PERS. INFORMATION

CLUB HISTORY

Club	Years
Aberystwyth Town FC	Youth – 2022
Penybont FC	2022 – 2024
Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC	2024
Trefelin Boys & Girls Club	2024 – 2025
Llanelli Town AFC	2025 –

INTERVIEW

Introduce yourself…

My name’s Alex, I’m a goalkeeper for Llanelli in the Cymru Premier. Away from football I work in project management and enjoy a bit of golf and padel in my spare time.

How do you prepare mentally for matches, especially as a goalkeeper where mistakes are magnified?

I have a little notebook that I use to write some notes on the opposition from watching clips of previous games. I’ll then go back to my and write some notes about how the game went and some areas to improve for next week.

How did your journey in football begin, and what first attracted you to playing as a goalkeeper?

My dad played professionally as a goalkeeper and always worked in football when I was growing up, so there was only going to be goalkeeping for me.

What was your experience like coming through the youth setup at Aberystwyth Town?

I joined Aberystwyth when I was about 14 having moved from South Wales with my mother. Had some great years with a talented age group, alongside the likes of Lee Jenkins, who’s gone on to do really well for himself. We went on to be Welsh Champions 2 years in a row as U19s, finishing ahead of professional sides in Swansea & TNS.

Your move to Penybont FC was an important early step. How did that opportunity come about?

My last manager at Aber, Antonio Corbisiero, played with Penybont’s manager, Rhys Griffiths, at Llanelli in their playing days and it was a conversation between them two that got the ball rolling as far as I’m aware.

What did Penybont teach you about handling pressure and competition for places?

I was a bit young and naïve when I joined Penybont, and was very confident in my ability. I was used to being a young number 2, but was also keen to play. It was a quick learning curve coming from an environment at Aberystwyth where we’d been competing at the lower end of the Welsh Prem, to come into Penybont where the goal was Europe. I was fortunate I got to play a fair number of games that year and ultimately was playing the 3 last games of the season that saw us do enough to qualify for Europe.

How did your move to Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC differ from your previous experiences?

My time at Ferry was a bit disappointing, I never felt I really got much of an opportunity to show what I was capable of, only really playing due to injuries and ultimately leaving was the right thing for me.

Your spell at Trefelin Boys & Girls Club was another key chapter. How did that environment help you grow?

I loved my time at Trefelin and had a great relationship with my fellow GK and our GK coach. I went there knowing I wasn’t going to be number 1 from the word go but I always backed myself to get in at some point during the season and was able to contribute to us winning a trophy.

What attracted you to joining Llanelli Town AFC, and how did the move come about?

It was an odd one, I’d started the season for Trefelin and played reasonably well but a couple of mistakes were enough to cause the manager to bring a keeper with a bit more experience in than myself, and he came from Llanelli. Within a few hours I’d spoken with Lee at Llanelli and it was a no brainer for me to come in and challenge myself to be playing the Welsh Prem again.

How would you describe your current goalkeeping style compared to when you first started out?

I’d like to think I’ve come on a lot in the last 3-4 years which have had a lot of ups and downs when it comes to playing regularly. I’ve learned to put a lot less pressure on myself and enjoy my football regardless and I feel that’s lead to me becoming far more consistent. I’ve never held any hard feelings with previous managers for the decisions they’ve made. For all the things I’d do well, I wasn’t reliable enough. Hopefully I’ve shaken that for the main part, although mistakes are part of the job.