Date: 26.12.2018

Ground: 77

Match: 18 (2018/2019 season)

Venue: Forest Road

Teams: Hay St. Mary’s V Presteigne St. Andrews

Competition: Mid Wales League Division 2

Admission: £3

Final Score: 5-2 ( H/T 3-0 )

Referee: Not Known

Attendance: 81 ( Head Count )

Mileage to venue and return: 101.8 Miles

Programme: None on Sale

Introduction

Happy Christmas one and all – my travels on Boxing Day took me too Forest Road home of Hay St.

Mary’s Football Club.

My Father-in-Law, Dave accompanied me to the match and we arrived at the ground at 13:45, plenty

of time for me to have a couple of festive beers as Dave was driving. This was the first time we had

attended a football match together since Boxing Day 2017 where we watched West Bromwich

Albion V Everton at The Hawthorns.

We enjoyed a pleasant journey from South Shropshire too the Powys town of Hay-on-Wye, too my

surprise there was little traffic on the roads.

Right, lets get into my report of the day, as usual the first segment of my report will provide

information with regards to Hay-on-Wye, the town where Hay St. Mary’s Football Club is based.

Hay-on-Wye

Hay-on-Wye or in Welsh – Y Gelli Gandryll or just Y Gelli and often shortened to just, “Hay” is a small

market town situated in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire) in Wales, currently

administered as part of the unitary authority of Powys.

Following the census of 2011, the town was recorded as having a population of 1598 people.

The area is first referred too between 1135 and 1147 as “Haya” by 1299 the name of “La Haye” was

in use. Fast forward to the 16th Century and the area was simply known as “Hay”

In 1215, a Welsh name, “Gelli” was recorded and subsequently “Gelli gandrell” in 1614, one school

of thought is that the two names were used concurrently in 1625.

The English name “Hay” comes from the Old English language, “Haeg” which possibly means a

“fenced area”. It was also used as a noun in late Saxon and Norman times for an enclosure in a

forest.

The Welsh word, celli, lenited (sound change) to Gelli has several meanings including wooded areas

of various extents.

Hay-on-Wye is situated on the South-East bank of the River Wye and is also within the North-

easternmost point of the Brecon Beacons National Park, lying just North of the Black Mountains.

The town is only just on the Welsh section of the border with the County of Herefordshire, England –

duly defined by the Dulas Brook. The Brook joins the River Wye slightly North of the town and the

border continues to travel North along the river. The Wye was formerly the boundary between the

former counties and districts of Radnorshire and Brecknockshire.

Adjacent to the town of Hay-on-Wye is the village of Cussop which lies on the English side of the

Dulas Brook. The closest city to the town is Hereford, only a 22-mile drive to the East.

Hay-on-Wye is famous for bookshops and is a destination for the lovers of books. The town still has

over 20 book shops at its disposal, many of which selling both specialist and second-hand books.

Since 1988, the town has been the venue of a literacy festival which is now sponsored by the Daily

Telegraph Newspaper. The festival runs for a full ten days and attracts more than 80,000 visitors

over the ten-day format.

Like the town of Builth Wells (19 miles to the North-West of Hay-on-Wye) Hay-on-Wye has two

castles from the Norman Period. It is possible that the town was firstly fortified by William

FitzOsbern (1020-1071) during his penetration of the South-East area of Wales during the summer of

1070 and achieved by successfully defeating three Welsh Kings. FitzOsbern was a relative and

respected counsellor of William the Conqueror as well as being the Lord of Breteuil in Normandy and

one of the great magnates of early Norman England. The history of the area then proceeds to

continue through the Lordships of the de Neufmarches, confirmed during the battle of Brecon in

1093 and also the Gloucester/Hereford families until 1165, when the district of Brycheiniog

(Brycheiniog was an independent Kingdom in South Wales during the middle ages) transferred into

the hands of the de Braose dynasty (William de Braose, First Lord of Bramber) of Marcher Lords.

