PICTURE by Wynne Evans shows Nik Kontodios in action for former club Bryngwran Bulls.
AS EXPECTED, several clubs have been very busy getting the final missing pieces of their respective squads together with the season now just a WEEK AWAY.
Teams in both tier four and tier five have been busy finalising their signings. So as always, here is the weekly round-up of transfers brought to you by AFE as we keep on top of the ones we’ve missed so far!
TIER 4
Gwalchmai have been busy building themselves a very capable side over the past week or two, adding no less than nine new players to their ranks.
Liam Ewing and Carl Taylor have added James Hall, Guton Beano, Joe Caven, Leo Owen, Nathan Sinnott, Connor Owen, Callum Bulkley, Paul Jones and Harry Jones to their team as they look to build a strong side for tier four.
Connor Owen in particular is one to keep an eye on as he has seriously impressed in pre season. At just 16 years old, the attacker has scored two goals in two games and big things are expected of him.
Menai Tigers have welcomed back Sam Faulkner and Andy Wannop to their side.
Midfielder Faulkner (below in red), who has been out of the game for a few years now, began his senior career at the club and showed real signs of promise from a young age, making his debut in the men’s game when he was barely 16 years old.
He last played for Glantraeth in the Welsh Alliance, but previously represented Bangor City under 19’s and went on to make six substitute appearances for City’s first team when they were in Wales’ top-flight.
Faulkner is described as a tenacious midfielder, a firm tackler and a player who has a great passing range and technical abilities on the ball.
Wannop was also previously a Tigers player.
Known as ‘Wanners’, he notched 12 goals in two seasons with the club before departing for Gaerwen in 2018/19. He primarily played as a forward in his last spell with the club, but is comfortable playing in more defensive roles where needed also
Elsewhere in tier four, Glantraeth have added Nikolaos Kontodios and Tom Hadley to their squad this week.
Kontodios (below) is a dynamic midfielder who has really caught the eye during his time playing in the Anglesey League/Gwynedd League in particular for Valley, Bryngwran Bulls and most recently Caergybi.
One of the standout moments of his career came when he netted a double in Bryngwran Bulls’ 2-0 Elias Cup final win over Arriva Bangor in 2018/19. He was Man of the Match and unplayable that day.
He’s a player who loves the tackle and has a great shot on him as well.
Hadley (below) is a forward best known for his time with Holyhead Town, where he burst onto the scene in 2016/17. That season, he fired in 31 goals as the Harbourmen won the Anglesey League.
His career ever since has been somewhat stop-start due to work and family commitments but in 2019/20, he proved his quality once more as he scored 13 goals for Trearddur Bay Bulls who finished fourth in their very first season in the Gwynedd League.
There’s no doubt about it that he knows where the goal is and will surely provide a great attacking option for Glantraeth.
Also arriving at Glantraeth is the experienced Aled Steele, who switches over from tier five side Waunfawr.
The attacker (below) began his senior career with Caernarfon Borough, before moving on to Caeathro FC, Mountain Rangers (where he won the 08/09 Caernarfon and District League title) and later Borough once more in 2010/11, winning both the C&D League Cup and Moorings Cup.
Steele has also played for Bontnewydd in the past, where he was top scorer as the club finished Gwynedd League runners-up. He scored six goals for the club in 2019/20.
He’s a player who will add plenty of attacking quality to Sean Brett’s side.
TIER 5
CPD Cefni FC have been busy bolstering their ranks and have made some fantastic additions.
Today, it was announced that Matty Roberts has made the switch from Holyhead Town who he has recently been playing and scoring for in friendlies.
Back when I started covering local football on a more regular basis back in 2017, Roberts was tearing it up for a successful Bryngwran Bulls team. Playing under Richard Owen that year the skilful winger was unstoppable, racking up 15 goals as the club secured a cup double (Lucas Oil and Dargie Cups) to add to its ever-growing trophy cabinet.
One of those came in a cup final match when he bagged a goal in the 3-0 victory over Mynydd Tigers to secure the Lucas Oil Cup for the Bulls.
Roberts (above) then went a step further in 2018/19 however, scoring 18 goals as the Bulls stampeded their way to finally winning the Anglesey League title and promotion to the Gwynedd League in the process. Roberts also played in the 2-0 Elias Cup final win over Arriva Bangor at Nantporth that season.
In the club’s first season in the GL, Roberts was a bit-part player due to work commitments but still managed four goals during a season cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He’s a very quick and direct player who should cause plenty of problems for tier five defenders this season.
Further experience has been added to Cefni’s squad in the form of Dan Richards and Arwyn Williams.
Defender Richards was last with Bethesda Athletic in the Gwynedd League and has also turned out for the likes of Rhiwlas, Mynydd Llandegai and Ogwen Tigers previously. He’s a solid and reliable player.
Williams, known as ‘Awi’ (below) has been with Bryngwran/Trearddur Bay Bulls for more than a decade and has won countless silverware with the club. He’s a versatile player who can slot into a number of different positions, although predominantly a defender.
Cefni have also announced the signing of Jamie Mathew Jones, who will be another great versatile option to the side who has impressed in training.
As announced earlier this week, CPD Y Fali FC are now on the up once more and have announced a few signings as a result.
Former Holyhead Town, Caergybi, Llandegfan and Trearddur Bay Bulls coach Si Thomas, son of Derek Thomas, comes in as assistant manager and midfielder Mark Hamblin, who was also previously with the likes of Bryngwran Bulls, has also returned to Cae Mwd.
‘Hambo’ as he’s known, is a brilliant player on the ball who can really make things tick in the middle of the park and should prove to be a great asset to Dan Jones’ side.
Also signing on is versatile player Sammie Williams, who has been signed as a goalkeeper but can also play up top. He was last with Llandegfan, but was previously with Arriva Bangor too.
Elsewhere in tier five, Caergybi have signed Sion Thomas, who will join brother Marc at Millbank for the 21/22 campaign.
An energetic full-back who can also play in midfield, Sion is yet another fantastic addition to Dale Moffat’s side who should be challenging for everything this season.
Goalkeeper Danial Williams has also arrived at Millbank to provide some stern competition for Cybi’s long-term number one Kieran Weeks.
And in transfer news from the women’s game …
One of the greatest in the game – Lexi Crawley – has transferred over to Bangor 1876 Ladies.
Over the years, the attackers has built up a reputation as one of the best goal scorers around in North Wales women’s football.
In 2019/20, Crawley was Amlwch Town Ladies star player in Division Two – finding the back of the net 16 times in the league and 20 times in all competitions as the club won the league title.
That’s some signing from 1876 Ladies!
Stay tuned for more signing news next week as we bring you one last weekly round-up before the season kicks off!
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