Date: 17.03.2018
Ground: 30
Match: 23 (50)
Venue: Clos Tan Y Mur
Teams: Montgomery Town V Dolgellau
Competition: Spar Mid Wales League Division 2
Admission: £3
Final Score: 1-3 (H/T 0-1)
Referee: Not Known
Attendance: 13
Mileage to venue and return: 61.2 Miles
Programme: N/A (Free Team Sheet)
Information on the town of Montgomery
Montgomery ( Welsh – Trefaldwyn, meaning, “the town of Baldwin”) is a small picturesque town in Powys, Mid Wales only one mile from the Shropshire border. Montgomery is also the historic county town of Montgomeryshire and has a population of just over 1200 people.
The town has a long history which dates as far back as the Roman occupation.
The treaty of Montgomery was signed by King Henry III of England and Llywelyn ap Gruffyd (Prince of Gwynedd) on 29th September 1267 at nearby Rhydwhyman Ford, Caerhowell – during this period this was an important crossing point of The River Severn. The treaty recognised, Llywelyn as The Prince of Wales, thus giving him land in both England and Wales. This was the first time in history that a English monarch had recognised the right of a Welsh prince to rule Wales. The treaty also allowed the reinstatement of Llywelyn’s brother, Dafydd ap Gruffydd back into Welsh society, this followed his defection to England in the early 1260’s.
The signing of the treaty gave Llywelyn an acknowledgement of power and authority in Wales, however this began to change when Edward I became the King of England in 1272. Relations rapidly detoriated and war was declared on Llywelyn in 1276.
The treaty of Aberconwy was signed in 1277, this particular treaty superseded the treaty of Montgomery, thus minimising the authority of Llywelyn.
In December 1282, Llywelyn was killed following a surprise attack upon him in, Cilmeri near Builth Wells.
The beautiful St. Nicholas church (pictured below) is situated near the centre of the town and dates back to the 13th century.
The town also has it’s own castle, like the church this also dates back to the 13th century and dramatically dominates the skyline of Montgomery as shown in the following pictures.
The beautiful Georgian period town square has spaces for visitors to Montgomery to park their vehicles and explore the town, points of interest are well sign posted from the square. The main feature of the square is the Market Hall, as shown below.
The Old Bell museum is situated in close proximity to the town square, the museum details the history of Montgomery, with artefacts and antiques on show inside the museum.
Montgomery Town Football Club
The football club is situated right on the edge of town, the club’s home ground is called Clos Tan Y Mur, which translates into English as ‘close to the wall’
Montgomery Town currently play in The Spar Mid Wales League Division 2 having been relegated from division one last season.
Clos Tan Y Mur
The ground is very picturesque much like the Town itself. The main feature of the ground is the main covered stand complete with approximately 55 seats and room for spectators to stand. The snack bar is also housed in the main stand. There is also a small sheltered area opposite the main stand which is complete with 8 seats. Behind here is a brook which is a lovely feature within the ground, shown in the following pictures.
There is hard standing available all the way around the ground. The changing rooms can be found close to the entrance to the ground.
Team Line up’s and statistics
Montgomery Town Dolgellau
1. Piers Thomas 1. Darren Andrews
2. Arron Speed-Phillips 2. Iwan Kojs
3. Daniel Lewis 3. Stefan Parry
4. Huw Wainwright 4. John Sutton ( c )
5. Joey Jones 5. Dafydd Jones
6. Damien Man 6. Tom Carr
7. Ryan Jarman 7. Dion Jones ( 17, 83)
8. James Coleman (goal, 88) 8. Darrell Jones ( goal, 66)
9. Robbie Hartshorn 9. Dominic Thomas (12, 70)
10. Luke Williams ( c ) 10. Kieron Jones ( goal, 25)
11. Alec Jones 11. Jasper Jones ( goal, 83)
12. Derek Lloyd 12. Brian Thomas
17. Chris Jones
Attempts: 12 Attempts: 13
On Target: 9 On Target: 10
Corners: 5 Corners: 2
Yellow Cards: 1 Yellow Cards: 2 Match Report Montgomery Town 1-3 Dolgellau
Dolgellau came out on top on a bitterly cold afternoon in this Spar Mid Wales Division 2 fixture. The home side almost scored straight from the kick off, Robbie Hartshorn crossing from the right, the cross almost caught out Andrews in the Dolgellau goal, however he just manged to push the ball onto the bar. Town hit the bar again in the 10th minute, Luke Williams was unfortunate to see his effort from the edge of the box come back off the woodwork. Town’s Hartshorn was looking dangerous on the right wing, providing some good crosses into the Dolgellau area. The away side produced their first real effort of the game on 12 minutes. Dion Jones with a strong run into the Town box, shooting just wide of the far post. The opening twenty minutes of the game saw an even encounter between the two sides, that all changed on 25 minutes when Dolgellau opened the scoring. A high cross was delivered into the Montgomery penalty area which caused some panic in the home defence, the fell to Kieron Jones, 12 yards out, who fired home at the far post. Town almost got back on level terms on 36 minutes. The impressive Hartshorn started a run in his own half, beating two players, continuing into the Dolgellau area but saw his shot was well saved by Andrews. Half Time: 0-1 It was a tight opening to the second half with both sides having decent periods of possession. Conditions were proving to be quite difficult with frequent snow showers and a strong biting wind, however the standard of football remained at a decent level. Dolgellau almost made it 2-0 on 59 minutes. A corner from the right was met with a powerful header by John Sutton, his goal bound effort was brilliantly turned over by Thomas in the Town goal. The away side did double their lead on 66 minutes, a good passing move found Darrell Jones on the edge of the box. Jones curled a left footed shot into the top right corner of the goal leaving Thomas with no chance. Town almost got back into the game 10 minutes later, however Andrews twice denied Coleman with two great point-blank saves. Dolgellau made the game safe on 83 minutes with the goal of the game. Jasper Jones, with a fantastic flying volley from fully 20 yards out finding the net. The home side to their immense credit never gave up and grabbed a consolation goal two minutes from time. A corner from the right fell to Coleman who made no mistake from close range. A good game between the two sides who both produced good moments of football in very testing weather conditions.
Match Pictures
Summary
A most enjoyable day out, I enjoyed both my visit to Clos Tan Y Mur and also exploring the town beforehand.
I was given a warm welcome by Montgomery Town manager, Ryan O’Sullivan when I arrived at he ground. Ryan pointed out where the snack bar and I was invited inside their by the two ladies who were serving the food and drinks. This was a welcome relief to have a nice drink in the warmth of the snack bar on a bitterly cold afternoon. I also met and chatted to Dolgellau manager Steven Parry. Steven told me that he had been involved with Dolgellau FC since the 70’s and worked in many different area’s of the club. Last but not least, a special mention must go to Barry, the friendly man on the gate on entrance to the ground, we chatted for some time before the game which was most enjoyable.