HAY St Mary’s are set to drop out of the top division of Mid Wales football as its players don’t like the long journeys to away games.
Instead they hope to play in the second division of the Spar Mid Wales League which features a number of other Brecon and Radnorshire-based teams.
Hay finished seventh in last season’s first division despite being unable to field a settled side. Their geographical position means players struggle to make away games due to the travel involved and several now look set to leave the Forest Road side.
Talisman, Brendan Hackett has become frustrated in Hay not being able to field their strongest side for away games and is linked to a move to Hereford-based Wellington with other clubs also after the talented playmaker.
Matt James is again unlikely to figure regularly due to university commitments while midfielder Jordan Baker has joined South Wales Alliance League side Brecon Corries.
Chairman Martin Tong admits manager, Gareth Jenkins, and himself are devastated having put so much work in over the past three years and is calling on the Spar Mid Wales League to look at the possibility of running two zoned leagues. This is something echoed by a number of other clubs.
Competing in the first division involved away fixtures as far west as Aberaeron and as far north as Carno and Tywyn.
Tong said: “We only have seven or eight players who can commit at the moment and I would not want to see us pull out of Spar One midway through the season. We should be able to compete in Division Two where there will be a number of local derbies with the probability of games against Builth Wells, Newbridge, Penybont, Presteigne, Brecon Northcote and Talgarth Town.”
Ceredigion-based Borth, who finished third in division two, are hopeful of taking the Saints first division place.
Hay are waiting for confirmation the Football Association of Wales (FAW) will allow them to drop down to the second division. The make up of the Spar Mid Wales League’s two divisions was due to be ratified when the FAW Council met on Tuesday (June 27).
The Saints also intend to run a young side in the Mid Wales league (South). The club has a thriving junior section while their facilities are among the best in Mid Wales and Tong added: “We have a huge junior section and hopefully we can continue to bring players through and be able to one day return to Spar One.”
The FAW Council meeting was due to ratify the make-up of the Mid Wales League with relegated Llanfair United set to drop down from the Huws Gray Alliance which last season’s champions Rhayader Town have been promoted to.
Last year’s bottom club, Montgomery Town will be relegated to Division Two with Kerry and Churchstoke gaining promotion to Division One.
The FAW also have to agree to Talgarth Town and Trewern United playing in the second division as they did not finish in a top two place in their respective junior leagues.
Brecon Northcote have been accepted having been runners-up in the Watson Financial Mid Wales League (South) while Newcastle Emlyn, second in the Costcutter Ceredigion League, withdrew their application on the grounds of the travel involved.