Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC: Terry Venables and the small Welsh club chasing glory
- Published
Cambrian & Clydach beat holders New Saints in the semi-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup
Nathaniel MG Cup final: Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC v Cardiff Met |
|---|
Venue: Jenner Park, Barry Date: Saturday, 19 January Kick-off: 19:30 GMT |
They can claim ex-England manager Terry Venables as a former chairman and this season Welsh club Cambrian & Clydach Vale Boys and Girls Club have been creating their own footballing headlines.
Venables, whose mother Myrtle hailed from the village of Clydach Vale where the team are based, was chairman for a spell earlier in the decade.
"He will always be within the heart of the club here," says current chairman Phil Williams.
The club from the Rhondda Valley have beaten four Welsh Premier League sides this season to reach the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup, where they will face another top-flight team - Cardiff Met - on Saturday.
Manager Dane Williams says the Welsh League Division One club's "ultimate goal" is to reach the Welsh top-flight.
Nathaniel MG Cup final: Villagers face Students for first Welsh trophy of season
Williams hopes this season's cup run can be the springboard for his side to be the first club from the Rhondda since the 1990s to play in the Welsh Premier, backed up by a thriving and renowned academy.
"Ton Pentre were the last team from the Rhondda to play at the highest level and it's certainly something that we're looking to bring to the Rhondda as soon as possible," Williams said.
"The talent we have in the Rhondda and the people who would come and support a Welsh Premier team would be an asset to the league.
"The support has been unbelievable and the numbers that have attended throughout the cup run have been incredible.
"We've got touching 700 tickets sold for the Cup final and I think that tells everything you need to know.
"Certainly the appetite is there for Welsh Premier football in the Rhondda and hopefully we can deliver that."
Cambrian & Clydach beat top-flight sides Barry Town, Aberystwyth Town and Newtown to reach the semi-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
They caused one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history with a 2-1 semi-final win over The New Saints, winners of the League Cup for the past four seasons.
"That particular result will be something me and the players and the club will remember for a very long time," added Williams, who became manager at the start of the season.
"At the time somebody said it was the first time that they had lost to lower league opposition in 23 years, so that kind of stat speaks for itself."
Williams' side are the second club from outside the Welsh Premier, after Denbigh in 2016, to have reached the final.
"Everyone's reminding me this is the biggest game in the club's history and we're very much looking forward to it," said Williams.
"Regardless of the outcome on Saturday it's certainly a cup run we'll remember for a long time."
"We've been a fairly solid club for a number of years and we won Welsh League Division One a couple of years back.
"In the cups in the past couple of years we hadn't really performed and we'd let ourselves down and one of the main focuses in the summer was concentrating on the cups and get some good results."
'Terry's played a big part'
So how did former England, Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona manager Venables become chairman of a small club in south Wales?
"Terry's mum is from the village of Clydach Vale and he still has family in the area," explains current chairman Phil Williams, who has been involved with the club for more than 30 years.
"It became an idea to try and get hold of Terry to explain what we wanted to achieve here and to try and get him on board.
Terry Venables has also managed Australia, Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Leeds United
"After making a few calls and leaving a few messages, one Saturday evening at home a number of years ago I had a call on the house phone.
"My son came into the living room and said 'Dad, Terry Venables is on the phone'. I said 'don't be a silly boy'.
"But that's how it happened. We had a long chat and he was delighted to get involved in what we were trying to create in this community and has been supportive from that day.
"Terry's played a big part here over the years.
"He's been hugely supportive. He doesn't play any active part currently but in previous years Terry was president of the Cambrian Village Trust and chairman of Cambrian & Clydach Vale Boys and Girls Club, and supported us on fundraising activities and promoted some of our community events as well.
"He hosted our Under-14s out in Spain in a tournament, which for everyone who went on the trip was a massive occasion and had a brilliant time thanks to Terry."