Forgive me for the following. It’s going to be all about football/soccer, so you can all switch off. I had to take a hydration break for the past few weeks, though sadly, unlike the non profit FIFA, I won’t be raking in millions for the time spent away.
The upcoming words may come across bitter, but I promise you that’s not the case. I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed. But mostly at myself.
Six years ago, I asked one of my sons, what they wanted to do as a job. It was a tongue in cheek comment to a 10/11 year old, because I hated that people are always wanting to know what you did in life (for work) rather than care about what sort of person you are, or what your passions are. We especially like to make 14 year olds decide what GCSEs they want to do, which will likely mold their education, when most of us in our 39s, 40s & 50s are still trying to decide what we want to do in life. It’s a terrible system.
“I want to be a footballer, Dad”
My reaction was terrible. I told him he wasn’t good enough. My brain quickly caught up with my mouth & I added, “…if you want to be a footballer, you have to work hard & do these things”. Then went on to explain how he needed to train, watch more football, listen & learn.
Let’s just see where you are
At 15, he was playing at a decent standard, & was outgrowing his teams. He needed another level. He’d played at Tamworth for 6 months, & been asked to play for their second team on a Sunday the next season, but that meant leaving his grassroots side that he loved. He trialled at Kidderminster, & not quite made the grade. & then I saw an advert looking for players back in my hometown.
Aberystwyth were still in the Welsh Prem, & their Development Team needed players. So we decided to go along to see how he fared. Not expecting anything. Just to see how far away from a semi-Pro team, he was.
They liked him. He was raw, but there was promise. But they were also aware of the commitment we would have to take. The drive was almost a 200 mile round trip. But it was an opportunity to get into non league football.
Over the next few months, we made the weekly drive, & as we got to preseason, he was in line to be a starter for an under 19 side, at the age of 15…
From starter to obscurity
The first preseason game, Ty was starting in the centre of midfield. Making crunching tackles against a lower league men’s team. The next week he’s playing a training match against the Aber first team & making semi pros look silly, & the Manager at the time asked him to train with the first team! This 15 year old couldn’t believe his luck. But it was his hard work that was paying off.
Then the news came through that he was not allowed to sign for Aber. 4 months of travel & hard work & the Welsh FA said he lived too far away. The First Team Manager looked at signing Ty as a first team player, but they had their own issues getting the senior players signed before the first game, so we set about months of obscurity.
By October, Ty had picked up a back injury (turned out to be his hamstrings due to a growth spurt) that stopped him training with the first team for a few weeks. By the time he was fit again, the Manager (big love to Taff) had been sacked & the new one wasn’t interested in the youth team players. We had continued to travel each week to train for the Development Team, but at this point, Ty was no longer in the plans & we had decided that it was time to cut our losses & continue playing JPL football in the West Midlands.
I said my thanks to the Youth Director & that was it. Then around Tys 16th birthday, we got a message. Ty had been signed. Around 8 months of travel & dedication from the lad. It had finally happened.
A debut to forget
I’m a little unfair…but the lad made his debut for the 19s, in Flint, on a cold Sunday afternoon. You could see that the pace of the game was a bit of a shock to him, now played out of his natural position, but he persevered. Then he gave away a penalty.
The months that followed had ups & downs as he pushed to get back to feeling like he belonged. But there was something that always felt off.
Now, anyone still reading this, will be aware that racism comes in many different forms. When I was a child, being Welsh, I experience my own form of it. Anytime England lost (it was the early 90s. England lost a lot) I was told to “go home” & called all sorts of names. That continued throughout the 90s as I grew older. I was proudly Welsh, but I supported England too!? I’d lived in England since I was 2. But I was a foreigner when England struggled.
But I didn’t realise the hatred for the English was as bad as it was in the mid 2020s. Ty was seen as an outsider. He was travelling hours longer than these lads, his dedication was as strong as theirs. Heck, I was born in the f**king Town!! But he wasn’t “one of them”.
We went to train at Newtown for a few weeks. We still trained with Aber, but he had been seen by a Coach from Newtown & had gone to try out there. I’d been asked to message the Academy Director, who, to this day, still didn’t bother messaging back. That didn’t sit right to me. It was a bad feeling in my gut.
Then to a game in Caernarfon. A 2 hour drive, which we were not able to make due to another game in the morning. At best, we would only get there for kick off. “Bring him. We need him”.
Ty ended up playing only 20 minutes that day as the game had already kicked off. But once again, we showed our dedication. He proved he wanted to play for the team. At half time, one of the local lads asked Ty how it was training for Newtown. It was a dig at him. That’s when things changed. “It’s been f**king great thanks!”.
That reaction from him earned him a bit of respect. He wasn’t bothered anymore. He didn’t need their approval. Another English teammate turned round & stuck up for him. Telling him he was right to train with Newtown. That they were a better team & he should stick with it.
But after that day, he felt more like he belonged. There were still some local players who didn’t like him. But there was a core that accepted him & became tighter with him. That helped him stay at Aber, win a cup with their under 16s, & be ready to hit the ground running for the following season.
What is going on with this club?
Aberystwyth had been relegated from the Welsh Prem. The Welsh FA had then stripped them from playing in the Development league. Around 21 of 25 First Team players up & left. The promising Development Team that was supposed to push suddenly were lost.
Aber were in disarray.
In came Cal as First Team Manager & he had to rebuild. Fast. Josh walked away as Development Manager, not wanting to take charge of what would become a Tier 4 side. I have to give him great respect as he helped push Ty to become a better player. But that Development Team all left. They didn’t want to play Tier 4. They wanted to keep playing Development football.
