0:00:00 > 0:00:00- Subtitles
0:00:00 > 0:00:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:00:32 > 0:00:35- I'm a boy from Penygroes. - This is my home.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37- I'm with kindred spirits here.
0:00:41 > 0:00:47- It's as if an elastic band - is pulling me back to my family.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- I'm currently living in Inverness - but I always dream...
0:00:51 > 0:00:53- ..of coming back to Penygroes.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59- I'm here at Garreg Wen.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02- I grew up here with my two brothers.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05- Us boys would come here - to play football.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09- It was here, between these posts, - that it all started.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16- Since I was the youngest, - I suppose I was bullied a little.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20- If I wanted a game, I had to be - in goal and that's where I stayed.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23- I never had a chance - to be an outfield player.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27- I'm grateful - I was bullied into being a goalie!
0:01:27 > 0:01:30- I'd run home from school...
0:01:30 > 0:01:34- ..change into my playing clothes - and head on to the field.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36- Everybody would be here by then.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41- We had to dodge cattle and sheep but - you don't notice them as a child.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44- All children see - is the ball and goal.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49- They want to score, save the ball, - tackle or fight, like we used to do.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55- The goal I'm leaning on here, - as I matured...
0:01:56 > 0:01:58- ..the goal became smaller.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- We built goals every other month.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05- Taid Amlwch, my mother's father, - asked a scaffolding company...
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- ..if he could - have some poles to make a goal.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13- He thought a scaffolding pole - would be big enough for goal...
0:02:13 > 0:02:18- ..because we wanted it as high - as a proper eight-foot goal.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22- It's not quite eight feet - but it's not far off.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- It's thanks to Taid - that we were given these poles.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28- They're still here to this day.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- We're a very close family.
0:02:32 > 0:02:37- Every memory I have of my childhood, - we were always together.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40- We even walked to school together.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43- Mam still walked me to school - until I was almost 16.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45- That's what we're like.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48- We're very close.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50- That will never change.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- Dad played football.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57- He played for Bangor in the Northern - Premier League, as he reminds us.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01- When I started playing - for professional academies...
0:03:02 > 0:03:06- ..my father - would always take me in the car...
0:03:06 > 0:03:08- ..down the A55.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- It was too far - for me to travel there every day...
0:03:12 > 0:03:15- ..because they used to train - three or four times a week...
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- ..but Dad would take me - to the rugby pitch, or here...
0:03:19 > 0:03:24- ..to kick a ball and to keep up with - the boys who were in the academies.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40- I'm at Littleton Road - in this photograph...
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- ..where I trained with Man United.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49- I was spotted while I was playing - for Gwynedd schools at the time.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- I remember a man - standing behind the goal...
0:03:52 > 0:03:56- ..and I couldn't understand - why he was behind me.
0:03:56 > 0:04:01- After the game he came up to me - and said, "I'm a scout for Man U...
0:04:01 > 0:04:03- "..and I'm a scout for Wales.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08- "How would you - like to go for a trial with Man U...
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- "..and train with the Wales team?"
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- I supported Man U. I was a fanatic.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18- For me to go to Man U - and Littleton Road was incredible.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24- That's where I spent - every school holiday, training.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- Leaving home was a bit odd.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35- It wasn't just the standard - of football that was different...
0:04:35 > 0:04:40- ..they spoke English, and at - the time, that was a problem for me.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- I was either alone - or I felt as if I was alone.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50- Even when I - look at this photograph...
0:04:50 > 0:04:56- ..when I signed my first contract - with Crewe Alexandra, aged 16...
0:04:57 > 0:05:00- ..it was - the hardest time of my life...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04- ..because I was leaving home - for the first time.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- I've been brought up - in a small, close-knit community...
0:05:13 > 0:05:17- ..where everyone knows one another, - so moving to Crewe...
0:05:17 > 0:05:19- ..was very different.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22- It took me a long time...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- ..to get used to living there.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- I'm with John Barnes - in this photograph here...
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- ..at Alder Hey Hospital - in Liverpool.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41- I'd just had surgery on my lungs.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45- I suffered - with something called empyema.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48- It's a serious condition.
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- I was rushed into hospital - from Ysbyty Gwynedd...
0:05:52 > 0:05:58- ..after they tried - to syringe the fluid...
