Author: Peter Reynolds

Blood Sweat and Cheers

 Match of the Day: Welsh Blood Service teams up with FAW’s Cymru Leagues & WPWL urging Afon Lido F.C supporters to save lives

–‘Blood, sweat and cheers’ campaign aims to get football fans into donation centres in Neath Port Talbot

 The Welsh Blood Service has partnered with the FAW’s JD Cymru Leagues and Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League to launch a brand-new campaign to encourage Afan Lido fans to donate blood this season and to help save lives in the local community.

 Through its ‘Blood, Sweat and Cheers’ campaign, clubs are being encouraged by the Welsh Blood Service to engage with their supporters and local communities to promote the importance of giving blood and signing up football fans to save thousands of lives. The campaign has received support from former Wales midfielder Owain Tudur Jones and Wales forward Natasha Harding. Every single day the Welsh Blood Service needs to collect 350 blood donations to supply hospitals with enough blood for patients.

Blood and its by-products play a vital role in saving lives each day, with donations helping accident victims, patients having a kidney, liver or an organ transplant, pregnant women, leukaemia and cancer patients, someone about to undergo open heart surgery and premature babies who cannot survive without a blood transfusion.

The Welsh Blood Service collects 100,000 blood donations each year from roughly 70,000 volunteer donors. In its new role as the official community partner of the FAW’s Cymru Leagues and Welsh Premier Women’s League*, the Welsh Blood Service is hoping the ‘Blood, Sweat and Cheers’ campaign will help the organisation with its goal of signing 11,000 new blood donors in 2020.

Although the pandemic has temporarily stopped football fans from attending games, clubs are asking supporters to cheer their team on by making a potentially lifesaving blood donation instead. Giving blood is considered an essential service, and donation sessions have continued across Wales throughout the pandemic with additional safety measures introduced to meet Welsh Government guidance for donors attending.

Professor Donna Mead, chair of Velindre University NHS Trust, said: “This is a brilliant result for the Welsh Blood Service. These football clubs have a huge connection with their local communities and we really hope that our ‘Blood, Sweat and Cheers’ campaign will inspire fans to drop into a local donation centre.

“Additional measures have been introduced to ensure we can maintain our high levels of safety during the pandemic, from introducing new venues that meet the latest social distancing guidelines to introducing PPE requirements for staff and donor safety at session. “Every single blood donation has the power to save up to three lives and there are plenty of upcoming donation fixtures that football fans can play a part in.”

Stephen Williams, Chairman of the National Leagues Board, said: “The Welsh Blood Service is our first community partner for the JD Cymru Leagues and Orchard Welsh Premier Women’s League and we’re delighted to have made such an important signing. In each and every community across Wales there are people whose lives have been supported by blood donation and we’re calling on football fans to get involved and be lifesaving champions.

“We know football clubs across all levels of the game are often at the heart of their communities and during what continues to be a difficult time for all, we are grateful to provide clubs and fans an opportunity to play an important role for their club when many clubs aren’t currently playing.”
With around 1,600 donation sessions at 400 different venues across Wales every year, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to find their nearest session and make a difference. Anyone aged between 17 and 66 can enrol online and become a donor. From start to finish, the process of donating takes just less than one hour, with the actual blood donation lasting only five to ten minutes.

The Welsh Blood Service has introduced a new function on its website which will allow fans from clubs across Wales to click on their club’s emblem and view a list of upcoming donation centres local to them. To learn more about those sessions or donating blood, visit wbs.wales/football and enter your postcode to find all donation sessions in your area.

Blood donation sessions are in the Princess Royal Theatre on Monday January 18th, Tuesday 19th, Wednesday February 24th, Thursday 25th and Friday 26th by appointment.

FIVE STAR RISCA SINK LIDO YOUNG GUNS

Afan Lido find themselves out of the Nathaniel MG Cup after a disappointing 5-2 loss away to Risca United at Ystrad Mynach.
This was the first fixture since March for all clubs at Tier 2 level – the coronavirus pandemic enforcing an extended break for all clubs beneath the top division.
It’s been a tumultuous summer at the Marston’s Stadium following the exodus of last season’s squad and the nine month break in competitive action has yielded significant change which was evidenced here, with no fewer than seven first-team debutants named in the starting line-up.
Management team Paul Evans, Matthew Driscoll and Barrie Jones were also without several key figures for this opening fixture which made an already difficult fixture even tougher for a young, inexperienced squad.
Lido’s young side started brightly, however, forcing the Risca defence onto the back foot early with the two Ioans – Evans and Clatworthy – pressuring their full backs on the respective wings.
And it was Clatworthy who came closest to opening the scoring after just four minutes, somehow only managing to hit the post from inside the box with the goalmouth gaping after Risca goalkeeper Jordan Dibble was beaten by a low cross.
Lido were soon made to pay. Risca striker Tom Berry profited from some lax defending, turning his defender to place a long range shot into the bottom corner.
Berry was on fire for Risca, creating space every time he touched the ball, and he was soon to become the story of the afternoon.
Only three minutes after opening his tally, he hit the post after ghosting past two Lido defenders in the box.
By the middle of the half it was 2-0. Evan Price brought down Camden Duncan on the edge of the area and referee Teifion Cook had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Lewis Hitchcock duly tucked the penalty away.
Lido weren’t yet out of the reckoning and veteran midfielder Craig Reddy soon narrowed the deficit with a sumptuous half volley from 30 yards out, angling his body to guide a rising ball into the top corner to open his club account.
Risca hit back immediately and it was that man again Berry, losing his marker in the box to turn home a low cross.
Lido made two changes at the break to shore up the midfield and it appeared to work, the visitors looking far brighter in the opening exchanges. It looked to have paid dividends when a second goal came, this time courtesy of the promising Clatworthy who saw his low drive deflect into the bottom corner.
The goal seemed to spur Risca on, however, and they quickly added a fourth, Sam Palmer pouncing on a misplaced pass from Aaron Jones to play in Tom Berry for his hat-trick.
Despite a tactical switch that saw captain Cai Owens deployed up front for the last fifteen minutes, some sustained pressure from Lido couldn’t find that all-important opening. With the Seasiders pressing forward at every opportunity, Risca eventually broke quickly and capitalised by adding a fifth with two minutes to go. Camden Duncan breezed past Ben Burns on the right wing and fired in a cross which was turned home by Leon Thomas.
It was the story of the match, with Lido’s bright attacking movement undone by some inexperienced defensive play.
Nevertheless, the Lido management team will be encouraged by a return to action and the adaptability of all the players and officials in adhering to the unfamiliar protocols.

More signings

We’ve signed several newcomers for next season, Ben Keen, Harry Jenkins and Morgan Thomas. While Brad Flay, Steve Morris, Jay Thomas and Sam Hodge have all re-signed and it’s a welcome back to Taylor Evans, Joe Jones and Cai Owens.