TNSFC v Rhyl 08/11/13 by tnsfc

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Oswestry Town and Llansantffraid FC

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Welcome to

After a week without any football, following the postponement of last weekends game against Carmarthen, I'm sure everyone will be looking forward to tonight's Welsh Premier encounter. Games against Rhyl over the years have always been fearlessly contested affairs and tonight will surely be no different. It's great to see Rhyl back in the league, the Welsh Premier, is much better for it, they have fantastic support and a management team both on and off the pitch that wants to bring success back to the North Wales Coast Club. A warm welcome to their Directors, staff, players and supporters who have travelled up for tonight's game. Once again we have been working hard behind the

scenes to capture the imagination of local football followers to the game. The attendance of over 400 spectators for our last home game against gap Connah's Quay bears the fruit of a lot of work to encourage the local community to support the team and attend games. Tonight we welcome over 100 students and teachers from Welshpool High School, who will be joining us having purchased a combined bowling and football ticket. One of our club partners Turner Peachey are also with us this evening, a big welcome to Roger Whitﬁeld and all of his guests, who will no doubt enjoy their evening with us. They have supported the club for many years and we thank them for their continued support of the club. We have also received some exciting news this week regarding our newly formed Community Football Foundation which has been granted Charitable Status. This will

enable us to undertake even more work within the local community and help to enhance the clubs proﬁle within the local community. Finally, the last word goes to our ever present goalkeeper Paul Harrison, who is being presented with a memento of achieving a record breaking number of consecutive minutes of Welsh Premier League football with The New Saints. Paul, a true gentleman, is the ideal example of what professional football is all about, dedicated to the cause, he leads by example and has been one of the best signings the club has ever made. Please show your appreciation for is dedication to our club.

Ian Williams Chief Operating Oﬃcer

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manager’s notes I would like to welcome the staﬀ, players and fans from Rhyl to the game tonight. Well it hasn’t been too long since we last played them and I am really looking forward to the game tonight after having the match against Carmarthen town postponed. Friday night games always generate a good atmosphere and Rhyl have a really good following, so it is going to be a good game. Rhyl have had two good results on the bounce with victories against Connah’s Quay and Afan Lido so they will come into the game, full of conﬁdence. I have a number of former players at Rhyl including Matty Woodward, Mark Cadwallader, Alex Ramsay, Paul McManus, Tom Rowlands and obviously Nikki Bulmer so it is great to see them all doing well. John Leah is also there so there are a lot of connections. It is good to have Rhyl back in the league because they always bring a good crowd and they try to play football the right way. It is going to be a good game tonight and I hope everyone will enjoy the match and support the lads!

Craig

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IN OPPOSITION

Rhyl FC - Club History and Player Profiles CLUB HISTORY Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyls . Football in the town dates from the late 1870s and at one time there were several Rhyl clubs in existence . Rhyl FC became founder members of the Welsh League formed in 1890 ,but withdrew the following year .In a post war purple patch ,Rhyl won the league title twice – in 1947 – 48 and 1950 – 51 and the Welsh Cup twice in succession in 1952 when they beat Merthyr Tydfil 4-3 and became the first non league side in the modern era to retain the trophy defeating Chester 2-1 the following season . Rhyl were runners up in 1930 after losing to Cardiff City and in1937 when they lost to Crewe Alexandra and in 1993 they were again losing finalists being beaten by Cardiff City 5-0 Over the years Rhyl have produced players of the highest calibre more than once including Graham Williams (West Bromwich Albion) Barry Horne (Everton) Andy Jones (Charlton Athletic) and most recently Lee Trundle who currently plays for Neath. Rhyl won the Cheshire League title in1972 For many years Rhyl struggled in the top flight of Welsh football but ,since being taken over by a consortium under former player Peter Parry they have seen improved results and are now one of the leading non league clubs in Wales Season 2003-2004 saw the most successful haul of trophies ever in the Welsh system with the club winning the Welsh Premier , Welsh Cup , Premier Challenge Cup and the North Wales Coast Cup as well as being runners up in the FAW Premier Cup . Qualification for the Champions League saw Rhyl play its first games in European competition and while the Lilywhites lost to Latvian champions Skonto Riga valuable lessons were learnt and club were determined to build upon the experience. Rhyl couldn’t reproduce their quadruple heroics in 2004 05 the club finished runners up to TNS in the league and also fell to the same team in the Welsh Cup semi final and also lost to Carmarthen Town in the League Cup Final but the club still qualified for Europe as league runners up In 2005-06 Rhyl recorded their first ever win in European competition when they defeated FK Atlantis of Lithuania 21 in the home leg of the first qualifying round of the UEFA cup . Rhyl Lost the away leg 3-2 but progressed on the away goal rule to become the first Welsh club to make the second qualifying round since Barry Town in 1996-7 . The Lilywhites lost in the second round against Norwegian club Viking FK of Stavanger 3-1 on aggregate. The Lilywhites claimed more silverware in 2005-6 domestic season when they lifted the Welsh Cup beating Bangor City 2-0 at the race course Wrexham and added

