The bright lights of Wrexham are a far cry away from the pitch at Llanystumdwy’s Parc Dwyfor, but on Sunday, they will face off against each other in Round One of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup.
Based in Eifionydd, Llanystumdwy find themselves in the third tier of the Welsh football pyramid and reached this stage of the competition with a 3-0 win against Northop Hall.
Sara Lacey, who has played every minute since joining the club four seasons ago, not only hailed the win as important, but also said it has helped boost morale and form.
“It was a massive win for us. It was our first clean sheet of the season, a 3-0 win, and we’ve got quite a young squad this season which is great, and they’re getting some good game time which is crucial for them at this stage of their careers.”
Neither the men’s nor women’s side have gone this far in any cup competitions, so for Llanystumdwy as a whole, Sunday is a landmark achievement.
However, the women’s prize for reaching the first-round proper is a dream home game against Hollywood Wrexham – runner’s up in last season’s cup.
When defender Tash Matthews saw the draw, she didn’t believe it at first, but now reality has set in, she cannot wait to face Steve Dale’s side.
“I didn’t really believe it when the draw actually happened. You look at the difference in standard between the two clubs, and it’s stark. There are two divisions between us, they’ve got the facilities, the financial backing, whereas we, on the other hand, are a little village who all rely on each other. It was a bit of a shock, but we’re looking forward to it.
“I think they’re eyes will definitely be opened by what we’ve got! It’ll be good for us and good for the club. People are looking forward to it, and it’s going to be a huge occasion for us.”
Listening to Matthews list off the differences between the two, you realise the size of the challenge Llanystumdwy are facing.
Another challenge is the fact that this might be the first time the players may have played in front of the cameras. However, Matthews says it’s an opportunity for the squad’s younger players to really shine.
“For a lot of our girls, they’re used to playing in a little village with about 20 to 30 people coming to watch. Suddenly, they’re thrown in front of, potentially, Hollywood cameras and a bigger crowd, it’s going to be an amazing experience for our younger players. For those who haven’t played at a higher level, it’ll give them a nice taste of what could be.”
There are a lot of fixtures that are seeing some of the country’s biggest teams travelling away to smaller sides, but one thing that all the smaller teams have in common is a great community spirit that’s behind them.
Llanystumdwy are no different, with Lacey revealing she’s got plenty of family members coming down, but that they and Wrexham will have to contend with a lack of many things in Gwynedd.
“I’ve got quite a few people from my side coming to watch on Sunday. If the sun shines, we’ll get quite a few fans in. We’re a bit worried about parking, because it isn’t great sometimes! We’ve not got mobile phone signal here either in Llanystumdwy, but it’s our little village, our club, and we’re proud of it.”
As well as that, the changing rooms are in the village hall, which is based on top of the hill!
But when the players walk down and make their way onto the pitch, and when Llanystumdwy line-up next to last season’s Bute Energy Welsh Cup runners-up, it’ll be a moment to cherish.
None more so than for Matthews, who will be coming out alongside her children; a moment that shows that no matter what you may think about cup competitions, the magic will always live on.
“I’ll have my kids there on Sunday, and it’s going be such a nice memory for them as well as me. We are so proud of our club. It’s such a cliché thing to say, but we really are one big family. I trust any of these girls to look after my kids if I need them, and that’s all I need. It takes a village to raise kids, and this is my village.”