Rivalries will be renewed this weekend when Llandudno travel to Llanelian Road to play Colwyn Bay, and Tudno boss Matthew Jones is looking to ‘block out the noise’ that surrounds such games.
Rewind back a year, and not many will have foreseen this fixture taking place, with Llandudno competing in Wales’ top flight and the Seagulls playing their trade in the English system.
But after a difficult 2018/19 campaign for the Seasiders, and Colwyn Bay’s decision to return to the Welsh pyramid, we can now look forward to another north Walian derby – one which Jones cannot wait for.
“We’re all looking forward to this one, there’s always excitement before a local derby and this one seems to be carrying a good buzz about it.
“It’s our job now to ensure the performance matches the anticipation and that we don’t get distracted by the hype.”
There will be a handful of friendly faces on either side when the teams take to the pitch, and the same can be said for the dugout; with Seagulls manager Craig Hogg having had previous involvement with Llandudno.
“Craig was here quite a while before me but I know Mark Orme, the assistant manager very well and obviously some of our lads will have worked with Craig before.
“I’ve also worked with a number of the Colwyn Bay players before such as Will Bell, Toby Jones, Alex Downes and Sion Edwards – so we know the size of the task ahead.”
Jones insists that nothing will change as his side prepare for the game on Saturday, as they look for their second consecutive win in the Cymru North.
“Our preparation for the game has been like any other, like I said it’s important we treat this like any other game.
“We had a poor result against Gresford and then followed that up with a very good win against Rhyl, and the key for me is to ensure that no matter who we are playing, we approach the games in the right way.”
The Seagulls are yet to win since their return to Wales, with a draw and a loss in the opening two games, but Jones believes that will only serve as an extra motivation.
“I can imagine they will be up for the game. They are looking for their first win and have a very good squad, they’ll be hoping to be up there in the league and their players will want to get the job done.
“By the same token, we believe we have a very strong group and an excellent team ethic which is brilliant considering we are still in our infancy in terms of how long the lads have been together.”
Having managed Denigh Town and Rhyl in the past, Jones is well-accustomed to north Walian derby games, as he explains the best way to approach them.
“Like I mentioned, the key with derbies is to block out the ‘noise’ that surrounds the game and to ensure we play the game and not the occasion.
“Keeping focused and preparing properly are the key leading up to derby games.”
Looking at the season as a whole, the UEFA A Licence candidate explains what he is looking to achieve.
“The key for us this year is to stabilise, to build a group of hungry players who want to be here playing for the badge and each other and bringing a feel good factor back to the club.
“If we can start to get that right we will start to see positive results on the pitch.”
Colwyn Bay vs. Llandudno kicks off at 14:30 tomorrow afternoon, and you can stay up to date with the latest results and scorers in the Cymru North here.
(Featured image: EQMedia of Llandudno FC)
Leave a Reply