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- ..from my lungs at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06- More of this fluid - filled my lungs at the time....
0:06:06 > 0:06:08- ..so I was rushed to Liverpool.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13- He came on the ward - and I was the first bed he came to.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- He must've been with me - for over an hour.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19- I thought that was amazing, - to be honest.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- John Barnes was at the top - of his game playing for Liverpool.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- He was one of the best in Britain.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29- After that meeting...
0:06:29 > 0:06:34- ..I remember starting to mend - and wanting to go back to football.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- It was quite a journey...
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- ..from Alder Hey, where - it was touch-and-go, to be honest...
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- ..to winning my first cap for Wales.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51- I've had to overcome - a lot of hurdles.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11- Football - takes up a lot of my time...
0:07:12 > 0:07:16- ..but when I'm free, I reach - for the brush and start painting.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18- Hello! Meic?
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- Any chance of a cuppa?
0:07:21 > 0:07:22- How's it going, Meic?
0:07:22 > 0:07:24- How's it going, Meic?- - How are you, Ows?
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Good, thanks. - What are you doing here?
0:07:28 > 0:07:32- I'm trying to finish frames for - your art in time for the big day.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35- There's been - a lot of interest in your work.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37- Glad to hear it.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- At school, - I tended to paint whatever.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47- I never had a subject. - I never knew what to paint next.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51- I remember coming here - about a year and a half ago...
0:07:51 > 0:07:53- ..to Meic's shop in Penygroes...
0:07:54 > 0:07:58- ..and we had a cuppa - in the studio behind me.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02- We were discussing what to do - next, and Meic said to me...
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- "..You need a subject. - How about quarrymen?"
0:08:10 > 0:08:15- It's a subject - very close to my heart.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20- My grandfather spent - all his life splitting slate...
0:08:20 > 0:08:24- ..at the Talysarn quarry - in the Nantlle Valley.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31- My grandfather'd written a few books - I was familiar with...
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- ..but it was nice - going back to those books...
0:08:34 > 0:08:37- ..and getting an idea - of how they lived.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41- It was a bleak life, and that's what - I've tried to capture in my art.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44- I've depicted their lives.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49- How hard their everyday lives were - and the way they lived.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- I've around 20 paintings - in this collection.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00- The time it takes - to paint each one varies.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- Some take a day, some take a week, - some take a month.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06- It depends how happy I am with them.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09- Once I've finished them - I send them home...
0:09:09 > 0:09:11- ..and Mam brings them to the shop.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16- I want them to be sold at this shop.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- They'll be exhibited soon.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24- I hope they'll go to good homes - because they mean a lot to me.
0:09:24 > 0:09:29- I've derived great pleasure - from painting them.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- If you want to go for a walk - beyond Penygroes...
0:09:43 > 0:09:46- ..Trefor beach - is right on the doorstep.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49- There's no better place than this.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- It's very close to my heart.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- It has a lot of character.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06- The landscape, the way - the mountains plunge into the sea.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09- It's like something - from a picture postcard...
0:10:09 > 0:10:11- ..or somewhere overseas.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20- As a family, we've spent - a great deal of our time here.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- We fished for crabs...
0:10:23 > 0:10:26- ..off those walls you see behind me.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30- As I grew, I wanted to fish - for bigger things than crab...
0:10:30 > 0:10:33- ..so I moved on to mackerel or bass.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- I used to fish with Dad - on the pier behind me.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44- We bought a boat later - and fished at sea.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47- Every opportunity I get...
0:10:47 > 0:10:50- ..whenever I'm home...
0:10:50 > 0:10:53- ..my brothers and I - go fishing on this boat.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07- It's nice being on the beach - but nothing beats being at sea.
0:11:07 > 0:11:12- You get to see dolphins - and porpoise, if you're lucky.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15- We've seen - a number of dolphins here.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- There's one there.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- It's over there. Wonderful!
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- As I said, - you get to see dolphins out here.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30- You don't have to go to the other - side of the world to see dolphins.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33- When you see them at sea, - it's amazing.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38- A wild animal in the sea and we're - only a stone's throw from the shore.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42- You can see it clearly. Incredible.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47- That's what's good - about fishing from a boat.
0:11:47 > 0:11:52- You can drop the line - into the water, find the bottom...
