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Mike Foster: Tywysog y Traeth Saesneg / English Mae gan Mike Foster le hollol sicr yn hanes pêl-droed tref Porthmadog. Gall sefyll ysgwydd wrth ysgwydd gyda ‘mawrion’ lleol eraill fel Glyn Owen, y brodyr Griffiths, Dave McCarter –a mwy- sydd wedi gwisgo’r coch a du gyda balchder. Mae nifer y gemau a chwaraeodd yn arwydd pendant o’i ymroddiad, ffitrwydd a’i allu. Chwaraeodd 346 o gemau UGC dros Port gyda ond 5 ar y fainc a hyn yn dweud y cyfan. Er fod timau reoli wedi dod ac wedi mynd arhosodd Mike yn elfen barhaol yng nghrys Port. Gadawodd Port am gyfnod byr gan chwarae 38 o weithiau i Aberystwyth a wedyn 3 i Fangor. Doedd hi ddim yn syndod fod Mike, chwaraewr yng nghanol ei ugeiniau yn dymuno dal ati yn UGC a hynny ar adeg pan oedd Port yn anffodus wedi colli eu lle ar y lefel uchaf. Yn ffodus daeth ei gyfnod o’r Traeth i ben yn 2000/01 a fo oedd capten y tîm a enillodd y Cymru Alliance o gryn bellter yn 2002/03 gan gipio tri chwpan. Dywedwyd llawer am droed chwith Mike ac am ei allu i roi pêl 40 llathen ar ben neu wrth droed ymosodwr. Daeth ei bartneriaeth o giciau cornel neu chiciau rhydd gyda Lee Webber yn arf ymosodol gyffredin, gyda chiciau Mike yn creu nifer fawr o gyfleoedd ar gôl. Roedd rhai yn gweld gwendid yn y diffyg defnydd o’r droed dde ond pan fyddai asgellwr yn meddwl ei efod wedi dal Mike ar y droed anghywir byddai’r cefnwr chwith yn gwneud y cylch sydyn cyfarwydd i ddod ar ei droed chwith ac yn clirio’r peryg. Ond gyda troed chwith ledrithiol fel un Mike pwy fyddai angen un arall heblaw er mwyn sefyll arni! Diflannodd un golygfa gyffredin dros y ddau dymor diwethaf a hynny oedd rhediadau cyfarwydd Mike at y faner yn y gornel cyn croesi i’r postyn pellaf. Mynd yn hŷn ydy’n hanes ni i gyd a rhaid oedd i Mike ofalu am gyhyrau’r coesau ond roedd yr aeddfedrwydd a’r profiad yn rhoi hyder i’r cefnogwyr bob amser y byddai Mike yna i ddod a ni allan o drafferth. Mae’n dal yn frenin y ciciau rhydd ac yn ddibynadwy gyda chiciau o’r smotyn. Daeth un o’i goliau gorau ar nos Fawrth tamp ar y Traeth o dan yr hen oleuadau. Efallai mai Llansantffraid oedd y gwrthwynebwyr ond beth bynnag tarodd Mike daran o gic rhydd o 30 llathen gyda’r droed chwith, a chyn i’r golwr symud llaw roedd y bêl yng nghornel ucha’r rhwyd. Yn ei arddegau ymunodd â Tranmere fel hyfforddai ac yno enillodd gap i Gymru Dan-21. Dychwelodd i Port ar gyfer tymor cyntaf Cynghrair Cymru a chwaraeodd 37 o gemau yn y tymor cyntaf hwnnw. Aeth ymlaen i chwarae 12 tymor yn UGC i’w dref enedigol. Cafodd gêm dysteb yn werthfawrogiad pan gyrhaeddodd 300 o gemau UGC ac yn addas iawn Tranmere oedd y gwrthwynebwyr y noson honno. Dyna braf byddai gweld hogyn lleol arall yn ei arddegau yn camu drwy gatiau’r Traeth heddiw. Ond fel bywyd ei hun symud ymlaen mae pêl-droed ac yr un peth fedrwn fod yn sicr amdano yw y bydd pethau’n newid –rhai o’r newidiadau yn ein plesio ac eraill yn ein gwneud yn llai na hapus. Gobeithio na fydd neb yn gwneud penderfyniad Mike yn fater i’n rhannu fel cefnogwyr. Dewch i ni uno i ddiolch am yrfa Mike a’r gwasanaeth mae wedi roi i CPD Porthmadog. Yn siŵr ichi mae’n rhan o chwedloniaeth Cynghrair Cymru. 
Mike Foster: a Traeth legend Mike Foster’s place in the history of Porthmadog football is absolutely secure. He stands shoulder to shoulder with other local ‘greats’ like Glyn Owen, the Griffiths brothers, Dave McCarter -and several others- who have worn the red and black with pride. His appearance record is a sure sign of his dedication, fitness and quality. 346 WPL appearances for Port, with only 5 on the bench, speak for themselves and though management teams have come and gone Mike has been a constant in Porthmadog line-ups. He did leave Port briefly to play 38 WPL games for Aberystwyth and then 3 for Bangor. It was not surprising that Mike, a player in his mid twenties, should want to continue to play in the WPL at a time when Port had unfortunately been demoted to the Cymru Alliance. Fortunately his time away from the Traeth came to an end in 2000/01 and he returned home and captained the promotion side of 2002/03, a team which dominated the Cymru Alliance, winning a hat-trick of trophies. Much has been said about his left foot and his ability to place 40 yard pin-point passes on to the head or into the path of attackers. His partnership with Lee Webber at corners and free-kicks became a familiar attacking weapon with the dangerous in swingers producing so many goal scoring opportunities. Some saw a weakness in his supposed one footedness but when an opposition attacker thought he had wrong footed him, Mike would respond with a familiar twirl on to his left foot to clear the danger. In any case with one foot like Mike’s magic left who needs another except to stand on! One familiar sight has disappeared over the last couple of seasons –his famous runs to the corner flag before dispatching a pin-point cross to the far post. We all get older and this aspect might have been less and less frequent as Mike has needed to look after his hamstrings but his maturity and experience always gave supporters the feeling that while Mike was there he would always manage to bail Port out of trouble. He remains a dead ball specialist and a most dependable penalty taker. One of his finest goals came on a damp Tuesday evening under the old lights at the Traeth. I’m not certain of the opposition but it might have been Llansantffraid. Mike hit a free kick with his trusty left foot 30 yards out from goal and the ball found the top corner of the net before the keeper could move a hand. His early career took him to Tranmere as a teenage trainee and there he gained a Welsh U-21 cap. He returned to Port for the start of the inaugural season of the then League of Wales and played 37 games for Port. This was the first of 12 WPL seasons for his hometown club. He was awarded a testimonial by the board in recognition of his 300th league appearance and suitably his former club Tranmere provided the opposition. Oh that a young teenage player of Mike’s quality would appear at the Traeth today. But football like life moves on and one thing we can all be certain of is that things will change -some of these we like and some we are less happy with. Let’s hope that no one will make this a divisive issue at the Traeth. Let us all unite and give thanks for Mike Foster’s wonderful career and service to Porthmadog FC. He is a true Welsh Premier legend. |
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