Holyheadhotspur -Towns pride

[DL]

Hotspurs and the future.



is it not about time that everyone got behind the team. I can tell you all that it is about time that support followed the town

[Dorry]

Couldn't agree more!
If I was living there they would have my full support, which is no less than they deserve!

[howieparry]

I agree that Holyhead should be behind there local team ,coming from the days when ,as a kid remembers the big crowds at Cae mwd and some of the glory days .Iam looking forward to seeing them play in March and having a beer in the new club house ,and catching up with some of the supporters and founder members of the club .good luck to the hole team and fans

[Porty]

                                                            GOOD LUCK FROM CAERGYBI.COM

[Porty]

                      UPDATES FOR THE 2008/2009 SEASON WILL BE POSTED ON HERE


Hello i thought i would let members and guests know about our sister site which is

                                                                                    www.holyheadhotspur.com

Holyhead Hotspur FC first team play in the Cymru Alliance, a league covering North and Mid Wales. The Reserves play in the Gwynedd League. Hotspur's boys youth teams (under 17s, under 15s, under 13s, under 11s and under 9s) and girls youth teams (under 13s and under 11s) all play as Holyhead Hotspur Peibio FC.

This season the two senior teams will play their matches on the refurbished Holyhead Stadium with its better playing facilities, club house and floodlights

On there site you can read the latest Hotspur news, check the forthcoming fixtures and match results and discuss Hotspur on the forum.

So lets get behind our towns football team and give them the support they deserve -  Porty.


                               
 

[Nutsy]

Well said Porty. I'm sure Hotspur's answer to Churchill will back us up with a rousing cry to arms 

[Porty]

Hey i do my bit DL but we have a few more idea's soon, watch this space.

Porty

[Carnedyr]

I would love to see more locals going to Hotspur matches, senior or junior level it matters not. I love watching grass roots football and do my best whatever the weather to go and watch it, there seems to be a negative stigma attached to football maybe from many years ago?

If anybody wants to go and watch Hotspur play I am sure they would enjoy the experience if they have any appreciation for sport in general, the atmosphere at the new stadium is very friendly and can only help the community spirit in Holyhead. There's plenty of food and drink available for very small cost at the refreshment kiosk and the clubhouse.

I can recommend giving it a go if you've never been before, sure many would be pleasantly surprised by what happens on our own doorstep and the level of sport our town enjoys.

Please come and watch Hotspur FC whenever you can, your town needs you!

[Porty]

Well said Carny i think flyer's through letter boxes might help, I was talking to a local a few weeks ago who never new the pitch,stadium and clubhouse where so good so iy goes to show that locals don't know what we have on there doorstep.

We need to let people now how well the club is doing and what great facilities we have on there doorstep also heading for the WPL very soon such a great boost for local football.

Porty

[howieparry]

Living down under I regular look at the Hotspurs web site ,and keep up to date with the local football ,Holyhead like all lower league sides have to compete with t.v,sky and all the other sports maybe the welsh league should try to ru there football say from late March till september and the crowds might improve what do gaercybi people think,when I was a kid we all use to go and watch the Harbourmen at Cae mwd,Ken chambers and the rest have done a great job in getting football back to Holyhead keep it up Porty ,Il look forward to seeing the boys play some time this coming March

[Porty]

This season Holyhead Hotspur have had some new signings and another one from a WPL club, the transfer of Lee Dixon from Llangefni to Hotspur was finalized this  lunch time and he is now clear to play tomorrow

We wish him well with us and hopes he enjoys the lads and the set up.

Porty

[Carnedyr]

I am looking forward to my pilgrimage up to the sporty to watch this match after last weeks was a washout, be nice to see a few members on here at the game too 

[Porty]

I was very pleased to hear that the maritime museum based on Newry beach are to give some space to accommodate an exhibition dedicated to the ‘harbourmen’ and other aspects of the history of football in Holyhead to include Hotspur. However, we need the items to fill the cabinets – shirts, medals, photos, all sorts of memorabilia that you may have in your attic! The exhibition would last six months and are loaned artefacts would be well looked after and returned to everyone. All items would be really appreciated, so if you feel you have anything that coul be interesting please get in touch with myself on 01407 760576, or visit Eric Anthony at the maritime museum. Many thanks.

