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Historic Welsh club’s future in jeopardy after manager and all their players walk out

Much loved historic Welsh club Cefn Druids AFC are in jeopardy after their manager and entire playing squad have took to walk out.

The club finished 7th in the second tier this season following relegation from the Cymru Premier in 2022.

Druids, who are one of the oldest and most significant clubs in Wales, took part in the Europa League qualifying matches back in 2018.

The club, just down the road from Wrexham, had only two victories in the season 2021-22, being relegated to the Welsh Football Premier League.

Druids have been banned from signing players in January for two transfer windows, after being accused of violating Fifa’s transfer guidelines during the previous season.

Neil Ashton, who is an ex-Wrexham player who was appointed as manager at the beginning of the season, named only nine players to play in the final league match of the season at Prestatyn in April. The game ended with an 8-0 defeat.

After the departure of its squad, the club’s future is now in a state of uncertainty.

The players and the new boss Neil Ashton released a joint statement confirming they had walked out. They cited a dispute regarding payment of wages, amongst other things. 

 

A statement from the players and management, as reported by the Daily Post, reads: “Sadly as a management and playing staff we feel the need to put a few things straight about what has gone on this season at Cefn Druids. The season started with high hopes of battling for the league… unfortunately behind the scenes didn’t reflect what the players were doing on the pitch – lack of training kit and club attire made us look more like a Sunday League team than a Cymru North, but this didn’t deter us and we continued to perform to the best of our ability.

“But January came and the cracks started appearing – transfer embargo, rumours of unpaid wages started spreading, exodus of young players and wage payments started becoming delayed.

“Multiple players were waiting longer than three weeks (to be paid) but we continued to play for our own pride and to attempt to finish as high as possible.

“We feel we were taken for granted a bit and that we would essentially play for free. It got to the point where we had eight players available for the last game of the season and we still played when most would have gone home but we knew the club would get fined £10,000 if we didn’t play so we chose to play.

“The season is now over and collectively we will all be leaving Cefn Druids. It’s a sad state of affairs but we as a group cannot condone the treatment we have endured and then go back again for more next season.

“The club has sadly delayed payments to this date with many of us being owed more than two weeks wages and we are almost three weeks after the season has finished. There are a lot of good people within the club but it’s not the club we signed for and wanted to be a part of.”

Cefn Druids chairman Des Williams said the statement “incorrect” and “inaccurate”.

“It has been brought to my attention that a statement has been made by the management and players of the club and circulated on social media. I’m personally saddened that they have taken to this course of action and made comments that are incorrect, inaccurate and is a deliberate attempt to cast a shadow on the club and myself.”

This is what Twitter users are saying with the historic Welsh club in jeopardy after their manager and entire playing squad walk out…

@1matthewburgess: Players must be completely fabricating claims then. Shame to see club in this state.

@Stevewxm85: Absolute basket case of a club nowadays 🤦‍♂️

@tjrin21: Horrendous stuff. Credit to the players that played that last game, and understanding to those who felt enough was enough. Druids is a shadow of the club it once was. Used to be a pillar of the Cefn, Rhosymedre, Plas Madoc community.

@GavPritchard98: Leave. The. Club. 🖕🤡

@MattParkes4: denial can’t take ownership of the shit show he’s created !!

@fearlessidzine: What a mess at Druids.

@PaulMuncher39: 😮. I wonder who’s fault this will be then? Fair play to all the playing staff for sticking at it, seems like dreadful circumstances. It really shows what they are about 👏 It further verifies what every1 already knows, 1 person killing a football club & its connected community

@RhysDavid87: What is going on with Cefn Druids?

@DewiHughes_: That leech of a chairman has killed that club. Massive massive shame.

@mossfc1: Circus 🎪. That mr tumbles and clowns 🤡 above Couldn’t run a bath. Such a shame, feel for the lads and parents as there was some brilliant people there. Not there fault!!! Good look Mike and hope you continue at normal club. 🤛

@DaleyBlindFC: Huge credit to the lads who stuck by the club in circumstances which many would walk away from. What’s been allowed to happen at Druids is typical of a governing body who don’t care about protecting anything other than their own egos. Not the first and won’t be the last.

@Nicgmjones: Des the 🤡

@microchip87: Who could potentially be behind the catastrophic downfall of Cefn Druids? Only one candidate 🤡

@gareth1864: Fair play Des, you really have killed that club! 😡

@tcjon19: Wow. What a shame for the people who have worked tirelessly for years to get the club to where it was. A club I played for at youth level and watched the first team many times. Proud history of what was a big part of the village I grew up in. Feel for players and fans

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