Adventures in Football: 135-139 North Wales
June 27, 2026
Hello, and yes, I am still attending football matches when the opportunity arises. It’s been over a year since I last attended a game in the UK. Since then, I have been to the women’s Euros in Switzerland, been to a Belgian Pro League game and a league game in Albania. But in the UK, nothing at all. So, it’s been a while. Work has been difficult, but you don’t want to read about that so let’s get into the good stuff.
We start our journey with the arrival of Mike Kilby at my house on June 27. We have a few beers in the back garden, do a few FIFA Panini World Cup sticker swaps and get ready for the trip into Wales for the U19 European Championship. For those who don’t know; this is a yearly tournament pitting the best of Europe’s young players against each other. And also the Welsh. As hosts Wales didn’t have to qualify. Their ‘oh, shit, we’re out of our depth’ factor kicks in very quickly.
June 28, 2026
We have a pleasant drive up to North Wales. It’s lovely up there. Snowdonia, the coast etc. Just a lovely part of the world. It can get very tourist heavy but we’re going fairly early in the summer season so the property was cheap and we’re not surrounded by coaches of Americans yelling “OH GEE MARTHA, WOULD YOU GET A LOOK AT THAT CASTLE, IT’S ALMOST AS BIG AS THE WALLMART IN FORT WORTH!”
We’re based in Colwyn Bay, which is a good central location for the grounds we’re going to (Wrexham, Denbigh, Caernarfon, and Bangor). On arrival the instructions send us into the wrong flat and we get confused at having to wrestle past a mattress in the corridor and a pile of linen at the bottom of the stairs. After a chat with the confused owners, we discover there’s been an admin error, and we’re in the wrong gaff. We switch over quickly enough though and grab some essentials from the local Morrisons. Bad news though, the Spoons around the corner is closed for a refurb, and the tap room nearby doesn’t open on Sundays. BOOO!
Speaking of pubs, we drive to Wrexham for our first game and get to visit the Turf, which you might recognise from the Ryan Reynolds/Rob Mac TV show Welcome to Wrexham. It was packed ahead of tonight’s game. Lots of Welsh people whose spirit hadn’t yet been crushed by the fluent football of the next generation of exceptional Spanish midfielders.
WALES vs. SPAIN (Euro U19 Championship)
We have a walk around the ground, and it does feel a bit weird, being on the set of Welcome to Wrexham. The lay out of the ground is already really familiar to me. I am partially Welsh and yet I’ve not spent much time in Wales. Maybe that’s something I should correct? I don’t know. I like to travel. The Racecourse Ground is on its way to being an impressive beast. It’s a good League One ground and, once the new stand is finished, it should be a good Championship ground.
There’s something very iconic about this stand. We’re not segregated for this tournament, so we’re sat among a lot of Spain fans. It doesn’t stop them getting drowned out by the Welsh anthem. Those Welsh lads love a sing song. In anticipation of conceding a few goals I try and cue up the “fuck off you Spanish cunt” soundbite from Bootlegger. It’s sadly not anywhere I could see. Irritatingly, I just found it on YouTube.
Bootlegger Golden Moments | F*ck Off, You Spanish C*nt
We look through the Spanish line up and one of the midfielders is called Quim Casanova, which causes a few giggles. That’s until he turns out to be outstandingly good at football. A shot from Real Madrid winger Daniel Yanez loops over hapless Wales keeper Luis Lines for 1-0 after only 15 minutes. Lines, of Norwich, would finish the game on a 3.6 on Flashscore and wouldn’t play again in the tournament.
Things would only get worse for Wales. Not that I could see it as a late arriving fan was stood right in front of me looking for his seat. The goal came from Barcelona midfielder/right back Xavi Espart. 2-0. About a minute later Real Betis forward Jose Morante had made it 3-0 and the score was heading into big numbers for Spain. Morante smashed in another from range for 4-0 before half-time, and the game was effectively over.
Mike indicated that he was going to get a pie as he was “in a cloud of beef fumes”. Unfortunately, the queue was enormous, and the beef would have to wait. The second half kicked off with a Spain attack down the left and Quim Junyent Casanova (yes, that is his real name) pulled off an audacious chip on the angle for 5-0. They’re already dead, mate, that was uncalled for.
Here’s a look at the attendance. Only one stand open but 3,606 in the ground. Not bad considering it clashed with a World Cup game. Wales manage to hang on to 5-0 for about 20 minutes and then the misery was compounded by two late goals. First on 76’ with the Wales defence falling completely apart and alllowing Sergio Estaban to score number six. A free kick from Aguado, ends up going in off Lines’ legs for seven and the rout is complete.