the North Wales Coast Challenge Cup when they recorded a 2-1 win over Denbigh Town . A third place finish in the Welsh Premier League meant that Rhyl would compete for a third year in a row in European competition . Rhyls 2006-7 European adventure in the UEFA Cup was ended at the first hurdle with a 2-1 aggregate defeat by Lithuanian side FK Sudova of Marijampole The club participated in the 2008 Intertoto Cup but were defeated in the first round 9-3 on aggregate by Bohemians of Ireland In the summer of 20008 Rhyl Signed several players that would take the club to the next level . These were proven football league players some of which were internationals such as Neil Roberts and Josh Johnson These signings proved to be pivotable as the Lilywhites lost only 4 league games and were undefeated for a record 18 games between Christmas 2008 and the end of the season Rhyl won the Principality Welsh Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Champions League The draw saw them matched against Partizan Belgrade former finalists in the competition. Looking to defend their title Rhyl appointed Greg Strong as player manager in the summer of 2009 . The season proved to be difficult with the club beset by financial problems leading to many of the championship squad leaving ,however , Strong assembled a team that defended its title to the end and were eventually to finish just three points below the total required to qualify for a seventh season in European competition . The club were also runners up in the Loosemores League Cup . The final disappointment was still to come as Rhyl were denied a domestic license and were demoted to the Huws Gray Alliance . The summer saw further departures from the club but Greg Strong signed some seasoned campaigners together with a number of promising youngsters with the aim being to secure promotion back to the Welsh Premier League at the earliest opportunity The club spent three years in the Huws Gray Alliance during which time they were able completely restructure the club through the efforts of a new board of directors and a number of volunteers who worked tirelessly to put the club back on its feet . The team meanwhile , under the guidance of Greg Strong and his coaches , enjoyed considerable success finishing as runners up on two occasions and also winning the Huws Gray League Cup. The ultimate target was finally achieved at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season when Rhyl were crowned champions of the Huws Gray Alliance after completing the whole programme of league matches undefeated a record that may stand for some considerable time .

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PLAYER PROFILES

Ryan Smith (Midfield) Another graduate from last seasons reserve team is an exciting young talent , possesses a good range of passing skills always comfortable on the ball

Alex Ramsey (Goalkeeper) Joined the club on loan from TNS last season and stayed with the club throughout last seasons successful campaign in the Huws Gray Alliance , Alex proved himself to be an excellent keeper which prompted Greg Strong to sign him this season .

Dave Forbes (Striker) Another member of last years squad who has decided to stay , Dave put in some good performances last season and proved to be a good partner for Steve Lewis up front and weighed in with 18 goals of his own . On a couple of occasions was called upon to play in goal and proved to be quite competent .

Matt Woodward (Defender) Retained from last season after some strong performances playing right full back , Matt can also be called upon to play centre back if required , good tackler shows a good turn of speed if necessary . Liam Benson (Defender) A valued member of last seasons squad , speedy effective left sided full back possesses a powerful shot and occasionally puts it to good use when a scoring opportunity arises Chris Rimmer (Defender) Tall centre back who joined the club towards the end of last season from Prescott Cables and slotted into the team very well and will be a useful squad member this season . Stefan Halewood (Defender) Very accomplished centre back who has shown a consistently high level of performance since joining the club from Flint Town United three years ago . Mark Powell (Midfield) Currently serving his third spell with the club after time with TNS and Bala Town , now serves the club as player coach always gives 100% and is steadying influence in midfield Danny Hughes (Midfield) Energetic holding midfielder with an eye for goal when the opportunity arises proved to be a valuable member of last seasons squad and was made captain Paul McManus (Midfield) Last season Macca was deservedly voted player of the season by the clubs in the Huws Gray Alliance and he also gained similar recognition from members of the club . There is no doubt he was outstanding throughout our successful campaign and scored 21 goals to add to some brilliant midfield play Steve Lewis (Striker) Signed last season after previous experience with Colwyn Bay and Bala Town ,Steve is a big strong old fashioned striker and proved himself last season ending up as the clubs leading scorer with 26 goals in all competitions Josh Williams (Striker) Joined the club last season and showed a lot of promise although he did not make that many appearances he did enough to convince manager Greg Strong to retain him for this season . Tom Rowlands (Striker) Tom has previously played in the League of Wales with Newtown joined Rhyl from Chester Nomads , tricky ball player who helped himself to 12 goals last season, And should prove his worth this season Dale Lee (Midfield) Dale was a member of our all conquering reserve team last season but did get one or two outings with the first team and did enough to persuade Greg Strong to include him in this seasons Welsh Premier Squad Ryan Astles (Defender) Signed from Buckley Town this season , Ryan was player of the year at Buckley last season ,has had experience with Wigan and was captain of their youth team and also played in the Wigan reserves . Ryan is a tall lad at 6ft 5ins which makes him a formidable centre back.

