Druids Till I Die!!!

     In 2001, over a hundred students moved into Mardon Hall in Exeter to begin their first year at university. Around twenty of us made up the hall’s football team which played in the university intra-mural league. As we played on Sundays, our Saturday afternoons involved sitting in the common room watching the football results come in on the vidiprinter. As the full time results came in thick and fast, someone suggested that as we all support different English clubs, we should pick a non-English club that we could all follow. Scotland seemed the obvious place to choose a team until the name ‘Flexsys Cefn Druids’ appeared on the screen. Everyone agreed that this would have to be the team for us to support as this unique name left us with no alternative!

 

     A few days later I wrote a letter to the club to get some basic information and enquire (half jokingly) about a possible visit. I was surprised therefore when I received a rapid reply to my letter packed with information, old programmes and suggested dates for a visit. The idea of a Mardon Hall ‘Druids Trip’ suddenly became a serious one and on Sunday 3^rd March, seventeen of us set off in a minibus.

 

The First trip:

 

     Cefn Mawr, near Wrexham is a fair distance from Exeter but having set off at 8am (a time previously unknown to students) we arrived at Plaskynaston Lane an hour before kick off. We got a warm welcome from everyone at the club and were given free food (yeah!) and not free beer (doh!). We cleared out what merchandise was left in the club shop at this late stage in the season, finished our second (or in some cases fourth) pints and went out to the pitch. The game, split by a swift one or two at half time ended in an unlucky two-all draw for the Druids and most of the crowd retreated to the club house. To add to their already great show of friendliness and generosity, the Druids manager and captain presented us with a signed shirt and a badge for each member of the group. The shirt, which was framed for us by the club, now hangs in the Mardon Hall bar where it will stay to encourage future generations to follow in our footsteps. The journey home involved a lot of singing and stopping at pubs but the team of two drivers eventually got us back to Exeter!

 

     After the success of the trip, our team (now called Mardon Druids) bought replica kits to wear for our games and all agreed to make the trip an annual event. It was particularly satisfying for those of us supporting smaller clubs (like the mighty Stevenage Borough) to see how much the fans of the big Premier League sides enjoyed the friendlier atmosphere at the Druids and were as keen as anyone to return next year.

 

 

The Second trip:

 

     Despite the success of the first trip, the second will be even more fondly remembered because the match itself was so good. We set off at about 7am this time in the heaviest rain I had ever seen and feared that the game would not go ahead. These fears proved ill-founded as the pitch was in fine condition when we arrived. We had our customary food and few drinks and went out to watch a game which would later be recommended for the top ten British football matches of the season in the Independent newspaper.

 

     The Druids were two nil down before the half hour but had managed to claw one back before the break through Joe Desormeaux who was later voted man of the match. The second half was one of the most exciting periods of football I have seen. The Druids were awarded two penalties (scoring one), two players from each side were sent off after a mass brawl and one deliberate hand ball and the home side eventually won three-two. To add to the atmosphere, a huge storm raged during the second half forcing all spectators under cover and adding to the intensity of the battle on the field.

 

     After the game we all returned to the club house and were asked to select the man of the match and present him with a bottle of wine. Our choice came good when Joe Desormeaux gave his bottle to us to drink!! After all the excitement, many of our players had to have a few steadying drinks and we headed home in celebratory mood. The minibus calmed down somewhere between Birmingham and Bristol and was almost silent by the time we reached Exeter. We were supposed to meet the next day at noon to watch the Worthington Cup Final but only five brave souls made it and we sat in the pub sipping water and hoping never to drink or go anywhere near Wales ever again!

 

Going against our promises to ourselves and our loved ones, we once again began the annual Druids trip on 21^st February 2004. This time we had two minibuses and a total of twenty-five people on the trip which set off around eight after some problems getting one of the buses to start. As ever the journey up was relatively uneventful but filled with an air of excitement. The half way break was not a break from tradition as Andy Mathers strolled back to the bus long after everyone else for his customary penalty drink!

