WHAT an incredible turnaround in fortunes it’s been for Bethesda Rovers during the month of August.
In their first season as a club in 21/22, they finished bottom of the North Wales Coast West Division One table having won two and drawn two of their 30 league matches.
But credit to them, they powered through the summer period and kept the key players of the squad together too.
As well as that, they’ve made some crucial signings both on the pitch and off it.
Tristan Walker has added some top talents to his side in recent weeks.
One of the most important is undoubtedly Kieron Bullock, who despite being just 21 years old, already has plenty of experience in local football.
Now captain of Rovers, the centre back won the Anglesey League with Mynydd Tigers back when I started covering local football in 2017/18. That season, a then-16-year-old Kieron played mostly at wing back and was one of the league’s top scorers with 18 goals to his name.
Now, he’s playing in the heart of the Rovers defence and has added some clear solidity to the back line as the club has conceded just 6 goals in its first 5 games (it was 39 in their opening 5 league games last season!).
Another top addition to the side is midfielder Lewis Dixon.
A versatile player who is fantastic on the ball, the 18-year-old played 20 matches for Bethesda Athletic as they earned promotion from Division One last season.
Definitely one to keep an eye on this season at Rovers for me.
My next pick for the top players brought into the club by Rovers is none other than Adrian Roberts.
He’s another versatile player who will most certainly score goals for the club just as he proved on his debut, netting in the 2-2 draw with Llangoed on Saturday.
Last season saw Roberts score five goals for Bethesda Athletic. He’s a quick and direct player who will no doubt cause problems in tier five.
Off the field, Rovers have kept the hard-working Tristan Walker at the helm and have promoted Robart Beattie, who played for them last season, to a player-coach role.
They have also brought in Mike Williams as assistant manager.
When I started covering local football in 17/18, Mike was centre back and captain at Anglesey League winners Mynydd Tigers.
A brilliant no-nonsense defender, he spent last season coaching at Llangefni Town Reserves and he’s another who brings plenty of experience to the team.
But even aside from the new acquisitions to the club, Rovers have some fantastic players within their side from the previous year.
Full-back Idwal Morris, 17, is a joy to watch out wide and likewise midfielder Osian Price, 22, offers plenty of creativity going forward.
21/22 top scorer Reece Williams may have returned to former club Arriva Bangor but the likes of powerful forward Tom Davies can still pose a threat up top.
Perhaps the one to really keep an eye out for in the goalscoring department this season though is Iestyn Marlow.
The 17-year-old forward already has five goals in just four appearances this season, smashing the record of two in 17 he had scored in his first season of senior football last season.
And Rovers themselves already have more league wins this season (3) than they did in the whole of 21/22.
They have so far beaten Bontnewydd (3-0), Gaerwen (3-1) and Mountain Rangers (3-2) and drawn against Llanfairpwll (1-1) and Llangoed (2-2).
That has left them fifth in the Division One table after five matches and sees them move into September on an unbeaten run.
A brilliant story of how hard work can pay off. Where will Rovers end up this season?
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