Jim Gambino (Striker) Speedy attacker with good ball skills always a danger coming from wide areas and proved his value by scoring 16 goals during last season .Jim came off the bench on a few occasions to score some vital goals , always displays lots of energy . Danny Laverty(Midfield) Spent 7 years at Blckburn Rovers and also had trials at Tranmere Rovers , still only 18 years of age Danny shows remarkable promise and has really impressed manager Greg Strong with his general all round performance and his ability to both make and score goals Greg Strong (Defender) Team manager who has guided the club back to the Welsh Premier League was voted top manager in the Huws Gray Alliance last season after he presided over an unbeaten record in the league to clinch promotion . Tom Roberts (Defender) Tom was at Aston Villa before moving to TNS two seasons ago where he played a big part in their league winning team before moving to Telford with Mike Davies. Very quick and has a big future ahead of him , Tom can also play centre midfield John Leah (Midfield) John has spent many years playing in the League of Wales particularly with TNS , this is his second spell with Rhyl having left the club to spend some time at Airbus UK. John returned to Rhyl last season and now serves mainly as a coach plus he is studying Physiotherapy. Mark Cadwallader (Midfield) Hard working midfielder signed from Airbus UK last season and with his experience of playing in the Welsh Premier League should prove to be a useful squad member Danny Jarrett (Defender) This will be his fourth season with the club although he left Rhyl to join Llandudno for a short time last season . Danny has always been a fringe player but his attitude has always remained positive , Danny is now a valued member of the Academy coaching team . Mike Walsh (Midfield) Former Rhyl player who left the Lilywhites to join Bangor City and was a member of their team during some very successful seasons so he brings a winning mentality with him , last season he played for Aberystwyth Town . Mike is a local lad and its nice to see him back at Rhyl. John Bathurst (Striker) Big old fashioned centre forward who is a goal threat both in the air and on the ground , he has previously played for Ashton United , Airbus UK and Prescot Cables . John is a player who never gives anything less than 100% and has a good gaol scoring reecord wherever he has played Louie Gray (Goalkeeper) Louie is a young highly rated keeper who has signed for the club on loan from Wrexham , he is 6ft 2 which enables him to be dominant in the air and is very comfortable with the ball at his feet . Jason Oswell (Striker) Served a loan period at Rhyl a couple of years ago , has since spent time in Scotland and Australia , Jason is a classy player who manager Greg Strong welcomed back with open arms and is sure he will make his mark in the Welsh Premier

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The Big Interview with Craig Harrison Craig Harrison spoke to Gilbert Woolley this week to discuss the postponed match last weekend, the excellent home run that the Welsh Champions are currently on and how the former Middlesbrough defender is always looking at ways to improve the team. The postponed match against Carmarthen Town hasn’t really affected anything but obviously Airbus are now back on top but it happened a couple of weeks ago when we played and their game was cancelled. It is going to be a close season and ideally we wanted to be at the top of the league for longer so in that respect it was a little disappointing as we could be sitting here still at the top. However, I must mention that the League is improving and I remember four or five years ago when I was at Airbus, we were made to play a game on a pitch that should never have been played. Thankfully people are now making good decisive decisions and without doubt it was the right decision to postpone the game. The fact of the matter is, if the pitch isn’t good enough to be played on, the game can’t go ahead. However, sometimes missing a game doesn’t do any harm as it gives our lads a little bit of a rest and a chance to have the weekend off because you have to remember that people forget that we have been back in training since the third of June. The lads have all worked really hard again this week and we have had a really good week of training this week. We are going to keep concentrating on ourselves as we have a really good squad and we have players that have a lot of experience and we have to keep doing what we have been, which is winning games and playing well. I am sure

that after Christmas the League will start taking shape. I expect us not to lose at home and I expected that last season but we lost twice and to be honest if the lads are on it then I don’t expect to lose at all. Football is not played on paper and it is really hard to get these great results every week. It is a fantastic record and it is essential that we keep on winning. Whether we win by not conceding a goal or whether we win and concede three or four goals, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we keep on winning football matches. I am always looking at ways to better the squad and improve the club and Carl Darlington and I even went to a game last Saturday to watch a player. We are always on the look out for how to strengthen the squad and every single week I am always trying to ﬁnd ways to improve. Over the last two seasons since I joined, we have always done that and the lads know that too. Any player who has played at a decent level will realise that you always try and improve what you have already got. Finally, I would like say how fantastic it was for Nash Mwamuka to play for Wales. I watched the game and the conditions made it diﬃcult. It was also great to see the teams that were involved when they showed the teams before the game and some of the clubs that were being represented included English Premier League clubs as well as Scottish Premier League clubs, so it was great to see TNS. I thought Wales played well against a strong Scotland side and Nash played well.

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TNS

Each week a member of the team will answer the following questions, regarding there teammates.

Teammates This week PAUL HARRISON will be answering. Who is the worst dressed at the club - Steve Evans Who is the biggest joker at the club - Chris Marriott Who is the most skilful at the club - Matty Williams/ Chris Seargeant / Alex Darlington Who is the quickest at the club – Connell Rawlinson Who is the best trainer at the club – Aeron Edwards / Simon Spender Who is the worst trainer at the club Mike Wilde Who is the most intelligent at the club Scott Ruscoe Who is the least intelligent at the club Scott Quigley Who has the worst taste in music at the club – Mike Wilde

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QUICK QUESTIONS WITH...

GREG DRAPER Number 9 First mobile phone- Nokia 3210 First car- Toyota Corolla First Football boots- Asics Favourite moment at TNS – Beating Bangor 5-0 to win the League. Favourite Football memory – Playing against Brazil in the 2008 Olympics. Favourite Holiday destination – Cyprus Favourite Film of all time – The Dark Knight Favourite Sport other than Football – Golf / Horse Racing Favourite Football team – Yeovil Town Favourite Football player- Ryan Giggs

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ALL TIME FAVOURITE XI GK Edwin van Der Sar

RB Cafu

RM David Beckham

CB Ryan Nelson

CM Ronaldinho

ST Thierry Henry

CB Paolo Maldini

LB Roberto Carlos

CM Zinedine Zidane

LM Lionel Messi

ST Ruud Van Nistelrooy

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MEET The New Saints Player Proﬁles 2013/2014

Paul Harrison – 1 Affectionately known as ‘H’, the TNS Captain has been a model of consistency since joining The Saints in 2007. The Liverpool born shot stopper, started off his career at Anfield before moving to clubs such as Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chester City. Born on the 18th of December in 1984, Harrison was an ever present during last season’s successful title winning side.

