And so to Bastion Gardens, or the Motion Finance Stadium, and the Seasiders derby between Prestatyn Town and Aberystwyth Town in the Welsh Premier League.
Records show that football has been played in Prestatyn since the early 1890s with games taking place on an undeveloped field on Marine Road. Prestatyn Town FC played their first game on 20 October 1910 when they travelled to Rhyl Amateurs. However the club as we know it only came into being in the 1930s when it settled on the old Bastion Road ground behind what is now the Central Beach Club.
For a time in the late 1940s the Seasiders adopted the name Chandypore FC (the original name of the Central Beach Club) when they operated in the Dyserth Area League. However they quickly reverted back to Prestatyn Town and, apart from dabbling with sponsors' names (Prestatyn Town Nova in 1990), have remained so ever since.
In the late 1960s the old Bastion Road ground was swallowed up by housing. After considering using a pitch in the middle of the old Prestatyn Raceway, now the site of Pontin's Holiday Village, the club moved to Bastion Gardens in the 1970/71 season.
For most of this period Town had been members of either the Dyserth Area League or the Welsh League North. After becoming founder members of the Clwyd League in 1974 they enjoyed immediate success, under the charge of manager Eaton Woodfine, winning the title in the league's first two seasons.
After finishing runners up in 1993 the Seasiders took the plunge and rejoined the Welsh League North, now known as the Welsh Alliance. There was an acrimonious split at the club at the start of the 1998/99 season which led to the formation of Prestatyn Nova and Town resigning from the Welsh Alliance to rejoin the Clwyd League, where they won the treble in their first year back.
Town went back to the Welsh Alliance the following year and then became unbeaten champions in 2006, ascending to the Cymru Alliance. The Seasiders were runaway leaders in 2007/08 thereby reaching the pinnacle - the Welsh Premier League.
Silverware was gained in the form of the Welsh Cup in 2013, beating Bangor City 3-1 after extra time. This allowed the club to embark on its only Europa League adventure - beating Latvians Liepajas Metalurgs on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate draw, before succumbing to Croatian side Rijeka. The Seasiders were relegated in 2015, but promoted last time as Cymru Alliance champions. Twelve points from ten matches represents a reasonable start to the current campaign.
The visitors from Park Avenue in Aberystwyth are also
nicknamed the Seasiders, but have two others - 'Black & Greens' and 'Aber
Town'.
Although Aberystwyth Town FC was formed in 1884 the club probably existed in the 1870s in an earlier incarnation. Its early days were marked by friendlies and it was not until 1890 that Aber first joined a league - the Welsh League - and then for one season only before going back to friendlies.
Town did win the Welsh Cup in 1900 convincingly beating the fancied Druids 3-0 in the final, but it almost proved to be their downfall as they hit a massive financial crisis and a mass exodus of players. The club played in the English FA Cup on a few occasions, and then joined the Montgomeryshire & District League in 1904, winning several titles.
With the advent of the Welsh National League in 1921 Aber joined the Central Section, being crowned champions six times and then twice in the Mid Wales League in 1933 and 1950. The Black & Greens began a long stay in the Welsh League (South) in 1951 before becoming founder members of the League of Wales in 1992. They remain one of only three clubs to have played every season in the Welsh Premier League - Bangor City and Newtown being the others.
Aber qualified for the Intertoto Cup in 1999, losing 4-3 on aggregate to Floriana of Malta. The success of European qualification brought many changes to Park Avenue: a new BBC stand and TV gantry and the construction of the new 'Dias' stand, named after club legend David 'Dias' Williams who scored 476 goals in 433 games between 1966 and 1983.
Intertoto football was achieved again in 2004, losing 4-0 over the two legs to Dinaburg of Latvia. The club's Ceredigion player policy saw a worsening of results and a 40% slump in attendances, but their place at the top table was preserved. There was a further setback in December of that year as a serious fire destroyed much of the social club's facilities.
Town qualified for the Europa League as Welsh Cup finalists in 2014, losing 3-2 to The New Saints, but Derry City knocked them out at the first stage 9-0 on aggregate. This season has started in disastrous fashion, taking just two points from the first 7 games, and lying next to bottom with only one league win thus far.
