CARDIFF CITY STADIUMMONDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2016KICK OFF 19:45OFFICIAL PROGRAMME £3

FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER 2018

STADIWM DINAS CAERDYDDDYDD LLUN MEDI'R 5ed

CIC GYNTAF 19.45RHAGLEN SWYDDOGOL £3

ROWND RHAGBROFOL CWPAN Y BYD FIFA 2018

A warm welcome to you all back here to the Cardiff City Stadium

for our first World Cup qualifying match.

This is obviously the first time that we have all been together

since the memorable summer in France.

Although we cannot afford to dwell on the past I have to take

advantage of this opportunity and thank everyone for their

support during the UEFA European Championships. We could

all feel the warmth of the support and how genuine everyone

was with their good wishes. The scenes when we arrived back in

Cardiff were incredible. A sea of red and happy faces will stay

with me forever.

On and off the pitch, here in Wales or over in France I believe

that we were all excellent ambassadors for our country and the

summer of 2016.

However, all this week I have been telling the squad and the

management team that although we had great success in

France we must now concentrate on the future starting tonight

against Moldova.

The level of expectation is now greater and we will be seen in a

different light by the opposition. We know how important it is to

get off to a good and winning start in the campaign. There are

three home matches to come in the first four games and we need

to take advantage of that fact.

Moldova will come here tonight to make things difficult for

us. They are a hard team to beat as their results in the last

qualifying campaign have shown. There is no way we can or will

underestimate them.

I would like to thank two members of the coaching staff who left

after the EURO 2016. Martyn Margetson and Paul Trollope are

both extremely talented individuals and great people to work with

and I wish them well in the future.

Kit Symons has returned to the fold to replace Paul and we

welcome Tony Roberts as the new goalkeeping coach. We will

benefit greatly from their knowledge and experience.

Diolch,

Chris.

Croeso cynnes iawn i chi yn ôl yma i Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd ar

gyfer ein gêm gyntaf yn ymgyrch Cwpan y Byd.

Yn amlwg, dyma’r tro cyntaf i ni gyd fod gyda’n gilydd ers yr haf

bythgofiadwy yn Ffrainc.

Er na allwn fforddio edrych tua’r gorffennol o hyd, mae’n rhaid i mi

fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn a diolch i bawb am eu cefnogaeth yn ystod

Pencampwriaeth Ewrop UEFA. Roedd pob un ohonom yn gallu

teimlo’r gefnogaeth frwd a pha mor ddiffuant yr oedd pawb gyda’u

dymuniadau gorau. Roedd y golygfeydd wrth i ni gyrraedd yn ôl

yng Nghaerdydd yn anhygoel. Bydd môr o goch a wynebau hapus

yn aros gyda mi am byth.

Ar y cae, ac oddi arno, yma yng Nghymru neu draw yn Ffrainc,

mae pob un ohonom ni wedi bod yn llysgenhadon gwych i’n gwlad

a haf 2016.

Fodd bynnag, drwy gydol yr wythnos rydw i wedi bod yn dweud

wrth y garfan a’r tîm rheoli, er ein bod ni wedi mwynhau llwyddiant

mawr yn Ffrainc, mae’n rhaid i ni nawr ganolbwyntio ar y dyfodol,

gan ddechrau heno yn erbyn Moldofa.

Erbyn hyn, mae lefel y disgwyliadau yn fwy, a bydd ein

gwrthwynebwyr yn edrych arnom ni mewn golau gwahanol.

Rydym ni’n gwybod pa mor bwysig yw dechrau’r ymgyrch yn

gadarn a thrwy ennill. Mae tair gêm gartref yn y pedair gêm gyntaf

ac mae’n rhaid i ni fanteisio’n llawn ar hynny.

Bydd Moldofa yn dod yma heno i wneud pethau’n anodd i ni. Maen

nhw’n dîm anodd eu curo, fel mae eu canlyniadau yn yr ymgyrch

ddiwethaf yn dangos. Ni ddylem, ac ni fyddwn, yn eu tanbrisio.

Hoffwn ddiolch i ddau aelod o’r tîm hyfforddi a adawodd ar ôl Ewro

2016. Mae Martyn Margetson a Paul Trollope yn ddau unigolyn

hynod o alluog ac yn bobl arbennig i weithio â nhw, ac rwy’n

dymuno’n dda iddyn nhw yn y dyfodol.

Mae Kit Symons wedi dychwelyd i’r tîm i gymryd lle Paul ac rydym

ni’n croesawu Tony Roberts fel hyfforddwr newydd y gôl-geidwaid.

Byddwn yn elwa’n fawr oddi ar eu gwybodaeth a’u profiad.

Diolch,

Chris.

CHRIS COLEMAN

www.faw.cymru 3

MONDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2016WALES / CYMRU v MOLDOVA

GEORGIA v AUSTRIASERBIA v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

THURSDAY 6 OCTOBER 2016AUSTRIA v WALES / CYMRU

MOLDOVA v SERBIAREPUBLIC OF IRELAND v GEORGIA

SUNDAY 9 OCTOBER 2016WALES / CYMRU v GEORGIA

MOLDOVA v REPUBLIC OF IRELANDSERBIA v AUSTRIA

SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2016WALES / CYMRU v SERBIA

AUSTRIA v REPUBLIC OF IRELANDGEORGIA v MOLDOVA

FRIDAY 24 MARCH 2017REPUBLIC OF IRELAND v WALES / CYMRU

AUSTRIA v MOLDOVA GEORGIA v SERBIA

SUNDAY 11 JUNE 2017SERBIA v WALES / CYMRU

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND v AUSTRIA MOLDOVA v GEORGIA

SATURDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 2017WALES / CYMRU v AUSTRIA

SERBIA v MOLDOVAGEORGIA v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

TUESDAY 5 SEPTEMBER 2017MOLDOVA v WALES / CYMRU

AUSTRIA v GEORGIA REPUBLIC OF IRELAND v SERBIA

FRIDAY 6 OCTOBER 2017GEORGIA v WALES / CYMRU

AUSTRIA v SERBIA REPUBLIC OF IRELAND v MOLDOVA

MONDAY 9 OCTOBER 2017WALES / CYMRU v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

SERBIA v GEORGIA MOLDOVA v AUSTRIA

www.faw.cymru 5

Good evening everyone and I

bid you all a warm welcome to

Cardiff City Stadium. Our focus

now switches to the 2018 FIFA

World Cup Qualifying campaign

and that starts this evening

with our first game in group D

against Moldova. I welcome their

President, directors, players,

staff and supporters who have

made the trip to Wales.

Tonight we must put the

tremendous success of the

UEFA EURO 2016 behind us and

move on to our next challenge

of reaching the World Cup finals

in Russia in 2018. However, we

should never forget the events in

France that included a stunning

victory over Russia, a hard

fought win over Northern Ireland

and an absolutely fantastic

performance and result over the

star studded Belgium team.

The supporters were an

absolute credit to Wales and

were the 12th man the team

needed as run continued to

the semi-final. I know it cost

many of you a lot of time, effort

and expenditure to follow the

team on their run in France and

I thank you one and all for your

magnificent support in all

the games.

Our campaign starts again

this evening and we can look

forward to a long testing set of

fixtures to get to the finals. But I

am convinced that by everyone

pulling in the same direction with

our motto “Together Stronger”

we can again achieve another

milestone in the history of Welsh

football. Back the players to

the hilt and let’s see where this

adventure can carry us.

Enjoy the game and have a

safe journey home.

David Griffiths

Noswaith dda bawb a dyma estyn

croeso cynnes i Stadiwm Dinas

Caerdydd. Mae ein ffocws nawr

yn symud at ymgyrch Cwpan y

Byd FIFA 2018 sy’n dechrau heno

gyda’n gêm gyntaf yn grŵp D yn erbyn Moldofa. Hoffwn groesawu

eu Llywydd, yn ogystal â

chyfarwyddwyr, chwaraewyr, staff

a chefnogwyr sydd wedi teithio

draw i Gymru ar gyfer y gêm.

Heno, mae’n rhaid i ni roi

llwyddiant enfawr Ewro 2016

UEFA tu ôl i ni a symud ymlaen i’n

her nesaf o gyrraedd rowndiau

terfynol Cwpan y Byd Rwsia

2018. Fodd bynnag, ni ddylen

ni anghofio beth ddigwyddodd

yn Ffrainc, gan gynnwys y

fuddugoliaeth fythgofiadwy yn

erbyn Rwsia, gornest galed a

llwyddiannus yn erbyn Gogledd

Iwerddon a pherfformiad a

chanlyniad hollol anhygoel yn

erbyn sêr Gwlad Belg.

Roedd y cefnogwyr yn glod

i Gymru, y deuddegfed dyn

angenrheidiol wrth i’r tîm brysuro

tuag at y rownd gynderfynol.

Rwy’n gwybod ei fod wedi costio

llawer o amser, ymdrech ac arian

i lawer ohonoch chi wrth ddilyn y

tîm ar eu taith yn Ffrainc, ac rydw

i’n diolch i chi un ac oll ac eich

cefnogaeth wych ym mhob gêm.

Mae ein hymgyrch yn dechrau

eto heno ac fe allwn edrych

ymlaen at grŵp heriol o gemau i geisio cyrraedd y rowndiau

terfynol. Ond rwy’n siŵr , gyda phawb yn tynnu i’r un cyfeiriad

gyda’n moto “Gyda’n Gilydd yn

Gryfach” fe allwn ni gyrraedd

carreg filltir arall yn hanes pêl-

droed Cymru. Cefnogwch y tîm

i’r carn a chawn weld ble fydd yr

antur hon yn mynd â ni!

Mwynhewch y gêm a dyma

ddymuno siwrne ddiogel i chi.

David Griffiths

Good evening and welcome to

Cardiff City Stadium.

I’m sure that it goes without

saying that you all enjoyed the

summer?!

Chris and his squad of players

made us immensely proud in

France as Wales continued to

make history by reaching the

Semi-Finals of UEFA EURO 2016

with some splendid displays

of football.

I’d like to take this opportunity

to show my gratitude to Chris,

his backroom staff and the

squad of 23 players who made

our dreams come true. In

addition, I’d like to thank the staff

of both the FAW and FAW Trust,

who worked tirelessly behind the

scenes to make everything run

so smoothly, allowing Chris and

the players to concentrate on

achieving success.

Most importantly of all, I’d

like to thank all of you… the fans.

Whether you were in France or

back here in Wales, your support

was tremendous, a true showing

of Together Stronger!

It’s fantastic to see a capacity

crowd here at Cardiff City

Stadium as we begin another

adventure. Our participation at

the European Championships

has made us hungry for

more and I know everyone is

determined to give us every

chance of qualifying for the 2018

FIFA World Cup in Russia.

Looking ahead to tonight’s

game I’d like welcome Moldova’s

players, management, officials

and fans to Cardiff. We really

hope you all enjoy your time here

in the country’s capital.

I hope everyone enjoys

tonight’s match.

Thank you,

Jonathan

Noswaith dda, a chroeso i

Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd.

Dwi’n siŵr nad oes angen gofyn sut haf gawsoch chi?!

Fe wnaeth Chris a’i garfan

ein gwneud ni’n arbennig o falch

yn Ffrainc wrth i Gymru barhau i

greu hanes dwy gyrraedd rownd

gynderfynol Ewro 2016 UEFA,

a hynny gyda pherfformiadau

ysblennydd ar y cae.

