14.02.26 Dracs vs Baglan Dragons by Cardiff Draconians FC

Managers’ Message

I’d like to welcome everyone to today’s fixture and extend a warm welcome to Baglan, along with their players, staff and supporters. We hope you enjoy your visit and that we are treated to a competitive and entertaining game this afternoon.

It’s been a frustrating period for us over the past few weeks, with several games being called off and a lack of match action. As a result, we haven’t played since our last fixture, which is never ideal for any team. While the lads have continued to work hard in training, nothing quite compares to competitive match football. A lack of game time can leave you feeling a little rusty and that is something we will need to manage today. It means this will be a tough challenge, especially against strong opposition.

Despite this, the attitude and commitment of the group has remained excellent. The players have stayed focused, kept standards high and shown real professionalism throughout this period. They are eager to get back out on the pitch and put into practice everything we have been working on. I have full confidence in their character and determination to rise to the occasion.

Today we face a very good Baglan side who are well organised, experienced, and always difficult to play against. They know how to manage games and will come here full of confidence. We are under no illusions about the task in front of us and we know we will need to be at our very best to get a positive result.

This game will be a real test of our mentality, fitness, and togetherness as a group. We will need to stay disciplined, work hard for one another, and show courage in possession. If we do that, I am confident we can give a very good account of ourselves.

As always, I would like to thank our supporters for their continued backing. Your support means a great deal to the players and staff, and it gives us that extra motivation when things get tough. We will be giving everything out there to make sure we put in a performance you can be proud of.

Let’s get behind the boys and enjoy being back playing football again.

Diolch

yn fawr, Nana Baah

On a cold, wet afternoon at Eastern High, the Dracs faced a strong Cascade side and the tough conditions showed immediately. From the opening whistle, the Dracs struggled to settle, unable to keep possession or build any rhythm. Cascade capitalised on the slow start, working the ball well down the flank before a pinpoint cross found K. Gould, who fired into the top corner for the opener. Cascade doubled their lead soon after with another well crafted move. A slick passage of play down the line ended with a sublime cross, once again met by Gould this time with a firm header into the net.

t until the 38th minute that the momentum shifted. Midge delivered a dangerous set piece, and the inform B. Hartrey showed strength to hold off his marker, swivel, and rifle the ball into the bottom corner. The goal breathed life into the Dracs, who pushed forward with renewed confidence. Just before the break, Hartrey broke in behind the defence and unselfishly squared the ball to N. Baah

Manager Alex North apparently channelled his inner Alex Ferguson Hairdryer treatment during the interval, the Dracs came out transformed. Early in the second half, a sloppy pass from the Cascade keeper fell straight to Hartrey. From just beyond the halfway line, he showed ridiculous vision and

With momentum firmly on their side, the Dracs continued to press. A well worked move ended with Confidence was flowing, and another sharp passing sequence released Gardner once more, who slotted into the bottom corner for

t fold. A misplaced pass allowed Gould through on goal, and he calmly completed his hat-trick to make it 5–3. But the Dracs remained dangerous, and their pressure paid off when Hartrey was close lined in the box. He stepped up, dusted himself off, and converted the penalty securing his first hat-trick of the season and restoring the three goal cushion at 6–3.

In the final moments, Cascade’s standout performer Gould grabbed his fourth of the match, rounding off a frantic and goal filled encounter.

Manager’s Comments: -

“A very frustrating start, but the character the lads showed to fight back was outstanding. Performances like that will stand us in good stead going forward. On to the next fixture where, again, three points are the minimum requirement.”

Thank You!

We don’t mention them enough but we would like to say a huge thank you to our pitch side board sponsors. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Match Officials

Referee Chris Ball

1st Assistant Referee Ashley Davis

2nd Assistant Referee Karl Griffin

Harry Johnson (GK) Sam Roberts

Harry Noaks (GK) Dan Bowen

Luke Bridgeman (C) Luke Evans

Jacob Benford

Luke Davies

Dan Lewis

Efu Kazadi

Nathan Mathias

Jamal Roberts

Dylan Amin

Sam Cawley

Manager

Assistant Manager

First Team Coach

Liam Mallam

Harry Treharne

Dafydd Ball

Lewis James

Craig Wilcox

Jack Cooper

Ollie Wylie

Haben Samson

Nana Baah

Ben Hartrey

Paul Smith

Coach Darren Buttle

Goalkeeping Coach

Xabi Lorente

Physio Emma Ryan

Aaron Ryan

Jordan Pike

Baglan Squad

Kieran Parsons

Lewis Holmes

Connah Troy

Aaron Carpenter

Josh Evans

Jonny Davies

Dylan Thomas

Osian Williams

Rohan-Emerson Davies

Jacob Evans

Nathan Logan

Owen Williams

Artiom Legavec

Roman Legavec

Aaron Madden

Tom Randall

Tom Davies

Iestyn Madden

Cai Burgum

Manager C Clement

Assistant Manager

First Aider

Coach

Goalkeeper Coach

P Lewis

H Mole

M Pike

A Barnsley

Interview with Ollie

Oliver Wylie says Cardiff Draconians’ Cymru South match with Baglan Dragons is an opportunity to put things right after the defeat away at Aberystwyth Town.

