Cefn Druids: The university friends who come together every year to support Welsh club

A group of friends who started following a random Welsh football team 20 years ago whilst they were at university are about to come together again to support their beloved club.

The group, who were all studying at the University of Exeter, chose to support Cefn Druids, simply because they liked the club's name, used to meet up at least once a season to see the side play in Wrexham until lockdown restrictions hit.

Up until that point they had been to watch the team 18 times.

Alex Morrison, one of the group, told ITV Wales that the friends couldn't originally decide on an English football team to collectively support whilst they were at uni.

However, when they were watching the football results on a Vidiprinter - a sports scores and results ticker - they came across the name of the then Flexsys Cefn Druids, who lost 6-0 at the time.

Alex said after hearing the name, "We knew at once they were our new team."

On Twitter, Alex also said, "I thought it would be funny to write them a letter (yes, this was Victorian times) asking if we could be their Exeter fan club."They called my bluff. A lovely chap called John Edwards sent us a box of scarves & shirts, with an open invite to visit."

The group of friends of about 25 have been following the side ever since. Ten of them are heading to the game to watch them take on Penrhyncoch on Saturday.

One of them is even travelling from the Isle of Man - and they've even had friends travel from New Zealand to cheer on the Druids in the past.

Ed Marsh who is based in Surrey is one of the only fans to have attended all the games the group has gone to in the last 20 years.

"We got in touch with the chairman about setting up a Exeter based fan club, and we've always tried to pass the legacy through our halls at university. So we got a shirt that was signed by all the players and we got that framed and put into the bar in our halls.

"We've got a strange statistic that I think the Druids always seem to win when we turn up as well. I think it's because we bring 12 very noisy people along with our fog horns and our rattles as well and we always thinks about chants we can sing when we go up there as well.

"It's been a way for us all to keep in contact. Lots of people you only ever see on that trip and there are great friendships that are re-kindled again.

"There's always many memories, many photos that we share of us and I think as we carry on we will keep in contact and there's even been talk of our children coming in the future, which will be a lovely idea."

"Part of the reason we always go up there is that the club has been so kind to us and they always love us coming up as well.

"It's the enthusiasm we bring and the fun, and our love of football...the club has been absolutely great to us, they're always sending reports, putting a piece about us in the programme as well. Alex got to give out the man of the match award one year too and some of the players have kept in contact as well."