for Cefn Druids

Cefn Druids did themselves, The Huws Gray Alliance and Welsh football proud onThursday at Wrexham's Racecourse ground with a magnificent display on their Europa League debut against Finnish team MyPa-47

The first ever Huws Gray Cymru Alliance side to feature on the continental stage after contesting last season’s Welsh Cup final, Druids wrote another chapter in the history of the oldest club in Wales  and the Huws Gray Alliance Alliance league.

They are still in with a chance of progessing to the next round and the league wishes them every success

MATCH REPORT

Cefn Druids produced a heroic performance, on their debut appearance in the Europa League against superior Finnish opposition MyPa47, and credit must go to manager Huw Griffiths and all his hard working staff at Rock Road for the memorable outcome. (writes Robert Clement).

It was the former Welshpool Town boss, who has taken the oldest football club in Wales forward, with them being the first Cymru Alliance league side to play in the elite European competition, with them qualifying as Welsh Cup runners-up.

It was Druids who created the better of the attacks during the early exchanges, and within four minutes it was Mike Burke who delivered a left sided cross intended for fellow colleague Josh Dures, but it was goalkeeper Antti Kuismala who was alert to deny the ex Ashville midfielder a scoring opportunity.

Within a minute of that positive threat, Dures was again testing the keepers’ qualities, only to be denied after long throw specialist Adam Hesp had hurled the ball into the goalmouth.

With Druids clearly having an underdog status, they continued to match their more experienced opponents when Chris Mullock did well to save a rising shot from Xhevdet Gela.

There was a superb chance for Druids to stun MyPa after eighteen minutes with lone striker Steve Jones releasing Rees Darlington on a probing run forward, his cross was met by skipper George Hughes, only for his precision header to cannon back off the top of the post; Jones then made a timely arrival, only the rebound to be denied by a last gasp clearance off the goal-line by a MyPa defender.

Surprisingly, MyPa had engineered very little in causing their host problems, but when Ville Saxman managed for break swiftly towards the edge of the penalty box, it was the legs of Mullock that denied the lively frontrunner.

The final piece of first half action arrived three minutes before the interval, with a Jones free kick forcing Kuismala into producing a save, as the attacking momentum for the breakthrough continued.

Following the break, MyPa’s Head Coach Toni Korkeakunnas began to display his concern and frustration as his side struggled to make any impression against a resolute Druids defence.

There was then a superb moment of play after fifty four minutes from Burke, which allowed Mark Harris to burst forward, and having reached the edge of the eighteen yard area, he forced Kuismala into leaping to his left, to turn around the upright his powerfully struck shot.

A curling cross from the creative Ville Oksanen was snapped onto by Canadian born Riley O’Neill on sixty five minutes, but it was Gareth Edwards who made a vital interception to prevent a clean strike.

With Druids expected to tire, there was clearly no indication of fatigue as they once again increased the momentum, and there was another great chance with fourteen minutes remaining, with Hesp launching another missile throw into the visitors’ goalmouth; Kuismala made a punched clearance which went straight to Kieran Quinn, but unfortunately he volleyed narrowly wide of the far post.

Following that outstanding display, Huw Griffiths provided his reaction of the historic occasion with Robert Clement in the Racecourse Media Suite, responding to the situation that it was a fantastic result and a great performance.

“I thought that we were superb, I’m the lucky manager shall we say who gets to do these interviews and talk to everybody else, but that group of players out there deserve all the credit. We had a game plan to do, and for them to go out and concentrate for ninety minutes and do exactly what we said, other than score a goal which is the most important thing, was brilliant”.

He added, “The staff as well, Terry Ingram, Dave Taylor and Andy Roberts, no one knows about them, they’re in the background and those are the people who need the credit as well. I’m just here as a figure head, but without those people I don’t do my job properly, and without those group of people it doesn’t happen”.

Griffiths then agreed that it was probably the shock result of the evening.

“Yes, I certainly think so, for a second tier club of Welsh football to come into a Europa game and come off with 0-0. I was lucky enough to play with Bangor City in Europe, and that for me is like MyPa winning the Europa Cup, the performance from what we have put out there. I think that a lot of bookies will be very happy, and made a lot of money, because nobody would have backed us to do that, so that performance is as good as you will see in Europe by any Welsh Premier team, and I would stick TNS, Bangor and Llanelli and anybody else in that, it was superb tonight”.

“I’m a little disappointed that we didn’t win it, everybody thought that we were going to defend. I’ve said all along that we wanted to score one goal, we wanted to attack, and possibly we did have the slightly better chances or the more chances. I’m the manager, I want to win football games regardless of who we are playing, so there is a little disappointment there, but I’m a proud man and really pleased for the boys”.

He positively responded to the situation of having done homework on MyPa, and that his players stopped them playing.

“I need to thank Adam Owen whose a local Wrexham lad who works for Glasgow Rangers, he sent me a couple of DVD’s of MyPa, I have also to thank Gresford Athletic, the Anglesey X1, and certainly TNS and Bangor City, because the last two games we learnt so much from them, because we could not get out to Finland, so those two clubs in particular huge thanks”.

Obviously MyPa may have underestimated you ahead of tonight, but they won’t for the second leg.

“That’s the difference, you’ve hit the nail on the head, they probably didn’t know what to expect, but we had a game plan. We’re going to do the same out there, to try to attack and score one goal, regardless what the result is. I’m going to back those boys up to the hilt for what they’ve done for me and for the club; we’ve put it back on the map in terms of talking about football, and I know the Directors have worked ever so hard behind the scenes, but why can’t we try and achieve it again as a club, that’s what we all want, to get days like this”.

In the longer term the aim is obviously to get Druids back into the Welsh Premier League. How important has this occasion in playing MyPa been?

“It certainly helps, for me, I had it down personally as two extra friendlies against very good opposition, and for the boys to learn and take on board. I want to win the Cymru Alliance, I’ve made that quite clear ever since I’ve been at Cefn Druids, that’s my job as a manager, to want to win, but for me this just lifts the players and profile of the club, and we want to be a Welsh Premier club”.

He continued, “People keep telling me that we beat three Welsh Premier teams last season, let’s not forget that we beat four, because we beat Connahs Quay in the cup as well, and they’re a Welsh Premier side and they finished top of our league comfortably, so for me it’s four”.

“That’s where we want to be, it’s consistency, they know that they’re good enough on the day, but they have to do it week in week out, and that’s where we need to try and achieve, and get to as a group of people”.

Cefn Druids: Chris Mullock, Mark Harris, Adam Hesp, Robbie James, George Hughes (capt), Mike Burke (Warren Duckett 89^th min), Kieran Quinn, Josh Dures (Joe Price 74^th min), Rees Darlington, Gareth Edwards, Steve Jones (Tony Cann 80^th min).

Substitutes not used: Richard Ackerley, Marc Griffiths, Tom McElmeel, Jack Edwards.

MyPa47 : Antti Kuismala, Tommi Vesala, Niko Kukka (Pekka Sihvola 62^nd min), Xhevdet Gela, Riley O’Neill, David Ramadingaye, Ville Oksanen, Antti Koskinen, Tuomas Aho (capt) (Joni Vuorinen 37^th min), Shutsa Nongotamba, Ville Saxman (Patrick O’shaughnessy 78^th min).

Substitutes not used: Ville Iiskola, Pyry Soiri, Asaha Anttilainen.

Referee: Nikola Dabanovic (Montenegro).

Attendance: 813.

The league thanks Robert Clement for his report