 

Our arrival in Cefn Mawr occurred in good time and the nine new participants of the trip were given plenty of time to marvel at the mighty Plaskynaston Lane ground. After a few introductions a meetings with better known faces at the club, we hit the club shop, the free buffet and most importantly, the bar! Some suspicious eyebrows were raised as six of our number were hardly drinking (excluding the drivers and our new T-totaller Billy Brewster) and looking nervous. Half an hour before kick-off these six disappeared from the bar and changed into the full kit of the famous Druids. This was of course in readiness for the new feature of the trip, the penalty shootout.

 

As the advertised opposition (NEWI College) did not appear, Mardon Druids five penalty maestros (and ‘keeper of course) found themselves up against the substitutes for the Cefn Druids first team. From the moment Mardon favourate Joe Desormeaux’s penalty struck the post the crowd sensed an upset. A great save from Dave ‘Shaggy’ Rogers in goal and cool finishes from Alex Morrison, Ross Ellison, Ed Marsh and Mark Vesey gave Mardon Druids a four-three victory over their heroes!!! Dave Walley was the unlucky one to miss but it turned out not to affect the result so we hear his counseling is going well! After another swift visit to the clubhouse the game began with a minute silence for former Leeds, Juventus and Wales legend John Charles.

 

The first half was as quiet as we have seen on any of the trips with Newtown taking an early lead but the Druids coming back well to equalize and give themselves a good chance in the second half. Fired up by another bar visit at the interval (I’m starting to see a pattern here!), the Mardon Druids contingent packed into the main seated stand and were joined by some enthusiastic local youngsters who added their voices to the noise. To loud chants (occasionally including some ‘colourful’ language), the Druids had a good half and were rewarded when none other than Joe Desormeaux popped up with an excellent strike for the winner. Some on the trip were disappointed that Joe didn’t dive into the crowd but in fairness to him some referees frown on that sort of thing!

 

Back in the clubhouse at full time new Mardon Druids captain and all around good guy Will Harrison presented the man-of-the-match bottle of wine to Druids ‘keeper Mike Price who looked a touch embarrassed despite making some outstanding saves. The lads then stayed on to have some curry, a few more drinks and watch some kind of crude version of football where the ball is shaped like an egg. Don’t know what that’s all about. I can’t imagine it will catch on!

 

Anyway, after a not very tearful goodbye, we left the holy land for another year and set off for home. Unlike previous years, the lads were wide awake and noisy all the way back (including a two hour hold up on the M5). This new found stamina probably had something to do with a quick drink stop here and there! The next morning, after having to clear up the buses, which was not fun in any way, we went down to Duckes meadow and despite a mystery illness affecting many of the squad we beat rivals Cuban Boys four-two. Another successful trip was over and we can all concentrate on nursing ourselves back to full fitness for next year. Thanks to everyone who made us feel so welcome at NEWI Cefn Druids F.C once again!

 

The 2005 trip was the first to be held after all the original Mardon Druids had graduated from Exeter and gone off into the 'real world'. This meant replacing the traditional mini-bus journey with loads of separate travel arrangements. To make up for this lack of drinking time (because some police forces do not allow drivers to drink vodka straight from the bottle) we arranged two nights at travel lodges for the lads. Most of the guys made it up to Chester for a Friday night out which was billed as "a curry and a couple of quite drinks" and ended with most of us sitting in a line on a dance floor pretending to row a boat at 3am. Enough said.

As the bright dawn of saturday arrived and eight wrecks dragged themselves out of far too few shared beds, the remaining members of the trip started their journeys up to Wales. To say that the guys were full of enthusiasm ahead of the big game would not be entirely accurate. In fact, there was some talk of a fry-up and an early lift back home but some eggs and bacon lifted the mood. At about 12.30 we set about the annual business of getting lost on the way to Cefn Mawr but still managed to get there in plenty of time for a few pints and a sausage roll (once again generously provided by the club).