Hoffwn achub ar y cyfle

hwn i ddiolch o waelod calon i

Chris, ei staff a’r garfan o 23 o

chwaraewyr a lwyddodd i wireddu

ein breuddwydion ni. Yn ogystal,

hoffwn ddiolch i staff Cymdeithas

ac Ymddiriedolaeth Bêl-droed

Cymru a oedd wrthi’n ddiflino

drwy gydol yr ymgyrch i sicrhau

bod popeth yn digwydd fel y

dylai, gan alluogi Chris a’r

chwaraewyr i ganolbwyntio ar

gyflawni pethau mawr.

Yn bwysicach na dim, hoffwn

ddiolch i bob un ohonoch chi....y

cefnogwyr. P’un a oeddech chi yn

Ffrainc neu yma yng Nghymru,

roedd eich cefnogaeth yn

anferthol, gan ddangos gwir ystyr

Gyda’n Gilydd, Yn Gryfach!

Mae’n wych gweld stadiwm

dan ei sang yma heno wrth i ni

gychwyn ar antur arall, ac mae ein

profiad ym Mhencampwriaeth

Ewrop wedi gwneud i ni ysu am

fwy. Rwy’n gwybod bod pawb

yn benderfynol i roi o’u gorau er

mwyn bod â phob cyfle posibl o

gyrraedd Cwpan y Byd 2018 FIFA

yn Rwsia.

Hoffwn groesawu chwaraewyr,

tîm rheoli, swyddogion a

chefnogwyr Moldofa i’r gêm heno

yng Nghaerdydd. Rwy’n mawr

obeithio y byddwch yn mwynhau

eich amser yma ym mhrif ddinas

ein gwlad arbennig.

Mwynhewch y gêm!

Diolch

Jonathan

DAVID GRIFFITHS

President, FAW /

Llywydd, Cymdeithas

Bêl-droed Cymru

JONATHAN FORD

CEO, FAW /

Prif Swyddog Gweithredol,

Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru

www.faw.cymru 7

LAST WORLD CUP : 1998 (GROUP STAGE)

FIFA RANKING : 22

Familiar faces: Captain Christian Fuchs was part of Leicester City’s

Premier League title winning side last season and will be keen to

emulate domestic success onto the international stage with a taste

for the underdog story. Meanwhile, Joe Allen will have quickly learnt

all about Marko Arnautović following his summer switch to Stoke City, where the towering striker is a key part of Mark Hughes’ side.

Interesting fact: Veteran striker Marc Janko would have had a

vested interest in the recent Olympic Games as his mother Eva

won bronze for her efforts in the Javelin back in 1968.

LAST WORLD CUP : 2010 (GROUP STAGE)

FIFA RANKING : 47

Familiar faces : Striker Aleksandar Mitrović was amongst the goals for Newcastle United last season while captain Branislav Ivanović remains the most recognisable name after spending eight years

at Stamford Bridge. Manchester City’s Aleksandar Kolarov is also a

formidable opponent and scored against Wales in the 3-0 victory in

Cardiff back in September 2013.

Interesting fact: A complex political background has seen the

country represented by a number of different names but since

1994 they have always been known as ‘the Blues’. This was until

their kit changed to red in 2006 and their nickname changed

to....’the Eagles’. Obviously!

LAST WORLD CUP : 2002 (ROUND OF 16)

FIFA RANKING : 31

Familiar faces: With pretty much the entire squad playing their club

football in England there will be plenty of familiarity when the two

sides meet. Winger Anthony Pilkington will be no stranger to Cardiff

City Stadium having joined the club in 2014. However, Republic of

Ireland will go into the qualifiers without Robbie Keane, who has

called time on his international career after making an incredible

145 appearances for his country.

Interesting fact: The Republic of Ireland won the one and only

Carling Cup competition in 2011 with a perfect record against

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. However, the competition

was scrapped due to poor crowds and a general lack of interest.

LAST WORLD CUP : NEVER QUALIFIED

FIFA RANKING : 165

Familiar faces: Slim pickings here, although defenders Victor

Golovatenco and Alexandru Epureanu have racked-up over 70

international appearances for their country. Off the field manager

Igor Dobrovolski won gold at the 1988 Olympics with USSR and was

the top scorer in the tournament with six goals.

Interesting fact: The qualifying matches against Georgia will have

a special meaning for Moldova as their first ever match was played

against Georgia in 1991. What might not be so special is that

Georgia won on that occasion.

LAST WORLD CUP : NEVER QUALIFIED

FIFA RANKING : 118

Familiar faces: Not too many, but defender Zurab Khizanishvili

is the second most-capped player in Georgia’s history with 93

appearances, and did have spells with Dundee, Rangers, Blackburn

Rovers, Newcastle United and Reading earlier in his nomadic career.

In case you were wondering, he is currently playing for Inter Baku in

Azerbaijan.

Interesting fact: Since their formation in 1990, Georgia have

made no-less than 16 permanent managerial appointments, with

Aleksandre Chivadze and Vladimir Gutsaev both enjoying two

separate spells in what appears to be a very hot seat.

www.faw.cymru 13

CWPAN Y BYD OLAF: 1998 (CYFNOD GRŴP)SAFLE FIFA: 22

Wynebau cyfarwydd: Roedd y capten Christian Fuchs yn rhan o

ochr fuddugoliaethus yr Uwch Gynghrair, Caerlŷr, y tymor diwethaf ac fe fydd yn gobeithio dynwared y llwyddiant hwnnw ar lwyfan

rhyngwladol wedi cael blas ar y brig. Yn y cyfamser, bydd Joe Allen

wedi dysgu am Marko Arnautović yn gyflym wedi iddo symud i Stoke yn ystod yr haf ble mae’r ergydiwr anferth yn rhan allweddol o dîm

Mark Hughes.

Ffaith ddiddorol: Byddai gan yr ergydiwr profiadol Marc Janko

ddiddordeb personol yn y Gemau Olympaidd diweddar gan i’w fam

Eva ennill medal efydd yn taflu’r waywffon yn 1968.

CWPAN Y BYD OLAF: 2010 (CYFNOD GRŴP)SAFLE FIFA: 47

Wynebau cyfarwydd: Sgoriodd Aleksandar Mitrović sawl gôl i Newcastle Unedig y tymor diwethaf tra bod y capten Branislav

Ivanović yn parhau i fod yr enw mwyaf adnabyddus ar ôl treulio wyth mlynedd yn Stamford Bridge. Mae Aleksandar Kolarov o Fanceinion

Unedig hefyd yn wrthwynebwr arbennig wnaeth sgorio yn erbyn

Cymru yn y fuddugoliaeth 3-0 yng Nghaerdydd fis Medi 2013.

Ffaith ddiddorol: Mae cefndir gwleidyddol cymhleth wedi gweld y

wlad yn cael ei chynrychioli gan nifer o enwau gwahanol ond wedi

1994 roeddent yn cael eu hadnabod fel ‘y Gleision’ tan i liw eu cit

newid i goch yn 2006. Newidiodd eu llysenw i... ‘yr Eryrod’,

yn amlwg!

CWPAN Y BYD OLAF: 2002 (ROWND YR 16 OLAF)

SAFLE FIFA: 31

Wynebau cyfarwydd: Gyda’r rhan fwyaf o’r garfan yn chwarae i

dimau yn Lloegr bydd nifer o gyfarwydd i sgwad Cymru pan fydd y

timau’n cyfarfod. Un fydd yn teimlo’n gartrefol yn Stadiwm Dinas

Caerdydd yw’r asgellwr Anthony Pilkinton sydd wedi ymuno â’r

clwb ers 2014. Er hyn, bydd Gweriniaeth Iwerddon yn dechrau eu

hymgyrch gymhwyso heb Robbie Keane, sydd wedi ymddeol o’i yrfa

ryngwladol ar ôl chwarae 145 o gemau i’w wlad.

Ffaith ddiddorol: Enillodd Gweriniaeth Iwerddon yr unig

gystadleuaeth Cwpan Carling yn 2011 gyda record berffaith yn

erbyn Gogledd Iwerddon, Yr Alban a Chymru. Cafwyd gwared

ar y gystadleuaeth wedi hynny oherwydd diffyg diddordeb

a chynulleidfa.

CWPAN Y BYD OLAF: ERIOED WEDI CYMHWYSO

SAFLE FIFA: 165

Wynebau cyfarwydd: Does dim llawer, er i’r amddiffynwyr Victor

Golovanteco ac Alexandru Epureanu chwarae dros 70 o weithiau i’w

gwlad. Oddi ar y cae enillodd y rheolwr Igor Dobrovolski fedal aur

yng Ngemau Olympaidd 1988 ar gyfer yr Undeb Sofietaidd ac ef

oedd sgoriwr uchaf y twrnamaint gyda chwe gôl.

Ffaith ddiddorol: Bydd y gemau cymhwyso yn erbyn Georgia yn

arbennig i Foldova gan i’w gêm gyntaf erioed fod yn eu herbyn yn

1991. Beth sydd ddim mor arbennig yw mai Georgia enillodd y

gêm honno.

CWPAN Y BYD OLAF: ERIOED WEDI CYMHWYSO

SAFLE FIFA: 118

Wynebau cyfarwydd: Dim llawer ond yr amddiffynnwr Zurab

Khizanishvili yw’r ail chwaraewr gyda mwyaf o gapiau yn hanes

Georgia wedi ymddangos 93 o weithiau. Mae hefyd wedi chwarae

am gyfnodau i Dundee, Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle a

Reading yn gynharach yn ei yrfa nomadig. Mae nawr yn chwarae i

Inter Baku yn Azerbaijan.

Ffaith ddiddorol: Ers sefydlu yn 1990, mae Georgia wedi apwyntio

rheolwr 16 o weithiau gyda Aleksandre Chivadze a Vladimir Gutsav

yn mwynhau dau gyfnod yr un wrth y llyw.

www.faw.cymru 15

16 www.faw.cymru

Having played in and managed Welsh

teams that have come agonisingly close

to qualifying for major tournaments in

recent years, Wales legend Mark Hughes

appears to have been taken by the

wave of optimism that’s carrying Welsh

football forward into this new qualifying

campaign, as he confidently told us that

Chris Coleman’s men have what it takes

to qualify for the 2018 World Cup: “I think Chris is still excited by the

group and what it can achieve, he

probably thinks there’s more to come. In

the back of his mind he must be thinking

how he’d love to take Wales to a World

Cup and see how we do against the best

in the world, and why not?

“Without a shadow of a doubt they’ve

got another tournament in them; they’ll

benefit from the experience of the

summer and they’ve got a lot of good

will behind them, which is going to be a

massive factor.

“It’s not an easy group in fairness, but

with their experience and the unity there

then you’ve got to think they’ve got a

good chance.”

Like all of us, Sparky’s eyes were

glued to football pitches across France

from the moment 25,000 Welsh fans

passionately poured the anthem out

ahead of Wales’ EURO 2016 game in

Bordeaux, right until beyond the final

whistle in Lyon, where The Red Wall

showed their immense gratitude after

their heroes managed to reach the semi-

finals of their first major tournament in

58 years: “The manner of the Russia result,

the Belgium performance, they’re my

standout moments. I expected them to

beat Russia, I thought they were really

poor, but you’ve still got to put them to

the sword.

“The Belgium game, them being

number two in the world, for us to

outplay them and score the goals that

we did, I thought it was outstanding

– with some outstanding individual

performances within that too – it was a

great time to be a Welsh fan.”

