The time Cwmbran Town played a star-studded Welsh national team in a friendly
Wales fans this summer have the European Championships to look forward to as they compete in a major tournament once again…
After many near misses and years of hurt, the only things the loyal members of the Red Wall can bicker about is the team selection dilemmas of an impressive young squad.
But things haven’t always been rosy when it comes to supporting their country and perhaps one of the most starkest moments in Welsh football history came almost 25-years-ago….
In preparation of their 1998 World Cup qualifier with minnows San Marino, manager Bobby Gould took the unconventional route of playing club sides to improve the tactical understanding of the squad due to the differing systems of players from their club sides.
The first part didn’t go to plan and Wales were humiliated. Wales lost 2-1 to Leyton Orient, who who had finished 21st in League Two in the previous season despite having the likes of Dean Saunders, Mark Hughes, Neville Southall and the up-and-coming Robbie Savage and Ryan Giggs in their ranks.
Despite the embarrassment at Brisbane Road, Wales would face another club side in preparation for their 1998 World Cup qualifier with minnows San Marino.
Their opponents this time round? The inaugural winners of the then League of Wales, Cwmbrân Town, who had finished 7th in the 1995/1996 season.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt was a match which would have five Welsh national team managers playing in at once, highlighting the weird and wonderful nature of Welsh football back in the 1990s…
Current boss Giggs graced the Cwmbrân Stadium turf, which is now hosting football at the fourth tier of Welsh football alongside Chris Coleman, Gary Speed and Mark Hughes.
But perhaps the most eye-catching of all was when Bobby Gould, who was manager of Wales in 1996, subbed himself on for Speed at the age of 50-years-old.
Gould, who was born in Coventry and didn’t make an international appearance for England, came on as a substitute for another Welsh national team boss Gary Speed.
His introduction was perhaps so surprising that he entered the field without a shirt number but that didn’t deter him from what would happen next.
A 23-year-old Giggs would find Gould with a floating cross for his first and only senior international goal, which would complete the 6-1 rout of a team full of part-time players with Andy Meville, Marcus Browning and Gary Speed also on target.
As a fan who attended the match and has since uploaded the footage for all Welsh football fans can enjoy, Mark Williams can remember the match and how it played out.
16-years-old at the time when he attended the match, he recalled: “It was a stunning summers evening but it wasn’t as busy as when we played Manchester United two years ago.
“Being a young teenager at the time, who followed Cwmbran Town and Wales, the match was a dream come true.
“At the time it was strange, the match wasn’t advertised and I only found out by word of mouth that it was being played.
“I was a massive Mark Hughes fan at the time, so it was great to see him play at Cwmbran Stadium.
“Wales had a full squad to choose from I believe, other than Dean Saunders and Rush, who were injured at the time.
“Wales showed their class all over the pitch, I remember at half time waiting for Wales to come out thinking I could get Mark Hughes autograph and he never returned.
“Instead I spoke to Gary Speed about his move to Everton in which he was delighted with the move.”
“Bobby Gould brought himself on and scored with a header, which had the stadium in laughter,” he added.
Since then, Williams has become the youth chairman of the Crows, who hopes that the surfacing of these clips will help improve the stature of the club.
Williams added: “The club now is run by volunteers which they are hard to come by to help the famous club get back to welsh league.
“We need as much help as possible so we hope from this video clip will draw some interest in the club.”