FULL TIME: Wales 0 Spain 7
Wales shouldn’t feel too bad about this. While they were clearly outclassed and out of their depth, Spain were incredible and have half a dozen cracking players. Pitarch, Espart, Casanova, Morante, Cuenca, Aguado and Esteban all look like great prospects. If Pitarch doesn’t make it for Spain’s Euros squad in two years, it’s because he took an offer from Morocco instead. He will be playing somewhere. Fantastic baller.
What do I do now? Scores? It’s been a while.
ATMOSPHERE:
To be fair, the Wales fans were very loud to begin with but when you’re 4-0 down after half an hour, it knocks the stuffing out of you. **
COST:
All these games were around £12. Good value for the quality on display. ****
QUALITY:
Well, one team was quality. Does that count? It was fascinating watching the up-and-coming players of a genuine footballing superpower. ***½
EASE OF ACCESS:
You can park at the train station, which is right by the ground. Piece of cake. Mmmm, cake. ****
MISC:
Wrexham is a place that needs to have something going for it. Walking through the town shows this and there is optimism about the future of football around here. The stadium feels special and when the new stand is finished, it’ll be a banging ground. ****
OVERALL: 17.5
A really good football ground in a town that could use it. Great support for a U19s tournament. Wrexham’s Racecourse Ground is the centre of the community, and it’s great, for them, that Wrexham’s club is such a success story now.
On returning the Colwyn Bay we go and walk around the deserted beach front area. There’s something stunning about a resort out of season. All that space. Just you, the elements and the odd dog walker. Hauntingly beautiful.
June 29, 2026
Today we’re off to Caernarfon, which I cannot spell, and if I spell it wrong anywhere, I do apologise. Mike introduces me to one of his favourite roads; the North Wales Expressway. The A55. Or the ASS as it’s effectionately known. “We love the ASS” he announces as we drive along. I must admit chuckling for far too long at the sign that reads “Bangor A55”. But, I hardly know her.
Caernarfon is famous for its castle, like many places in Wales. It’s a big unit and is still in fantastic nick considering.
We pay to go in and take a walk around. The spiral staircases absolutely ruining my knees for the day.
I have so many stunning pictures and came away with an interest in Edward I’s “extravagant castle building program”. Touring his castles allowed me to better understand Longshanks and his wife, Eleanor of Castile. In the Eagle’s Tower there is a lot of history on Eleanor. Someone I hadn’t read up on much. I also never knew Edward was called Longshanks because he was tall. I do enjoy gaining an appreciation for history by visiting places.
After many spiral staircases it was off to the Black Boy/Buoy for lunch. In an attempt to be as Welsh as possible we get Welsh rarebit (cheese on toast) and Welsh Pie (it’s Cottage Pie with more cheese). No Welsh pudding is available. No Welsh cakes.
After lunch it’s off to game #2. A short walk to the Oval, home of Caernarfon Town. We couldn’t buy tickets online for this one, thanks to the portal being weird, so instead we had to wait for the ticket office to open. While waiting for it we got the chance to walk around Segontium, a Roman baths/fort, which now only exists in ruins.
We end up spending 45 minutes debating what part of the fort is where. We figure this is a cellar to the kitchens by the mess hall. I tell Mike it’d be great to stick a table down there and have a few beers. “What now or then?” Either but back in the day you’d get stoned for it. “You could get stoned now”. We also debate the origins of pine cones and pineapples from the name. The pine trees around the site are Roman, and the cones are enormous. The common British pine must have been jealous.
There’s a sign outside, which I don’t have a picture of, sadly. It reads “COF. COFIS. COFIO”. I assume it’s Latin. It looks like a cojugated verb. Cof is “memory” and Cofio is “to remember” but the Cofis in the middle? That means a person of Caernarfon, which comes from the Cofi dialect they spoke. Pretty cool, huh? Remember the people of Caernarfon.
ITALY vs. SERBIA (Euro U19s Championship)
Our second ground is the Oval in Caernarfon. It had around a million pounds spent on it to upgrade facilities for the tournament.
Everything looks new here. Sadly, half the ground is taped off to allow the squads and assorted officials of each country space to spread out on the one side. We settle into a spot to the right of the dugouts, where the bulk of the Serbia fans have collected. We’re standing next to a man with a beard, glasses and a baseball cap and he’s mistaken for Jürgen Klopp by one of the scouts who’s watching the game. Not sure I’d trust his eyesight based on that! “I did offer him my glasses”. We like to laugh.
Italy start faster and 11’ in are awarded a penalty by the German referee Florian Badstuber. Mattia Liberali of Catanzaro converts and it’s 1-0 Italy. In typical Italian fashion they then sit back and are happy with a 1-0 win. Badstuber wins us over with his strict officiating. After telling a Serbian player exactly where to take a throw in from he says, “I’m German, I’m sorry”. Laughs are had. We get to 1-0 at HT and it’s not been a great game. Serbia don’t offer much going forwards and Italy are content with 1-0.