Craig Bellamy’s goal against Italy, Ian

Rush’s goal at Hampden Park, Sparky’s

spectacular goal against Spain in ’85 – all

of them are fan favourites, holy moments

of history for Welsh fans, but now it

seems everyone has a new favourite

after Hal Robson-Kanu’s Cruyff Turn and

finish against the Belgians in Lille:

“I don’t mind that, I don’t mind that at

all! Goals are remembered because they

make a mark on people, and people

usually talk about the Spain goal because

it had an impact on them – but the goals

that Wales scored in the summer will be

imprinted on millions of Welsh people

around the world, and rightly so,”

Hughes said. Reaching the last four of a major

tournament for any team is incredibly

special, and Wales’ exceptional exploits

this past summer mean that they’ll catch

very few teams by surprise now, but

Sparky is adamant that this team can

overcome that challenge:

“If you get to the semi-finals of a major

tournament then you deserve a certain

respect, so they may find teams who set

their stall out to try and negate Wales’

obvious threats.” “Maybe that’ll be a little bit different

from what they’ve seen in the past,

but collectively they seem a strong

group, they’ve stayed together and that

continuity is really important so we can

use that to our advantage.”

MARK HUGHESWALES TO REACH THE WORLD CUP? WHY NOT!?

By Jamie Thomas

www.faw.cymru 17

MARK HUGHESCYMRU I GYRRAEDD CWPAN Y BYD? PAM DDIM!?Gan Jamie Thomas

Wedi chwarae mewn a rheoli timau Cymru

a ddaeth mor agos i gymhwyso i dwrna-

meintiau mawr yn y blynyddoedd diwed-

dar, mae arwr Cymru Mark Hughes i weld

wedi cael ei gario ar don optimistaidd sy’n

gyrru pêl-droed Cymru mewn i’r ymgyrch

gymhwyso newydd yma. Dywedodd

wrthym gyda sicrwydd bod gan ddynion

Chris Coleman yr hyn mae ei angen i gym-

hwyso ar gyfer Cwpan y Byd 2018: “Rwy’n credu bod Chris dal i fod wedi’i

gyffroi gan y grŵp a’r hyn gall ei gyflawni, mae mwy na thebyg yn meddwl bod mwy i

ddod. Yng nghefn ei ben mae siŵr o fod yn meddwl sut hoffai fynd a Chymru i Gwpan

y Byd a gweld sut rydym yn perfformio yn

erbyn goreuon, a pam ddim?

“Heb amheuaeth mae ganddyn nhw

dwrnamaint arall ynddyn nhw; byddant

y profiad a gawsant dros yr haf o fudd

mawr ac mae ganddynt lawer o gefnoga-

eth dda tu cefn iddyn nhw, sydd am fod yn

ffactor enfawr. “I fod yn deg, dyw hi ddim yn grŵp hawdd, ond gyda’u profiad a’r undod

mae’n rhaid credu bod ganddynt gyfle da.”

Fel pawb, roedd llygaid Sparky wedi gludo

i’r caeau pêl-droed yn Ffrainc o’r eiliad

canodd 25,000 o gefnogwyr Cymru’r

anthem yn angerddol cyn gêm Cymru

yn EURO 2016 yn Bordeaux tan wedi’r

chwiban olaf yn Lyon, ble dangosodd ‘Y

Wal Goch’ eu diolch i’r arwyr a gyrhaed-

dodd rownd gynderfynol eu twrnamaint

mawr gyntaf mewn 58 mlynedd:

“Agwedd buddugoliaeth yn erbyn Rwsia,

ein perfformiad yn erbyn Gwlad Belg,

dyna’n uchafbwyntiau i. Roeddwn i’n

disgwyl curo Rwsia, ac roeddwn i’n med-

dwl eu bod nhw’n wael, ond mae dal

angen brwydro. “Yn y gêm yn erbyn Gwlad Belg, a nhw

yn ail yn y byd, roedd gweld Cymru yn

rhedeg o’u cwmpas a sgorio’r goliau ‘na yn

anhygoel - gyda rhai unigolion anhygoel

yno hefyd - roedd hi’n amser da i fod yn

gefnogwr Cymru.”

Gôl Craig Bellamy yn erbyn Yr Eidal, gôl

Ian Rush yn Hampden Park, gôl wefreid-

diol Sparky yn erbyn Sbaen yn ’85 - oll yn

ffefrynnau’r cefnogwyr ac yn rhan o hanes

pêl-droed Cymru i nifer, ond nawr mae’n

debyg bod ffefryn newydd gan bawb wedi

i Hal Robson-Kanu droi o gwmpas y bêl i

sgorio yn erbyn y Belgiad yn Lille:

“Dydw i ddim yn meindio hynny, o gwbl!

Mae goliau’n cael eu cofio oherwydd eu

bod wedi creu argraff ar bobl, ac fel arfer

mae pobl yn siarad am y gôl wnes i sgorio

yn erbyn Sbaen oherwydd eu bod wedi

cael effaith arnyn - ond bydd y goliau

sgoriodd Gymru dros yr haf ar feddyliau

miliynau o Gymru dros y byd, a da iawn am

hynny,” dywed Hughes. Mae cyrraedd pedwar olaf unrhyw

dwrnamaint mawr yn arbennig i unrhyw

dîm, ac mae gorchestion eithriadol Cymru

dros yr haf yn golygu na allent synnu

unrhyw dîm nawr, ond mae Sparky’n sicr

gall ei dîm oresgyn y sialens yna:

“Os ydych chi’n cyrraedd pedwar olaf

prif dwrnamaint yna rydych yn haeddu

parch, felly bydden nhw’n siŵr o wynebu timau sy’n taflu popeth er mwyn atal

bygythiadau amlwg Cymru.”

“Efallai bydd hyn yn wahanol i beth

maen nhw wedi gweld yn y gorffennol, ond

gyda’i gilydd maen nhw’n edrych fel grŵp cadarn, maen nhw wedi aros gyda’i gilydd

ac mae’r parhad yna yn bwysig fel y gallwn

ei ddefnyddio i’n mantais.”

18 www.faw.cymru

www.faw.cymru 19

GARETH BALE

Real Madrid

PAUL DUMMETT

Newcastle United

JOE ALLEN

Stoke City

ASHLEY WILLIAMS

Everton

WAYNE HENNESSEY

Crystal Palace

EMYR HUWS

Cardiff City

JAMES CHESTER

Aston Villa

www.faw.cymru 21

TOM LAWRENCE

Ipswich Town

BEN DAVIES

Tottenham Hotspur

SIMON CHURCH

Roda JC Kerkrade

HAL ROBSON-KANU

West Bromwich Albion

NEIL TAYLOR

Swansea City CHRIS GUNTER

Reading

ANDY KING

Leicester City

SHAUN MACDONALD

Wigan Athletic

22 www.faw.cymru

DANNY WARD

Huddersfield Town

JOE LEDLEY

Crystal Palace

OWAIN FON WILLIAMS

Inverness Caledonian

Thistle

JAMES COLLINS

West Ham United

ASHLEY RICHARDS

Cardiff City

DAVID COTTERILL

Birmingham City

GEORGE WILLIAMS

Milton Keynes Dons

SAM VOKES

Burnley

www.faw.cymru 23

24 www.faw.cymru

‘So, how was it?’ A question I’ve been

asked endless times since returning from

France, and one I am still unable to answer.

Nothing I say will ever really do justice

to the vast spectrum of emotions, the

innumerable sights and sounds that

made up a summer few of us ever thought

we’d see.

In taking the field to face Slovakia in

Bordeaux, Wales had already delivered all

I’d ever asked of them; everything beyond

that was just a blurry, red, tear-stained,

arm-flailing, scarf-twirling, stranger-

hugging bonus.

I lost count of the times I presumed

we had reached a pinnacle, that this

was as good as it got, only for Wales to

raise the bar another notch. And I know I

wasn’t alone. In Toulouse, in the eruption

of celebration which followed Aaron

Ramsey’s goal against Russia, the guy who

had previously been standing on his chair

behind me somehow ended up lying on the

floor beneath my seat. As I went to help

him up, he yelled back ‘Leave me, leave

me here; it’s the happiest I’ve ever been’.

I can’t imagine how he coped with the

knock-out stages. Stewards are probably

still trying to prise him off a stadium seat

in Lille. ‘You must’ve been gutted to go out in

the semi-finals’ a work colleague said to

me. To be honest, I don’t think my mind

and body could’ve taken any more.

On my return from Lyon I spent four days

in bed. I’m a Welsh Doncaster Rovers fan;

my frame clearly hasn’t been suitably

conditioned for such endless joy. Besides,

there was no need to go any further. This

Wales team had fulfilled the only dreams

I’d ever dared to have, and then spent a

month carrying me far beyond them. How

could I be gutted with that? The true joy of following Wales

around France, the thing that set my

experience apart from any other countries’

supporters, was that I wasn’t simply at

EURO 2016, I was part of it. For years I’ve

struggled to empathise with professional

footballers as their lives edge them further

and further from reality. With Wales I’ve no

need to try and relate to the men on the

field because they already relate to me.

“We are a group of players having the

time of our lives,” Chris Gunter told a

reporter during the tournament – swap

players for ‘people’ and it could’ve been

said by any one of us. They got it, they truly

got what all this meant and that’s why we

as a nation have never had it so good.

WE HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVESA LOOK BACK AT AN INCREDIBLE EURO 2016 ADVENTURE

By Glen Wilson

www.faw.cymru 25

‘Felly sut oedd e’?’ Cwestiwn y mae

pobl wedi gofyn i mi amryw weithiau ers

dychwelyd o Ffrainc, ac un yr ydw i’n dal i

gael trafferth ei ateb. Does dim yr ydw i’n

ddweud wir yn gallu gwneud cyfiawnder

â’r ystod helaeth o emosiynau, y

golygfeydd di-ri a’r sŵn a oedd yn llenwi’r haf, haf nad oedd llawer ohonom yn

credu fyddai byth yn digwydd. Wrth gamu ar y cae i wynebu Slofacia

yn Bordeaux, roedd Cymru eisoes wedi

cyflawni popeth yr oeddwn i erioed wedi

gobeithio amdano; roedd popeth y tu

hwnt i hynny yn fonws o fôr coch llawn

dathlu, dagrau, dawnsio, canu a chwtsio

dieithriaid!

Fe gollais i gyfrif o’r adegau lle’r o’n

i’n credu ein bod ni wedi cyrraedd pinacl,

mai dyma’r gorau y gallwn ni ei gyflawni,

dim ond i Gymru godi’r bar unwaith yn

rhagor. Ac rydw i’n gwybod nad o’n i ar fy

mhen fy hun. Yn Toulouse, yn y ffrwydrad

o ddathlu a ddaeth yn sgil gôl Aaron

Ramsey yn erbyn Rwsia, rhyw ffordd neu’i

gilydd fe laniodd y dyn a oedd yn sefyll y

tu ôl i mi ar y llawr o dan fy sedd. Wrth i

mi geisio ei helpu fe floeddiodd ‘Gad mi

yma, gad mi yma; dyma’r hapusaf yr ydw

i erioed wedi bod’. Alla’i ddim dychmygu

sut wnaeth o ymdopi yn y rowndiau

nesaf. Mae’r stiwardiaid yn Lille yn dal i

geisio ei dynnu’n rhydd o un o’r seddi siŵr o fod. ‘Mae’n rhaid ei bod hi’n dipyn o ergyd

mynd allan yn y rownd gynderfynol’

meddai cydweithiwr wrtha i. I fod yn

onest, dwi’m yn meddwl y byddai fy

meddwl na fy nghorff wedi gallu cymryd

llawer mwy! Ar ôl dychwelyd o Lyon, fe

dreuliais i bedwar diwrnod yn fy ngwely.

