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Club handed youth cup draw despite having no team hunts for players on Twitter

Ynysddu Welfare, from Caerphilly, don’t have a youth team but still hope to play their youth cup game against Briton Ferry.

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A football club has sourced players via Twitter after an incredible turn of events saw it land a spot in a youth cup competition despite having no such team.

The first the club knew about the FA Wales Youth Cup match was when the opposition engaged in some friendly rivalry on social media.

Although initially taken aback, Ynysddu Welfare Football Club, in Caerphilly, decided to embrace the opportunity and set to work finding a team.

It was soon fielding offers from eligible players across the country – unattached and between 16 and 18 – who could make the clash on October 7 against Briton Ferry.

Ben Murphy, from Ynysddu Welfare, says the youth team will be based around three of their senior players who are still eligible to play at that age level.

And the club has been so inundated with offers, it can now cherry pick a team.

“It’s about getting a bit of quality now,” Murphy told the Press Association. “It’s not an easy draw.

“I’m pretty confident we will go down there with a good side.”

Ynysddu Welfare has been going for 103 years and is currently one league below Welsh National League. In 2017/18, the team won the league and cup double.

Its youth team folded two years ago, but Murphy is hopeful this moment could change the fortunes of the youth set-up.

The quickly-established youth side has already been accredited by Gwent FA and there’s still time to register the new players as the cup competition requires.

As for how the draw came about in the first place, an FAW spokesperson said the club had probably ticked the wrong box on the organisation’s new online portal by accident at the start of the season.

He added: “It’s fantastic to see that they are now looking to honour their fixture against Briton Ferry Llansawel and recruiting local unattached players to participate in the match.

“Hopefully, this has generated community interest in the club and you never know, it could lead to a permanent youth team in the future if there’s demand for one.”

Football fans have been praising the club on Twitter, with one saying: “This is like the beginning of a film script”.

Meanwhile, the opposition for the cup game is excited about a “great game”.

It tweeted: “So after drawing a team who didn’t have a team in the Welsh Cup it now looks like we have a cup tie! Well done @ynyswelfare for your efforts hopefully a big crowd and a great game on October 7th.”

Game on.

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