By kick off time we were all assembled and ready to create an atmosphere worthy of and Old Firm game so we wandered out into the mighty Plaskynaston arena. The game itself proved to be the first defeat we had ever seen the Druids suffer. In truth, Haverfordwest were a little too strong for our boys who saw their chances slip away with a penalty appeal turned down and a good saved from opposition 'keeper Lee Kendall. In fact it was the ancient passtime of heckling the goalkeeper that proved the highlight of the game as he gave some hilarious abuse back to the Druids faithful. The Druids had gone one down in the first half and after the break Haverfordwest were awarded a penalty so we did the obvious thing and stood behind the goal to put him off. Apparently enraged by this, he put the ball in the net and ran up to give us the "fist of wrath" celebration which will go down as one of the best comedy moments in any of the games we've seen! Taunting a group of about ten fans at a football match just isn't the same as saluting a packed out Kop stand.

Anyway, game over and Druids looking on the brink of the drop back to the Cymru Alliance but the boys spirits were not to be dampened. A few more beers and a bit more free food (we love those Druids!) and it was off for a night out in Wrexham. Another cracking night out starting with a cab driver who told us about a hundred jokes and ending in everyone losing everyone else and forgetting where we were staying finished off another great Druids weekend.

Next morning we said our goodbyes through a haze of sleep deprivation and mysterious 'viruses' we had all developed and headed back to our various corners of the globe. A special mention should be made of JJ Moore who had to get up before 6am for a flight to Thailand which not many of us would have managed in our fragile states. Another amazing trip done and dusted and thanks again to all at the Druids for making us so welcome. Even if the worst happens and the Druids go down we will be back and cheering them on for their promotion push next year!!!

     Another Druids trip, another set of confused Welsh people wondering what these people are doing at the game. On this occasion, the game did not match the high standards set in some previous years although the Druids did deserve better than a nil-nil draw. Just as in 2005, the 2006 trip included a Friday night "warm-up" drinking session and once again, this meant that most people felt like dying on Saturday morning. Despite this fact, the lads gave the Druids some good support and managed a few beers after the game. Although the trip was highly enjoyable as ever, plans are afoot to change the format in the future to avoid everyone being so hungover when it comes to the game! Hopefully we will all arrive for next year's game in the peak of fitness and ready to get behind the team.

The sixth annual Druids trip saw a change from the tradition of attending Saturday afternoon games. This time it was a Friday night match under the floodlights against high-flying Rhyl. With one of the remaining "Druids till I die" members due to be married the next week, numbers were down to eight but that didn't stop the boys from maintaining a noisy presence at Plaskynaston throughout the game. Sadly, the Druids couldn't pull off an upset and went down to a battling 3-2 defeat.

Having left university, the members of our group had to come to North Wales for all over the country from locations including London, Cornwall and the Isle of Man. However, it took all of five seconds to find our old routine and by kick off a few warming beers had gone down as protection against the cold outside. Joined by some young Druids enthusiasts, the lads cheers on the team and heckled the Rhyl players for no good reason as always.

At full time the crowd, which was far larger than we had seen before, retreated to the club house for a few more drinks and some warming food. Despite the result, we got the usual friendly welcome from all at the club and we will look forward to our next visit over the next year.

Of the fifteen people who made it to the first ever Druids trip from Exeter, only seven remained before this year. However, the number is down to five as Tom Barnes and Andy Mathers decided to pull out and bring shame on their families. Better luck next life boys!

As we rush towards a full decade of Druids madness, the lads enjoyed another awesome trip to the holy land. This time it was old enemy Haverfordwest who made the trip to Plaskynaston Lane for the match. A one nil win confirmed the Druids highest ever top flight finish with Chris McGinn's goal securing the points.

The usual bad behaviour and excessive drinking made the trip as unforgettable (and for some, instantly forgettable) as ever. A certain member of the crew seemed more interested in middle-aged women than a footballing pilgimage but we like Vesey most of the time so we can forgive him. Until next year...