Serbia look a little more game after the turn, but it allows Italy to counter and they look more likely. Benfica’s Federico Colletta hits the bar on the break. Serbia are starting to get annoyed but Badstuber has no time for them. “Stop complaining. Keep running”. Serbia’s Jovan Ciric has been nicknamed “Cheeky” by his teammates, which makes for interesting calls. Italy get two players booked in quick succession for diving (Mosconi and Iddrissou). In the same place. The Klopp lookalike muses “it’s strange for Italians to be diving”.
Italy cap off their win by scoring on the break. Big Inter forward Jamal Iddrissou tucks it away. Italy ended up having 20 shots so they’re probably deserved winners.
FULL TIME: Italy 2 Serbia 0
Here are some more scores on the doors for the Oval:
ATMOSPHERE:
No. Nothing really. Serbia might have contributed if they’d got going but Italians don’t travel so their goals were met with silence. *
COST:
Same as before. We had the option to sit for an extra two pounds and didn’t take it. ****
QUALITY:
Not the same game as we got in Wrexham but still well worth seeing. Both teams had a go but Italy were just better. ***
EASE OF ACCESS:
The Oval is a little walk out of town, but when you get there, you can visit the ruins of a Roman fort, so I think it’s worth it. ***
MISC:
The Oval is a very nice ground, for the level. It’s easy to get around inside and while it’s very basic, it’s basic in the best possible way. The lack of cover would probably suck in the winter when it’s pissing it down, but I really liked the ground. ****
OVERALL: 15
A very nice ground. It reminded me of Rushall Olympic. The one side being much higher than the pitch. It’s nicely compact and we got to drink smoothies there from a company called Swig. Like, what else do you need? Thumbs up.
Still on June 29 here as we drive over to Bangor, which is between Caernarfon and Colwyn Bay.
CROATIA vs. UKRAINE (Euro U19 Championship)
Bangor is the least impressive of the three grounds so far. With one main stand and nothing behind either goal, it’s the most “non-league” ground we’ve seen.
We bought standing tickets here but couldn’t find a good spot and I noticed the tickets had seat numbers on. KA-CHING. We head into the stand and the row we’re sitting on is almost exclusively scouts. Loads of blokes with a pen and pad. Looking out for the future stars of football.
There’s a group of Ukraine fans behind the goal to our right and they’ve brought along a flag that says “Patrick Sykut, he’s one of our own”. Sykut plays for Peterborough. Sykut is of Ukrainian and Polish descent and was named in the Poland U18 squad in May. He’s switched sides. Clearly the Ukraine fans are happy about it.
The game starts at a glacial pace. Ukraine can’t get going and Croatia just pass it sideways. “Southgateball”. Mike finds Croatia’s approach so tactically boring he excuses himself 20 minutes in to get a coffee. Puljic of Bayern finally plays a ball forwards, back to front, and it leads directly to a penalty. Baric takes it and takes it really well. 1-0 Croatia. We go into halftime at 1-1 though after a stupid mistake leads to a corner. Union Berlin’s Dymtro Bogdanov heading it in. The big centre forward is a handful.
At half time the Croatian back up keeper makes me laugh. He’s doing shooting practice. He’s out here celebrating goals, doing sliding tackles, and signing autographs. Some people just cannot take football seriously and I’m here for it. At the start of the second half, Boganov goes off on a great run down the right. He can’t finish but the ball comes loose to Nikita Kaliuzhnyi who slots home. He’d already caught the eye with intelligent and aggressive football down the left side. Ukraine’s best player until the break. 2-1 Ukraine.
After being bossed around by a technically solid Croatia in the first half, Ukraine are now in the ascendancy. They end up capturing the imagination at both ends of the pitch. Bogdanov exceptional leading the line, Nazar Domchak impressively vocal in goal. He never looks like being beaten. Pavlo Lyusin ends up scoring a belter for Ukraine to run out winners. The midfielder unleashing an absolute rocket. 3-1 Ukraine. Croatia look outrun, outfought and just outclassed by the finish. Ukraine’s determination making them genuine contenders for the entire tournament. They celebrate with their fans as we head home. Throughily entertained by the team from the former Soviet republic.
FULL TIME: Croatia 1 Ukraine 3
ATMOSPHERE:
While it was generally quiet in the stands, the Ukraine support behind the goal was a joy to behold. Fair play lads. ***
COST:
Same as elsewhere. Bonus seat. ****
QUALITY:
After a horrendous opening 20 minutes, the game just sprang into life. Some tremendous football from Ukraine. ***½
EASE OF ACCESS:
No parking, unless you park on a busy main road, and a long walk from town. Not ideal. **½
MISC:
Bangor was the only ground that felt flat. One big stand and lots of standing space. Not much in the way of facilities. I’m not entirely sure why they were hosting. Although, stay put, as Denbigh is worse. **
OVERALL: 15
Another decent ground. I preferred the Oval, but both were passable and good places to watch the game at this level.
