SUPPORTERS of Holyhead Hotspur and Llandudno Albion have been short-changed by the sport’s governing body regarding their FAW Trophy semi-final location.

The Football Association of Wales have opted to hold the fixture at Maes Tegid, the home of JD Cymru Premier side Bala Town, rather than a location closer to the Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Division One sides.

Not only that, to make matters worse the fixture will now have a 12.30pm kick-off.

This makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and is completely illogical to get the most out of an intriguing fixture between two sides who threw up a pulsating league contest earlier in the season.

Holyhead now face a 154-mile round trip for the game, with Albion’s playing staff and fans looking at an 81-mile journey.

A semi-final such as this would have also attracted the casual North Wales coast fan looking for a fix of cup action, something that will now not be the case given the choice in venue.

The game could have easily attracted a crowd of 1,000 such is the support of both sides and the general interest in the area. You will be lucky to get half that at Bala given the distance involved and the lunchtime kick-off.

That is no slight on Maes Tegid, which is a fantastic venue and one of the best in the domestic game, but surely some common sense should have been implemented by the decision-makers at the FAW to make the tie more accessible for the supporters and players alike.

Somewhere like Bangor City, which is easy to get to via train and lies right in between Holyhead or Llandudno would be perfect for the tie and club spokesman Chris O’Neal stated on social media that the Citizens’ did offer the ground as a possible venue in an email to the FAW that went without reply.

Barring that, anywhere from Caernarfon Town to Conwy Borough is more than capable of holding a fixture of this magnitude, which would only have heightened interest across the area with a place in a national competition final at stake.

It is extremely short-sighted from the FAW and having spoken to both managers this week it is clear they are as frustrated as anyone with the outcome. Having to travel so early alters the way they prepare for the fixture and puts additional pressure on volunteers and playing staff.

There is also the risk of underperformance given the time.

You see it time and time again in the professional ranks with early kick-offs, which are sometimes drab and lacking the usual quality.

Hopefully that will not be the case, but from a spectator standpoint it is not going to be the occasion it would have been at a ground closer to home.

That is a real shame for both clubs, the North Wales football region and for the competition itself.