During 1230, Hay Castle was passed onto the de Bohuns and the local history, which includes the

battle near Hay in 1231 is continued throughout the Mortimer Wars of the 1260’s and the battle

near Brecon in 1266 down to the death of Earl Humphrey de Bohun in 1298.

Situated close to St Mary’s Church on the very western edge of Hay-on-Wye is a small sized but well-

preserved motte. The site of the motte overlooks a gorge and stream, known locally as The Loggin

Brook, the Brook flows into the River Wye. Historians suggest that this was without doubt one

reason for the construction of a motte and bailey castle upon the site. The Fortress, small in stature

was possibly the work of Bernard de Neufmarche (1050-1125 – one of the first conquerors of Wales)

the same site may well later have been the seat for the manor or commote of Melinog.

The main fortress in Hay-on-Wye was positioned on the site commanding the town and river under

the present-day ruins of the castle and mansion. Historians have little doubt that this was the

‘castello de haia’ which was handed over into the possession of, Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of

Hereford in 1121 with Sibyl de Neufmarche, the daughter of Bernard de Neufmarche. There is a

distinct possibility that this could be the oldest Norman tower in the whole of Wales dating to the

strike by William FitzOsbern in 1070.

During the anarchy of 1136-1154 and in the reign of King Stephen (1092/96 – 1154) a series of

charters were passed by the Gloucester’s with regards to the castle. In 1165 the final male

descendant of Miles of Gloucester was killed at nearby Bronllys Castle, Bronllys – subsequently Hay-

on-Wye castle passed into the hands of William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber and of New Radnor

and Buellt. The de Braose family were hard working and active Lords and most likely built the core of

the gatehouse, the gatehouse stands besides the keep, today. During the summer of 1198 a

significant English army formed here, onwards they marched to victory at the Battle of Painscastle,

Painscastle is situated between the towns of Builth and Hay-on-Wye, approximately three miles

from the Wales-England border.

In 1230 the last de Braose of Brecon, namely William de Braose was hanged by Prince Llwelyn ab

Lowerth. Prince Llwelyn 1173-1240 was a King of Gwynedd in North Wales and was to become the

ruler of all of Wales, the Prince dominated Wales for a period of 45 years. Following the hanging of

William de Braose, Brecon lordship with Hay-on-Wye was passed over into the hands of the de

Bohuns. Prince Llwelyn used this to his advantage in 1231 by ravaging the lands of his de Bohun in-

laws, in doing so much of Hay-on-Wye was burnt, the castle did however somehow survive the

onslaught. The castle was to change hands three times in three years between 1263-1266, during

the Barons’ War.

In approximately 1401 both the town and the castle sustained damage by the forces of Owain

Glyndwr. (1359-1415, Owain Glyndwr was a Welsh ruler and the last native Welshman to hold the

title Prince of Wales) The castle was still listed as defensible against the Welsh two years later in

1403. Later the castle would be the possession of the Earls of Stafford, who were subsequently to

become the unfortunate and unlucky dukes of Buckingham during the War of the Roses. During the

conflicts of the 1460’s the castle was repaired but reports suggest that its military use would have

been a little dubious against cannon fire.

During the 1660’s, James Boyle from nearby Hereford constructed a new mansion on the north side

of the castle. In doing this, Boyle demolished the majority of the curtain wall in order to obtain

better views. The mansion today is now used for second-hand book selling.

The town of Hay-on-Wye is twinned with a Belgian village by the name of Redu situated in the

municipality of Libin. It is also twinned with the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali.

On 1st April 1977, Richard George William Pitt Booth MBE (born in Hay-on-Wye in 1938) derived a

publicity stunt by declaring Hay-on-Wye an independent kingdom and in doing so declared himself

as its monarch. Hay-on-Wye was to even have its own National Anthem, written by Les Penning. This

unique set of tongue in cheek events has subsequently helped to develop a healthy tourism industry

based upon literacy events for which some people credit to Booth. In 2005, Booth spoke of plans to

sell his bookshop in the town and relocate to Germany, this news moved local MP Roger Williams to

say – “His legacy will be that Hay changed from a small market town into a mecca for second-hand

book lovers and this transformed the local economy”

Other notable people with connections to Hay-on-Wye include:

Herbert Rowse Armstrong the “Hay Poisoner” – the only UK solicitor to have been hanged for

murder.