Steve Evans 5 Capped seven times by Wales, ‘Evo’ rejoined The Saints after a three year spell playing for Wrexham. During his spell at The Racecourse Stadium, the strong defender became the ﬁrst non-league player to represent Wales for 76 years, when he appeared as a second-half substitute in Wales’ 2-1 defeat in Russia. During his time at the Oswestry based club, the Wrexham born Evans has won the Welsh Premier League title, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh league Cup. Steve is now also the Head Coach of the Scholarship programme and is the manager of the Under 19 side.

Chris Marriott – 3 ‘Mazza’ joined The New Saints in 2009 and has become a regular at left back. The 23 year old previously played for Cefn Druids, after graduating from Wrexham’s academy programme. Marriott was voted the Manager’s Player of the Year for the 2012/2013 season.

Simon Spender – 2 Phil Baker – 4 Birkenhead born Baker, started his career oﬀ at Tranmere Rovers before playing for Bangor City and Exeter City. The solid centre back completed his move from The Grecians to The Saints in 2005 and famously scored the winning goal against Cliftonville in the Europa League ﬁrst qualifying round. The mean defender has won the Welsh Premier League, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh League Cup during his time at Park Hall. The mean defender has been an ever present for The Saints in the last few years.

Born in Mold on the 15th of November, 1985, the reliable right back joined TNS in 2011. Spender played over 100 games for Wrexham before moving to Barrow. The Welshman also represented his country at Under 21 level. ‘Spends’ was part of the Barrow team that won the FA Trophy at Wembley stadium in 2010.

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Scott Ruscoe – 7 Scott holds the record for the most appearances at The New Saints and has been a main stay in the team for the last decade. The TNS number seven had previously played for Newtown and Chester City before joining The Saints back in 2002. Nicknamed ‘Bobby’ the TNS number seven has won the Welsh premier League, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh League Cup during his time in Oswestry. The ball playing midﬁelder now divides his time between playing and overseeing the TNS Academy, in his role as Head of Youth Development. Scott has also represented The New Saints in European competition an incredible 29 times.

Matty Williams – 10

Kai Edwards – 6 Born in St Asaph on the 20th of January, 1991, Kai captained both the Welsh Under 21’s and the Welsh Under 23’s whilst at Wrexham. The Welsh Premier League’s Young Player of the Year in 2011/2012, joined TNS following Neath’s liquidation. The young defender has also played for Prestatyn Town. Kai was voted the TNS Young Player of the Year for the 2012/2013 season.

Greg Draper – 9 The New Zealand International made his debut for the All Whites in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualiﬁer against Fiji. Draper also played in the Beijing Olympics against Brazil, Belgium and China. The 24 year old Somerset born front man, joined TNS in 2011 and was the top goal scorer in his debut season, with an impressive 23 League goals. Greg’s former clubs include Canterbury United, Wellington Phoneix and Melbourne Knights.

Matty joined TNS in 2010 after impressing at Rhyl. The former Manchester United reserve joined Notts County after his stint at Old Traﬀord, where he went onto play regularly for two seasons. The St Asaph born striker then moved on to play for both Tamworth and Burton Albion, before returning to Wales. His ﬁrst season with The Saints saw him score a wonderful 24 goals in 38 appearances.

Sam Finley – 8 The tenacious young box to box midﬁelder was signed by Craig Harrison, in January 2012. Having spent time with Everton as a youngster, the Liverpudlian played for Southport and Warrington before switching to the Welsh Champions. Sam was born on the 4th of August 1992. Having worn number 17 last season, Sam decided to switch to number eight for the forthcoming campaign.

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n warsaw

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Ryan Fraughan – 11

Chris Seargeant – 12

‘Frawny’ began his career at Tranmere Rovers and progressed into the ﬁrst team along with Dale Jennings and Ash Taylor. The tricky winger left The Superwhites in 2011, to join Stockport County. The 22 year old scored the opening goal in the UEFA Champions League ﬁxture against Legia Warsaw. The TNS number 11 was voted the Welsh Premier League Young Player of the Season last year.

Born in Liverpool on the 13th of September, 1986, ‘Sarge’ began his career with Everton FC. During his stay at The Toﬀees, the TNS number 12 scored the winning goal in the Semi Final of the Liverpool Senior Cup. Chris left Everton in 2006 and went on to play for Bangor City before joining the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League champions. Former Everton player, Steve Seargeant is his father.

Mike Wilde – 18

Jamie Mullan – 14 Jamie signed for TNS in January 2013. The speedy winger was born in Nottingham and played for Manchester United reserves. After leaving Old Traﬀord he joined Northwich Victoria where he helped save them from relegation and by doing so he won the Young Player of the Year award. Mullan then joined Fleetwood Town and was a member of the 2009/2010 promotion winning squad. The TNS number 14 has also played for Alfreton Town and Stalybridge Celtic.