[Porty]

Taken from Holyheadhotspur.com - Nutsy
-
“Being ready isn’t enough:
You have to be prepared for a promotion
or any other significant change” - Pat Riley

Those are the words of somebody who was a success both as a player and coach in his chosen sport and now as an outstanding motivational speaker. A man who knows just what it takes to achieve success and what is required to maintain those standards over long periods of time. He may well be American and his sport is Basketball and not soccer (sorry, football!), but a lot of the rules of coaching, club structuring and blueprints for success can be taken across sporting codes and applied to other models just as easily.

In our own little world, we are about to ‘endure’ what will, in all probability, be the most exciting end to a season yet for any Holyhead Hotspur fan. We are currently in 3rd position in the league knowing that subject to certain criteria laid down by the Welsh Premier League being met, they will be more than happy to accept either of the top two placed clubs from our league.

Therefore, I thought what better way than to kill a bit of time by torturing myself and looking at the remaining league fixtures for all the clubs likely to form the ‘business end’ of the league come the end of the season. It’s interesting to note that many clubs still have lots of games in hand and significantly for us, Bala, Denbigh and Llanfairpwll all have enough games in hand to overtake us in the league should they win them all. However, I’m sure that Campbell and Mark will be more than happy to have the points already secured rather than having to contemplate playing at least two games per week from now until the end of the season with all that can entail with regard to possible injuries, suspensions and hopefully not, but the prospect of more postponements to come.

As for the recent ground grading inspections and the visit to our club by the League of Wales inspectors and indeed all the other teams who have applied for promotion, it is interesting to note how some clubs have been very quick to keep their fans informed of developments while others seemingly part with little information unless it is absolutely necessary to stop the bombardment of enquiring emails and pub rumours. Thankfully at our club, we have a ‘Ministry of Information’ that keeps us all informed a lot better than most clubs and if anybody were to have any questions regarding such matters, I’m sure you would only have to ask a committee member who would gladly keep you abreast of such matters.

What I have done is taken all the teams that I consider to be likely contenders for a ‘top two’ finish in the league and looked at their forthcoming fixtures, current form and present facilities and given a verdict on where my head says they will finish and their likelihood of achieving promotion. If I had written this article with my heart, the font would be in blue and I would have had an earlier night than what I did have!



Prestatyn Town


Averaging almost 2.5 points per game and scoring an average of almost 3 goals per game this season, it is little wonder we have all been straining our necks up the league to catch a glimpse of the runaway league leaders. They are the only team this season to date who have completed the double over us. While the first half of this season’s game at Bastion Gardens was quite evenly matched, I was in constant fear during the second half of the game with their constant waves of attack bringing out some excellent saves in Liam Shanahan without which I think we would have been beaten more severely. Prestatyn also showed that day that they knew how to ‘work’ a referee too, albeit not very difficult with one so inept (usually!).

With having lived in the town and knowing just how strongly some residents feel about having floodlit back gardens every other week, it remains to be seen whether the local council really has a desire to back the town in it’s bid to bring top flight football to the popular retirement village or if having a Prestatyn versus Rhyl derby would distract them from their natural habitat of (from recent experience) throwing money at spectacular White Elephants!

Games still to be played are against

Home - Buckley Town, Gap Queen’s Park,  Lex XI and Mynydd Isa.
Away - Denbigh Town, Glantraeth, Llanfairpwll, Mynydd Isa and Penrhyncoch.

Personally, I think they will take another 20 points minimum from those fixtures if not a couple more which would leave them sitting pretty at the end of this season with approximately a mighty 76 points, and no doubt in top spot. Having watched them more than twice this season, I can honestly say that they can and do know how to play with flair but that they also know when to play ugly football to grind out results as per the return game we gave them back in October. Not many clubs will come to our ground and be happy, or good enough, to effectively defend a one goal lead for so long. Personally, I don’t hold out much hope for promotion for them due to other concerns this season which may well lead to the breakup of a talented team. This could be a case of a team far surpassing the expectations of their committee and far more quickly than anybody could have honestly forecast such has been the status of the club in the league system  until the last couple of seasons.


Llandudno Town

You only have to look at the average of their points gained over the last five seasons at this level to see that  they are a very consistent team who, for some reason, usually fall just short of the required standards late on each season. I didn’t get to see our away win in the League Cup back in October but having witnessed both the league ties against Tudno this season, they have stood out as being a fairly strong and composed team who are perhaps lacking a little composure further up the field but nonetheless, a team who are tactically aware and well coached. The committee have obviously had their priorities correct with regard to the ground setup that they have and there is nothing better than going there on a sunny day with the ‘open to the elements’ nature of the ground and being able to sit and watch from the decked area! Nice to see teams turning up punctual and very smart too unlike some clubs we have had the ‘fortune’ to visit this season.