Rydw i’n Gymro sy’n cefnogi Doncaster

Rovers, yn amlwg dydy fy ffrâm heb

ei baratoi’n addas ar gyfer gorfoledd

diddiwedd o’r fath. A beth bynnag, doedd

dim angen mynd ymhellach. Roedd y tîm

wedi gwireddu’r unig freuddwydion yr

oeddwn i erioed wedi mentro eu cael, ac

yna wedi treulio mis yn mynd â mi y tu

hwnt i hynny. Sut oedd hynny’n gallu

bod ergyd? Y gwir bleser o ddilyn Cymru o

amgylch Ffrainc, yr un peth a oedd yn

gosod fy mhrofiad ar wahân i brofiad

cefnogwr unrhyw wlad arall, oedd nad

oeddwn i yn EWRO 2016 yn unig, ond ro’n

i’n rhan o’r cyfan. Am flynyddoedd rydw i

wedi cael trafferth teimlo empathi â phêl-

droedwyr proffesiynol wrth i’w bywydau

fynd â nhw ymhellach ac yn bellach oddi

wrth realiti. Gyda Chymru, does dim

angen i mi geisio teimlo cysylltiad â’r

dynion ar y cae, achos maen nhw eisoes

yn teimlo cysylltiad â mi. “Rydyn ni’n grŵp o chwaraewyr sy’n cael amser wrth ein bodd,” meddai Chris

Gunter wrth newyddiadurwr yn ystod y

twrnamaint – defnyddiwch y gair ‘pobl’

yn lle chwaraewyr, ac fe allai unrhyw un

ohonom ni fod wedi ynganu’r geiriau

hynny. Roeddwn nhw’n deall, wir yn deall

beth oedd hyn i gyd yn ei olygu, a dyna

pam, fel cenedl, dydyn ni erioed wedi’i

chael hi mor dda.

FE GAWSON NI AMSER WRTH EIN BODDBWRW GOLWG YN ÔL AR ANTUR ANHYGOEL EWRO 2016

Gan Glen Wilson

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28 www.faw.cymru28 www.faw.cymru

www.faw.cymru 29

‘A’ Division / Adran ‘A’The ‘A’ Division or ‘Divizia A’ is the second-tier of league football in

Moldova. 14 teams are competing in the division this season, with

the top two sides promoted to the Moldovan National Division. The

league contains the reserve teams of a number of National Division

clubs, who cannot gain promotion.

Adran ‘A’ neu’r ‘Divizia A’ yw’r ail-lefel yng nghynghrair pêl-droed

ym Moldova. Mae 14 tîm yn cystadlu yn yr adran y tymor hwn gyda’r

ddwy garfan uchaf yn symud i’r Adran Genedlaethol Moldova.

Mae’r gynghrair yn cynnwys timau wrth gefn nifer o glybiau’r Adran

Genedlaethol, sydd ddim yn gallu symud fyny.

BălțiBălți is Moldova’s second largest city after the Moldovan capital Chișinău in terms of area and economic importance. The city will be represented in the National Division by Zaria Bălți this season.Bălți yw ail ddinas fwyaf Moldova mewn maint a phwysigrwydd economaidd ar ôl y brif ddinas Chișinău. Bydd y ddinas yn cael ei chynrychioli gan Zaria Bălți yn yr Adran Genedlaethol y tymor hwn.

/Ch–ChișinăuChișinău meanwhile currently has three top flight representatives in Academia, Dacia and Zimbru (see ‘Z’). The Moldovan national

team plays the majority of its home matches at the Zimbru Stadium

in Chișinău, which has a capacity of 10,400.Mae tri chlwb yn cynrychioli Chișinău, Academia, Dacia a Zimbru (gweler Z). Dyma gartref tîm cenedlaethol Moldova ar gyfer

mwyafrif o’u gemau cartref yn stadiwm Zimbru yn Chișinău, sy’n dal hyd at 10,400.

/Dd–DiviziaNaționalăThe Moldovan National Division or Divizia Națională was established in 1992 and has been dominated by the country’s ‘big two’ clubs

Sheriff Tiraspol and Zimbru Chișinău. Between them, the pair have won 22 of the league’s 25 titles to date.

Sefydlwyd Adran Genedlaethol Moldova, neu’r Divizia Națională yn 1992 sydd wedi ei ddominyddu gan ddau glwb mawr y wlad sef

Sheriff Tiraspol a Zimbru Chișinău. Rhyngddynt, maent wedi ennill 22 o’r 25 cynghrair hyd yma.

Established/Ers 1990The Moldovan Football Federation or Federația Moldovenească de Fotbal (FMF) was founded in 1990 shortly before Moldova declared

its independence from the Soviet Union on August 27, 1991. The

governing body for the sport in Moldova gained UEFA affiliation in

1993 and FIFA affiliation in 1994.

Sefydlwyd Ffederasiwn Pêl-droed Moldova neu’r Federația Moldovenească de Fotbal (FMF) yn 1990 ychydig cyn cyhoeddwyd annibyniaeth Moldova o’r Undeb Sofietaidd ar Awst 27, 1991.

Derbyniodd gorff llywodraethol chwaraeon Moldova dadogaeth

UEFA yn 1993 a FIFA yn 1994.

/Ff – FutsulMoldova’s FCA Classic Chisinau are competing in this season’s

UEFA Futsul Cup with Cardiff University one of their opponents in

Group C of the preliminary round!

Mae FCA Classic Chisinau Moldova yn cystadlu yng

nghystadleuaeth Cwpan Futsul UEFA gyda Phrifysgol Caerdydd yn

un o’u gwrthwynebwyr yng ngrŵp C o’r rowndiau rhagbrofol.

A TO Z OF MOLDOVAN FOOTBALL

A I Z O BÊL-DROED MOLDOFA

From ‘A’ Division to Zimbru, Andy Greeves offers a rough guide to Moldovan football.

O Adran ‘A’ i Zimbru, dyma gipolwg ar bêl-droed Moldofa gan Andy Greeves.

30 www.faw.cymru

/Ng – Goals Galore/Goliau luMoldova’s biggest-ever win was 5-0 against Pakistan on August 18,

1992. Alexei Scala gave Moldova the lead in the match with Serghei

Alexandrov then scoring four goals in the space of 25 second

half minutes.

Gêm orau Moldova oedd ennill 5-0 yn erbyn Pacistan ar Awst 18fed,

1992. Rhoddodd Alexei Scala Moldova ar y blaen yn yr hanner cyntaf

cyn i Serghei Alexandrov sgorio pedair arall mewn 25 munud yn yr

ail hanner.

Hungary/HwngariMoldova achieved a number of notable results in their failed

attempts to qualify for UEFA Euro 2008. Away wins in Latvia and

Bosnia and Herzegovina were followed by a fine 3-0 victory at

home to Hungary on November 17, 2007 thanks to goals from Igor

Bugaev, Nicolae Josan and Serghei Alexeev.

Llwyddodd Moldova i dderbyn nifer o lwyddiannau nodedig yn eu

hymgyrch a fethodd i gymhwyso ar gyfer UEFA Euro 2008. Cafodd

gemau llwyddiannus i ffwrdd yn erbyn Latvia a Bosnia-Herzegovina

eu dilyn gan fuddugoliaeth gartref o 3-0 yn erbyn Hwngari ar

Dachwedd 17, 2007 diolch i goliau gan Igor Bugaev, Nicolae Josan a

Serghei Alexeev.

Igor DobrovolskiMoldova’s current manager is Igor Dobrovolski who as a player,

was part of the USSR football team that won gold at the 1988

Olympic Games.

Igor Dobrovolski yw rheolwr presennol Moldova a oedd, fel

chwaraewr, yn rhan o dîm pêl-droed yr Undeb Sofietaidd a enillodd

fedal aur yng Ngemau Olympaidd 1988.

Jordan Tournament/Twrnamaint JordanThe first competition the Moldova national team ever took part

in was the 1992 Jordan Tournament. Wins over Pakistan, Sudan

and Congo saw them achieve a third-place finish.

Twrnamaint Jordan oedd y gystadleuaeth gyntaf i dîm cenedlaethol

Moldova gymryd rhan ynddi yn 1992. Rhoddodd fuddugoliaethau

dros Bacistan, Sudan a’r Congo dîm Moldova yn y trydydd safle.

The Kuchuks/Y KuchuksThe Kuchuk name is one of the most famous in Moldovan

football. Former defender Leonid Kuchuk has enjoyed a fine

managerial career, including leading Sheriff Tiraspol to six Divizia

Naţională titles between 2004 and 2010. Son Aliaksei Kuchuk meanwhile played under his father at Sheriff scoring 71 goals

in 147 league games.

Kuchuk yw’r enw enwocaf ym myd pêl-droed Moldova. Cafodd gyn-

amddiffynnwr Moldova Leonid Kuchuk yrfa rheoli wych gan arwain

Sheriff Tirasol i frig y Divizia Națională chwe gwaith rhwng 2004 a 2010. Yn y cyfamser chwaraeodd ei fab Aliaksei Kuchuk dan adain ei

dad i Sheriff gan sgorio 71 gôl mewn 147 gêm gynghrair.

/Ll – Legend/LlysgennadCurrently captain of the national team, defender Alexandru

Epureanu is perhaps the greatest Moldovan footballer of all time.

Winner of the Moldovan Footballer of the Year title on no less than

four occasions, the 29-year-old currently turns out for Turkey’s

İstanbul Başakşehir.Yn gapten presennol i’r tîm cenedlaethol, efallai taw’r amddiffynnwr

Alexandru Epureanu yw peldroediwr gorau Moldova erioed. Yn

derbyn gwobr Peldroediwr Moldova’r Flwyddyn nid llai na phedair

gwaith, mae’r chwaraewr 29 oed yn chwarae i’r İstanbul Başakşehir yn Nhwrci.

www.faw.cymru 31

MONTENEGROMoldova’s 5-2 victory away to Montenegro in a World Cup qualifying

match on October 15, 2013 is widely considered as the country’s

best ever international performance. A brace from Montenegro’s

Stevan Jovetić was cancelled out by two goals from Alexandru Antoniuc while there further strikes from Igor Armaș, Eugen Sidorenco and Artur Ioniță for Moldova.Mae buddugoliaeth 5-2 Moldova i ffwrdd yn erbyn Montenegro

mewn gêm gymhwyso Cwpan y Byd Hydref 15, 2013 yn cael ei

chysidro fel gêm ryngwladol gorau’r wlad erioed. Cafodd arweiniad

Montenegro o ddwy gôl gan Stevan Jovetić eu canslo gan ddwy gan Alexandru Antoniuc gyda goliau pellach gan Igor Armaș, Eugen Sidorenco a Artur Ioniță yn arwain Moldova i fuddugoliaeth.

NEW NATIONS/CENEDL NEWYDDMoldova gained UEFA affiliation in 1993 are one of 21 ‘new

nations’ to have joined European football’s governing body since

1990 and to remain a member. The other nations are the Faroe

Islands, Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia,

Ukraine, Belarus, Croatia, Slovakia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Bosnia-

Herzegovina, Kazakhstan (previously a member of the Asian

Football Confederation), Serbia, Montenegro, Gibraltar and Kosovo.

In 1994, Israel became a full UEFA member having only previously

been an associate member.

Cafodd Moldova eu cydnabod gan UEFA yn 1993 ac felly’n un o’r 21

‘cenedl newydd’ i ymuno â’r corff llywodraethol pêl-droed ers 1990

ac aros yn aelod. Y cenhedloedd eraill yw Ynysoedd Ffaro, Armenia,

Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slofenia, Wcráin, Belarus,

Croatia, Slofacia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzeovina,

Kazakstan (gynt yn aelod o’r Conffederasiwn Pêl-droed Asiaidd),

Serbia, Montenegro, Gibraltar a Kosovo. Yn 1994 daeth Israel yn

aelod llawn o UEFA wedi ond bod yn aelod cyswllt ynghynt.