Josie Pearson, Paralympian athlete and Gold Medal winner at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

In 2017, Hay-on-Wye was named as one of the best places to live in Wales.

Forest Road

Forest Road is the home ground of Hay St. Mary’s Football Club, the ground is situated on Brecon

Road in Hay-on-Wye. As you can see from the picture below, the football club share the Hay-on-Wye

Recreation Ground with the town’s Bowling Club, Cricket Club and Tennis Club. There is also a

children’s playground on the same site making it a wonderful set of facilities for the whole

community.

Dave and I parked the car next to the playground and proceeded to walk past the bowling green and

towards a large building opposite to said bowling green. This building is home to the toilets,

changing rooms and a small but pleasant snack bar. We stopped here for drink, Dave paid a £1 for a

mug of tea and I opted to have a can of lager priced at £2. During our short stay in this snack bar I

had a little wonder around and found a framed Brazil shirt signed by Pele hanging on the wall, now I

just had to take a picture of that.

Whilst we were in the bar I was pleased to meet and chat to Will Perkins, Will, plays for Wellington

Football Club. I visited the Wellington Playing Fields home of Wellington FC in November for their

Herefordshire FA County Challenge Cup Quarter Final against Westfields. Ground 75 on my ground

hopping journey, the report for this can be found on my blog.

After chatting to Will, Dave and I made the walk from besides the bowling green to the football

ground itself. Before we got to the main pitch, I could see that both teams were warming up on the

training pitch just below the main pitch.

Hay St. Mary’s being put through their paces

We entered the ground and paid our admission of £3 for myself and £2 concession for Dave who I

describe as a senior gentleman instead of an old age pensioner. Just to prove what hard work goes

into running grassroots football club across the UK, the man taking the money on the gate was the

same man who was working behind the bar by the bowling club. Without these volunteers many

football clubs across the UK would not be able to survive, people – please support your local football

club.

After we paid our admission fee, we proceeded to walk to the covered stand which I estimated to

house around 50 seats. A very neat structure indeed, Dave took his seat on the end of the front row

in the middle of the stand. Before I took my seat, I proceeded to take my usual walk around the

ground to take some pictures for my report.

You will see from the following pictures that the ground is a fantastic set up, enjoy the pictures.

A raised terraced area situated to the left of the seated stand.

The goal at the far end of the ground, a brook runs behind this goal and all the way along the side of

the pitch opposite the seated stand.

Picture taken from the bottom left corner – a wonderful view as I am sure you will agree.

Picture taken from the opposite corner.

The dugouts – again just look at that view.

My favourite picture that took, in my opinion it shows the true beauty of the ground. You can just

about see Dave sitting at the front of the stand.

This is a picture I took of the second snack bar at Hay St. Mary’s, Dave had another cup of tea from

here just before half time and I chose to have my second lager of the afternoon. In this snack bar

there was some pictures of old Hay St. Mary’s teams, just like the one below.

Hay St. Mary’s Football Club

Forest Road

Hay-on-Wye

Powys

HR3 5DY

Nicknamed the Saints, Hay St. Mary’s Football Club were founded in approximately 1889. Their

home colours are green and white striped shirts with green shorts and white socks.

The following information is taken from the excellent Hay St. Mary’s website:

www.haystmarysfc.co.uk

It is uncertain when Hay St. Mary’s were formed however, it is known that when the Herefordshire

league was formed in 1889, The Saints were then playing in the Mid Wales League, against the likes

of Builth, Llandrindod and Rhayader.

First information available about major honours is that although playing in Wales the club lifted the

prestigious Herefordshire Senior Amateur Cup in 1923/24 and again in 1933/34. Things go quiet then

until football began again after the war when Hay joined the Herefordshire League along with

Monmouth and Presteigne. Some 21 years later further major success came The Saints way in the

form of the HFL Junior Cup, defeating Kington Reserves in the final. Two seasons later and Hay were

promoted to the Premier League in Herefordshire. In the third season, 1971/72 Hay were winners of

the HFL Senior Cup. Another two seasons passed and, after a fantastic run in the Herefordshire

County Challenge Cup in which the beat higher graded opponents – Pegasus, Dales (Leominster) and

Kington (Mid Wales League) they went on to share the trophy after drawing with Lads Club twice.

