Glantraeth are going for Division One glory

A game away from the opportunity to retain the first trophy he won as manager of Glantraeth FC, Warren Gibbs is hoping that Glan’s stunning league form can carry into Saturday’s (7 January) Cookson Cup semi-final away to Llanrug United, as the club look to continue what has been a very successful spell under the manager’s leadership.

Twelve games unbeaten in the Lock Stock Welsh Alliance League Division One is a decent record, with this particular level of Welsh Football’s Domestic Pyramid proving to be exceptionally competitive, but Glan’s recent run of form puts them six points clear at the top of the table and the manager revealed the secret to the side’s recent run of success:

“We’re delighted with our current run of form to be honest, going a dozen games unbeaten in the Welsh Alliance League Division One,” Gibbs told FAW.Cymru. “It took us a while to get the squad together that we wanted, because we lost ten players at the end of last season and it took us a couple of months this season to get everyone in that we wanted, but once we did that we started going on this run and it’s all about keeping that going now, but it won’t be easy, there’s still a long way to go.

“I think it has helped us having such a young side and a bigger squad this year, because towards the back end of last season we were going to games with 12, 13 players available, but this year we’ve got 19 players so the competition for places has been so much higher and the standards have come up as a result of that.”

With the league campaign nearing its halfway point, it is undeniable that Glantraeth are in a good position, but there is still a lot of football to be played as the club aim to re-join the Huws Gray Alliance next season, although currently Gibbs’ men hold the best goal-scoring record in the league and joint-second best defensive record.

The Huws Gray Alliance was won by Glantraeth 11 years ago, back in Gibbs’ days as a player, but the club has gone through some difficult times in recent years and is now finally on the verge of returning to a level that the manager and his players believe they should be playing at.

“We definitely should be aiming at that sort of level, looking to get ourselves into the Huws Gray Alliance, because we’ve got a few younger lads in the squad who have dropped down from there or from Welsh Premier League academies to get playing time with us and that’s our shared ambition to get promoted and really test ourselves at the next level.

“I spent most of my playing days representing Glantraeth, so that has made me more determined to make a success of my time managing the club, because I know the supporters and the committee really well, but I don’t think that brings any extra pressure with it, I’m just really enjoying the experience.”

A big factor behind Glan’s success in recent years is the balance to the squad that Gibbs and his staff have been able to instil, as mature players with significant experience have been able to perfectly mesh with a buoyant bunch of young talent who are eager to make names for themselves in years to come.

“We decided last year that it would be best for us to go down the route of recruiting young players to our team, sticking to our roots of bringing in the best local talent – particularly ones who weren’t quite ready to make it at the top level yet – just to give them the chance, and that has paid off for us this season.”

In amongst the talented youngsters that Gibbs has to call on is Corrig McGonigle, who recently featured for Iwan Williams’ Caernarfon Town, and it was Gibbs’ relationship with Williams that brought McGonigle to the Glan manager’s attention, and what a find the youngster has been as he’s set the league alight with his 25 goals in 13 games.

McGonigle scores for Glantraeth in a recent Welsh Alliance League match.
McGonigle scores for Glantraeth in a recent Welsh Alliance League match.

“He went to Caernarfon and didn’t get a run of games, but I’m quite friendly with Iwan Williams at the club who suggested that Corrig just needed to get 90 minute games under his belt and see what happens, so we’ve brought him in and he’s just thriving off it really; he’s such a level-headed lad too so I think he can go far. He’s averaging not far off two goals a game for us this season too, and he’s probably one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen or played with; he’s a brilliant talent.”

In 2016, not only did Glantraeth’s footballing exploits draw attention to the club, an unusual appointment off the pitch made the headlines as Hollywood Actress Naomi Watts took an honorary position as President of the club. Glantraeth is based near her grandparents’ farm where Watts spent time as a child.

From FAW Web Site