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- ..and sit back and let go.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- A lazy man's kind of fishing!
0:11:57 > 0:12:01- You can't beat it. - You relax and take in the views.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- I'm sure many of the lads - I play football with...
0:12:06 > 0:12:08- ..would be very jealous of me now.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Fishing at sea is a tonic in itself.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18- You can - forget about everything else...
0:12:18 > 0:12:20- ..and any problems you may have.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24- You're in your own world - when you're at sea.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28- I think I may have a bite.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30- Yes, I have, too.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- There it is. Where's the club?
0:12:52 > 0:12:54- That's crisping nicely.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58- There's a great aroma...
0:12:58 > 0:13:00- ..from a barbecued mackerel.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- Nothing beats a fresh mackerel - barbecued on a beach. Delicious!
0:13:13 > 0:13:16- A little vinegar - to give it more flavour.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- Voila!
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- You don't need a fork. - A finger and thumb will do.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28- Just enjoy it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- At the end of every season, - I can't wait to drive home.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- I'm coming home - to the lads and my family...
0:13:38 > 0:13:40- ..and coming here to do this.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43- It's great - being on the football pitch...
0:13:43 > 0:13:47- ..and playing football, - but this is my dream.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- Being at home - is doing the things I love doing.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- There's no better feeling than this.
0:13:56 > 0:13:57- .
0:14:00 > 0:14:00- Subtitles
0:14:00 > 0:14:02- Subtitles- - Subtitles
0:14:08 > 0:14:13- I've been playing for Inverness - since the start of the season...
0:14:13 > 0:14:16- ..which must be nine months by now.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- I wasn't sure where it was - on the map, to be honest.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26- I remember travelling with Dad - from Penygroes to Inverness.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29- It took - more than nine hours to get here.
0:14:30 > 0:14:35- We passed Glasgow and it must be - a further four hours from there.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40- I said to Dad, "Where on earth are - we going and when will we arrive?"
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- When we arrived...
0:14:45 > 0:14:48- ..we were surrounded - by all this beauty.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- The mountains, - the sea, the rivers...
0:14:52 > 0:14:54- ..and the lakes.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56- It's a great place to live.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- It's very similar to home - and the Nantlle Valley.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04- I'm glad - I've been able to live here.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18- Inverness is a relatively new club - in footballing terms.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22- It was only established - some 20 years ago.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27- It was a merging of two clubs, - with its origins...
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- ..in the Highland League...
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- ..and now it's been promoted - to the Scottish Premier League.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36- The club has expanded...
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- ..in the past 20 years but - they're still finding their feet.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47- In time, - the team will evolve and grow.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01- We had a difficult start - to the season with many injuries.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- It's been a slow start...
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- ..but things - have gone our way since Christmas.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- Unfortunately, the league - splits in two in Scotland.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15- We failed to reach the top six - by a point or two.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- Playing against a side like Celtic - is always an experience.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26- 50,000 supporters - cheer them on every Saturday...
0:16:26 > 0:16:29- ..in their green and white.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33- Other games - such as the Highland derby...
0:16:33 > 0:16:38- ..against Ross County - is also completely different.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41- We haven't lost to Ross County...
0:16:41 > 0:16:44- ..so far this season...
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- ..so we're Highland Champions, - which is great.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53- After leaving school at 16...
0:16:53 > 0:16:56- ..I won a scholarship - to Crewe Alexandra.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58- They played in the Championship.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03- I spent three years - on a professional contract there...
0:17:03 > 0:17:06- ..before moving - to Stockport County...
0:17:06 > 0:17:10- ..whose number one - played regularly in League One.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15- I won Player of the Year there - before moving to Rochdale.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20- After that I signed with Tranmere, - where I stayed for four years...
0:17:20 > 0:17:22- ..before signing for Inverness.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- I lived for football.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- I'd get up on a Monday and train.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39- Then there'd be more training - after lunch in the gym or whatever.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45- That's the routine throughout - the week until Saturday...
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- ..when we have a fixture.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50- My life - completely revolves around football.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53- I've been doing it for 12 years...
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- ..so I must enjoy it.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01- I'm still here and still playing.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05- I'm looking forward to training - tomorrow and the following day.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14- There are so many ups and downs, - as they say.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18- I'm sure - there are more downs than ups.