Games still to be played are against

Home - Denbigh Town, Flint Town Utd, Gresford Athletic, Llanfairpwll, Penrhyn
              coch and Ruthin Town.
Away - Buckley, Glantraeth, Guilsfield, Lex XI and Mynydd Isa.

They look to have a couple of difficult away ties still to play although they are more than capable of picking up some decent results at home against some of the sides still to visit Maesdu Park . I think they will pick up a further 18 points from their remaining fixtures which would leave them with 59 points for the season and outside of the top two positions. I just feel that while they are capable of producing some major performances over the course of a season, they still have a tendency at home, not to kill off games that they look in control of which is a shame when you consider that they have an enviable away record and over the years have scored just as many on their travels as they have on home turf.



Holyhead Hotspur

I promised to write this bit completely with my head so I will (try!). We are currently in the middle of our club’s most successful season ever at this level of football. We have a wonderful ground to play at which we can all be very proud of and we have a locally based team who very much play for their shirts with a fierce Holyhead-borne pride. That however is not always enough to take you where you want to be and while there have been many high points this season, not least last weekends wonderful performance, there have been other days where we have been guilty of not finishing the job that we started.

Away to Denbigh back in August, I was expecting Denbigh to offer more of a game to us in the first half during which, I felt we dominated and would be able to see the game through especially with the climate and our young legs. Quite what happened in the second half is anybody’s business but considering how poorly we played, I would decline any offers of a half time cup of tea there next season! As for the Glantraeth and Gap Queen’s Park games at home way back in September (or even the Bodedern game that was expunged), these were all games that even those without blue and white tinted vision could not argue that we should have had these teams dead and buried by half time. I was genuinely surprised by the poor show by Glantraeth as they have been together as a team for a while now whilst the Gap Queen’s Park game was much enjoyed by a bunch of ground-hoppers who made the mistake of saying this gleefully to me after the game ended! However, we had started the season a little sluggish and circumstances were dictating the bedding in of a new central defensive partnership every week or so it seemed! Arguably the most important pairing on the pitch.

Since the early days of this season though, we have turned our own stadium pretty much into a fortress barring the Prestatyn and Mynydd Isa games. We have seen lots of goals, plenty of support and have a product being offered to the local public, at little cost in an arena fit for a higher stage. Quite why we haven’t been able to build on the bigger crowds seen at the Stadium earlier in the season is open to conjecture but no doubt something the club needs to look at if we are to seriously take this club forward to the next stage both in a sustainable and viable manner.

Our away performances in general have been quite disciplined although you could look back at the Guilsfield away game and wonder what might have been. Having watched the game, I honestly thought that the way the opposition played the game with 9 men was astonishing considering that Tim Nunnerley could even have nicked the game for them a couple of times late on. Amazing considering some of their team showed such poor discipline early on yet other members of the squad showed us just why they are always a hard nut to crack as some of the Welsh Premier teams have been finding to their own cost this season. As for the Llandyrnog game back in early December, the less said about that performance the better. Probably the worst, most untypical performance we will put in this season (or next).

Games still to be played are against

Home - Bala Town, Denbigh Town, Flint Town Utd, Guilsfield and Llandyrnog.
Away - Buckley, Gap Queen’s Park, Glantraeth, Llanfairpwll, Mynydd Isa and
             Ruthin Town.

Looking at those remaining fixtures, I would expect us to pick up 23 points (more would be great!) which would see us finish the season on 60 points. I don’t think there is any doubting that this season will go down as one of the most exciting in Cymru Alliance history. I’m sure it must be great to watch as a neutral. However, none of us are that and as fans of the club, we all  have a massive part to play in determining just how well we finish this season. As for the next 4 home games after today, please make it your business to kidnap all members of your household, any passersby you may come across on your way to the ground, in fact anybody who has any passion (or claims to have) for their town. People need to realize that this town could be well and truly put on the map very soon due to the exploits of many people and they are more than welcome to come and be a part of it.



Flint Town United

Another team with a very enviable Cymru Alliance pedigree who have already graced the highest stage in our domestic game back in the 1990’s. Their record at this level over the last few seasons sees them consistently near the top end of the league with facilities which are deemed good enough to host reserve team football for the Pontin’s League. An easily accessible ground compared to plenty at this level and with the club being situated near lots of industry and a massive populace, this is one club you could argue would be able to secure sponsorship and local backing to both help and develop the club financially should they achieve promotion to the big league. On the pitch so far this season, it seems that a couple of home draws and the odd home defeat have upset what look to be a decent bunch of recent results. Although it is interesting, and pleasing, to note that they too got hammered 6-2 at Llandyrnog which gives you some idea of the potential shown by some clubs in this league.