Connell Rawlinson – 16 Wrexham born Connell, was previously with Chester City. The tall defender has also represented his country at Under 23 level. The TNS number 16 spent time on loan at Newtown last year before coming back to The Saints and helping the Oswestry side successfully defend their Welsh Premier title.

‘Wildey’ rejoined The New Saints last season and took no time to settle in as he powered his way to Welsh Premier Golden Boot with a very impressive 25 goals. The Liverpool born forward started his career at TNS before leaving for Fleetwood Town. The big front man has also spent time at Halifax Town and Chester City. Last season, the TNS number 18 was voted the Supporters Player of the Year as well as the Players Player of the Year. In what was a wonderful season, he was also voted the Welsh Premier League Player of the Year.

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Chris Mullock – 25 Aaron Simms – 19

Alex Darlington – 20

Aaron is a versatile defender who has developed through the TNS Academy. The Shrewsbury born player will wear the number 19 shirt this season. Simms also spent time on loan at Cyrmu Alliance side, Conwy Borugh, before returing to Park Hall and playing his part in the 7-1 thrashing of Prestatyn, in the penultimate game of the season.

‘Darlo’ began his career with Wrexham and has represented Wales at Under 19 level. The Wrexham born striker cruelly suffered two broken legs whilst at The Racecourse. The TNS number 20 has gone on to become a very important first team player for The Saints and is also the designated penalty taker for the club. The prolific forward was born on December the 26th, 1988.

Chris joined The Saints this summer and will wear the number 25 shirt. Born in Wrexham on the 16th of September, 1988, the big shot stopper famously kept a clean sheet for Cefn Druids against Finnish giants, MyPA in the Europa League ﬁrst qualifying round. Mullock left The Ancients to join TNS, where he has linked up with his former School friend, Aeron Edwards.

Ryan Jones – 27 Ryan spent time at Cefn Druids last year and impressed by scoring a 11 goals. The forward has appeared for the TNS ﬁrst team and played against Prestatyn in the Premier Cup. Ryan will play for Cefn Druids on loan this season.

Scott Quigley – 22 Quigley spent time on loan at fellow Welsh Premier league side, Carmarthen. The powerful youngster has also made a handful of appearances for the TNS ﬁrst team. He was an unused substitute during the UEFA Champions League away ﬁxture with Legia Warsaw. Scott will play for Cefn Druids on loan this season.

Chris Jones – 21 The former Swansea City winger spent the 2012/2013 season with The Saints and returned to the club prior to the start of the 2013/2014 Welsh Premier League season. During his time with The Swans, Chris played alongside players such as Joe Allen and Leon Britton. The speedy wide man has also spent time at Grimsby Town and Neath. Chris will wear the number 21 shirt for The Saints.

Aeron Edwards – 23 Former Buckley Town midﬁelder, ‘Azza’ is a key component of the TNS side. He displayed his incredible stamina by getting to level 24.2 on the yo-yo test at the start of the 2013/2014 season. The energetic number 23 was born on the 16th of February and can speak ﬂuent Welsh. The Under 23 Welsh international signed from Caersws in June 2009.

Luke Douglas – 26 ‘Dougie’ spent time with Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham before joining The New Saints. The young defender can play at both right back and left back and will wear the number 26 shirt this season.

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Saints so far THE NEW SAINTS 5 GAP CONNAHS QUAY 0 The New Saints thrashed Gap Connah’s Quay 5-0 thanks to a goal from Greg Draper and braces from Alex Darlington and Chris Seargeant. Darlington gave his side the lead early on and just before the half hour mark, Draper added another. Seargeant scored a third with a brilliant free kick and added another late on with a fantastic lob. Darlington then added a fifth with a cool finish. The Saints took the lead after nine minutes when Darlington struck superbly from the edge of the box. The former Wrexham man curled a powerful effort into the top corner leaving Terry McCormick with no chance. The home side continued to press forward after the early goal, with Draper and Seargeant both testing the visiting goalkeeper with long range strikes. With 27 minutes gone, Craig Harrison’s side doubled the lead. Aeron Edwards was wonderfully played in by Kai Edwards and the energetic midfielder passed the ball across the box, leaving Draper with an easy tap in. Minutes later, the Oswestry based side won a free kick on the edge of the box and Seargeant magnificently curled his superb free kick into the top corner, leaving the desperate McCormick helpless. Soon after Darlington nearly made it four, but his low drive found the side netting as the Champions went into the half time break leading by three goals to nil. The second half started with TNS controlling the possession and Draper nearly added a fourth after dribbling past a couple of defenders before being thwarted by the Gap ‘keeper. Matty Williams who had replaced Aeron Edwards at half time found space on the edge of the box and curled his left footed effort just over the bar as TNS continued to push forward in search for another goal.

