With a place in the first round proper at stake, this weekend’s JD Welsh Cup second qualifying round should produce plenty of drama.
Perhaps one of the biggest stories of the first qualifying round was that of Gaerwen FC, of the North Wales Coast West Division One – the fifth tier of Welsh football.
The Anglesey-based club were drawn away to Llanfair United, a side two divisions above them in the Ardal North East and one of the furthest trips they could have received with the game being played at Newtown’s Latham Park, a near-200 mile round-trip. Llanfair were also JD Welsh Cup quarter-finalists in 2016/17.
The hosts went 2-0 up inside the opening 21 minutes, but Gaerwen had clawed it back to 2-2 at half-time thanks to goals from Nathan Moore and Keiran Williams.
“As soon as we went 2-0 down, I said to the lads ‘we’ve got nothing to lose’,” explains Vinny Walker, Gaerwen’s joint manager alongside Alwyn Thomas.
“We pushed high, gambled and soon as we did that we got two goals back. From that point onwards, we were the better team.”
However, Llanfair went 3-2 up on 65 minutes and looked set to progress – until Gaerwen substitute Jay Flinter found another equaliser with just four minutes remaining to send the tie to penalties.
In the shootout, a save from Gaerwen goalkeeper Tomos Hughes – usually an outfield player – proved decisive as the fifth tier side produced an upset to prevail 5-3.
“When they went in front again it was against the run of play and that was a sucker punch,” Walker says. “But the lads didn’t stop fighting. We hit the crossbar, their keeper made a lot of good saves and you start to think it might not be your day. But thankfully, in the end, it was.
“I couldn’t watch the shootout. Fortunately we have a few penalty specialists in our team and we scored all five. Then our goalkeeper made a save which was a very special moment.”
It may have been a long journey back to Anglesey, but players and staff certainly enjoyed it.
“It was just pure celebration from the moment the winning penalty went in to the moment the bus arrived back home at night,” Walker says. “You would have thought we had won the cup and it felt like we had!
“I don’t think anyone gave us a chance and to be honest I’m even sure our own lads game themselves a chance. But it meant everything to win because this cup has so much sentiment and history.”
The second qualifying round draw gave Gaerwen another away tie against another third tier side – they will travel to Rhos Aelwyd on Saturday afternoon.
A place in the first round proper of the JD Welsh Cup is at stake, a stage which Gaerwen have only reached on two previous occasions in their history, most recently in 2017/18.
“We’re still massive underdogs, there’s no doubt about that,” Walker says. “Even with the win in the last round.
“But we had a management meeting on Tuesday night and I used the famous Kevin Keegan quote: ‘I would love it if we beat them!’.
“It would mean the world to me, the lads, the club if we managed to get past Rhos Aelwyd and get into the Welsh Cup proper. Anything can happen in football.”
The JD Welsh Cup First Round draw will be broadcast on RedWall+ at 8pm on Wednesday 28 August.