June 30, 2026
Today no football is occuring so we drive over to Llandudno Junction, where Mike’s nan lives, with the intention of going for a bit of a stroll. From LJ, we’re going to walk around the Orme, through Llandudno and then back down to Junction. Whereupon we’re going to go and have dinner with Mike’s nan and then enjoy a few libations. Our walk takes us through Deganwy and up the coastal path, where we’re warned to be aware of potential golf ball strikes.
Thankfully today’s golfers don’t stink, and no one whacks a ball in our direction. There’s another sign that reads BEWARE GOLFERS. Oh, I’m always wary of them. Shifty looking corporate types with ugly trousers.
The coastal path is intriguing. We later learn that Neville Southall used to live up here on Millionaire’s Row. Not sure if that was before or after the adult baby takeover. It’s certainly a stunning view, until a huge boulder comes down the mountain and crushes your walk in wardrobe.
The weather takes a turn, and we end up sheltering in the Rest & Be Thankful Cafe on the far side of the Great Orme. Wherein, we score this immaculate chocolate and orange cake. Which is probably the best thing I ate all week. It was the business. I immediately gave them a five star review on Google. Brilliant place. Highly recommended if you’re struggling around the Orme. You have this to look forward too brothers and sisters.
From there we get miles after miles of lusicious Welsh coastal scenery. It’s beautiful country.
Sadly, the weather turned inclement but there were sheep to keep us company (I mean, it IS Wales). These two clearly ignore the signposts, warning sheep about the dangers of falling rocks. You can’t tell from this picture, but it’s pissing it down and would only get worse. I deployed an umbrella on the way into Llandudno, and we take shelter in Tapps, a lovely boozer that sells top notch bevvies. The walk officially concluded as it rains even harder. 10 miles down. Had a delightful time. Train to LJ confirmed.
We went to pick up Mike’s nan and then it was off to the Queen’s Head, a local pub, for whatever this is. I can’t remember what I ordered but it was delicious. I’m trying to make a point of trying different things when eating out. A cracking boozer if you’re into posh food but don’t want to pay posh boy prices. From there we went on the piss around Conwy before heading back to Colwyn Bay in a taxi, on account of alcohol.
July 1, 2026
It’s back to Conwy in the morning for a walk around the castle. We’re going to Wrexham again tonight and have the day time free. Conwy Castle is another beauty. Part of Edward I’s extravagant castle building obsession. Conwy Castle was made from the remains of another Welsh Castle built on the hills opposite. Edward and his boys knocked Conwy Castle, and the city walls up in just four years. Makes them lads in Barcelona still pissing about with La Sagrada Familia look like a right bunch of slackers.
After walking around Conwy we popped into Dylan’s for some lunch.
This bastard was a Cuban style calzone. Just a staggering amount of scran for lunch time.
Conwy Castle isn’t quite as bang tidy as Caernarfon Castle, but it’s still very impressive.
We swap shirts. I’m sporting a Wales shirt, Mike a Germany one. The big old heel. Then it’s off to Wrexham with enough time to have a look around. Wrexham has a huge pedestrianised high street with not much to write home about. Lots of crackheads drinking tinnies on the benches in the late afternoon. I didn’t see Ryan Reynolds. I did see Paul Mullin though.
We ended up in a back street bar to watch England vs Dr Congo. It’s not a good performance by England, but they scrape through in the World Cup. When England score we both refuse to react. Make the locals think you support Wales. I had a Wales shirt on to be fair.
Off to Stok Cae Ras then. Time for a quick selfie outside. This time there’s less of a queue so Mike can finally get his beef in. The steak and ale pie here was banging. Possibly the best pie I’ve had at a game. Before this it was the balti pie at Villa Park. Although, I must admit, I very rarely buy pies.
WALES vs. GERMANY (Euro U19 Championship)
Wales make a much better start here. They’re more aggressive and their passing is more progressive. It’s far superior to the timid performance against Spain. After half an hour here they’re only 2-0 down compared to 4-0 against Spain. After 20’ Wales are undone by good work from Montrell Culbreath down the flank. Elversburg’s Frances Onyeka turns in the box and slots home. 1-0 Germany. They’ve been marginally better.
It’s 2-0 after 29’ though. Moritz Reimers and his impressive calves make a run down the left and Culbreath ghosts in at the far stick. Wales loss of concentration at a key moment is unfortunate and they’ll go in two down. The sprinklers pop on at half time, drenching everyone in the first three rows. “Welcome to the splashzone”.