0:18:19 > 0:18:24- I've had my share of injuries, - a broken leg, shoulder surgery...
0:18:24 > 0:18:26- ..a broken arm...
0:18:26 > 0:18:29- ..a dislocated and broken thumb.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34- It's hard to deal with. - You have to be strong.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38- It was a difficult period - when I broke my leg.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- I was only 19 at the time.
0:18:41 > 0:18:46- To some extent, I didn't know - if I'd ever play football again.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49- I was in plaster for three months.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51- Getting over something like that...
0:18:52 > 0:18:57- ..is one thing in itself, but going - back to playing is something else.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- It's a test - of someone's character...
0:19:00 > 0:19:04- ..to overcome an injury - and put it behind them.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14- You come across - so many different lads in football.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- Many footballers say - we're like ships in the night.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20- We pass each other all the time.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24- Someone else comes in and takes - your mate's position, in a way.
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- But you make friends in no time.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31- Sometimes we see each other or - pass each other at the airport...
0:19:31 > 0:19:35- ..and get on as if it was yesterday, - though many years may have passed.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38- Football is a very different career.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47- Because football - takes over my life...
0:19:47 > 0:19:51- ..it's important - I have another life too, in a way.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- I want to - enjoy taking my dog for a walk...
0:19:54 > 0:19:57- ..painting and playing my guitar.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01- It's important to have - something else to look forward to.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06- Many of the lads play computer games - or the PlayStation or whatever...
0:20:06 > 0:20:08- ..but that does nothing for me.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12- I prefer being outdoors or painting.
0:20:14 > 0:20:19- I've been brought up - with Dinas Dinlle on the doorstep.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21- I'm used to being outdoors.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27- I have a life outside of work - and coming here is something fresh.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34- # Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau #
0:20:36 > 0:20:41- Playing for my country has been - the highlight of my career so far.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43- Nothing compares to it.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47- I remember sitting on the bench, - watching the game.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52- When I was given the call - from Chris Coleman to go on...
0:20:52 > 0:20:56- ..I thought, this is my chance, - I'm going out on the pitch.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59- I can't put into words...
0:20:59 > 0:21:02- ..how it felt.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05- It was a little surreal, - it felt like a dream.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09- I'd waited so long - to reach this point...
0:21:10 > 0:21:13- ..but the time flew - while I was on the pitch.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17- Before I knew it, the referee was - blowing his whistle and it was over.
0:21:17 > 0:21:21- I shook hands with Robben - at the end of the game.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25- I had to pinch myself - because the dream had come true.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28- I'd dreamed of that moment - all my life.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- I'd reached that point - and was so pleased...
0:21:32 > 0:21:36- ..that everyone saw me - winning my first cap for Wales.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41- It's amazing how far Wales - have come.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- There's something very special - within the squad this time.
0:21:47 > 0:21:52- What's good about this squad is that - everyone does things together.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- There are no individuals.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57- Of course there are friends.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00- I tend to spend - a lot of time with David Vaughan.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05- I've known him - since my days at Crewe Alexandra...
0:22:05 > 0:22:09- ..when I left home - for the first time at 16.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12- I've known him for a long time.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16- It's nothing new being with him.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22- A few of the lads speak Welsh - and it's good...
0:22:22 > 0:22:25- ..there are - Welsh-speakers in the squad.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29- It shows the other lads - that we have our own language.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32- That Welsh is alive.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36- When the squad gets together, - lads like Ben Davies, Joe Allen...
0:22:36 > 0:22:41- ..David Vaughan, myself and Osian, - of course, we all speak Welsh.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Emyr Huws too.
0:22:43 > 0:22:45- A few of us speak Welsh...
0:22:45 > 0:22:48- ..and it's important - we keep it up within the squad.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04- It's been lovely being back - in the Nantlle Valley, in Trefor...
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- ..where I've spent - much of my childhood.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- It's also been nice - being in the Highlands...
0:23:12 > 0:23:15- ..where I've spent - a lot of time playing this season.
0:23:16 > 0:23:17- Who knows what's to come...
0:23:18 > 0:23:21- ..but I'm very much - looking forward to the future.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Wales goes to France this summer - and I'm so pleased...
0:23:25 > 0:23:29- ..and proud - to have been part of that journey.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- It's so exciting.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50- S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.
0:23:51 > 0:23:51- .