With 20 minutes left Chris Marriott whipped in a wonderful cross and after the ball was deﬂected, Darlington smashed a powerful volley on target, which McCormick did well to keep out. However, McCormick couldn’t prevent an expertly taken chip from Seargeant as the TNS number 12 completed his brace. The midﬁelder chipped in superbly to give his side a deserved four nil lead. Having watched Seargeant complete his brace, Darlington was quick to get in on the act and calmly slotted home from close range after being played in by substitute Mike Wilde. The clinical striker composed himself before rolling the ball into the back of the net. The Saints controlled the rest of the game to ensure another comfortable victory and carry on an excellent run that has resulted in winning every home league game this season. The TNS line up was Paul Harrison (C), Simon Spender, Chris Marriott, Phil Baker, Kai Edwards, Aeron Edwards (Matty Williams 46), Chris Seargeant, Alex Darlington, Jamie Mullan (Sam Finley 68), Chris Jones and Greg Draper (Mike Wilde 64). The unused substitutes for TNS were Ryan Kershaw and Aaron Simms. The Gap Connah’s Quay line up was Terry McCormick, Chris Rowntree (Shaun Tinsley 86), Paul Mooney, Craig Jones, Mark McGregor, Mark Smyth, Mike Hayes, Sam Everall (Ade Dobson 86), Danny Desormeaux, Ryan Edwards and Gary O’Toole (Lee Jones 64) The unused substitute for Gap was Josh Williams.

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FC Oswestry Town sign up!

The New Saints Football Club Community Foundation are delighted to announce news of their second Community Club partnership with local side FC Oswestry Town. After recently linking up with Oswestry Villa FC, the partnership between The New Saints and FC Oswestry Town is yet another sign of the progress that the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Champions is making in regards to work in the local community. Ian Williams, Craig Edwards and Scott Ruscoe were more than happy to present the whole squad with both home and away shirts for the forthcoming season and the Chief Operating Officer at The New Saints added that, ‘FC Oswestry Town currently train and play here at Park Hall and are a fine example of how community football teams should be organised. They regularly use our facilities for functions and events and were invited as our guests last Friday evening.’ ‘We have identified a number of other local clubs both senior and junior to join our Community Club Partnership programme with a number of these already expressing a keen interest to get involved with our club’ he concluded.

Nick Maguire and his team were special guests at the match between TNS and Gap Connah’s Quay on Friday night and speaking about the link between the two clubs, Maguire said, ‘We are really happy to have sorted out a link between ourselves and a professional football club. The New Saints has really helped us and supported us over the last three years. The club has looked after us and we are hopeful that this partnership can grow. I would also like to mention that all of the lads really enjoyed their time at Park Hall stadium on Friday night and it was great to see The Saints win 5-0!’ The whole squad were present to cheer on The Saints in their ﬁve nil thrashing of The Nomads on Friday night and that included Ben Williams, Andy Burnett (Secretary), Graham Dyke, Kurt Smith, Broc Dawson, Matty Williams, Gareth Wilson, Martin Cheesman, Graeme Kirkham, Stu Johnson, Ollie Jones, Adam Jones, Gaz Windsor, Joe Edwards, Ian Jones (Chairman) and Nick Maguire (Manager). FC Oswestry Town are currently top of their respective League (Mercian Regional Football League Division One) and are still unbeaten this season after winning ten games and drawing three.

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Saints Award Harrison Having made his Welsh Premier League debut on the 15th of September, 2007, few could have envisaged that Paul Harrison would not have missed a League game since. The former Liverpool goalkeeper has been an ever present at TNS and has gone on to make over 150 ﬁrst team consecutive appearances for the Oswestry based side. Since making his debut against Port Talbot Town the former Chester City man has become an integral player at TNS. The TNS number one has a number of unforgettable memories from his time at the club and highlighted the away trip to Belgium in 2010 as his favourite moment whilst at the club. The Liverpool born ‘keeper played in both legs against RSC Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League. Mike Harris was full of praise for the aﬀectionately known, ‘H’ and the Chairman said, ‘It will be an honour to present Paul with this achievement and is in recognition of both his dedication and skill. I am sure there will be many more achievements in his football career and we proud that he chose to play at our club.’ Craig Harrison spoke about his skipper and said, ‘It is a fantastic achievement for anyone to have played that many consecutive games in the league. He has done so well and for me he is the best

goalkeeper in the league by a million miles. I was very surprised to have found out that last season was the first time that he was voted in the team of the year, which really shocked me. He is a key player at this club and he is integral to what we do and how we play because he is that extra outfield player that we use.’ The former Premier League defender also highlighted that ‘H’ is a pleasure to work with, ‘He is a good lad, he is honest, he works hard, he is a good captain and although he is not someone who is going to really scream or shout but when he speaks, everybody listens because he is very passionate as well as knowledgeable about his football. The other great thing about him is that he is truthful. If someone needs something said in the dressing room, then he says it and he is a great link for the players and the staff, as he is a good communicator. As the club captain it is great to have someone you can trust and both on and off the pitch, he really is vital to the club.’ Ian Williams also took time out to speak about Paul Harrison and the Chief Operating Officer at TNS said, ‘Paul is a true gentleman and is the ideal example of what professional football is all about. He is dedicated to the cause, he leads by example and has been one of the best signings the club has ever made.’ Prior to kick off tonight, The New Saints Football Club will present the TNS favourite with a commemorative plate, in recognition of his outstanding contribution.

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Saints Host More Special Guests!