Both results were 2-2 after extra time, the first being played at Edgar Street and the second at

Kington.

A cup treble was completed when Hay beat Builth Wells in the final of the Hay Cup. Knighton Town

were also beaten in the final of the Radnorshire Cup 4-3 after extra time.

Another couple of quite seasons and then the Saints were challenging for league honours only to be

disappointed when they finished runners up to Llangarron. Defeat at Ross Town in the third week of

May handed the title to Llangarron. They did however lift the HFL Senior Cup a few days later when

they beat Hinton 2-1. Twelve months later and the Saints were back challenging for the title and this

time they were successful when they beat Ross Town on goal average, the difference between the

sides being 0.412 of a goal. That same season they again reached the Radnorshire Cup Final where

they met Aberystwyth Reserves, but they were unfortunately beaten by a side containing some of

their successful first team. In 1980/81 they won the HFL Senior Cup, unfortunately they would soon

be relegated to the first division, finishing runners up in 1987/88 they returned to the premier where

they stayed for three seasons.

After the end of the 1990/91 season the club left the HFL for Welsh football once again as the Welsh

FA were about to ban all Welsh Clubs from playing in England. They joined the Mid Wales League

South and in their debut season 1991/92 narrowly missed out on the title to local rivals Vale of

Arrow. 1992/93 saw the Saints again finish second this time to Penybont.

Following this spell, the club went through a difficult time losing several players. This meant a

readjustment and only one side playing in the Brecon League. This team was affectionately known as

‘Sids Kids’ after the club stalwart Sid Wilding who ensured the club kept going at this stage albeit

with a very young side. Hay returned to the Mid Wales South in 1997/98 for two seasons before

having a season off due to lack of players. In 2000/01 they returned to play under the leadership of

Chris Price however, foot and mouth terminated the season early.

In 2001/02 Hay again reached the Radnorshire Cup Final only to lose 4-1 to Rhayader, then of the

League of Wales. A period of top six finishes finishes then ensued before finishing in fourth 2006/07.

Season 2007/08 saw Filip Wisniewski take over the managers job however, the league title was just

beyond their reach as reformed Rhayader Town won the league and were promoted to the Spar Mid

Wales League. Progress was made in both Central Wales Cups, with a 4-1 defeat to eventual winners

Penparcau in the Emrys Morgan Semi Final and a defeat in the Quarter Final away at Aberystwyth

Reserves in the Quarter Final of the Central Wales Senior Cup. Success was gained however in cup

competitions as they won the Sparey Cup, beating Stoke Prior 2-1, Builth Spa Cup, beating hosts

Builth Wells 2-1, Brecon Town Cup, beating Crickhowell 3-1 and beating the Saints Sunday side in the

Ron Ellis Cup.

So, to season 2008/09, what a season it turned out to be. Not only did the Saints win the League for

a second time in three seasons, but they also won the Emrys Morgan Cup for the first time and also

got to the Central Wales Senior Cup Final.

Promotion to the Spar Mid Wales was gained following the league win in which the Saints were

pushed all the way by local rivals Gwernyfed.

In the 2014/15 season under the guidance of manager Gareth Jenkins the Saints finished runners up

and were promoted to the Spar Mid Wales League Division One. The Saints also won The Otway Cup

beating Rhosgoch Rangers FC 1-0.

