FAW Trophy: Count us out says Mac

23/09/2010 @ 03:11

Early season Cup congestion has prompted Montgomery Town manager Clive McNamee to pledge that his side won’t be entering the FAW Trophy next season.

The Town were knocked out last week at Blaenau Ffestiniog – leaving just Llansantffraid Village from the area still in the competition at the third round stage – but coupled with the side’s Welsh Cup involvement, Montgomery have played just three league games and are nine points off Spar Division Two pacesetters Kerry, who they meet Saturday.

“Although I have never said that we will win the league, it is our priority and because of the cups we have found ourselves off the early pace, but we will try and put that right on Saturday,” said the former Welshpool Town boss.

“We will have to look at it next season, but I can say now that we won’t be entering the FAW Trophy. It is a great competition but to win it you only get 3k which you can almost get by reaching the third round of the Welsh Cup.

“The Spar Division Two is a new challenge for us. It is going to be a long season and obviously we would have liked to have played more than three league matches by now.”

Despite Saturday’s blip which McNamee described as it “probably the worst performance since we reformed” Montgomery have been a form team so far and Saturday’s match has the potential to be an epic.

“I am annoyed with the defeat (2-0 at Blaenau) because we have set our standards a lot higher than that,” he said. “There were no positives to take from the game and we must dust ourselves down for our visit to Kerry. That defeat has gone now and we must move on, but I will remind the players of how they felt at full time last week.”

Montgomery have been without the experience of Geraint Windsor, Luke Tanner, Jamie Bocking, Shane Kirkham and Mike Cockram for most of the season due to injury and work commitments so will have a formidable squad once all are available. McNamee has also placed seven days notice on an unnamed defender stating “it would be unfair on the player and his club to reveal who it is”.