England & N Ireland share o60s Tri-Nations trophy

Wales Veterans' Football took an o60s squad to the 2023 o60s Tri-Nations tournament but came home from England empty handed, despite being the side that played the most flowing football, with lapses in concentration yet again Wales' Achilles heel....writes manager, Jon Parkinson....

Having bossed the first half against England, Wales came up short in front of goal despite two gilt-edged chances and the score remained all square at 0-0 going into the break. The start of the second half was probably the worst ten minutes of the whole weekend for Wales, with England scoring twice. The first was a great strike from the edge of the box but it could and should have been prevented, midfield hesitancy allowed the England midfield player time and space to easily get into a position to shoot. Frustration for the Wales manager was there for all to see, causing the referee to have a friendly word! Unfortunately a second goal immediately followed after some defensive confusion which allowed England’s strikers too much time in the box. To their credit the whole Wales squad rallied and created another great chance. A combination of good goalkeeping and bad luck saw the ball spin just wide. England withdrew and sat in, and despite great heart and endeavour Wales couldn’t find the breakthrough and the game finished 2-0.

A very short turnaround saw Wales take on Northern Ireland 16 hours later in a Saturday lunchtime kick off. Some slight changes in personnel were made to take that into consideration and Wales went straight out to get the victory they needed. Unfortunately the same scenario unfolded, Wales closed down well and put Northern Ireland on the back foot but couldn’t quite find that clinical touch in front of goal and the half time score remained 0-0.

Substitutions and a tweak in formation allowed Wales to come out on the front foot. Unfortunately a breakaway from Northern Ireland resulted in a scuffed shot foxing the Wales defence and the Irish striker nipped in before the keeper could react and scored an undeserved goal. Again Wales rallied and had a few half chances but couldn’t find that elusive goal. Northern Ireland managed to capitalise on a poor clearance and a shot somehow found its way, agonisingly, into the bottom corner.
That was unfortunately the story of the weekend for Wales. Both the England and Northern Ireland keepers were worked harder than Wales’ keeper and in patches Wales played the most attractive football of the weekend. The rub of the green most definitely deserted Wales but the effort, energy and fighting spirit was there for all to see.

Disappointingly Wales watched England and Northern Ireland play out a 0-0 on Sunday to share the trophy. It was certainly a case of what could have been. The games were all competitive and hard fought and played in the spirit that o60’s football has come to expect. Wales will regroup and go again for the next one in Northern Ireland next season. Lots of positives to take forward and Wales will certainly be in the mix to bring that elusive trophy back.

Well done to the following players who were selected by manager Parkinson...
Howard Sully - Newport
Kevin Brown - Barry Town
Brian Broom- Swansea Uni
Craig Jones - Merthyr
Cameron Medwin - Swansea Uni
Chris Cleaver - Merthyr
Steve Hill- Barry Town
Steve Thomas - Newport
Garry Vaughan - Newport
Barry Marshall- Barry Town
Alun Huish- Barry Town
Les Davies - Penybont
Rob Seago - Swansea Uni
Pepe Mele - Pontyclun
Jeff White - Pontyclun
Mike Bobbett- Barry Town
Brian Godwin - Swansea Uni