DRUIDS CAN SEE FUTURE REWARD
NOBODY enjoyed seeing one of the great football clubs of Wales fall from grace last season, but the signs of a revival at the home of Cefn Druids are most encouraging.
New manager Neil Ashton picked up the JD Cymru North manager of the month award for November and they ended 2022 on a high with a 5-2 away win at Penryncoch that took them up to fourth in the table and made it six games without defeat.
The Ancients were first formed in 1872 by the man who went on to found the Football Association of Wales, Llewelyn Kenrick, and actually became Cefn Druids in 1992.
One of the oldest and most successful in Wales, winning the Welsh Cup eight times and competing in 14 finals, they played in Europe in 2018.
But with only two wins and three draws in 32 games in the JD Cymru Premier last season, the club was in need of a major overhaul. That’s where new chairman Des Williams came in.
“I’m really optimistic about the future of the club and I feel that we’ve started to head in the right direction both on and off the pitch. If you can’t be optimistic and excited about this moment, you’re never going to be,” said Williams, who initially provided the finance needed to stave off the bailiffs when COVID struck.
“We were always going to focus on the business side first so that the club is sustainable, and then it was important to look at the football side. It was a really important part of the jigsaw getting in Neil Ashton as manager.
“We’ve learnt a lot. I think Neil has done well on the coaching side and there’s a visible intent of how we want to approach things.
“I feel good about the football side. On the operations, there’s a long way to go in getting to the standards that any football club needs to reach if it wants to be professional.
“I think culture is the foundation that everything else is built on. We’ve started on that journey beyond the football team, but it’ll constantly evolve as we work on the longer-term vision for the club.
“I’m pleased with where we’ve got to today, and I’m told that we’ve achieved a lot, although I don’t see it that way. I think we’ve done okay, but there’s definitely a long way to go in terms of the culture, technology, the infrastructure and the vision. We’re on it!”
No longer a figure of fun on the north Wales football circuit, the Druids have risen up the table despite a very poor start that saw them lose four and draw one of their opening seven games. In three of those defeats they conceded 14 goals, seven of which came against current league leaders Colwyn Bay.
No, at least, there is light at the end of the tunnel and fans are flocking back to The Rock, definitely one of the most picturesque grounds in the UK. Their win on Tuesday featured two goals from Danny Edwards to set them up for a much improved 2023.