OPPONENTS/ YR OCHR ARALLGeorgia provided Moldova’s first opposition in a friendly match

in Chişinău on July 2, 1991. Georgia have been Moldova’s most regular opponents since then, with ten matches between the two

nations to date.

Georgia oedd gwrthwynebwyr cyntaf Moldova mewn gêm

gyfeillgar yn Chişinău ar Orffennaf 2, 1992. Mae Georgia wedi bod yn wrthwynebwyr rheolaidd i Foldova ers hynny, gyda deg gornest

rhwng y ddwy wlad hyd yma.

/PH – PRANKSTER/PRANCIWRIn 2009, The Times published a list of ‘Football’s 50 Rising Stars’ and

amongst them was a 16-year-old Moldovan forward by the name

of Masal Bugduv. The Olimpia Bălți ‘star’ appeared in an Associated Press story with agent Sergei Yulikov talking up his client’s chances

of a transfer to Arsenal or Liverpool. It had also been claimed that

Bugduv was the youngest player to appear for the national team

aged just 16 years and 44 days against Armenia on May 22, 2008.

As news of the striker spread across Europe, clubs and football

reporters wanted to find out more about this young sensation but

it turned out Masal Bugduv never existed! The ‘player’ had been the

invention of an internet prankster!

Yn 2009 cyhoeddodd The Times restr ‘Football’s 50 Rising Stars’

ac yn eu mysg oedd chwaraewr 16 oed o Foldova o’r enw Masal

Bugduv. Ymddangosodd ‘seren’ Olimpia Bălți mewn stori yn yr Associated Press gyda’i asiant Sergei Yuikov yn brolio’i gleient er

mwyn cael ei gyfnewid i Arsenal neu Lerpwl. Roedd si hefyd taw

Bugdux oedd y chwaraewr ieuengaf i chwarae i dîm cenedlaethol yn

ddim ond 16 mlwydd oed a 44 diwrnod yn erbyn Armeni ar Fai 22,

2008. Wrth i’r newyddion am yr ergydiwr deithio dros Ewrop cododd

y diddordeb gyda gohebwyr o glybiau yn holi mwy am y dalent ifanc.

Ond, doedd Masal Bugduv erioed yn bodoli, dim ond ‘chwaraewr’

dychmygol gan branciwr ar y we!

QUALIFIER/CYMHWYSOMoldova played in their first qualifying match for a major

tournament against Georgia on September 7, 1994, winning the

UEFA Euro 1996 qualifier 1-0 in Chişinău.Chwaraeodd eu gêm gymhwyso i dwrnamaint mawr am y tro cyntaf

yn erbyn Georgia ar Fedi 7, 1994, gan ennill y gêm gymhwyso UEFA

Euro 1996 1-0 yn Chişinău.

/RH – RADU REBEJAUntil recently, retired midfielder Radu Rebeja was Moldova’s most

capped player, having made 74 appearances for the national team

between 1991 and 2008, in which time he scored twice. His record

was surpassed by Victor Golovatenco (see ‘V’) on June 3, 2016.

Tan yn ddiweddar, y cyn-chwaraewr canol cae Radu Rebeja oedd

chwaraewr Moldova gyda mwyaf o gapiau, wedi ymddangos i’r

tîm cenedlaethol 74 weithiau rhwng 1991 a 2008, gan sgorio

ddwywaith. Cafodd ei record ei dorri gan Victor Golovanteo (gweler

‘V’) ar Fehefin 3, 2016.

32 www.faw.cymru

SHERIFF TIRASPOLFounded on April 4, 1997, Sheriff Tiraspol have wasted no time in

establishing themselves as Moldova’s most successful club. The

reigning National Division champions have 14 top flight titles to

their name in total, having also won eight Moldovan cups.

Wedi ei sefydlu ar Ebrill 4, 1997, gwastraffodd Sheriff Tiraspol ddim

amser yn sefydlu ei hunain fel y clwb fwyaf llwyddiannus Moldova.

Mae gan bencampwyr yr Adran Genedlaethol 14 o deitlau i’w henw

ac wyth o gwpanau Moldova.

/TH – TENNIS/TENISIn 1997, comedian Tony Hawks tracked down the eleven members

of the Moldovan football team that had played England in

September 1997 and challenged them each to a tennis match.

His adventures were written about in his Sunday Times Best Seller,

Playing the Moldovans at Tennis while a film version was released

in 2012.

Yn 1997, aeth y comedïwr Tony Hawks ar ôl yr unarddeg o

chwaraewyr pêl-droed Moldova a wynebodd Lloegr fis Medi 1997

a’u sialensi i gêm o denis. Cafodd yr hanes ei ysgrifennu yn yr

Sunday Times Best Seller gyda Playing the Moldovans at Tennis yn

cael ei drosi’n ffilm yn 2012.

UNDERDOGS/UN O’R RHAI ISAFDespite some good results during their history, Moldova remain

one of the lowest ranking FIFA nations. They stand 165 on the list at

the time of writing.

Er i Foldova gael rhai llwyddiannau yn ystod eu hanes pêl-droed,

maent yn dal i fod yn rhan isaf rhestr FIFA yn safle 165 wrth

ysgrifennu.

VICTOR GOLOVATENCOVictor Golovatenco is Moldova’s most capped player of all-time,

having made 75 appearances and scored three goals for the

national team to date.

Victor Golovatenco yw chwaraewr Moldova gyda’r mwyaf o gapiau

erioed, gan ymddangos 75 o weithiau a sgorio tair gôl i’r tîm

cenedlaethol hyd yma.

WALES/O WALIAThere have been two previous meetings between Moldova and

Wales, both in the qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 1996. Moldova

won 3-2 in Chișinău on October 12, 1994 while the Dragons got a 1-0 victory in Cardiff on September 6, 1995 (see page ?? for Ian

Rush’s memories of this fixture).

Mae Cymru wedi chwarae yn erbyn Moldova ddwywaith yn y

gorffennol, a’r ddau ymddangosiad mewn ymgyrch gymhwyso ar

gyfer UEFA Euro 1996. Moldova enillodd o 3-2 yn Chișinău ar Hydref 12, 1994 gyda’r Cymry’n eu curo gyda buddugoliaeth o 1-0 yng

Nghaerdydd ar Fedi 6, 1995. (Darllenwch atgofion Ian Rush o’r gêm

ar dudalen XX)

‘X’ DENOTES DRAW/‘X’ AM GÊM GYFARTALAs well as beating some far larger footballing nations during

their history, Moldova have also achieved some impressive

draws with more illustrious opponents such as Poland, Greece,

Norway, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Turkey, Hungary, Israel and

Northern Ireland.

Yn ogystal â churo rhai o wledydd mawr yn eu hanes, mae Moldova

wedi dod yn gyfartal yn erbyn gwledydd enwog ym myd pêl-droed

fel Gwlad Pwyl, Groeg, Norwy, Romania, Rwsia, Yr Alban, Twrci,

Hwngari, Israel a Gogledd Iwerddon.

YEARLY FIXTURE/YMGAIS FLYNYDDOLThe Moldovan Super Cup in an annual match played between the

winners of the Moldovan National Division and the Moldovan Cup. In

the instance that the same team has won both cup and the league,

the match does not get played. Sheriff Tiraspol beat Zaria Bălți 3-1 in the most recent Super Cup match back on August 10.

Mae’r Moldovan Super Cup yn gêm flynyddol rhwng enillwyr Adran

Genedlaethol Moldova a’r Gwpan Moldova. Os bydd yr un tîm

yn ennill y gwpan a’r cynghrair, ni fydd y gêm yn cael ei chwarae.

Curodd Sheriff Tiaspol Zaria Bălți o 3-1 yn y Super Cup diweddaraf ar Awst 10.

ZIMBRUZimbru Chișinău are the second most successful club in Moldovan National Division history. They have won the title on eight

occasions, most recently in 2000, and are the only team to have

competed in all 26 seasons of the National Division to date.

Zimbru Chișinău yw’r ail glwb mwyaf llwyddiannus yn hanes yr Adran Genedlaethol Moldova. Maent wedi dod i’r brig wyth gwaith, y

diweddaraf yn 2000, a’r unig dîm i gystadlu ym mhob un o’r 26 tymor

o’r Adran Genedlaethol hyd yma.

www.faw.cymru 33

34 www.faw.cymru

In contrast to the convincing manner of

Wales’ qualification for this summer’s

European Championships, the Dragons’

attempts to make it to UEFA Euro 1996

were far more of a slog. Competing

in a tough, six-team qualifying group

containing the likes of Germany and

Bulgaria was always going to be an uphill

challenge to reach the tournament being

hosted by England and so it proved. A 2-0 victory over Albania at Cardiff

Arms Park on September 7, 1994 on the

opening weekend of the qualification

campaign was one of just two victories

Wales would achieve in the group.

Matchday two saw the Dragons go

down to a moral-sapping 3-2 defeat

to Moldova in Chişinău, with the lowly-ranking hosts playing in just the second-

ever qualifying match of their history.

“I didn’t play in that match but any

defeat for Wales is always hard to take and

especially one against a nation you might

be expecting to beat,” laments Rush.

“There were a few bad results like that

during my Wales career, but the important

thing was always to respond by winning

the next game.”

By the time Moldova visited Cardiff for

the corresponding fixture on September

6, 1995, Wales’ hopes of qualification had

all but been distinguished. However, the

Dragons put on a professional display at

Cardiff Arms Park to win 1-0 against their

eastern European visitors. Amongst the

players starting that night were Reading

duo Adrian Williams and Lee Nogan, with

the latter winning just his second and

ultimately final cap for his country. “We didn’t see too much of Lee

(Nogan) in terms of starting matches, but

he was always there on standby,” says

Rush, who started upfront with Nogan and

Mark Hughes on the day. “It would have

been great for him to have got a start… a

reward for always being available to meet

up with the squad when he was selected.” In the first game under the managerial

reign of Bobby Gould, it was a strike from

Gary Speed that gave the home team the

lead ten minutes into the second half.

It was enough to secure victory in front

of a crowd of 6,721. A defeat to Germany

and a draw with Albania thereafter saw

Wales finish fifth in Group 7, a point

behind Moldova. Few could have imaged back then that

two decades on from the disappointment

of missing out on UEFA Euro 1996, Wales

would have been European Championship

semi-finalists this summer. The Welsh

Football Trust, for whom Rush is the Elite

Performance Director, have played a major

part in the rise and rise of the national

team since then.

“Eight years ago, we put a programme

in place from grassroots level up as part

of the FAW’s restructuring at the time,”

explains Rush. “What we have seen is

about ten players come through the

various youth levels of that programme

to be part of our squad at the Euros. It was

proof that if you sow the seeds properly at

a grassroots level you will bear the

fruit eventually.

“To be successful as a national team,

we needed the kind of facilities and

infrastructure that young players will

be used to at Premier League clubs. We

needed a training facility like Dragon Park

and crucially, we needed to deliver the

best coaching possible. Osian Roberts

and his coaching staff are excellent and

deserve huge credit in terms of what

Wales have achieved in recent years.”

MEMORY MATCHIAN RUSH, WALES’ ALL-TIME LEADING GOAL SCORER, TALKS TO ANDY GREEVES ABOUT A 1-0 VICTORY OVER MOLDOVA BACK ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1995.

www.faw.cymru 35

Yn wahanol iawn i argyhoeddiad

perfformiad Cymru yn ymgyrch gymhwyso

ar gyfer Pencampwriaeth Ewropeaidd yr

haf, roedd rhaid i’r Dreigiau weithio’n galed

iawn i gyrraedd UEFA Euro 1996. Roedd

cystadlu’n anodd, mewn grŵp cymhwyso o chwe thîm oedd yn cynnwys Yr Almaen

a Bwlgaria roedd hi’n mynd i fod yn anodd

iawn i gyrraedd y twrnamaint yn Lloegr, ac

anodd y bu.