Although they have quite a bit of attacking pace within their team, their defence however solid the players look, always seem to be vulnerable against the quicker wingers in our league so that would definitely pose them problems should they achieve promotion this time round.

Games still to be played are against

Home - Buckley Town, Gap Queen’s Park, Gresford Athletic, Lex XI and Mynydd Isa.
Away - Bala Town, Denbigh Town, Guilsfield, Llandudno and Llanfairpwll.

They look to have a very difficult run in at least away from home and looking at the games they have left, it’s hard to see them gaining any more than 18 points from them. This would leave them on 51 points for the season which would look to be a poor season for a club that has again built itself for long-term success in the proper manner.



Bala Town


If you’re to believe what you read on most forums or indeed a lot of the hearsay you pick up on at grounds, Bala are fast becoming one of the most disliked teams in our league. For what it’s worth, I have a soft spot for them for reasons I won’t divulge just yet. Suffice to say, I always relish our fixtures against the boys from Maes Tegid greatly and look upon them as a club  whose principles are not that dissimilar to ours in that they are proud of the fact that so many people want to help out at the club and feel that the club is a major part of the community. Their player sourcing does expand over a wider demographic than ours generally but if we are to be totally honest, they can look a few miles either side of Bala and perhaps pick up one or two additions to their squad. Should Campbell choose to do the same, he may well come back with his car full of stinking fish and a village club castoff!

The club have wisely made some great additions to their ground, not least I have read recently, a catering wagon which they even hope to utilize out of season by taking it to local events and raising funds for the club. It is on the pitch (generally) however that promotion is sought and it is here where they do have some quality with at least three players who I think most Cymru Alliance managers would love to have in their squad.

Games still to be played are against

Home - Buckley Town, Flint Town Utd, Gap Queen’s Park, Gresford Athletic,
             Guilsfield, Lex XI, Llanfairpwll and Penrhyncoch.
Away - Denbigh Town, Glantraeth, Gresford Athletic, Holyhead Hotspur, Lex XI,
             Llandyrnog and Ruthin Town.

I’ve tried to judge the games without accounting for the fact that they have so many left to play at this stage of the season. I can see them being able to pick up 32 points from the remaining games they have left. It certainly seems to be a big ask bearing in mind possible suspensions and the like but one thing you can always be guaranteed when you play against a Colin Caton side is a few knocks and bruises the morning after. As they say, nothing comes cheap in this world and any points gained against Bala are usually well fought for.


Denbigh Town, Glantraeth and Llanfairpwll


Although I cannot see any of these three gate-crashing the promotion party, with their games in hand and due to the fact that these teams are never easy to play against, I can see at least one of these teams possibly finishing in the top 5 which would be a great achievement for them all for various reasons. Denbigh have done well considering this is their first season back in this league for over 5 years. They have picked up some very useful results so far this season and their destiny for now will lie in how they deal with their fixture backlog and how strong their squad is. Definitely a buoyant return though for the Central Park club who have certainly held some kind of sign over us in recent years.

Glantraeth are one of those teams who are so adept at what they do and you cannot argue with their record over the last few seasons. In there last 153 games they have played over the last 5 years or so, they have amassed a whopping 287 points with a positive goal difference of 146. That certainly isn’t a record to be sneered at and I only wish we here at Holyhead Hotspur possessed their resources to be able to fund such a team worthy of our stage. However not being the needy type, all good things come to an end and hopefully the next five years of Island football will be dominated by another club which will be able to sustain a higher level of football on the island for longer than those who have at least boldly gone before and attempted to compete at Welsh Premier level.

Llanfairpwll without doubt are a club with no pretence who go about their business quietly while picking up results and surprising most teams by creeping up the league unawares. By far the most sporting bunch of lads in the league going by the fair play awards and one who will give some of the so-called ‘bigger boys’ of this league a bloody nose for many more years to come. Always a team with a fixture backlog, hopefully a move to their new ground will solve this problem for them. A genuine village team.

So there you have it. I am usually completely hopefully with predictions but suffice to say Lex XI definitely won’t be winning the league this year and I fully expect the promotion candidates to come from the five teams below even if they don’t finish in the order I predict!

