Bale inspires youthful Wales to emphatic victory over Irish
RYAN GIGGS had a homecoming to remember as Wales began their Nations League campaign in style with a 4-1 demolition of the Republic of Ireland in Cardiff.
Tom Lawrence, Gareth Bale – with his 30th goal for Wales – Aaron Ramsey and Connor Roberts were on target before Republic substitute Shaun Williams provided some cheer for the visitors.
The victory might not have erased the pain of Wales’ World Cup elimination last October when the Republic won 1-0 at the same Cardiff City Stadium venue.
But the manner of the performance, with talented youngsters Ethan Ampadu and former Sheffield United forward David Brooks excelling on their first competitive starts and Bale at his brilliant best, gave a tantalising glimpse of the bright future that could lie ahead under manager Giggs.
Bale paid tribute to some of the newcomers in the team with 17-year-old Ampadu particularly impressive.
He said: “They settled in very well. The squad is quite relaxed, we all welcome everyone in and they have been great.
“They have been working hard in training, they have settled in quickly to what we want to do and showed it tonight.
“We had to put a good performance in, first home game for the new manager, new regime and we wanted to put a performance in for the fans, for ourselves and show what we are capable of and set a statement.”
England Under-21s remain in charge of their Euro 2019 qualification group despite being held to a 0-0 draw by Holland at Carrow Road.
Aidy Boothroyd’s Young Lions are five points clear at the top of Group 4 with three games remaining, with this point edging them closer to next summer’s finals in Italy and San Marino. They play Latvia on Tuesday. UNLIKE Leeds United, two Yorkshire sides are preparing to bask in the glory of a watching national audience this weekend.
While the hierarchy and supporters of the Whites continue to bemoan their constant TV exposure, Maltby Main and Frickley Athletic are eagerly awaiting their rare chance of a screen test.
The pair, separated by just 16 miles and one division, will contest an FA Cup first qualifying round tie at Maltby’s Muglet Lane tomorrow lunchtime (12.30pm).
Not only does the fixture, being screened by the BBC online, represent a significant boost to each club’s coffers but it also gives some much-needed airtime to two members of the non-league fraternity.
“I’ve been involved in nonleague since I was 17 and I’ve not looked more forward to a game,” Maltby chairman Wilf Race told
“We were as surprised as anyone when the email landed asking if we would agree to screening the game – it was a no-brainer.
“The financial side of it is obviously a big incentive but for both teams this is a chance to show what non-league football is all about. I tip my hat to the BBC.”
As well as £1,000 that each club is handed for the game being screened, the winners of the tie pocket £6,000.
The fixture has added spice with Frickley chief Spencer Fearn returning to face his former club, having also lured a handful of players down the same path since his move 16 months ago.
“There’s a little bit of history between the two clubs,” said Frickley chairman Stuart Highfield.
“Obviously, Spencer was manager at Maltby before and there’s a few players from either side coming up against each other so it could be spicy. We played them pre-season and won 4-3 so, hopefully, there’ll be a repeat.”