YNYS Mon men’s football captain Paul Pritchard is looking to put his experience to good use and lead his side to Huws Gray Inter-Island Games tournament glory.

The experience goalkeeper, who turns out for FAW Northern Championship side Porthmadog, is about to embark on his seventh tournament with the squad, which will begin with a clash against the Western Isles at the home of Holyhead Hotspur on Sunday, June 16.

It promises to be an exciting few weeks across Anglesey during the high-profile tournament, and this is the first time that the island has hosted the tournament.

Pritchard, said: “I was a bit surprised to be appointed captain as there are a few lads that could have been, but I am chuffed to be chosen and it means a lot as this will be my seventh Island Games and I have lived on Anglesey for a long time.

“You cannot go too far with your expectations because you don’t know what the teams are going to be like in a way. There will be some decent sides and I think that Jersey will be the team to beat, with the Isle of Man and Guernsey also expected to be strong.

“There has been quite a big change this year with a lot of new players from the likes of Llangefni Town, Bodedern Athletic and Mynydd Llandegai, but the preparation with Campbell (Harrison) and Iwan (Williams) has been great.

“Iwan is on his UEFA Pro Licence now and it has been good to see what the top coaches are doing, which he has brought to our sessions.”

Despite the squad being without the services of Caernarfon Town’s Danny Brookwell through injury, Pritchard has been impressed with some of the island’s young attacking prowess that will look to fill the void left by the livewire forward.

“I think Sam Jones has done really well in training and has really impressed me, and Liam Morris is another tidy player,” added Pritchard.

“My focus as captain will be to lead the team and be a role model to the younger lads. We will be playing in front of big crowds and this is something that some of them might not have experienced before, so it is all about remaining composed and confident.”