VENUE #42 ABERYSTWYTH TOWN Park Avenue

WELSH PREMIER

Aberystwyth Town... 1
Bala Town... 1

Saturday 28th September
               2013

@ Park Avenue Ground
        Aberystwyth


     I just knew that it was a mistake when I agreed to meet my old work colleague and drinking partner Andy to go and watch the Aberystwyth V Bala game.  Andy upped sticks, sold his house and moved his family to the mid coast Welsh town several years ago to live in a caravan on site in an attempt to escape the rat race and stress of meeting mortgage payments every month, I only wish that I'd got the guts to do something similar.  He's now doing a job that he loves whilst living in a most beautiful part of the world with lots of lovely sea air, what more could you want?
   

The Control Tower

 We met up in Wetherspoons inside the Aberystwyth train station a couple of hours before kick off and like the good old days we strolled from pub to pub around the town until we eventually got to the pier where we got talking to two chaps from Shrewsbury who's names, unfortunately, I can't remember but not surprising really with all the alcohol I'd consumed.  They had come to watch the game as well with the intent of getting plastered at the same time.
     By the time we managed to get to Park Avenue, between us, we must have had enough beer to sink a small battleship and I had just a vague idea of the reason why I had come to Aberystwyth.  Low and behold if there wasn't a club house inside the ground and with the game live on Sgorio, the Welsh TV sports channel and the rain coming down pitch side we decided to watch the game in the club house while supping more ale.  The rain did ease off for the second half so we did see some of the game from the touchline but by that time I was unable to take in what I was watching and so have to rely strongly on web information for this report.

Picture from where I stood in second half

     Last weekend Aber took on Gap Connah's Quay here at Park Avenue and earned a point in a 3-3 draw, manager Tomi Morgan names an unchanged line-up for the game today.  Bala travelled to Y Morfa to take on Conwy Borough in the league cup on Tuesday night last and came away with a 4-2 victory.  Colin Caton makes three changes for today's game, Edwin Renaud, Steve Brown and the old Crewe favourite Kenny Lunt sit it out on the bench while Ben Collins, Ryan Valentine and Mark Connolly take their places.
     The Lakesiders started the more positive and were unlucky not to take the lead in the early stages when Mark Jones's shot went wide of Ashley Morris's goal.  The Seasiders came into the game and started to dominate with Craig Williams sending a shot just over the bar before having a free kick blocked on the Bala goal line.  Just after Stuart Jones headed wide from a corner and brought a fine save from the finger tips of Morris who managed to turn the ball over the crossbar.  Geoff Kellaway managed to get on the end of a William's cross only to head wide with the goal gaping at his mercy.
   

The Dias Stand

 0-0 at half time and just after the break a last ditched challenge from Stuart Jones denied Ben Collins giving Bala the lead but in the 59th minute Ryan Valentine broke the Aber hearts when he unleashed a twenty yard plus shot into Mike Lewis's near side corner of the net and brightened up a scrappy Welsh Premier league fixture, well, for Bala fans and neutrals such as myself.
     Kellaway came close to levelling things but fired a good chance wide of the Bala goal.  Then, in the 71st minute an inspired substitution by Tomi Morgan, bringing on Stuart Fraser for Craig Williams and within a minute the Aber academy product returning home after a brief spell with Newtown, netted with his first touch after some good play between Antonio Corbisiero and Mark Jones.
   
     Park Avenue has a 2,500 capacity of which 1,000 are seats.  We came in across the car park and stood in front of the clubhouse, (at first), which is on the riverside that runs along the touchline.  The main stand covers the centre circle and the club shop is behind the club house.  On the other side of the pitch the Coedian Y Parc has the control tower covering the centre circle and to the left is an uncovered seating area which is designated to away fans, with a grass verge to the right.  Behind the goal to the left of the riverside end is the Dias stand end, a covered stand which straggles the eighteen yard area with a flat standing area to the left of the goal and a arriva bus depot behind it.  At the other end behind the goal is a grass verge.

View from car park of bridge crossing river

   
     The drinking continued for a couple of hours after the game back in the Wetherspoons inside the station so as our new found friends as well as myself didn't have too far to travel to catch our relevant trains home.  Mine was the first to depart and I quickly found a seat to pass out on hoping that I would wake up in time to alight at Wolverhampton.  Andy and his new pals stayed on in the pub until the Shrewsbury train came in and whisked them away.  I read on a social network that Andy did arrive home safe that night to slump in his chair unconscious wearing his tea to the annoyance of his wife Jenny.

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