Only 5 players remained from the squad. 2 of which were in the First Team squad anyway, & two others, one being Ty. But it looked like it was all over & we would be looking for another team. Tys stress level rose as all that hard work had gone. We would be starting again.
But a chance conversation with the new Keeper Coach at Aber changed things. I’d known the guy for 2 decades. We’d played together. So he told us to come to First Team training. Why not?
The next couple of months of preseason & my 16 year old son was knocking on the door of the manager. He was prepared to do what he was asked, work hard, play out of position. & a year ago this week, he made his first team debut in their first friendly.
Over the course of the preseason, he was proving his worth as a player who could fill in anywhere. The Manager loved him & as the local lads left, he continued to stay with the team. He was rewarded by being offered a basic pay as you play contract. He was being paid to play football. All those years ago, when I told him he wasn’t good enough. He was proving me wrong.
The next 6 months he made his full debut for Aber, was in about half of the Matchday squads & generally was showing what he could do. He was definitely one for the future according to the Coaches & Club Chairman.
Meanwhile, on the terraces, that racism had started to show its ugly head again. The team had seen almost all of their senior players leave in the summer, so Cal had to bring in a complete new squad. Naturally, he looked at players he knew & had coached before. Many of those were English. Around half were black.
Comments about Africa had started to be heard on the sides. All derogatory. Fans didn’t know who these players were, & despite the fact that their entire team had walked away, it was easier to be angry at these players, who were travelling from miles & hours away, than be pi**ed at those that had left.
A new era
New year, a new era. Cal left & a new man stepped into the fray. His first training session & I got a bad feeling. The two lads who remained from the Development Team were pushed to one side, used as bodies. One of those was Ty. But I pushed my feelings to one side, because Ty still believed.
Then all of a sudden, he was sent on “Loan”. The new manager had been asked if the lad was available to play for Newtowns Development Team. It was regular football. He just wanted to play. But as per the deal, he would continue to travel to Aber to train once a week, & would come back at the end of the season.
Then I got a message to ask why Ty was leaving the club? Turns out, this manager wasn’t strictly open with the truth. Because of Tys pay as you play contract, he couldn’t be Loaned. But there was an agreement between the two clubs to see that he would be back in June.
Again, push that gut feeling down Pete…
So, our week was a 4 hour round trip to train with Aber on a Tuesday, a 2 hour round trip to train with Newtowns Development side on a Thursday, & a (insert time) hour trip on a Sunday to play wherever the game was. At this point, the orange Wotsit had started a war & my wallet was getting lighter with all the miles we were travelling & Ty wasn’t able to make a mark at Newtowns first team, because he was still training at Aber, because he was going back at the end of his loan. But we stayed loyal. Because the next few years, his future would be progressing on the Welsh coast.
It all culminated in a cup win & a lad who was confident that he would stake a place in the game squad on a regular basis next season.
Remember the Academy Director?
So remember the Academy Director at Newtown? The one who didn’t bother responding to my message, that I had been asked to send him? Well, I discovered that another player at Aber had messaged him about his future & the promises this person had made them. Again, that same Director didn’t bother replying.
& that same Director had told Ty that he was going out on loan & would be back in June. Well, a week before preseason, Ty message him to ask what was going on. He hadn’t been involved in any of the preseason fitness emails. Around a week after he’d read the message, he finally got back to Ty.
He was looking to bring in experience, & he didn’t see Ty getting many chances at the club this coming season. Nothing against him as a player. It was just about experience.
I have no issue with my son being released. It happened at Tamworth. You move on. But I don’t like being messed around. I don’t like promises being made that are false or have no intention of being kept. & I hate that I didn’t follow my gut. So if I come across as bitter, that’s not really the case. I just don’t like bullsh**.
Time wasted? Or lesson learned?
We spent 6 months wasting our time & money, when fuel prices were at £2 a litre. Instead of training with his “new” club, he was led to believe he was on loan, so he didn’t assimilate like he could have. So he would have hit the ground running this season.
Instead, he was on the back foot, putting off joining Newtown properly, & getting mixed messages from his Coaches. For a couple of weeks, it stopped his confidence to a low.
I’m not saying he hasn’t got to take responsibility for what he could control, but to treat anyone, let alone a 17 year old kid, like that, pi**es me off.
Local club for local people
In the past week, Aber have played their first preseason game. & the anti-English has come out in force. I’m Welsh, always have seen myself that way, but I’m shocked & horrified by the way my hometown has acted towards a group of players that travelled great distances last season. Local club for local people is how they are coming across, despite the fact that none of these players wanted to be there last year. A couple of the new players even turned the club down.
But apparently all is now rosey as they have local players there. I truly hope this season goes well for the team. But only for the team & the people I respect there.
Meanwhile Newtown are having to rely on their youth setup to step up this year. Yet due to one Development Coach, they have lost a couple of players who want to play adult football. Which they could actually do, if that Coach had a clue what he was doing.
The future is now
Ty meanwhile has got himself 3 trials back in England, & has already been asked to sign for 2. He’s back focused & it won’t stop him. It’s just made him realise that you have to watch your back & don’t trust everyone. Some people aren’t interested Ioyalty or telling the truth.
If you’ve made it this far, I congratulate you. I needed a couple of weeks away from being more annoyed than I am now, so I apologise if this comes across as just a bitter old man. I’m only annoyed at myself.
Art & comics will resume in 7 days.
P