Boris Mamuzah Lum has caught the eye. He’s a busy central midfielder who plays box to box and covers a lot of ground. I’m got him as “Kante clone” in my notes. As if a country like Germany would resort to something so devious as that. He threads a through ball to Hamburg forward Otto Stange who makes it 3-0. Stange just passing the ball into the corner. Simplicity itself.
The locals have given up on winning and have taken to singling out Pinto Pedrosa, the right back. “Number two, you’re shit!” Onkeya misses a penalty that could have made the score look much worse but Germany, unrelenting force that they are, score another in stoppage time when Jykese Fields heads in a cross. 4-0. Oof. Wales have shipped eleven goals in two games at the Racecourse.
FULL TIME: Wales 0 Germany 4
No scores on the doors, as we’ve been here befores, but a good game with Wales giving a better account of themselves. Sort of.
July 2, 2026
Mike has certain family responsibilities this morning, so I’m left to my own devices. I get in touch with a friend who lives nearby, Jim Smallman, and we go for a walk up the coast.
Where we spot this sculture of Terry Jones, which Mike’s nan had been talking about. It’s great to see Jim, who I’ve not seen in years, and we spend two hours walking around and shooting the shit. Lots of funny stories. It’s always great to catch up with someone you’ve not seen in ages.
With Mike having completed his morning of admin, we meet back at the gaff late in the afternoon. We’ve not really had many beers so far, so the decision is made to stroll up to Rhos-on-Sea and visit the Tapps there for a couple of early liveners. That’s where the pub crawl peaks! We walk along the coast to the Rhos Fynach Tavern, which has slim pickings. Disappointed, we head back along the coast line towards Colwyn and struggle to find a boozer that’s up to the challenge of having decent beer. We end up walking all the way along the beach and entering the Toad, where Mike resorts to a gin and tonic.
We start to debate food, and I utter the now dreaded words “I fancy a curry”. We proceed into Colwyn Bay and enter Venue @ The Clockhouse. I’ve had hundreds upon hundreds of curries over the years. And 20-30 years ago, the standard was wildly inconsistent. This feels like a trip back in time to when you could get a bad curry in this country. You cannot get a bad curry in the area I live in. The restaurant simply wouldn’t last. This place has a 4.0 on Google but boy, howdy, does it ever suck. Maybe they were having an off night, but the quality of the food was very poor.
The highlight was when this thing arrived after we ordered “chicken pakoras”. Lads. That’s not a pakora. The disconcerting thing was hearing a microwave PING in the back. We couldn’t smell food, which was weird, and the place was dead. When the waiter brought out the main meal Mike, with a hint of terror in his voice, said “Cor, look at that”. Absolutely staggered they can get away with this and charge money for it.
One of those rare occasions where we left and stood around down the road talking about it. Mainly because the waiter kept hovering around us so we couldn’t talk about it inside. Then, as soon as we paid, he completely disappeared. This was an experience. Anyway, we popped into Black Cloak, which is a brewery tap type place, and had a few beers to recover. As we headed down to the gaff afterwards a drunk bloke decides to tell us the shop over the road is “dead good” and insists we go in. “Are you lads Indian?” I know we’ve got a bit of a tan from walking around outside but come on. “Irish?” What an evening this has been. Capped off by there being nothing on TV back at the gaff, so we drink beers and watch “The Best of Ronnie Barker Part 2” on DVD. Living the dream.
July 3, 2026
The plan for today is to drive around a bit and attend a local friendly in Colwyn on the night.
First up is Betws-y-coed (Betsy Co-ed). A charming but tourist heavy bridge over a river with train station attached. When we’re there, some mad bastard kids are diving off the rocks into the river. Some of them even jump off the bridge. Fair play.
The train station is so pretty; I initially thought it was an abandoned line they’d turned into gardens. This is an actual train station. It’s beautiful. Next up is the food and we have to do better than yesterday and we do. Coffee and cake! It’s the future. I’m going to become a coffee and cake guy. No more pre-match pints. It’s pre-match cake. This fella is a cherry croissant, and it had actual cherries in it. Cor. After feeding one that flies under the table Mike informs me that sparrows are “good lads”. Just a nice bunch of lads.
After food we walk down the river. There’s something very peaceful about this sort of thing. Slow moving clear water. Old trees. Little rock walls. Everyone needs a little nature in their life. It’s good for your soul.
Up next is Swallow Falls waterfall. You have to pay but it’s £2. This is a £2 waterfall. It’s worth it. After spending a long time just gazing at water running over rocks, we pop into the Swallow Falls Inn for a cheeky pint and wouldn’t you know it, it’s the best pub I’ve been to so far. Things are looking up.
We then drive over to Llanberis, which is where you can catch a train up Snowdon, if you’re so inclined. I’ve climbed it before and it’s a challenge. Especially if your knees are as bad as mine.