Roedd y fuddugoliaeth 2-0 dros

Albania ym Mharc yr Arfau Caerdydd ar

Fedi 7, 1994 ar benwythnos agoriadol yr

ymgyrch gymhwyso yn un o ddim ond

dwy fuddugoliaeth i Gymru yn y grŵp. Cael eu trechu gwnaeth y Dreigiau ar

eu hail gêm gan golli o 3-2 yn erbyn

Moldova yn Chişinău gyda’r tîm isel eu safle yn croesawu Cymru yn eu hail gêm

gymhwyso erioed yn eu hanes.

“Wnes i ddim chwarae yn y gêm ond

mae’n anodd delio gydag unrhyw dro

mae Cymru’n cael eu trechu, yn enwedig

yn erbyn gwlad rydych chi’n disgwyl ei

churo,” dywed Rush. “Roedd ‘na ychydig

o ganlyniadau fel ‘na yn ystod fy ngyrfa i

Gymru ond y peth pwysicaf oedd ymateb

gyda buddugoliaeth yn y gêm nesaf.”

Erbyn i Foldova gyrraedd Caerdydd

ar gyfer y gêm gyfatebol ar Fedi 6, 1995,

roedd gobeithion Cymru o gymhwyso bron

â diflannu. Er hynny, rhoddodd y Dreigiau

berfformiad proffesiynol ym Mharc yr

Arfau Caerdydd gyda buddugoliaeth o 1-0

yn erbyn eu hymwelwyr o ddwyrain Ewrop.

Yn rhan o’r tîm a ddechreuodd ar y noson

oedd y ddau o Reading, Adrian Williams a

Lee Nogan, gyda’r ail yn ennill ei ail gap a’i

gap olaf i’w wlad.

“Wnaethon ni ddim gweld llawer o Lee

(Nogan) ar ddechrau gemau ond roedd

o bob tro yno wrth gefn,” dywed Rush a

ddechreuodd ar y blaen gyda Nogan a

Mark Hughes ar y dydd. “Byddai wedi bod

yn dda iddo gael dechrau...fel diolch iddo

am fod ar gael i gwrdd â’r garfan pan oedd

o’n cael ei ddewis.”

Yn y gêm gyntaf gan adain rheolwr newydd

Bobby Gould, gôl Gary Speed a roddodd

Gymru ar y blaen ddeg munud mewn i’r

ail hanner. Roedd yn ddigon i sicrhau’r

fuddugoliaeth o flaen cynulleidfa 6,721.

Gwelodd fuddugoliaeth i’r Almaen a gêm

gyfartal gydag Albania Gymru’n gorffen yn

bumed yng ngrŵp 7, pwynt yn unig y tu ôl i Foldova.

Ychydig fyddai’n rhagweld yng

nghyfnod siomedig o fethu allan ar UEFA

Euro 1996 y byddai Cymru yn cyrraedd

gêm gynderfynol Pencampwriaeth

Ewropeaidd dau ddegawd yn

ddiweddarach. Mae’r Ymddiriedolaeth

Bêl-droed Cymru, ble mae Rush yn

Gyfarwyddwr Perfformiad Elit, wedi

chwarae rhan fawr yn nyrchafiad y tîm

cenedlaethol ers hynny.

“Wyth mlynedd yn ôl, fe wnaethom

roi rhaglen lawr gwlad mewn lle fel rhan o

ad-drefnu CBD Cymru ar y pryd,” esbonia

Rush. “Rydym wedi gweld ryw ddeg

chwaraewr yn dod trwy’r lefelau ieuenctid

gwahanol o’r rhaglen yna i fod yn rhan

o’r garfan ar gyfer yr Ewros. Mae hynny’n

brawf yn dangos os ydych chi’n plannu’r

hadau’n iawn ar lawr gwlad yna byddant yn

dwyn ffrwyth yn y diwedd.

“Er mwyn bod yn llwyddiannus fel

tîm cenedlaethol, roedden ni angen pob

mathau o gyfleusterau ac isadeiledd

byddai’r chwaraewyr ifanc wedi arfer gyda

nhw mewn clybiau’r Uwch Gynghrair.

Roedden ni angen cyfleusterau hyfforddi

fel Parc y Dreigiau ac, yn hanfodol,

roedden ni angen yr hyfforddwyr gorau

posib. Mae Osian Roberts a’i staff hyfforddi

yn arbennig ac yn haeddu clod anferth

am beth mae Cymru wedi’i gyflawni yn y

blynyddoedd diweddar.”

ATGOFION Y GÊMSGORIWR GORAU CYMRU, IAN RUSH, SY’N SIARAD GYDA ANDY GREEVES AM Y FUDDUGOLIAETH 1-0 DROS FOLDOVA AR FEDI 6, 1995.

36 www.faw.cymru

www.faw.cymru 37

WHAT A SUMMER! FSF Cymru would like to welcome any Moldova supporters who have

made the long journey to the Cardiff City Stadium this evening in what

should be a full house for the first of the World Cup qualifiers on the

long road to Russia 2018.

The summer of 2016 will never be forgotten as Wales got to game

49 out of 51 and the semi-finals of the UEFA EURO 2016.

It was an extremely busy time for the FSF Cymru fan embassy

team and we dealt with over 300 calls to our help line and personal

phones. There were thousands of interactions between the fan

embassy and the fans during the 6 games, over 20 calls from

supporters in Bordeaux unable to get home late at night due to no

taxis and over 60 fans were assisted who had missed their transport

home from various games.

We received reports of at least a dozen fans being beaten up or

mugged plus 7 people were reported missing to us by distressed

friends or family, thankfully all were later found.

We also had over 30 calls about lost passports and, finally, over 20

reports of robberies or pick pocket attacks in metros and subways.

Taking all the above into account it has to be remembered that

over 100,000 Welsh fans travelled to France and had a fantastic time,

the French people were full of praise for them and we were welcomed

at every host city with open arms.

The fans became known as the ‘Red Wall’ inside the stadiums and

we were so proud to be part of it all.

Now the new campaign begins and we have record numbers of

tournament ticket holders and new FAW members.

We have started preparing our information booklet ahead of

next month’s game in Austria, where we anticipate over 3,000 Welsh

fans will make that trip with a large proportion opting to stay in

Bratislava for a few days before the game, where the beer and food

is so much cheaper.

We have been up to North Wales in the summer where we hosted

a meeting of Welsh supporters in Llandudno Junction where nearly

50 fans attended and it is hoped that a group can be formed in the

area to represent the views and ideas of the North Wales fan base.

A database has now been created and hopefully it can be used to

benefit fans with travel to home and away games but also to improve

communications and enable the group to put their points

to the FAW at our regular fan meetings throughout the campaign

and into the future. If you would be interested in joining the North

Wales supporters group please contact me, Paul Corkrey, at

Ppaul69@aol.com.

You can join the FSF free by signing up at www.fsf.org.uk/join/.

AM HAF!

Hoffai FSF Cymru groesawu unrhyw gefnogwyr Moldova sydd wedi

teithio o bell i Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd heno a ddylai fod yn llawn

dop ar gyfer y cyntaf o’r gemau gymhwyso Cwpan y Byd ar y daith hir

i Rwsia 2018.

Ni fydd neb yn anghofio haf 2016 gyda Chymru yn cyrraedd gêm

49 allan o 51 a rownd gynderfynol UEFA EURO 2016.

Roedd hi’n amser prysur iawn i dîm llysgenhadaeth y cefnogwyr

FSF Cymru yn delio gyda dros 300 o alwadau i’n llinell gymorth a

ffonau personol. Fe wnaeth llysgenhadaeth y cefnogwyr gysylltu

gyda miloedd dros gyfnod y 6 gêm, gyda 20 galwad gan gefnogwyr

yn Bordeaux yn methu a chael tacsi yn hwyr yn y nos a dros 60 o

gefnogwyr yn derbyn cymorth ar ôl methu eu cludiant adref o

gemau gwahanol.

Rydym wedi derbyn cofnodion o dros ddwsin o gefnogwyr yn

cael eu hymosod arno neu’n cael eu heiddo wedi’i ddwyn. Cawsom

alwadau gan ffrindiau a theulu 7 person yn nodi eu bod wedi mynd ar

goll a diolchwn eu bod wedi eu darganfod.

Cawsom 30 galwad am basbortau wedi eu colli a 20 achos o bic

poced ar y Metro neu danlwybrau.

Er hyn oll, rhaid cofio bod dros 100,000 o gefnogwyr Cymru wedi

teithio i Ffrainc a chael amser anhygoel, roedd y Ffrancwyr yn llawn

canmoliaeth ac roedd croeso cynnes ym mhob dinas ble roedd Cymru

yn chwarae.

Cafodd y cefnogwyr eu hadnabod fel y ‘Wal Goch’ o fewn stadiwm

y dinasoedd gyda phob un yn falch o fod yn rhan o bopeth.

Nawr mae’r ymgyrch nesaf yn dechrau gyda nifer o docynnau

twrnamaint ac aelodau CBD Cymru yn torri record.

Rydym wedi dechrau paratoi ein llyfryn gwybodaeth ar gyfer ein

gêm yn erbyn Awstria fis nesaf ble byddwn yn disgwyl i dros 3,000

o gefnogwyr Cymru wneud y daith gyda nifer fawr yn dewis aros yn

Bratislava am ychydig ddyddiau cyn y gêm ble bydd cwrw a bwyd

llawer yn rhatach.

Rydym hefyd wedi bod yng Ngogledd Cymru yn yr haf gan gynnal

cyfarfod i gefnogwyr Cymru yng Nghyffordd Llandudno ble daeth

50 o gefnogwyr i’n gweld. Rydym yn gobeithio creu grŵp yn yr ardal i gynrychioli syniadau a gweledigaeth cefnogwyr y gogledd.

Mae basdata nawr wedi ei greu a gobeithiwn byddai o ddefnydd i

gefnogwyr sy’n teithio i gemau i ffwrdd a gartref ond hefyd er mwyn

gwella cyfathrebu a galluogi i’r grŵp roi eu barn i’r GBD Cymru yn ein cyfarfodydd cefnogwyr rheolaidd drwy gydol yr ymgyrch ac yn

y dyfodol. Os oes gennych ddiddordeb ymuno â grŵp cefnogwyr Gogledd Cymru cysylltwch â mi, Paul Corkey ar Ppaul69@aol.com .

Gallwch ymuno â’r FSF am ddim drwy fynd ar wefan www.fsf.org.uk/join/

38 www.faw.cymru

BAILEY CUTTS – HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday to Bailey Cutts who is

9 today! What a great way to celebrate a

Birthday here in Cardiff for this World Cup

Qualifier against Moldova.

Bailey’s favourite teams are Wales

(obviously), Cardiff City and Real Madrid. His

favourite player is Gareth Bale.

Bailey is currently in the Cardiff City

advanced development squad and Merthyr

Town academy and also plays for his local

side Carnetown AFC. He attends Ysgol

Gymraeg Abercynon where he is in year 4.

Bailey attends all home Wales games

and was aged just 4 when he attended his

first on 12 November 2011, when we beat

Norway 4 – 1. In the summer Bailey spent

18 days taking in all of Wales’ group games

at EURO 2016 with his family and the Round

of 16 game against Northern Ireland.

NATHAN GRIFFITHS

Happy Birthday to Nathan Griffiths who

is 15 today! Nathan comes from Aberdare

and attends St John the Baptist school in

Aberdare.