The New Saints Football Club had a number of special guests for the game against Gap Connah’s Quay on Friday night. After a memorable visit from Holy Trinity School during the Afan Lido match, both Gobowen Primary School and Whittington Primary School were invited to the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League match between The Saints and The Nomads. There were 22 mascots chosen for the game, with 11 children representing each School. The mascots that represented Gobowen Primary School were called Kyle Russell, Cassie Edwards, Harvey Clapton, Matthew Lee, Cameron Almond, Llinos Mackenzie, Bradley

Tilling, Sam Evans, Harry Evans, Emma Lloyd and Tiegan Dwyer. The mascots that represented Whittington Primary School were Alex Jones, Corey Anslow, Jay Barrow, Benjamin Fletcher, Joshua Rossow, Luke Rossow, Joesph McArthur, Harry Darley, Henry Walker and Joe Davies. Craig Edwards helped set up the link between The New Saints and the two respective Schools and the Community Foundation Oﬃcer was really pleased with how the evening went, ‘Once again it is great to see so many children excited about leading out their local professional football club. The excitement that they created during the game is proving to be a great hit with players and management alike.’

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Match by Match DATE SAT 24 AUG Mon 26 Aug Fri 30 Aug Sat 7 Sep Fri 13 Sep Sat 21 Sep Sat 28 Sep Sat 5 Oct Sat 12 Oct Sat 19 Oct Tue 22 Oct Fri 25 Oct Fri 8 Nov Fri 15 Nov Sun 24 Nov Sat 30 Nov Fri 13 Dec Fri 20 Dec Thu 26 Dec Wed 1 Jan Sat 4 Jan Sat 18 Jan TBA

OPPONENTS PORT TALBOT TOWN Prestatyn Town Aberystwyth Town Bala Town Gap Connahs Quay BANGOR CITY CARMARTHEN TOWN Airbus UK Broughton Rhyl AFAN LIDO Airbus UK Broughton (WCQF) GAP CONNAHS QUAY RHYL Afan Lido Port Talbot Town PRESTATYN TOWN ABERYSTWYTH TOWN BALA TOWN Newtown NEWTOWN Bangor City AIRBUS UK BROUGHTON Carmarthen Town

H/A HOME Away Away Away Away HOME HOME Away Away HOME Away HOME HOME Away Away HOME HOME HOME Away HOME Away HOME Away

SCORE 6-0 0-1 2-2 *3-1 4-0 2-0 6-0 1-1 2-0 3-0 1-2 5-0 7.45pm 7.45pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 7.45pm 7.45pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm

ATT 306 449 409 204 316 482 234 505 814 435 ---413

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) Edwards

FRAUGHAN 1

Mullan

Harrison

Spender

Marriott (50)

Baker

(K) Edwards

Seargeant

(A) Edwa

Harrison

Spender

(K) Edwards

Baker

Rawlinson

(A) Edwards (64) Finley

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

BAKER 1

(A) Edwards

(K) Edwards

Seargean

Harrison

Spender

Baker

(K) Edwards

Rawlinson

Finley

(A) Edwa

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) Edwards

Finley (69)

Fraugha

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) Edwards FINLEY 3 (72) Seargea

Harrison

Spender

MARRIOTT 1 Baker

(K) Edwards Finley

William

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) Edwards FINLEY 1

Seargea

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) EDWARDS 1

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Simms

Rawlinson (44) Kershaw (86) (A) EDW

Harrison

Spender

Marriott

Baker

(K) Edwards SEARGEANT 2 Mullan

* Own Goal

THIS WEEKEND`S FIXTURES IN THE CORBETT SPORTS WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE TONIGHT Aberystwyth Town v Airbus UK Broughton Gap Connahs Quay v Newtown The New Saints v Rhyl TOMORROW Bangor City v Carmarthen Town Prestatyn Town v Afan Lido Bala Town v Port Talbot Town

Seargeant

(A) Edwa

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Follow the progress of The New Saints in 2013-2014

FRAUGHAN 1

Mullan

Seargeant (68) WILDE 1 (68)

DARLINGTON 1 (65) (A) Edwards

Seargeant

(A) Edwards

DRAPER 3 (68) Rawlinson

Jones

Simms

Williams (65)

Fraughan (67)

Mullan

Wilde

Darlington (63) Draper (63)

Fraughan

JONES 1

Williams (51)

Draper (79)

Seargeant (64) DARLINGTON 1 (51) Wilde (79)

Ruscoe

Mullock

Simms

(K) Edwards

Seargeant

Finley

WILDE 1

Jones

Fraughan (72)

Darlington

Draper

Mullock

Rawlinson

Simms

Mullan (72)

Finley

(A) Edwards (77) Seargeant

WILDE 2 (77)

Fraughan (74)

JONES 2

Mullan (74)

Draper (77)

Darlington (77) Williams

Simms

Finley (69)

Fraughan (69)

WILDE 1

Jones

(A) EDWARDS 1 Draper

Williams

Mullan (69)

Simms

Darlington (69)

Wilde (64)

(A) Edwards JONES 1

DRAPER 1 (64)

WILLIAMS 1 (28)

Fraughan (72 Rawlinson

Darlington

Simms

(A) Edwards Jones

Draper (83)

Fraughan (77) Simms

Darlington (59) Rawlinson Darlington (79) Mullan (79) Simms

FINLEY 3 (72) Seargeant (28)Mullan Finley

Williams (59) Mullan (77) Wilde (83)

FINLEY 1

Seargeant (79) DRAPER 1

Seargeant

(A) Edwards (89)

Mullan

4) Kershaw (86) (A) EDWARDS 1 Mullan

Rawlinson (50) Finley

(A) Edwards (64) Finley

Seargeant

Jones (67)

15 Finley (68)

Rawlinson

Fraughan (79) Jones

(A) Edwards Williams

Rawlinson

Wilde

Draper (69)