Wales’ tourist board use the term “God’s country” to describe Wales. I mean…look at it?
We head up the mountain a little way and find another secluded waterfall. There’s no one about at the top. Everyone seems to congregate at the bottom where the view sucks. Well worth the effort.
Unfortunately, Mike steps in the bog and has to wash his foot off in the river. I refer to him as “Bog foot Mike” and “Wade” for a while until he changes his socks. A car nearly runs his socks over. Only in Wales. Our jaunt across Snowdonia complete we head back to Colwyn Bay and park up. Tonight’s game is a pre-season friendly pitting top flight Colwyn Bay against Denbigh Town from the second division.
COLWYN BAY vs. DENBIGH TOWN (Friendly)
We’re at the home of the Seagulls. It’s both the nickname of Colwyn Bay and factually accurate as there are bloody seagulls everywhere. Mike announces he’d love to be a seagull. Just hanging around the coast with the lads. Eating chips. Colwyn is a tidy ground. Stands on three sides and an area behind the one goal (above), which has drinks, clubhouse and food. It’s a solid set up. I would take this. There’s also a club shop selling their shirts, which are cracking. There’s a new black and gold away kit, which is £65, but there are loads of them around the ground. Clearly Colwyn has strong support.
We take a walk around and the stands are all in decent condition. I’d be loving life if my local ground was this good. We watch the players warm up, and I swear Denbigh’s #7 is under five feet tall. He’s 5’3” max. The bloke on the tannoy forgets to switch it off and you can hear him coughing. Luckily, he remembers to switch it off before it captures him describing the players as “bloody useless”.
Denbigh seem eager to cause an upset here and start the better of two teams. After five minutes Denbigh’s big centre forward picks up the scraps after Colwyn Bay’s centre back (CBCB for short) gets sent to the shops. Alfie Vaughan the scorer. He’s got 16 in 13 games for Denbigh.
The game should take a dramatic turn after 15 minutes when the Denbigh keeper handballs outside the box, on a goalscoring opportunity and gets sent off. The managers have a chat with the referee though and, because it’s pre-season, he’s allowed back on. Everyone involved wants 11 vs 11. Woke nonsense. Participation awards! Don’t give Donald Trump ideas.
Colwyn Bay are the better team for big chunks of the first half. Constantly breaking through Denbigh only for everyone to take ages over their shots. It’s like watching that Arsene Wenger Arsenal team that would rather pass than score. They want to walk the ball into the net. Denbigh on the other hand do finish their dinner. The half pint #7, who’s name is Brown, is put through. He hits it straight at the keeper and it goes straight through the stopper. 2-0 Denbigh at HT.
It’s rather warm this evening and when Mike asks me if I fancy a drink, I just don’t want a beer. We end up having a couple of lemonades. Ah, I fucking love an R Whites me. The plan for the England game is to get a 2L R Whites and a cake. We had a banging cake in the house this week from Coolmore, a Cork bakery. It was black forest with like a fondant icing. Banging.
For the second half the referee is now the linesman. I asked him if he fancied a change of scenery. “Too right. Me ear drums were bursting”. Two funny referees in the same week, what are the odds? There are ferral kids everywhere at this game, and there’s a function room full of them in a box behind us. They spend most of the second half doing the “GIMME A C” bit. “Colwyn Bay, Colwyn Bay, Colwyn Baaaaaay”. On the pitch the big change is the second best Irish arrival of the week, after the cake, in the form of the Kargbo brothers. They both look very talented and also identical twins. Their industrious work leads to the big Colwyn #9 Adam Davies slotting home his first for the club. 2-1 Denbigh and that’s how it finished.
FULL TIME: Colwyn Bay 1 Denbigh 2
Llanelian Road – Colwyn Bay: scores
ATMOSPHERE:
Gimme a C! **½
COST:
Six quid. For pre-season that’s very good. I’ll take it. ****
QUALITY:
Could have been better. Pre-season vibes from two teams of triallists and newcomers. **
EASE OF ACCESS:
We took a stroll to this one, and it was a bit of a hike into Old Colwyn. Parking wasn’t great but there was a small car park behind the ground. I’m assuming you have to book **½
MISC:
Nothing exceptional but the ground was bang tidy for the level. I would totally watch football regularly here. If I lived in Colwyn Bay, I’d be very happy with this ground. That won’t be reflected in the scores for various reasons. ***
OVERALL: 14
This is one of those grounds that my scoring system kinda fails on. It was very good, for the level, and I’d happily come here again. It has good facilities and line of sight is great from everywhere. Great little ground.
July 4, 2026
We’re off to Denbigh today for the final ground being used for the U19s Euros. This one looks like crap on various football ground gimmicks, but they have spent a million quid on improvements here. They being UEFA. It’s often forgotten that UEFA do go around improving grounds for smaller tournaments and leaving a lasting impact on football in the area when they do. UEFA can occasionally come off as good guys. Unlike FIFA.