He plays for Cambrian & Clydach Vale

Academy and has been a Wales Supporters

Club member for 8 years.

Nathan was lucky enough to see Wales

play England at EURO 2016, shame about

the result in that game but we did ok in the

rest of the completion!

Nathan, we hope you have a great time

watching Wales against Moldova here at

Cardiff City Stadium this evening.

GÔL APPEAL UPDATEThe Gôl Appeal, the Wales Football Supporters Charity who aim to help under-privileged

children wherever Wales play, was formed in 2002 by a group of Wales Supporters, with the work

of Gôl continuing thanks to the fans.

A number of good causes were helped this summer by Gôl, starting with a visit to the Astrid

Lindgren Children’s Hospital in Stockholm with £750 donated to help the hospital purchase

equipment for its new Sensory Room at the Play Centre.

Onwards towards France and Gôl’s plans for the group stage consisted of taking 13-year-old

Tom Morris to the game against Slovakia with his mum Clare.

Tom was diagnosed in October 2014 with Malignant Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma,

which is a form of Cancer that is formed from Soft Tissue. He had surgery to remove the

tumor and started an 8-month course of Chemotherapy straight away. Due to the strength of

Chemotherapy he received Tom suffers with a condition called Drop Foot which has affected

the nerves and muscles in his hands and feet.

Tom finished his treatment in May 2015 and was told the news in June 2015 that he was in

remission, he currently still has hospital check-up’s and scans.

The trip couldn’t have gone better for Tom, who watched his heroes on that historic day in

Bordeaux. He even had his photo taken with Ian Rush along with thousands of other Wales fans.

Next on Gôl’s list was two hospital visits in Bordeaux and Lens. Toys and souvenirs from wales

were donated to the children at both hospitals while in Lens a donation of €500 was made by

Gôl to help develop the ‘Treatment through Playing’ programme at the hospital.

With Wales qualifying for the knockout stages Gôl managed to organise three more good

causes to support. Care4Calais were visited first on the way to the Northern Ireland game. They

provide supplies to the Refugee Camps in Calais and football kit donated from clubs in Wales

were given out by Gôl.

Lille children’s hospital was then visited before the quarter final match with Belgium, with a

number of toys donated to the children here, while onto the semi-final against Portugal and a

trip of a lifetime for an orphan from Lesotho, Southern Africa.

Gôl sponsored Paraffin, to come to Lyon for the Streetfootball World Festival - a tournament

involving 500 underprivileged children from all over the world. Little did he know when the

donation was made in March he would also get the chance to watch his new team in action and

meet one of the players in Joe Allen.

He had flown for the first time 3 days before and on match day scored 5 for his country at the

festival. Even though our dreams ended that night in Lyon, the dreams will last forever for this

13-year-old thanks to all the Wales fans.

Moving on to the future and at the game tonight there will be children from LATCH, Ty Hafan

and Game On here in conjunction with the Football Association of Wales and Gôl. Next month,

Gôl will be bringing two orphans over from the city of Kutaisi in Georgia, which is twinned with

Newport.

Gôl can’t help all these good causes without your support.

A special mention to Wales fan Leigh James who organised a raffle in France that raised over

£1000 and to Suzanne Twamley at the FAW and the players for organising and signing several

Wales shirts for Leigh to raffle.

Donations can still be made at: www.justgiving.com/france16

www.faw.cymru 39

The pre EURO build up began thanks to

organisation of Abi Haywood and Ben

Thompson who on behalf of Vauxhall

sponsored the game against Northern

Ireland at the Principality Stadium. Only

Wales manager Neil Dymock knew of the

venue and between the three of them they

managed to keep it a secret until a bus

picked all the players up from the Leckwith

to take them to the stadium. With Iwan

Roberts and Gerry Taggert on hand to

assist, both teams fought out an epic 3-3

draw, thanks to goals from Tom Bowen,

Daniel Shon and Nathan Davies.

A few days later, the team assembled

in Kiev to face a strong Ukraine team

made up of ex-pros and Internationals,

including Oleg Salenko top scorer at the

1994 World Cup in the USA. Wales had

a poor start and found themselves lucky

to be only 3-0 down at half time, thanks

to heroic defending from Huw Williams,

Wyn Lewis and Tim Hartley. However, with

several substitutions at half time, six players

winning their first caps, Wales stormed back

to score through Dave O’Gorman, Tom

Bowen and Seffan Tomos. The game was to

be decided on a best of three penalties and

after Ukraine missed their second penalty,

it was left to Geraint Jones to slot home for

the unlikeliest of results. Jordan Rafcliffe

and Tom Bowen had scored Wales other

penalties, while that man Salenko couldn’t

miss for Ukraine. A special mention for

Gerallt Lyall, who inspired the comeback

with an outstanding performance.

Onto Stockholm and a match organised

by Camp Sweden. Despite the 10 o’clock

kick off, Wales went 2-0 up midway through

the first half thanks to goals from Jamie

Matthews and Gareth Godwin, before

Sweden pulled it back to 2-2 at half time,

despite Leigh James making several superb

saves. However, after some fine tuning

at the interval, Wales produced a superb

defensive display in the second half, winning

the game with a 30 yard strike from Jamie

Matthews, his second of the game.

France beckoned and the next game

was against a French Club side in Bordeaux

called Merignac FC, who had failed to read

the script and fielded a team of semi-pros.

Despite Wales being 5-1 down at the

interval, with only a consolation from Wyn

Lewis, it was left to Tom Keohane to make

the scoreline respectable with a couple of

late goals to make the home side sweat for

a few minutes.

The next game was another against a

club side, this time Toulouse Saint Jo.

Wales were this time up against the

club’s coaches, but many were ex-pros.

Despite Will Johnson continuing his

remarkable scoring feats for Wales and

the heroics of goalkeeper Luke James, it

was another one-sided game with Saint Jo

running out 4-1 winners.

Finally, it was back to an international

team, Russia. The authorities wouldn’t

sanction the game within the city limits

of Toulouse due to security reasons, so

the game was taken 5 miles outside. Will

Johnson announced before the game

kicked off that this would be his last

international, so he was given the captaincy

in his honour. Sion Cox scored a hat trick

to salvage a draw, after Wales had been

3-1 down.

After the group stage everyone was

too excited watching the first team so

no further games were organised in the

tournament.

The next Wales Supporters match

will be on match day in Vienna against

Austria. Anyone wishing to take part

or watch, please email Neil Dymock on

walessupportersteam@aol.com.

THE SUPPORTERS TEAM AT EURO 2016

www.faw.cymru 41

MOLDOVA ONES TO WATCH

IGOR DOBROVOLSKI Head Coach

Back for a second spell in-charge of the

Moldovan national team, Dobrovolski brings

to the role a wealth of experience gained

from a nomadic playing career that saw

him play in Spain, Italy, France, Russia and

Germany before ending that particular

chapter of his football career in Moldova

with Tiligul Tiraspol in 2006. Has managed

clubs in Moldova and Russia, and held the

national team job between 2007 and 2009.

However, Dobrovolski is best

remembered for his efforts at the 1988

Olympic Games in Seoul, winning a gold

medal with Russia USSR and finishing as

the tournaments top goalscorer with six

goals. Soviet Footballer of the Year in 1990

and a UEFA Champions League winner with

Marseille in 1993, Dobrovolski will now look

to emulate his playing success in his current

coaching role, but has only tasted victory

once since returning to the job after four

games back in charge.

ALEXANDRU EPUREANUClub : Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey)

Age : 29

Position : Defender

Who is he? : One of Moldova’s most famous

and well-known players having starred

for the national team since 2006. Came

through the youth team ranks at Zimbru

Chisinau before progressing to the senior

side in 2002. Switched to Moldovan league

rivals Sheriff Tirspol in 2004 before heading

to the riches of the Russian Premier

League, and captained Anzhi Makhachkala

for a brief period. Now playing his football in

Turkey with Istanbul Basaksehir, Epureanu

is one of the country’s leading appearance

holders, and remains a key part of their

defence after a decade of international

football. Has scored seven goals for

Moldova in 73 games.

ARTUR IONITAClub : Cagliari (Italy)

Age : 26

Position : Midfielder

Who is he? : Another player to come

through the youth ranks of Moldovan

side Zimbru Chisinau, Artur Ionita has

since enjoyed a nomadic club career that

has taken him to Switzerland and Italy

from his early days in the lower Moldovan

leagues. Has a decent goal return from

midfield and became a key member of the

Moldava Under-21 side between 2009 and

2012, making 22 appearances. Although

Ionita has also played for the senior side

since 2009, the first of his two senior

international goals did not arrive until

October 2013 when he was on target in

the 5-2 win over Montenegro. Holds the

unusual record of being the first Moldovan

to score in the Italian top-flight with his

first goal for Hellas Verona coming against

Torino. Was rumoured to have been a

target for Swansea City during the summer

but any speculation ended when he joined

Calgiari. Named Moldovan Footballer of the

Year in 2014.

VICTOR GOLOVATENCOClub : FC Zaria Balti (Moldova)

Age : 32

Position : Defender

Who is he? : Another international veteran

in the Moldovan ranks, Golovatenco has

made the same number of appearances

for his country as Alexandru Epureanu (73)

heading into this latest qualifying campaign.

If both players play tonight they will equal

the appearance record of 74 held by retired

midfielder Radu Rabeja. Golovatenco is

now back playing in his native Moldova after

spending almost a decade in the Russian

Premier League, and has represented his

country as a senior international since

2004, scoring just three goals during that

time. His first goals coming in the 2-1

victory over Georgia in June 2009.

RADU GINSARIClub : Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova)

Age : 24

Position : Forward

Who is he? : A product of the Moldovan

capital of Chisinau, Radu Ginsari has

represented his country at Under-19 and

Under-21 level, but has only scored once

since making his senior in 2012. With only

10 international appearances since his

debut, Ginsari has found his opportunities

limited, but with his only goal coming in the

teams last match against Switzerland in

June he will be hoping that this qualifying

campaign will help him establish himself in

the side. Has scored nine goals for Sheriff

Tiraspol in the Moldovan top division but

has been hindered in his strike-rate by his

ability to drop back and play in midfield.

MOLDOFA Y RHAI I’W GWYLIO

ALEXANDRU EPUREANUClwb: Istanbul Basaksehir (Twrci)

Oed: 29

Rôl: Amddiffynnwr

Pwy yw e’? : Yn un o chwaraewyr enwocaf

a mwyaf adnabyddus Moldova mae wedi

serennu i’r tîm cenedlaethol ers 2006.

Daeth trwy’r timau ieuenctid yn Zimbru

Chisinau cyn symud i fyny i’r lefel uwch

yn 2002. Aeth drosodd i wrthwynebwyr

Cynghrair Moldova, Sheriff Tirspol, yn 2004

cyn ymuno â chyfoeth Uwch Gynghrair

Rwsia fel capten i Anzhi Makhachkala am

gyfnod byr. Nawr yn chwarae pêl-droed

yn Nhwrci gyda Istanbul Basaksehir,

mae Epureanu ymhlith y rhai sydd wedi

ymddangos mwyaf i’w wlad, ac yn parhau i

chwarae rôl allweddol fel amddiffynnwr wedi

degawd o bêl-droed rhyngwladol. Mae wedi

sgorio saith gôl i Foldova mewn 73 gêm.