And so under battleship grey skies it's past Cheshire
Portable Buildings, living up to its name as all the buildings have disappeared
!! Down to the M56, past wind turbines going like the clappers at Stanlow, then
through to Shotwick where I take the coastal road.
Over the magnificent cable-stayed Flintshire Bridge at Connah's Quay, then beyond Flint Castle with The Old Courtaulds Pitch, home of Greenfield FC, on my right. Then at Llanerch y Mor lies the rusting hulk of TSS Duke of Lancaster off the coast near to Mostyn Docks. It resembles an abandoned ghost ship ready for the breakers yard - caused by a long running dispute between owner John Rowley and the local authority.
Then to Point of Ayr, the northernmost point of mainland
Wales and site of a long since closed colliery. A slight detour into Rhyl,
bypassing the Botanical Gardens, the superbly named Sun of a Beach tanning
salon and Sacred Soul Tattoo to reach the sea front.
An unpleasant stroll along the front with heavy winds whipping up the sand and stinging our faces. Admiring the Pavilion Theatre - but the world famous (!) Rhyl Sun Centre has been demolished without trace.... Then the National Crown Green Bowling Centre, where two matches are in progress despite the weather.
The 250 ft Rhyl Sky Tower, bizarrely acquired from the 1988 Glasgow Garden Festival, stands tall - and cordoned off as a safety hazard. Plans now are to convert it into a landmark light beacon, and the graphics depicting a timeline of Rhyl at its foot is a pleasant surprise, notwithstanding the schoolboy spelling error of Eupore (but the Welsh version is correctly spelt !!)
The Breaks Family Entertainment
Centre is no more either, subsumed by the new Marina Quay retail development,
although only two units are currently let. The Miniature Railway is closed too,
not leaves but trees on the line... but the iconic Pont y Ddraig bridge remains
impressive. Lunch at The Sussex is Welsh dragon sausages and mash with Brains
gravy and, appropriately enough, a pint of Trade Winds ☺ Stinging
sand gives way to stinging rain as we make the 3 mile jaunt back up the coast
to Bastion Road, then Bastion Gardens. The stadium is at the very foot of the
cul de sac with Pontin's behind the near end.
Immediately inside is the hot food outlet and clubhouse, and to my left a walkway housing a three storey gantry, the second tier a police room and at the top a cameraman, exposed to the weather and desperately trying to stop the flapping tarpaulin flying away to the rolling hills beyond. Segregation Gates, clearly unused for some while, have been flung on the floor.
At the top is a grassed area, an abandoned tea hut open to the elements and an Academy mobile classroom falling into disrepair. To my right is the Martin Walsh Stand, a three row all seater covered stand running the length of the touchline and so shallow that those sitting on the front row block the gangway... Behind is the cricket club and the sea.
Prestatyn are in all red and the Black & Greens are
in green and.....white !! With a hint of black trim..... It soon becomes clear
that there will only be one winner in the Seasiders derby, and that's the wind.
Aber have it in the first half, but Prestatyn score first on 8 minutes with
Jack Kenny's shot parried by Chris Mullock to Michael Parker who taps in at the
far post.
The rest of the half is scrappy, punctuated by far too many free kicks despite lenient refereeing. Aber are poor, failing to use the wind and creating little. Craig Hobson has a header scooped off the line by Prestatyn keeper Carl Jones, John Owen glances over, Ryan Wade has a ferocious shot blocked and in the final minute Matty Jones brings an outstanding save from his namesake. A flurry of corners brings naught.
The consensus at half time is that Prestatyn have done the hard part and it's a question of how many. For a while that seems to hold true, as despite Hobson drawing another good save from Carl Jones, the home side hold the initiative. After a one two with Ben Maher, Parker should have put the game to bed but blazes over and Zyaac Edwards' shot is saved by Mullock's chest.
There becomes an air of desperation about Prestatyn, too keen to kill the game off with the second goal, and committing too many men forward. Aber use the counter intelligently and with 18 minutes left one such attack sees Wade involved, Ashley Young's shot is saved and Owen scores from the rebound to equalise.
Three minutes later another counter produces a corner - Wade takes, Carl Jones drops it and full back Declan Walker has the easiest job to put Aber ahead. It's a lead they hold on to comfortably to the final whistle ☺