“Dr Kilby, I presume?” It’s often remembered that Dr Livingstone was on the receiving end of that famous line, but the bloke Mike is shaking hands with is the explorer HM Stanley. He was born in Denbigh in 1841, hence the statue, but he doesn’t have the squeakiest of clean reputations. All I really need to say is King Leopold II of Belgium and the Congo and that’s where we shall leave it. He did oppose slavery though, so let’s not go tearing the statue down just yet.
We head up to Denbigh Castle, which isn’t in great shape. Basically, the castle was abandoned, and the townsfolk pillaged it for stone and building materials.
What remains is fantastically creepy in places.
It looks like the backdrop for a horror movie. And nearby is Denbigh Asylum. Which is now abandoned but holy shit, does it ever look like a horror movie location.
I couldn’t get a decent shot of it because it’s so far away but this is it. Totally abandoned.
After our little castle tour, we head into Denbigh for lunch. We’ve ticked off a few castles. Blame Edward I for building them all over the bloody place.
Shout out to the boozer in Denbigh we had lunch, well breakfast, in. The Guildhall Tavern. A cracking watering hole. Very good beer, great vibes, good food and loads of dark wood furnishings. A proper boozer. My favourite pub of the entire trip. After departing the pub, which I didn’t want to leave, we walk over to the ground for our penultimate game of the week. Are we there already? Blimey.
SPAIN vs GERMANY (Euro U19 Championship)
Denbigh is sadly the worst of the grounds by some considerable distance. The only real bonus is the view. Rolling hills in the background are quite charming, although you tend to get them at every ground around here.
Facilities wise, it’s very confusing they picked this ahead of Colwyn Bay. It’s really cramped and this game was the record attendance for the ground at 1725. It was packed. An odd choice. We meet up with Callum Sawyers, who’s from Sunderland and joined us for a game at the Women’s Euros last year. His mate Sam Slater is also on hand, so we have some new people to talk football with. The conversation ends up being more interesting than the actual game.
Germany are more of a threat to Spain than Spain’s other oppononents but they simply can’t get the ball off the talented Spanish midfielders. When Esteban passes the ball into the corner for 1-0 on 20’, the game already feels finished. Esteban adds a second on half an hour after our boy Quim Casanova has dribbled through half the Germany side. 2-0 at HT. Germany feel beaten at the turn. A loser mentality which has crept into German football suddenly over the past decade but doesn’t seem like it’s leaving anytime soon.
Ten minutes into the second half the game is totally over after Ousmane Diallo, a fabulous dreadlocked winger, curls one into top bins from the left wing. 3-0, 54’, game over. Sam points out “it’s nice to see Germany struggle” and it really is.
This is the Spain lads celebrating the second goal. It happened right in front of us by the corner flag. Clearly an exceptional bunch of kids in this Spain generation. If they can go on to play this way together through the years the rest of Europe is fucked. Morante, scorer multiple times against Wales, comes off the bench to make it 4-0. Germany humiliated in the North Wales sunshine.
FULL TIME: Spain 4 Germany 0
Let’s give Denbigh some scores then!
ATMOSPHERE:
Quiet. Solid appreciation for what Spain were doing but not the pockets of noise we got from some of the other nations. *
COST:
£12 standing. No sneaking into the stands today; they were packed out. ****
QUALITY:
Spain have been different class this week. An outstanding collection of talents. They were really good here. ***½
EASE OF ACCESS:
A short walk from the centre. It took us about ten minutes. Absolutely roasting pitch side with no cover at all though made the walk back feel much, much longer uphill. ***
MISC:
I can see where the money went. The clubhouse area is much improved, and they’ve got snazzy new dugouts and a TV gantry, but there’s hardly any space around the outside. One stand. For the tournament, it’s easily the worst ground. I would watch a non-league game here though, and Denbigh in general was alright. **
OVERALL: 13.5
No surprises this came last of the grounds used for the tournament. It was clearly the worst one. It was very welcoming though. The people associated with the club seemed thrilled at the number of people the game attracted. Considering this was the worst ground, it was still ok. So, we’ll call the entire thing a win for North Wales.
After the match we said our goodbyes to Callum and Sam but realised we’d see them again the next day. Back to Colwyn Bay. We’re both sunburned after standing around all afternoon with no cover. As I sit writing this, my neck is still somewhat red. We go to the Bay Hop to cool off and wouldn’t you know it, the only time we manage to get there and it’s great. If I’d known that I’d have been in there all bloody week. Best place to drink in Colwyn Bay.
