Baker's deflected shot from a corner restores parity and three minutes later Eliot Evans, who has already come close, hits the post from another corner.

The second half mirrors the first with the Canaries starting strongly - Leo Smith has a shot cleared off the line and Thomas hits the post but crucially Caernarfon don't score. Midway through the half Cardiff's centre forward, the excellent Adam Roscrow, is found in space on the left wing and with sheer power and pace advances to beat his marker and smash the ball into the roof of the net. A quite magnificent individual goal...

Leo Smith then hits the bar in a goalmouth melee at a corner, and Eliot Evans is denied by a wonderful fingertip save from Ramsay, before with nine minutes remaining Kyle McCarthy arcs his run beautifully and produces a superb shot across Ramsay, low into the corner, for 3-1.

Into injury time a needless trip gives the Cofis a lifeline - Craig scores the penalty kick but there is insufficient time for an equaliser. The Archers now go to Maes Tegid and Bala Town next Sunday for the final Europa League spot and that £200,000...