Tîm Rhanbarthol Cymru head to Serbia this week to compete in Group 3 of the Intermediate Round of the UEFA Regions Cup and Head Coach Andy Hill believes his side of South Wales representatives have a good chance of succeeding on the continent.
“We’ve got a chance out there,” Hill explained. “We don’t know much about the opposition, but we feel as if we’ve got enough quality and enough stability to go there and really challenge for that top spot.
“It’s going to be a great honour for us as staff and for the players, a great experience and something that we’re all really looking forward to and really excited about.”
The mini-tournament begins for Tîm Rhanbarthol Cymru on Friday 13 September when they take on West Slovakia. Vojvodina face North Macedonia at the same location later that day, which will enable Hill to scout his opponents ahead of the final two games. The side then meet Vojvodina on Monday 16 September before completing their fixtures on Thursday 19 September against North Macedonia.
A 4-1 aggregate victory over the North Wales representative side in May ensured their participation in the competition through goals from Cam Strinati, Alex Bonthron, Liam Eason and Joe Lloyd.
“We prepared well,” Hill said. “We had a game plan for the first game and changed it for the second game. Sometimes they go to plan and everything works out, and sometimes is doesn’t, but luckily enough it did. The boys carried out the game plan perfectly.
“It was difficult to get training sessions in during the season as the boys were playing, but what we did with the camp was to train in the morning, have some food and then train again in the afternoons. We had a whole day together and we did that on three or four occasions so we got through a lot of detail and a lot of tactical stuff. The boys grasped it and the application was superb.
“It’s something new to us and we’re kind of putting the pieces together. We’re doing a bit of research, we’re speaking to different coaches who have had that experience because it’s a different kind of football. Obviously, the heat is also a major factor as it’s 30°C out there. It’s all learning, it’s all experience and something that’s definitely going to put us in good stead going forward.”
Currently manager of JD Cymru South side Trefelin, Hill has previously coached at Goytre United, Llanelli and Briton Ferry Llansawel.
During his playing career, the 45-year-old was a familiar face on the domestic scene, representing a number of clubs including Llanelli, Neath and Afan Lido in the JD Cymru Premier. In 2011, Hill scored two goals for Neath in the European Play-Off Final victory over Prestatyn Town, but his dream of competing on the continent never materialised.
“This has been my ambition as a manager,” he said. “I wanted to play in Europe as a player. I had two opportunities where I could have moved to clubs that had already qualified, but I decided to stay at Neath to try to get in Europe with my team and obviously we did. Then there was a big change around in the summer and we were all gone.
“That has built up so much resilience in me. I get it, it’s football and stuff like that happens in football. I totally understand that, but that’s been my drive now. The Regions Cup has now obviously given me a different route into Europe, but it’s still going to be a great experience and something that we’re really looking forward to.”
Hill will be joined in Serbia by his Trefelin backroom staff of Mark Napieralla, Carl Lewis and Lee David. “I had a choice to pick whoever I wanted,” he explained. “But I wanted to stick with my staff because I wanted to be loyal to them.
“I think it would have been a bit strange to take other staff and then come back to my club. I trust my staff and they’re good staff as well. It’s about trust, especially in a management circle. So we’re all we’re all on board and we’re all ready to go.”