The Saints entered the 2015/16 season with three senior sides, a ladies side and over a dozen junior

sides.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

At the time of writing this segment of my report (28th December 2018) The Saints currently sit in

second place in the Mid Wales League Division Two, three points behind leaders Montgomery Town

but with two games in hand. Their overall league record read as follows:

Played 13

Won 10

Drawn 0

Lost 3

Scored 51

Conceded 23

Points 30

This information was taken from www.nonleaguematters.co.uk

Hay St. Marys 5-2 Presteigne St Andrews – Match Statistics

Hay St. Marys Presteigne St. Andrews

Goal Log: No.10 2, 22 Goal Log: No. 2 51,

No.9 33, No.10 84,

No.7 72,

No.6 74,

Attempts: 15 Attempts: 11

On Target: 9 On Target: 5

Corners: 4 Corners: 1

Offsides: 4 Offsides: 0

Yellows: 2 Yellows: 2

Reds: 0 Reds: 0

Match Report

The home side won this battle of the ‘Saints’ quite comfortably through good football and finishing,

Presteigne did have good spells of possession during the game but could not find that that telling

pass in the final third of the pitch.

The Saints took the lead in the second minute of the game, their impressive number 10 fired a left

foot half volley home from twenty yards into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Presteigne almost got back on level terms in the 10th minute, unfortunately for them their attempt

at goal was cleared off the line.

Hay then took control of the game, in the 16th minute the number 10 produced a good run and shot

to match, the ball ending up going wide of the far post.

A good passing move in the 22nd minute saw Hay go 2-0 up, the number 10 grabbing his second of

the game with a neat finish. The number 10 almost grabbed his hat-trick goal five minutes later,

clean through he tried to round the on-rushing goalkeeper, the Presteigne custodian did well to

prevent his team going 3-0 down by bravely diving at the feet of the Hay centre forward and taking

the ball away from him.

Hay did however take a 3-0 lead in the 33rd minute of the game. The referee (who I thought was

excellent throughout the game) gave an indirect free-kick in the Presteigne penalty area for a back

pass. Hay took the subsequent free-kick quickly and their number 9 found the bottom left corner of

the goal with a well taken shot.

Hay were correctly awarded a penalty in the 45th minute, the Hay number 9 stepped up to take the

penalty and unleashed a powerful left foot shot towards the left corner of the goal which was

excellently saved by the visiting goalkeeper to keep his side in the game.

Half Time: Hay St. Mary’s 3-0 Presteigne St. Andrews

First Half Action

Second Half

In the 55th minute, Hay’s number 10 almost made the game safe, clean through on goal he shot wide

of the target.

Two minutes later and the visitors were back in the game, a cross from the right flank was glanced

home with the slightest of touches by their number 2.

Following this goal Presteigne looked a different team, they had a penalty appeal turned down in the

69th minute and two minutes later they struck the bar of the Hay goal with a terrific long range free-

kick from their number 15.

Unfortunately for the away side, Hay scored their 4th of the game on 72 minutes. The Presteigne

goalkeeper who was the hero in the first half misjudged a through ball, rushing from his goal he

misjudged his clearance, the ball fell to the Hay number 7 who made no mistake scoring from 35

yards into an unguarded goal.

The home side put the game beyond any doubt in the 74th minute by scoring their 5th of the game.

Their number 6 found himself clean through on goal and fired the ball home off the inside of the far

post. To, their credit Presteigne never let their head drop and grabbed their second goal of the game

on 87 minutes. A free-kick taken by their number 10 was deflected on route to goal wrong footing

the Hay goalkeeper.

Final Score: Hay St. Mary’s 5-2 Presteigne St. Andrews

Hay attacking the away goal in the second half

The Hay number 7 prepares to take a second half free-kick.

Conclusion

A really enjoyable first visit to Hay St. Mary’s Football Club, a really friendly and welcoming club. It

was good to bump into Paul Proctor again who I first met at Stourport Swifts earlier this season. I

again enjoyed to chatting some hoppers who I had met at my previous two games at Wellington and

Pegasus Juniors respectively. Lastly thanks must go to Carl, who like the other hoppers I met at my

two previous outings. Carl helps out Hay St. Mary’s Football Club and he kept me informed of the

weather leading up to the match and the state of the pitch, provided me with the club address and

kindly gave me a mince pie upon on my arrival to the ground.

My next game will be on 29th December – Carno FC V Caersws FC.