News Archive : 2002/2003
July '02

Plenty to report!

Ins and outs ....
Rhyl manager John Hulse has been busy recruiting players for next season,  and two of this weeks captures will need no introduction to Rhyl fans. They are old-boys Timmy Edwards and Gary Powell, both having starred in Rhyl's team of the mid-to-late 90's before joining from village outfit TNS. The third piece in the jigsaw is Danny McTaggart, a local lad with experience at Manchester Umnited and Manchester City, and a player who John Hulse believes can still make the grade in the Nationwide League.

The only player to have committed his future away from Belle Vue is utility man Andy Jones. He has chosen to join Unibond League Colwyn Bay.

Admission prices rise but 'Quid a kid' scheme stays
The board have reluctantly decided  to raise the cost of admission for games at Belle Vue next season . This has been necessary to cover the increased cost of staging matches, and brings the club into line with others in the league.

Gate Prices will £6 Adults, £4 OAP's and £1 Children

Season tickets a snip!
You can beat the price increases on the gate by snapping up a Season ticket now for only £80 (OAP'S £40)! This represents tremendous value for money, giving the holder entry to all 1st and 2nd XI home games except the Welsh Cup. Tickets will be available at the ground every morning, or at the forthcoming friendly matches.

The 200 Club - the lifeblood of Rhyl FC!
Want to win some cash and help Rhyl FC in the process? For a £5 per month direct debit, you can be entered into a monthly draw to win cash prizes and help keep the club alive.  Email for more details and an application form. Winners of the 200 Club cash draws will be announced on these pages at the end of each month.  

Annual General Meeting
Rhyl FC's AGM was very well attended at the Pavilion Theatre last Friday night. The board were pleased to announce a small surplus at the end of last season, and this despite rising playing costs and having spent thousands on developing the ground.

Chairman Dave Simmonds praised everyone who helped the club achieve it's highest ever placing in the LoW. However, he stressed that the job of re-establishing the club as a force in Welsh Football was only half-done, and that it would need  the continued effort of all to maintain the progress made over the past two years.

Manager John Hulse answered questions from the fans after the AGM. He had some interesting things to say about his hopes for the season, the style of play, and the attitude of the players against the lower teams.

While not wanting to see the long ball game every match, he said he was willing to cut his cloth according to the opposition, and won't sacrifice points for the sake of playing pretty football. He took issue with one comment that suggested that Rhyl fans would rather see pretty football than a winning side. "I'll be judged by my results at the end of the day" he commented, reminding those present that he has already taken Bangor and Conwy into Europe.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and as ever at this time of the season,  full of optimism and excitement as the new season dawns.  

With the Juniors ...
Rhyl will field three new junior teams next season. Two at under 16 level and one at under 17.
Rhyl FC Colts under 16s, managed by Steve Middleman and Geoff Bonning will play in the Clwyd Junior League while Rhyl FC under 16s , managed by Russ Williams and Rhyl FC Youth under 17s, managed by Rob Bucknall and Craig Smallwood will play in the Conwy and Aberconwy League.
Mark Thomas, who has been appointed overseer for the older junior section teams sees the three new sides as a vital rung on the ladder in place at Belle Vue.
"The teams will fill the gaps in our age group ladder," he said.
"There are some very talented lads in the teams and we hope to bring them through into senior football where they will be given the chance to make it into the first team."
Overseeing the youth section at the club is Bob Logan who also manages the under 21 side in the North Wales Floodlit League. His important role is to prepare the young players for senior football.

Fixtures 2002/2003

The new season's fixtures have been released, and will be on these pages in the next day or so. Rhyl open the campaign with a home game against Haverfordwest on the 24th of August, and travel to Cwmbran on Saturday, 31st August. The games against Bangor City will take place at Farrar Road on Boxing Day, and at Belle Vue on Easter Monday. 

