Paul Parry Has Signed for Risca United

[Gnojek]

https://clwbpeldroed.org/2022/01/25/...-wales-fa-cup/

Risca United secure huge coup as former Wales international joins.

Risca United have made a marquee signing by securing the services of former Cardiff City and Wales international Paul Parry.

The 41-year-old makes a return to senior-level football eight years after he last played for Shrewsbury Town.

It's not a world I'm familiar with so I could be talking out of turn, but I'm amazed they've signed three players from English teams. Two of them are from the Bristol/Gloucestershire area, which in itself seems far enough to me to drive to/from, but the other fella is from Stratford-upon-Avon. For all I know, he could live much closer to south Wales, but it genuinely surprises me that players would travel that far to play lower-league Welsh football, even taking in to account any obvious financial incentive. I remember being told that Bala Town FC would often field a team of players who were all driving over from Cheshire, Manchester etc to play. Again obviously money-oriented, but at least Bala were playing to a reasonable level, as well as offering the possibility of European football.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

It's not a world I'm familiar with so I could be talking out of turn, but I'm amazed they've signed three players from English teams. Two of them are from the Bristol/Gloucestershire area, which in itself seems far enough to me to drive to/from, but the other fella is from Stratford-upon-Avon. For all I know, he could live much closer to south Wales, but it genuinely surprises me that players would travel that far to play lower-league Welsh football, even taking in to account any obvious financial incentive. I remember being told that Bala Town FC would often field a team of players who were all driving over from Cheshire, Manchester etc to play. Again obviously money-oriented, but at least Bala were playing to a reasonable level, as well as offering the possibility of European football.

I remember watching a documentary about the so-called worst team in Scotland, Fort William. Geographically it's a small town in a sparsely populated part of the country. Most other sides in the Highland league play in the east side of the country, a couple of hours drive away.

They have difficulty in getting players for this reason. It was mentioned that they had a player who lived on the Isle of Skye. It was a 3 hour round trip for him to train. It wouldn't be uncommon for a midweek away game for him to make at least a 6 hour round trip and I think he got paid £25!

[Fatty Thornton]

It's not a world I'm familiar with so I could be talking out of turn, but I'm amazed they've signed three players from English teams. Two of them are from the Bristol/Gloucestershire area, which in itself seems far enough to me to drive to/from, but the other fella is from Stratford-upon-Avon. For all I know, he could live much closer to south Wales, but it genuinely surprises me that players would travel that far to play lower-league Welsh football, even taking in to account any obvious financial incentive. I remember being told that Bala Town FC would often field a team of players who were all driving over from Cheshire, Manchester etc to play. Again obviously money-oriented, but at least Bala were playing to a reasonable level, as well as offering the possibility of European football.

My local side played Aberystwyth Town in the Welsh Cup earlier this season, I was chatting to their reserve GK in the clubhouse afterwards who was ex-Swansea (lovely lad and a good laugh - incidentally their number 1 was Slovakian I think and was on the bench for the Swans for a few Prem games) - he said most of their squad are from the North West and is the norm in the Welsh Prem for sure.

Also said he loved having 400 people chanting "you Jack Bastard!" at him when he came on in the second half