Wales Veterans impress on and off the pitch!

The Wales Veterans' Football Association were proud to host an ‘international’ match between a Wales o55s squad and, good friends, Bangladesh Veterans, and in an entertaining encounter, which also included a charitable donation, Wales secured a deserved win...writes DiscoBot...

The hosts started the game on the front foot at a stifling Jenner Park and quickly took control. A great ball through to (Neil) Williams saw him calmly chip the goalkeeper to open the scoring. Just five minutes later, Williams was put through again and produced almost an identical finish to make it 2–0. Bangladesh responded with a quick attack through to their centre-forward, who left the Wales defence in his wake before slotting the ball home past keeper, Bryant, to make it 2–1. Wales immediately responded and a fine cross from Thompson found Francis, who calmly side-footed home from 10 yards. On the half-hour Thompson was denied by a super save by the Bangladeshi keeper, but he was not to be denied and minutes later, squeezed a shot past the goalkeeper to make it 4–1. Some sloppy defensive work allowed Bangladesh to win a penalty, which they duly converted to make it 4–2 at half-time.

Wales made three changes at the break but continued to dominate. A great cross from (Christian) Jones was only half-cleared, and Nippers reacted quickest, smashing a volley into the net to make it 5–2. The hosts continued to pile on the pressure and another excellent cross, this time from (Huw) Davies, was met by Francis, who volleyed into the bottom corner to make it 6–2. With the game nearing its conclusion, Williams produced the moment of the match, beating three defenders and rounding the goalkeeper to complete his hat-trick and make the final score 7–2. A superb hat-trick and an outstanding all-round performance from Williams earned him a thoroughly deserved Man of the Match award.

The performance was particularly pleasing for Wales manager, John Jones, who was delighted with the way his side controlled the game in extremely hot conditions and played with confidence and purpose, saying “This was a very impressive performance from my squad who played some excellent football, moved the ball really well and created plenty of chances throughout the game.”

The after-match celebrations featured the handing over of a cheque for £2474 to Prostate Cymru, thanks to the generosity of both the Wales Veterans' Football Association and Bangladesh Veterans.