ARTUR IONITAClwb: Cagliari (Yr Eidal)

Oed: 26

Rôl: Canol cae

Pwy yw e’? : Yn un arall a ddaeth trwy’r timau

ieuenctid clwb Zimbru Chisinau, mae Artur

Ionita wedi mwynhau gyrfa glwb nomadig

sydd wedi mynd ag ef i’r Swistir a’r Eidal

ers ei ddyddiau cynnar yng nghynghreiriau

isaf Moldova. Gyda record goliau da o

ganol cae, roedd yn aelod allweddol i dîm

dan-21 Moldova rhwng 2009 a 2012 gan

ymddangos 22 o weithiau. Er bod Ionita

wedi chwarae ar gyfer y garfan uwch ers

2009, daeth ei ddwy gôl ryngwladol gyntaf

ddim tan Hydref 2013 gyda’i giciau’n taro’r

targed mewn buddugoliaeth 5-2 dros

Montenegro. Mae’n dal y record anarferol

o fod y chwaraewr cyntaf o Foldova i

sgorio ar lefel uchaf pêl-droed yn Yr Eidal

gyda’i gôl gyntaf i Hellas Verona yn erbyn

Torino. Roedd sôn ei fod yn darged i Ddinas

Abertawe yn ystod yr haf ond diweddodd

unrhyw sïon pan ymunodd â Calgiari.

Cafodd ei enwi yn Chwaraewr y Flwyddyn

Moldova yn 2014.

www.faw.cymru 43

VICTOR GOLOVATENCOClwb: FC Zaria Balti (Moldova)

Oed: 32

Rôl: Amddiffynnwr

Pwy yw e’?: Yn chwaraewr rhyngwladol

profiadol i Foldova, mae Golovatenco wedi

ymddangos i’w wlad yr un nifer o weithiau

ag Alexandru Epureanu (73) wrth edrych

ymlaen am yr ymgyrch gymhwyso nesaf.

Os fydd y ddau chwaraewr yn

ymddangos heno byddant yn gyfartal

gyda’r record o 74 gêm sy’n cael ei ddal gan

chwaraewyr canol cae Radu Rabeja. Mae

Golovatenco nawr yn ôl yn chwarae gartref

ym Moldova wedi treulio bron i ddegawd yn

Uwch Gynghrair Rwsia, ac wedi cynrychioli

ei wlad ar lefel ryngwladol ers 2004 a sgorio

ddim ond tair gôl ers hynny. Daeth ei gôl

gyntaf mewn buddugoliaeth 2-1 yn erbyn

Georgia ym Mehefin 2009.

RADU GINSARIClwb: Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova)

Oed: 24

Rôl: Blaenwr

Pwy yw e’?: Yn wreiddiol o brif ddinas

Moldova Chisinau, mae Radu Ginsari wedi

cynrychioli ei wlad ar lefelau Dan-19 a

Dan-21 ond wedi sgorio unwaith yn unig

ers ymddangos ar lefel uwch yn 2012.

Yn ymddangos ddim ond 10 gwaith yn

rhyngwladol ers ei gêm gyntaf, prin iawn

oedd cyfleon Ginsari, ond gyda’i unig gôl yn

ymddangos yng ngêm olaf y tîm yn erbyn Y

Swistir fis Mehefin byddai’n gobeithio bydd

yr ymgyrch cymhwyso’n ei helpu i sefydlu ei

hun o fewn y garfan. Mae wedi sgorio naw

gôl i Sheriff Tiaspol yn adran uchaf Moldova

ond mae ei raddfa sgorio wedi ei ddal yn ôl

gan ei allu i chwarae yng nghanol cae.

Igor Dobrovolski - Prif Hyfforddwr

Yn ôl ar gyfer ei ail gyfnod yn rheoli tîm

cenedlaethol Moldova, mae Dobrovolski yn

dod â phrofiad cyfoethog i’r rôl wedi gyrfa

nomadig yn ei weld yn chwarae yn Sbaen, Yr

Eidal, Ffrainc, Rwsia a’r Almaen cyn gorffen

ei yrfa o chwarae pêl-droed ym Moldova

gyda Tiligul Tiraspol yn 2006. Mae wedi

rheoli clybiau ym Moldova a Rwsia, gan ddal

y swydd gyda’r tîm cenedlaethol rhwng

2007 a 2009. Er hyn, mae Dobrovolski yn

cael ei gofio am ei ymdrechion yng Ngemau

Olympaidd 1988 yn Seoul, gan ennill medal

aur i’r Undeb Sofietaidd a chael ei enwi’n

sgoriwr goliau uchaf y twrnamaint gyda

chwe gôl. Yn Bêl-droediwr Sofietaidd y

Flwyddyn yn 1990 ac enillydd Cynghrair y

Pencampwyr UEFA gyda Marseille yn 1993,

bydd Dobrovolski nawr yn edrych i ail-fyw

ei lwyddiant yn ei rôl hyfforddi, wedi blasu

buddugoliaeth unwaith yn unig allan o’r

pedwar gêm ers dychwelyd i’r swydd.

Since Wales last played a football match

at home, the Football Association of

Wales has sadly seen two of its Council

Members pass away – Mr Tommy Forse

and Mr J.O Hughes.

David Griffiths, FAW President, paid

tribute and said: “My fellow Council

Members and I were deeply saddened by

the recent passing away of past President

Tommy Forse at 99 years of age, 12 weeks

before his 100th birthday.

“It was also sad that past president

J.O Hughes and life councillor Terry Harris

all passed away this year after devoted

service to the FAW and all would have

been proud of our achievements at

EURO 2016 in France and each played an

integral role in getting the FAW to where

it is today.”

Tommy was a magnificent servant to

Welsh football both on and off the field

during a long and distinguished career.

Tommy played for Cardiff City and was

an ardent supporter of the club. He also

filled numerous administrative rolls at

both local and national level.

Having joined the FAW Council in 1966,

undoubtedly the highlight of Tommy’s

career in football administration was his

Presidency of the FAW from 1989 to 1992.

J.O Hughes, who was 97, became

a Council Member of the FAW in 1973

and was a founding member of the

Anglesey Football League during

the 1940s, playing a key role in the

establishment of the competition.

J.O also held Secretary positions

with the Welsh Alliance Football League

and the North Wales Coast FA. Until his

passing, he was President of the Huws

Gray Alliance League.

He was well thought of both inside and

outside of Welsh football circles and in his

personal life he worked for the DVLA in

Llangefni in a role that covered the whole

of Wales and the boarders.

J.O was also a former President of the

FAW and until his passing was a Life Vice-

President of the Association.

The thoughts of everyone connected

with the FAW are with the family and

friends of Tommy Forse and J.O Hughes.

IN MEMORY

www.faw.cymru 45

VELINDRE CANCER CENTRE

You may have noticed a number of people with green buckets

standing at the turnstiles. This group of 30 dedicated

volunteers are helping raise much-needed funding for

Velindre Cancer Centre.

If cancer has touched your life, either directly or indirectly,

and you live in South Wales, then the chances are you already

know all about the excellent work which takes place at

Velindre Cancer Centre in Whitchurch, Cardiff.

From medical treatment for cancer sufferers to counselling for

the families, Velindre is always there for the people who need

the most help and support.

But this support does not come cheap and it’s through the

generous donations of the people of Wales that Velindre is

able to carry out ground breaking medical treatment and a

comprehensive care programme.

There is no such thing as a ‘small’ donation, as very penny

counts, so please give what you can.

Thank you in advance for your support.

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/TracyGoode-StephenJohnson

TONIGHT’S ANTHEM SINGER IS YOU

#TOGETHERSTRONGER

HEN WLAD FY NHADAU

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;

Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,Tros ryddid gollasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad, Gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad,Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,O bydded i’r heniaith barhau.

301

BOXESBOXES

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CARDIFF CITY STADIUM / STADIWM DINAS CAERDYDD

Patron / NoddwrH.M. The Queen

President / LlywyddMr D R Griffiths

Vice Presidents / Is-lywyddionMr D A Jones, Mr K O’Connor

Honorary Treasurer /Trysorydd AnrhydeddusMr S Williams

Life Vice Presidents / Is-Iywyddion OesMr B Fear BEM, Mr J O Hughes, Mr T Lloyd Hughes, Mr P C Pritchard, Mr P Rees, Mr D W Shanklin

Life Councillors / Cynghorwyr OesMr R Smiles, Mr K J Tucker,Mr R M Waygood, Mr C R Whitley,Mr I F Williams

Council / Y CyngorMr M Adams, Mr R Bridges, Mr D Cole,Mr K J Davies, Mr N Dymock,Mr V Edwards, Mr J Harris, Mr R K Hughes, Mr D Hinton Jones, Mr E W Jones, Mr M Jones,Mr P A Jones, Mr S Lawrence,Mr B Paton, Mr C Rowland,Mrs T Turner, Mr A Watkins,Mr G Williams, Mr I Williams,Mr W L Williams, Mr P Woosnam

Chief Executive /Prif Swyddog Gweithredol CBDCMr. J. Ford

Football Association of Wales / Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru Contributors

EditorRob Dowling

Contributors / CyfranwyrChris Coleman, Paul Corkery,Rob Dowling, Neil Dymock,Jonathan Ford, Andy Greeves,David Griffiths, Ian Gwyn Hughes,Mark Pitman, Jamie Thomas,Glen Wilson

Photography / FfotograffiaethDavid Rawcliffe (Propaganda)

Design / DylunioDesignroom Sport

48 www.faw.cymru

WALES / CYMRU

Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace)

Danny Ward (Huddersfield Town)

Owain Fôn Williams (Inverness Caledonian Thistle)

Ashley Williams (Everton)

Neil Taylor (Swansea City)

James Chester (Aston Villa)

Chris Gunter (Reading)

James Collins (West Ham United)

Ashley Richards (Cardiff City)

Paul Dummett (Newcastle United)

Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur)

Emyr Huws (Cardiff City)

Shaun MacDonald (Wigan Athletic)

Joe Allen (Stoke City)

Tom Lawrence (Ipswich Town)

Joe Ledley (Crystal Palace)

Andy King (Leicester City)

Gareth Bale (Real Madrid)

Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion)

Sam Vokes (Burnley)

David Cotterill (Birmingham City)

Simon Church (Roda JC Kerkrade)

George Williams (Milton Keynes Dons)

Manager / Rheolwr: Chris Coleman

REFEREELIANY LIRAN, ISRAEL

ASSISTANT REFEREE IBITION DAVID ELIAS, ISRAEL

ASSISTANT REFEREE 2IVIAHAGNA MAHMUD, ISRAEL

FOURTH OFFICIALPAPIR EREZ, ISRAEL

MOLDOVA

Ilie Cebanu (Mordovia)

Nicolae Calancea (CS U Craiova)

Alexei Koșelev (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Alexandru Epureanu (Istanbul BB)

Victor Golovatenco (Zaria Bălți)

Igor Armaş (Kuban)

Cătălin Carp (Viitorul)

Ion Jardan (Zimbru Chişinău)

Vitalie Bordian (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Petru Racu (Milsami Orhei)

Artur Ioniţa (Cagliari)

Eugeniu Cebotaru (Sibir)

Andrei Cojocari (Milsami Orhei)

Valeriu Andronic (Academia Chișinău)

Vladimir Ambros (Petrocub – Hîncești)

Alexandru Onica, (tustrei, Zaria Bălți)

Alexandru Antoniuc (ambii, Milsami Orhei)

Alexandru Dedov (ambii, Milsami Orhei)

Eugeniu Cociuc (Dacia Chișinău)

Alexandru Gațcan (FC Rostov)

Radu Gînsari (Sheriff Tiraspol)

Manager / Rheolwr: Igor Dobrovolski

50 www.faw.cymru

THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION OF WALES

FOUNDED 1876CYMDEITHAS BÊL-DROED CYMRU

SEFYDLWYD 1876

Contact Us / Cysylltwch â Ni: FAW / CBDCOn our website / Ar ein Gwefan:

www.faw.cymru029 2043 5830

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