                               Points
Prestatyn                      76
Bala                              62
Holyhead Hotspur           60
Llandudno Town            59
Flint Town United           51

I still have great hope that Bala’s fixture backlog will cause them problems so let’s get behind our boys from now till May to keep us in with a chance.

[Porty]

To all facebookers Holyheadhotspur have there own board -

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10108124767

[lochy]

i managed to get to see the game and i have to say that i was impressed with the whole set-up.looks like holyhead finally has a team worth getting behind.

[Porty]

i managed to get to see the game and i have to say that i was impressed with the whole set-up.looks like holyhead finally has a team worth getting behind.

Yes it's taken a while but the whole set up is nearly ready for the WPL, we have a great team, great club house soon to be made bigger and a great pitch so the future is looking good.

[Porty]

We are now 95% there of obtaining the extensions to take our current clubhouse to be extended all the way to the stadium.  Which will make the clubhouse at least 4 times bigger.  The price is quite large but with all the help from the new committee to raise money and all the help of players, committee, supporters, managers and everyone else we can raise the money in no time.  So please see what events are happening, buy a raffle or hotspur draw, burger or hot dog, pint or can of coke - EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!!!

[Town Boy]

Well done to HHFC that was some season they had and finished 5th well done, i cant wait to see them next season with the talk of some cracking players signing nice one.

[Porty]

End of Season AWARDS!!! - took place last Friday at the presentation night it was a great night and to see the players getting there rewards for a great season.

1st team Managers Player of the Year = Mike Edwards
Reserve team Managers Player of the Year = Alex Jones
Committee's Player of the year = Dean Garmey
1st team Best Newcomer = Tomos Jones
Reserve team Best Newcomer = Asa Thomas
1st team Most Dedicated Player = Dean Garmey
Reserve team Most Dedicated Player = Adam Griffiths
1st team Young Player of the Year = Marc Evans
Reserve team Young Player of the Year = Sam Woods
1st team Top Goalscorer = Marc Evans
Reserve team Top Goalscorer = Ian "Gollie" Hughes
1st team Players Player of the Year = Tom Nathan Edwards
Reserve team Players Player of the Year = Alex Jones
1st team T**T of the Match Award = Ian Williams (Always in the right place)
Reserve team T**T of the Match Award = Rory Parry
Most intelligent Person in the Club = Barry "Pipes" Jones

Under 17's Awards
Alex Jones - Team Merit Award
Sam Woods - Players Player of the Year Award
Bryn Roberts - Man of the Match in the Cup Final
Luke Roberts - Managers Player of the Year Award
Harry Chandler - Most Improved Award
Stuart Owen - Most Dedicated Player Award

Elliott Smith, Joe Cavern, Paul Owen, Mike Murphy, Tim A-Z, Cory Desmond, Casey Hughes, Asa Thomas, Kieran Doyle, Devon Shaw, Sion Jones, Ellis Humphreys, Scott Murrell, Tony Meyer, Josh Trewarthur and Aaron Richards all received their trophies after a great League campaign and also two cup runners-up medals.  Well done to all.

Special Award to Johnny Parry for long service to club award.
Beryl Warner and Blodwen Taylor also received an award for the charitable events and money raised throughout the years.
Flowers presented to Rose, Cathy, Blod and Carla for the work in the cafe, and also for Carla saving a young childs life (first aid came in handy after attending a course with the youth).

[Carnedyr]

It was a good night yea Porty and congratulations to everybody 

I would also like to thank Cod and the website Admins for keeping us all informed and up to date.

[Porty]

It was a good night yea Porty and congratulations to everybody 

I would also like to thank Cod and the website Admins for keeping us all informed and up to date.

Yes i thought of something been said for him but he was not there to hear it maybe one day we can get him to a p*ss up Hotspur presentation night.

[Carnedyr]

It was a good night yea Porty and congratulations to everybody 

I would also like to thank Cod and the website Admins for keeping us all informed and up to date.

Yes i thought of something been said for him but he was not there to hear it maybe one day we can get him to a p*ss up Hotspur presentation night.

One day maybe?

[Porty]

A few changes have been made to help not only the 1st team but also the reserve team, the new senior management structure of the club has been formalised.

Campbell Harrison is now the Manager of the two senior teams. His managerial/coaching staff are Mark Williams who is the senior assistant with Neil Bell and Emlyn Manley Williams as coaches and in charge of managing the Reserve team on matchdays.