DARLINGTON 2

Jones (69)

Rawlinson

Simms

Williams (69) Wilde (69)

Jones (69)

Williams

Wilde

(K) Edwards (44) Draper (86)

SEARGEANT 2 Mullan (69) (A) Edwards (46) DRAPER 1 (64) DARLINGTON 2 (C) Jones

Finley (69)

Darlington (69) James

Williams (46) Wilde (64)

Simms

Williams

Kershaw (89) Davies

Wells

Pryce

Kershaw

Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Table (Up to and Including Saturday 2 November 2013) Team Airbus UK Broughton The New Saints Carmarthen Town Bangor City Newtown Rhyl Gap Connahs Quay Prestatyn Town Aberystwyth Town Port Talbot Town Bala Town Afan Lido

P 11 11 11 12 12 11 12 12 11 12 11 12

W 9 8 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 2 2 0

D 2 2 4 2 2 1 4 3 5 3 2 4

L 0 1 2 5 5 5 4 5 3 7 7 8

F 28 34 25 21 17 15 17 14 21 7 11 6

A 9 5 20 18 23 13 27 14 21 20 19 27

PTS 29 26 19 17 17 16 16 15 14 9 8 4

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The New Saints Community Foundation Craig Edwards – The New Saints FC Foundation Oﬃcer

Local schools support the first team It was very pleasing to see both Gobowen amd Whittington Primary School supporting us in our last home fixture versus Gap Connah’s Quay. Each school provided 11 official mascots to lead out the two teams and although the weather was not very kind to us, everyone involved did a great job in awful conditions. The Community Foundation team are working with as many schools as possible in the local area and we hope to be at YOUR school in the near future. We see the school’s support as vital to our continued success on and off the football pitch and in turn, we believe we can assist you with aspects of school life. These range from after school coaching to curriculum specialist projects. The 22 mascots were presented with a squad poster and official match day programme at half time from Ryan Fraughan, Connell Rawlinson, Scott Ruscoe & Ian Williams.

The football club also kindly presented all who took part with a Mini Saints football kit to wear to future Mini Saints sessions. Mini Saints set to continue up to Christmas Block bookings of Mini Saints are now available, saving YOU money! 5th November -19th December x seven Mini Saints Sessions Cost per session £3.50 x seven Sessions = £24.50 Paying up front for seven sessions = £21 Cheques made payable to TNSFC LTD If you chose the above payment plan you will also receive 10% discount on all food and drink purchases throughout the term. To pre book your child’s involvement in Mini Saints, please ﬁll in an application form from The Venue or download one from our website, www.tnsfc.co.uk Tonight’s Mascots I would like to extend a warm welcome to pupils, staﬀ and parents of two local Primary schools, who have both who have kindly provided us with tonight’s mascots.

‘Halloween’ Themed Mini Saints a Spooktacluar success There was a great turn out for our Mini Saints session on Wednesday the 30th of October. Over 15 youngsters played games and had fun on the football pitch and all made a special eﬀort with fancy dress costumes. Following the football, they all had a meal and then went oﬀ to bowl.

Community News Board May I point out a new notice board that I have put together, this is situated just to the left of the main entrance to The Venue. I aim to keep you all updated with opportunities and projects that the team are involved in, please check it out. All the best and enjoy this week’s game.

Craig

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academy news We have a busy month ahead with training and matches and we then will go into our Christmas period where we are looking to enter tournaments for all of our age groups. This takes place at Deeside Sports Centre and is run on behalf of the Welsh Football Programme, looking to improve the standard and the overall quality of the players. Futsal is smaller sided games that encourage passing and skilful movements in tight areas. It certainly lets the more technical players show how good they can be. We participated last year and overall we did very well. The cost is covered by the club and I hope that every one can be available for selection. We are starting to plan the Christmas party which will be for everyone in the Academy. The date is the 15th of December and the time/format will follow. We hope that we can get a good turnout like previous years and make it an entertaining evening.

I would also like to mention both Charlotte Edmunds and Nash Mwamuka who once again have both played for their country this week! Enjoy the game,

Scott

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The New Saints

Rhyl

Manager Craig Harrison

Manager Greg Strong

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Paul Harrison Simon Spender Chris Marriott Phil Baker Steve Evans Kai Edwards Scott Ruscoe Sam Finley Greg Draper Matty Williams Ryan Fraughan Christian Seargeant Jamie Mullan Connell Rawlinson Michael Wilde Aaron Simms Alex Darlington Chris Jones Scott Quigley Aeron Edwards Ryan Kershaw Chris Mullock Luke Douglas Ryan Jones

Referee: Mr I.A Griffith

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 28 34 35

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

Assistants: Mr A Jones & Mr M Williams

Alex Ramsay Matty Woodward Liam Benson Chris Rimmer Stefan Halewood Mark Powell Danny Hughes Paul McManus Stephen Lewis Josh Williams Tom Rowlands Dale Lee Ryan Astles Ryan Smith Danny Laverty Dave Forbes James Gambino Jonathon Bathurst Greg Strong Jason Oswell Tom Roberts Louie Gray Mark Cadwallader Danny Jarrett Michael Walsh John Leah

•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••

4th Official: Mr T Williams

Next Match at Home PRESTATYN TOWN • Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Saturday 30th November 2013 • Kick-Off 2.30pm