PICTURE BY JWO Photography shows Reynolds (red) in action v Holyhead Town.
CEMAES BAY’S Matt Reynolds is already enjoying his finest goalscoring season ever during the 21/22 campaign.
And, as he told AFE in an interview, there is more than one good reason for that rise in numbers.
One of those is that the 32-year-old, who has been a midfielder for most of his playing career, is now playing in a more attacking role for the Bay.
And manager Darren Thomas’ faith in Reynolds has certainly paid off as he has already smashed in an incredible 28 goals in 18 matches this season.
His most recent goal-haul came via the 5 goals he scored in the 11-0 drubbing of bottom-of-the-league Bethesda Rovers last Friday evening.
He also scored 2 goals at the start of the season for North Wales Coast West Premier club Aberffraw before departing for School Lane back in August 2021.
That sort of form has helped keep Cemaes up the top of the tier 5 table challenging for the title, as well as helped them advance to the quarter finals of the NWCFA Junior Cup where they will take on Bodorgan on February 12.
And Reynolds is certainly no stranger to winning league titles either. He was part of the Bryngwran Bulls side which won the Anglesey League under Richard Owen in 2018/19.
Speaking about the season to date and making that decision to step down from tier 4 to tier 5, Reynolds said: “I felt It was time to really enjoy my football and to be further up the field. After a conversation with Darren (Thomas, Cemaes Bay manager), he made it clear I would get my chance to do just that. I can only thank him for taking a chance on me.
“The season has been great so far we’ve had a couple good runs.We have a small squad but the effort and work everyone puts in is amazing there’s a real work hard ethic! there’s no pressure on us to achieve anything. Our main objective is to enjoy our football and give it our all. if trophies come with that then that’s a bonus!
“This is by far my most productive season for goals. The main reason for it is the quality of players behind me some of the assists have been outstanding. Playing a different position has really brought enjoyment back to the game for me as well. We all work that bit harder if you enjoy it and this is a classic case of that.
“I’d like to thank all the people that work hard behind the scenes to make it possible to play every week.”
Asked about which one of his 28 goals he’s scored so far at Cemaes has been his favourite, Reynolds added: “I think for me so far this season was a last minute header against Bontnewydd (in a 2-1 home win). I’ve scored a few goals but that one gave the crowd and team a special moment.”
The Cemaes Bay squad is one which is absolutely filled with talent. From the brilliant captain Keenan Downey to the workhorse midfielder Luke McKittrick, there’s quality everywhere you look.
When asked about the player which has impressed him the most during his time so far at School Lane, Reynolds said: “There’s so many I could name. I think the one moment that left me shell-shocked was with Ryan Folksman away at Holyhead Town this season. He did something on that pitch that Dennis Bergkamp would have been proud of!”
As mentioned above, Cemaes Bay are now looking forward to their next match – the Junior Cup quarter final clash at Bodorgan on February 12.
But they are still also very much in the battle for the tier 5 title with what now looks like being a three-horse race between themselves, Bethesda Athletic and Llanerchymedd.
Reynolds though says it is another club he came up against which was the toughest he’s faced – Talysarn Celts – who are just 5pts behind third-placed Cemaes with two games in hand on them.
He said: “Talysarn away (which ended in a 2-2 draw) was a very, very tough place to go credit where it’s due.”
REYNOLDS’ GOALSCORING RECORD FOR CEMAES BAY:
- Abergele (Cup) – ⚽️
- Bethesda Rovers – ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Bodorgan – ⚽️⚽️
- Bontnewydd – ⚽️
- Holyhead Town – ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Llanerchymedd – ⚽️
- Llangoed – ⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Llanystumdwy – ⚽️⚽️
- Mountain Rangers – ⚽️⚽️⚽️
- Rhos United (Cup) – ⚽️⚽️
- Waunfawr – ⚽️
- Y Fali – ⚽️⚽️
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