July 5, 2026
It’s our last day in North Wales. I’m a little sad to be leaving. The week has flown by, and we’ve had a cracking time just walking around, having beers, watching football. You live your 9-5 life and it’s fine, but this is living. For our last day there are no parking restrictions, so we actually get a lie in. Buzzing! Sunburn has made me very sleepy. In my notes it says, “woke up at 10am. Cor”. Today we’re going for a drive around Anglesey. We try and go to Beaumaris to do the castle there but it’s a warm Sunday and it’s heaving with tourists.
So instead, we drive across Anglesey to the South Stack Lighthouse. Mike describes the journey as being easy. “Piece of cake. Piece of piss…cake”. Ugh, I don’t fancy a slice of that. I shall now insert some pictures from the lighthouse. It’s a corker.
On the rocks there are gannets, seagulls, and other seabirds. The noise here was of constant bird chuntering. It’s hard to see on the photo. You have to just go there. Soz. As we’re stood looking out across the sea I point out to Mike that we became friends in a warehouse in Germany and now we’re here. It’s funny how life is. You never know when you’re going to run into someone you’ll be mates with like this.
Football has taken me to places I would never have gone, and that includes spending my Sunday morning staring out at South Stack Lighthouse on a sunny day in North Wales. I love it. It beats lying on a beach somewhere in Spain, surrounded by wankers.
Back to Caernarfon then and I can finally spell the place. It’s only taken two visits and repeated failures. We pop into J&C Chippy and get fuelled up. You can’t go to the seaside and not eat chips while you’re walking around. No seagulls attacked us. A win for the lads. We also indulge in a lemonade. Ben’s Cloudy. If you think this diversion away from beer is a surprise, it gets worse! On scoring the chips, we spot Callum and Sam and yell at them. “That one looks like he’s from Sunderland” finally gets Callum to turn around, confused.
On arriving at the ground, the lady at the turnstyles remembers us from last time. “Oh, you’re back”. Fantastic.
Having spotted a smoothie van in the corner the last time I was here, I couldn’t help myself. A grab a Meri Beri smoothie and it’s bloody lovely. It’s five quid, which is a bit steep but marvellous stuff. Shout out to Swig. It’s so damn tasty the other lads grab some at half time. We’re here for football though, so let’s get on with the final game.
CROATIA vs. SERBIA (Euro U19 Championship)
It doesn’t get much bigger than these two Balkan powerhouses, and former Yugoslavia member states going head-to-head. Serbia are fucked. Croatia needs to win, Italy to lose and there be a four-goal swing to get out of the group and qualify for both the semi-finals and the U20 World Cup. Big stakes!
We end up surrounded by Croatia fans and it’s the best atmosphere we’ve had at any game. Fair play to those lads for supporting their country. You can tell Balkans are involved here as I saw multiple people smoking and yet who gets chastised by a steward? ME. For wearing a hoodie. I’m only wearing it because I’ve got sunburn on my neck mate. I didn’t aim to breach UEFA protocols. The decision from a jobsworth draws chuckles and supportive comments from the locals. Bizarre stuff.
Callum regales us with his plans for future tournaments and Sunderland European away days. “I might drive to Azerbaijan”. He’s planning on going to Brazil and Uzbekistan. A genuine madman. He’s fully caught the groundhopping bug. It’s got him good. On the field Croatia take a deserved lead with #11, Lovro Chelfi, (pictured above) curling a left foot effort into top bins. Chelfi hardly got a look against Ukraine but he’s the star of the show today. 1-0 Croatia. Chelfi is on the books at Barcelona, and it shows.
Croatia add a second on the counter, missing an easy finish only for the keeper to spill it. Dino Godec taps in for 2-0. Meanwhile, Ukraine are beating Italy 1-0. Croatia only need one more goal to get into the semis. We’re in for a rollercoaster finish! Serbia’s number 4, Ahmed Hadzimujovic, at fault for the second goal, has completely lost the plot and starts punching the ground. Serbia’s number two, Strahinja Stojkovic, gives away a late penalty. The tension is palpable.
Score and Croatia are through! Werder Bremen’s Patrice Covic tucks the pen away causing wild celebrations on the field and by us in the stands.
The game finishes 3-0 and they gather around Flashscore on the gaffers phone to see if Italy lose. THEY DO! Huge celebrations. Singing. Dancing. Chanting. Beautiful. The perfect end to our footballing odyssey. The redemption of Croatia after their failure against Ukraine. A nation overjoyed. And yet again Italy fail. A fantastic story all around.
July 6, 2026
After watching England beat Mexico, in a rare “no phones allowed” situation we hit the road. It’s been a great week. I feel refreshed. Life is what you make of it. Sometimes that means earning money for your family so they can lead a better life. Sometimes it means taking some time to enjoy the world. Breathe in the mountain air. Feel the waves lap at your feet.
Goodbye from North Wales. May all your travels bring you smiles and fill your heart with joy.
AF
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