TT No.171: Mike Latham - Wed 16 Jan 2008: Huws Gray Cymru
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There’s no better response, after another week of almost constant rain, than to receive a positive ‘yes’ after yet another telephone call to a club secretary.
gap
Trevor is a groundhopper himself and also helps organise the Island Games. So, it’s no wonder that at the main entrance desk at the Queensway International Stadium, a predominantly athletics stadium in Wrexham, there is a notice that states: ‘Groundhoppers are asked to make themselves known.’
The reason? Nothing sinister, in face quite the reverse- groundhoppers are invited into the committee room at half-time to partake of refreshments alongside the visiting officials.
All very civilised and it makes the club just about the most groundhopper-friendly club in the country.
First the bad news- the ground is an athletics stadium and hence there is a huge track around the pitch that makes viewing difficult and the atmosphere non-existent. But as athletics stadiums go it’s not a bad one- in fact a simply fantastic facility for the people of Wrexham and surrounding areas, even though it’s tucked away in a huge housing estate a good mile or so from the town centre.
It’s certainly well signposted, though, and that makes it easy for the visitor by car especially as there is plentiful parking. Within five minutes of passing the Racecourse Ground the floodlights of the Queensway come into view. The car park’s got plenty of cars on it but that’s largely down to the many people using the facilities at the sports centre, including all-weather football pitches, squash courts, gymnasium and the like.
Upon going past the main entrance of the sports centre, admittance to the ground is via paying at a table placed just in front of a double door that leads outside. There are circumstances outside the club’s control this evening so the usual glossy programme hasn’t been produced. Instead, a 12-page complimentary programme is given away on entry and a fine effort it is, too.
QP’s revival this year has been expertly covered in the New Year edition (issue 122) of the invaluable Welsh Football magazine. Without wishing to repeat anything in that fine article it’s just worth saying that the club looked like going into oblivion last season but has been revitalised by Stuart Roberts, who came in during February and achieved sponsorship from gap personnel plc, a locally-based company, who re-branded the club and brought in a new logo, kit and website.
Despite finishing bottom of the Cymru Alliance last season, QP escaped relegation and this year have built a completely new team under manager Levi Lloyd, bringing in several former Welsh Premier League players. They have plans to strengthen the club by looking for Academy status and starting a reserve and youth team. Though too far off the pace to challenge the top two this season, it’s not fanciful to see the club challenging for promotion to the WPL inside the next couple of years if they can maintain their momentum.
The biggest challenge, as Welsh Football points out, is to develop a spectator base. The ground is a handicap in one way but a benefit in another- with superb facilities and nearly 1,000 seats in two separate stands (plus a third, open air stand on the far side) it can’t be far off reaching the ground grading requirements of the WPL.
The PA system, operated by Trevor, is outstanding- clear, concise and with line-ups easy to ascertain and goal-scorers announced and the view from one of the stands, elevated and just above the finishing line for the 100 metres, is surprisingly good. The pitch, as forecast, is immaculate despite the rain and the floodlights superb.
It’s a good game, too, as games in the Cymru Alliance tend to be. I have an affinity with Guilsfield because their officials are such a friendly and welcoming lot. Ironically, the only bad experience I’ve had at a CA game (apart from a ridiculous situation at one ground where the home secretary wouldn’t let me have the team line-ups as he said it was going against the Data Protection Act and then said that groundhoppers were a pain as they came only once) was involving Guilsfield. I was stood on the far side of an away ground with three of their officials when we were roundly abused by a home official of a club I won’t name at this point.
Suffice to say I won’t be sponsoring any match balls there. The experience grated and was remembered not just by me. Recognising me, the Guilsfield chairman came over for a chat, informed me of his club’s ambitious plans for their new ground (which might be ready for as early as March) and then reminded me of that incident.
We had a good chuckle about it and then looked ahead to the next round of the Welsh Cup (on 2 Feb) when Guilsfield and QP both have home ties.
The game was a splendid one- fast, skilful and well contested. Though QP twice took the lead through their prolific marksman Kevin Breeze, who took his tally to nine goals in his last four games, the visitors deserved a point, gained through a scrambled second equaliser in the second minute of injury time.
It was a splendid evening’s entertainment and further proof that the Cymru Alliance provides some excellent football. A visit to gap
contributed and amended on 21/01/08