The Dracs had come from behind twice through goals from Luke Davies and Harry Treharne before they the Seasiders struck a 97th minute winner to steal all three points at Park Avenue.

On a personal note, Wylie has appeared in each of the last three games, and made his first start at Aberystwyth Town, after signing for the club a month ago from Pentyrch Rangers.

And the centre-back shares with media officer Josh Thomas his time with Cardiff Draconians so far, scoring his first goal at Cwmbran Celtic, the disappointment of losing late on to Aberystwyth Town and returning to the Orange Llama Stadium to take on the Baglan this afternoon.

JT: You have only been with the club for a short time, what are your first impressions of it?

OW: Very professional and dedicated to progressing as a club. We are pushed hard to get the best out of us in training and matchdays.

JT: How are you adjusting to the standard of play in the Cymru South?

OW: It is challenging but I feel I am adapting well considering I have only been here for one month. The coaches and other players push me and motivate me to be the best version of myself.

JT: Having signed for the club at the same time as Haben (Sampson), Jack (Cooper) and Craig (Wilcox), what is it like to play with those lads and what will the four of you bring to the club?

OW: I feel we have all fit in the the other lads well and push, motivate and encourage each other on game days and in training. I feel we will all play a part in the run in to the end of the season giving our all on and off the pitch.

JT: Having signed for the club at the same time as Haben (Sampson), Jack (Cooper) and Craig (Wilcox), what is it like to play with those lads and what will the four of you bring to the club?

JT: Having got off the mark with your first goal away at Cwmbran Celtic, can you describe to me that goal and just how great was it to score?

OW: I was very happy to score against Cwmbran Celtic as it earned us all 3 points. A proud moment for me personally and I hope to chip in a few more times in the season to help the team progress up the table.

JT: How much are you looking to build on your good start with the club, having appeared in the last three games for the club, what have you taken from it?

OW: I hope to help the team get results being off the bench or starting games. I am really happy to be here and cannot wait to progress my journey with the fantastically run club.

JT: Last Saturday saw you rewarded with your first start after two appearances of the bench, how did you find that?

OW: I found it difficult to begin with as it was much more physical and fast paced. I feel I grew into the game after the first 20/30 mins, but it was a difficult game to start in as the wind played a big factor in the match.

JT: Tough game in the end after conceding a 97th minute, how hard was that one to take?

OW: Extremely hard to concede so late on. I believe we deserved a point from the game so was gutting to concede after a great 89th minute equaliser from Harry Treharne.

Overall I think the boys can be happy with the performance but unfortunately, we came away without anything to show for the good performance.

JT: Despite the defeat how great was it to be able to play against Aberystwyth Town at Park Avenue, who not too long ago were a Cymru Premier side, it shows just how far the club have come doesn’t it?

OW: Great experience to play against a top team at a fantastic venue. Considering they were in the Welsh premiership I thought we held our own against them and were very unlucky to fall to a defeat in the 97th minute.

JT: This weekend is a chance to put that game behind you when we host Baglan Dragons, what are your thoughts on it?

OW: We need to start fast and put them under pressure from the first minute, if we do the hard graft then it will give us the right to execute our gameplan. I believe it’s a great opportunity to put things right and get a win in front of the home fans.

JT: It’s been some run at the Orange Llama Stadium, having won five successive games after opening the season with two straight defeats, before our loss against Cambrian United in our last home game, how impressive is that and how important is our home form?

OW: This stat shows how good we are at home and that our fans play a big part in that. I believe, even though we lost to Cambrian, we deserved something from that match as our performance matched them. I really look forward to having three home games in a row giving us a great opportunity to pick up more points and climb back up the table.

Pics by Josh Thomas & @harleyincardiff

Feeling lucky? Then join in with our club fundraisers of the Lucky 24 Tote and the 100 club!

For £1 a tote ticket there is a weekly chance of winning our current jackpot of £3300.

Join the 100 club for £10 a month and be part of the monthly draw to win a prize of either £100, £75, £50 or £25. 100 club draw takes place the end of every month!

See a club member in the shop to find out more or buy a ticket, or message us online.

Thanks to everyone who supports us in this and good luck in the next draws.