The great and the good of west Wales football are preparing to go head to head for charity in a special match to be held in Carmarthen.
The game will see local footballers from Carmarthenshire go up against Swansea City legends of yesteryear at Johnstown Playing Fields next Saturday, and whatever happens on the pitch will be secondary to the day’s main purpose - to raise money for a cause very close to the players’ hearts.
That cause is Swans4Cancer, an independent charity set up by a group of Swansea City supporters who have been affected by cancer.
One of those taking on the Swans’ legends is a midfielder who may well have been a part of Chris Coleman’s squad at last year’s European Championship had fate dealt him a different hand.
Matthew Jones, from Llanelli, signed for then Premier League giants Leeds United at the age of 14. Capped 13 times at a young age, an expected future as the heartbeat of Wales’ midfield was curtailed abruptly by a serious injury that forced him to retire at the age of just 23.
He admits that he found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that such a promising career was ended so cruelly.
“It was soul destroying,” says Matthew, who now works as head coach of Swansea City Under-16s.
“I was establishing myself as a starter in the Wales team, and to be told by a surgeon that my career was over - it tore me apart every day.”
Despite his career being over at the top level, Matthew bounced back to play for his hometown club, Llanelli Town, helping them to win their first ever Welsh Premier League title in 2008.
Before signing for Leeds, Matthew used to be a ball boy at the Vetch Field, looking on in awe at some of the players that he will come up against in Carmarthen next weekend.
“It feels like I’ve come full circle now,” he added. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to come together for a great charity.
"I’m sure it’ll be a competitive game because the Swans’ boys will want to perform for their fans on the sidelines. As a former player, you’ve got to live up to supporters’ expectations of you, so they’ll be up for it.
“For the Carmarthenshire side, they’ll want to show what they can do against former pros. Plus, when you get onto a football pitch, whatever the game, you want to be on the winning side.
"I’m sure there’ll be plenty of goals and hopefully the game will be played at a high standard.”
Managing the Swansea Legends side is former Swans’ hero and Welsh international John Cornforth. He hopes that the people of Carmarthenshire and further afield will come out in force to enjoy a great day of football and fundraising.
Having retired more than 15 years ago, John, who now works for Cancer Research, admits that some of the players will be more prepared than others.
“Some of the guys have always kept themselves fit," said John. "But then people like myself - I used to put on a stone in pre-season when I was playing!
“You’d see me running around in a black bin bag, trying to get the weight off. So a few of us are a bit more rotund than we used to be but we’re all very excited and looking forward to a great day.”
The game takes place on Saturday, June 24, at Johnstown Playing Fields, with kick-off set for 2.30pm.
Families are welcome and there will be a half time penalty competition for boys and girls.
The game will be followed by an auction of signed memorabilia, an evening of food and drink, and a question and answer session with the players.
For more information about the day's events you can visit the Swans4Cancer Facebook page.