Early start to the season!
Rhyl open the season with a home game against the Isle of Man XI tomorrow. Manager John Hulse is away in Tunisia on holiday, so deputy Lee Coathup will take charge. There will be a fair number of new faces on show, along with the majority of last season's squad. The game kick off is at the earlier than usual time of 2pm. The IoM XI are on a mini-tour of the mainland in preparation for their annual tournament, which features Wrexham,Darlington,Rochdale,Luton and Burnley, at the end of July.

Friendly Result: Rhyl 0 Isle of Man XI 1 1
Rhyl had a useful workout in the Belle Vue sunshine on Saturday, fielding twenty players in this opening friendly of the season. The IoM XI were a strong, physical team, and took advantage of some sloppy defending after only five minutes to take the lead. Chris Huggins doing the damage. Rhyl came back into the game, with Andy Moran being thwarted after running through on a 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper. Lee Congerton also saw an effort hit the bar, but the IoM always looked dangerous, and were awarded a penalty on one such attack which was superbly stopped by Billingsley. It was the performance rather than the result that counted, and Lee Coathup will have learnt a lot from this game.

RHYL: M Billingsley, C Webster (J Digwood), J Brewerton (G Wilson), Brookman (M Walsh), T Edwards (Richard Morrison), L Congerton (P Welburn), G Powell, P McDiarmuid (Alan Davies), A Moran (K Evans), C McGinn (J Maguire), M Cross (D McTaggart).

Saturday Match: Rhyl v Porthmadog
There will be more of the new signings on show tomorrow as players return from holiday to prepare for the new season. Chris Edge and Mark Powell are among those likely to feature in addition to those who played against the Isle of Man last week. Kick off for tomorrow's game is at 2:30pm. Kick o

FAW Premier Cup draw
Rhyl will face some lengthy journeys in this years competition. The group stage sees Rhyl pitted against Caersws, Cwmbran Town and Afan Lido. The other pool features Bangor City, Connah's Quay, Newport County and TNS-Llansantffraid. The top two from each group will qualify for the Quarter Final stage with a guaranteed home draw against either Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham or Barry Town.

LoW Xl Fixture List 2002/2003

Round-Up
Rhyl's pre-season preparations are in full swing, with the first team squad playing its second friendly of the week last night at Prestatyn. John Hulse made full use of his squad again, fielding most bar Andy Moran in a comprehensive 5-0 victory.

Saturday's match against a determined Porthmadog side saw Rhyl produce some nice flowing football despite not putting the ball in the net. McTaggart, Maguire and Futcher all went close, but it was left to the visitors Carl Owen to sneak the only goal of the match ten minutes before the end.

Rhyl face Llangefni at the Talwrn Road ground on Saturday. It will be the first time the senior team has played there, even though the Reserves were regular visitors until Llangefni's elevation into the Cymru Alliance a few years ago.

Rhyl's first XI last played Llangefni in the Coast Cup during the mid-90's, but as the ground had no floodlights the match was played at Cemaes Bay. On that occasion Llangefni progressed at Rhyl's expense. It was a real giant killing act at the time!

Gate prices will be £3 for adults, £2 concessions and free for children who are accompanied by someone over 18.

The new ground is on the outskirts of the town. Follow the one-way system in the town centre, then at the junction vear left up a hill. Turn left into Talwrn Road and you will find the ground on your left.

Defeat at Lon Talwrn!
Report: Llangefni 1 Rhyl O (Pre-season friendly)
Rhyl fell to another single goal defeat, despite dominating for large spells of this entertaining friendly match. With Andy Moran and Chris McGinn linking up for the first time, Rhyl had the home defence on the back foot for the opening half hour. Four golden opportunities where spurned when there was only the goalkeeper to beat, and Rhyl were made to pay when Llangefni opened the scoring with a peach of a goal from the left on 32 minutes. Manager Hulse shuffled the pack in the second half, also playing Colin Webster, last year's right back in a right wing role. Rhyl did hit the post late on, and forced a number of corners and free kicks around the box but were unable to claw a goal back.

Rhyl: Billingsley, M Powell, M Jackson, T Edwards, L Coathup, S Futcher, Wilson, Graves, Cross, McGinn, Moran. Subs: Brookman, Webster.