As we prepare for tonight’s Adran Trophy draw, one side making history in the competition are Llanfair United.
The last couple of seasons for the Powys based club haven’t been exactly straightforward. In the league, the team haven’t threatened the top end of the Adran North and have always been in a mid-table tussle.
Goalkeeper Ffion Davies has been with the team for a while, and gave an insight into what life has been like over the last few campaigns.
“It’s been a tough couple of seasons for us. We came into the Adran Leagues, and we’re just a small town in rural Wales.
“We’re very different to all the other teams across the Adran Leagues, and as a result, it’s always been quite difficult to compete with the likes of Wrexham, Llandudno and Connah’s Quay.
“It’s not been completely negative by any means, but it has been difficult, and we haven’t really had a settled manager in that period either. Last season, we didn’t do much training either due to a variety of issues.
“At the end of the day, we’re a bit different to every other team, but it is what it is. However, this season, we’ve shown some great signs of improvement.”
However, seasons of questions and doubts appeared to end over the summer, with the club making a few changes.
A new manager has walked through the door, and the club have managed to attract players from nearby Welshpool Town, including former Aberystwyth Town stalwart Lucie Gwilt.
The new changes were clear to see on the opening day, as Llanfair managed to beat NFA 6-1 on the opening day, a result that raised many eyebrows across the country.
“We were absolutely buzzing after that opening game,” Davies explained. “Over the last few years, scoring goals has been a really difficult thing for us, so to get six was amazing.
“It was a home game, but we’ve been very 50/50 against the teams around us in recent seasons. With NFA, we beat them 1-0 at home but lost 4-2 away, so to get that big win was phenomenal.
“There’s a lot of different components going into this team. We’ve got over 16 players in training every week, and as a result, the manager has to make difficult decisions when it comes to picking a matchday squad and leaving players out.
“It’s all so positive, and that opening game gave us a lot of confidence.”
Not only have they made a good start to the league, but the Adran Trophy has provided them plenty of positive moments.
Put into a group with Flint Town United, Y Felinheli, and Rhyl, Llanfair picked up six points out of a possible nine to qualify for the round of 16 for the first time in their history.
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They are now guaranteed to play an Adran Premier side, and Davies is hoping the good times can keep rolling.
“It’s mental to think that we’re going to be playing against an Adran Premier team. We looked at our group, and we knew it was going to be tough.
“With Rhyl and Felinheli, again, it’s been 50/50 with them and us, while Flint have come in and been exceptional, so to get second place in that group is amazing. Now we have the chance to play an Adran Prem side, and that’s fantastic.
“It’s going to be really interesting to see who we come up against, but we’d love for it to be a home game and see the bigger teams come up to the Mount, because it is an interesting place to play in a very unique place.
“We’ll be going into it with a positive mindset, but we’re so proud to have gotten this far.”
As you might be able to tell by reading this, Llanfair United are an incredibly unique club.
If I asked you to point out where the club is on a map, many of you may not even know where to start! But they are in fact based in mid Wales, 15 minutes away from Welshpool.
Many issues around Wales centre around a north/south divide, but the middle of the country often gets forgotten.
Both Aberystwyth and Llanfair have struggled in the past with a variety of issues, and Davies explained what the club face on a daily basis.
“You’ve got us and Aberystwyth Town in the mid Wales region, and it is difficult to compete.
“Facilities is always a difficult thing for us, because there aren’t many places around this area for us. All the good stadiums and facilities are taken up by men’s teams. We’re not far away from one of the best ones in Latham Park, and we’ve been fortunate to play there a few times when needed, but it’s not always available.
“It is a sort of small barrier between being able to actually progress and develop further. We don’t have a U19 team like a lot of others do in the Adran North, which means we do have younger players who are missing out.
“But I do think things are improving slowly, we are getting stronger as a club and there is a unity. It is a shame our area does get forgotten about, but that’s the way it is. We in the middle often get forgotten about in life, yet alone football.”
Nevertheless, Llanfair are proving a lot of people wrong at the start of this season, and they are showing no signs of slowing down.
Despite Llandudno and Connah’s Quay being difficult to contend with, Davies is hopeful, and believes her side can continue to cause shocks.
“I genuinely can see us competing for that third spot. Connah’s Quay and Llandudno are that step ahead, and that’s to be expected, because they have everything they need to progress, but I think we can challenge behind them.
“I see no reason why we can’t, and it would be fantastic to be able to do it. We’ve beaten Felinheli and Rhyl already this season, and we’re a team that can beat anybody this season, and we won’t be afraid of anyone.”
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