31 August 2017

With just days to go until Wales’ crunch World Cup qualifying match against Austria, one lucky fan from Llanrug will take his place in the Red Wall after winning a social media competition.

In June, Welsh broadcaster S4C ran a competition via its S4C Chwaraeon Facebook page where entrants simply had to ‘like’ a status to be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to the 2 September showdown at the Cardiff City Stadium.

From more than 700 entries, Emyr Jones from Llanrug, who works as a car salesman, was picked at random as the lucky winner of the competition, and he already knows who he’s taking with him to the game.

Emyr, aged 31, said: “I never usually enter competitions these days, because I never had any luck in the past. But my girlfriend tried it and told me to try it as well – and I’ve ended up winning it! So I’ve got to take her really.

“We’re really looking forward to the game. It’s going to be a full house and it’ll be a great atmosphere there. I would have probably watched the game in the pub, but this is much better!”

Those who weren’t lucky enough to win the prize can still watch the game live as S4C has got coverage of each one of Wales’ remaining qualifiers. After last year’s unforgettable exploits at Euro 2016, Emyr remains optimistic that Chris Coleman and his side have what it takes to reach Russia next summer.

He added: “We have one or two easier games after Austria, so if we can win this one first, I still think we can qualify. If we can keep our heads and play like we did in the Euros, we’ve got every chance.”

Wales v Austria will be shown live on S4C from 7.15pm on Saturday, 2 September. Presented by Dylan Ebenezer, with Nic Parri and Malcolm Allen in the commentary box and Nicky John at pitch side.

There's live coverage also of Wales away encounter against Moldova on Tuesday 5 September, starting at 7.15. Both games are available on demand on s4c.cymru for seven days after the final whistle.

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