Non-League and Academy football writer

(Mariyan is pictured to the left of the London Welsh goalkeeper.)

Mariyan Stoyanvov is a player for London Welsh’s first team, as well as being the match secretary at the club. The current top goalscorer for this famous old amateur club’s first team (the club was founded in 1890) this season, Mariyan has been at London Welsh since 2015. London Welsh are a very historic amateur football club, who currently play their football in the Amateur Football Combination Intermediate South Division. It was great to speak to Mariyan, recently, about the club and on their current season.

Could you talk me through a bit about your background in football, prior to joining London Welsh?

Mariyan: I’m originally from Bulgaria, and I’ve played football throughout my life. I started playing football as a youngster, but I joined a football team a bit later than most, when I was 13. I was at this youth club back home in Bulgaria for five years, and I played in a competitive league for the club, who were actually associated with a professional club, as well. Later on I studied at university, in England, and during my early days over here studying, I couldn’t really play football, because of a persistent ankle injury. Then, maybe a couple of years after graduating, a friend of mine who I worked with was actually playing for London Welsh, and he introduced me to the club, which was how I joined them. This was in 2015.

Could you talk me through a bit about London Welsh FC?

Mariyan: London Welsh is a club with a very rich history, which was established around 130 years ago. So the club is probably one of the oldest existing clubs in the London area. Back in the day, the club was home to a number of Welsh internationals, who had moved to London. And at one point I believe that there was five Welsh internationals, who were playing for the club. Before football in England had split between professional and amateur, London Welsh played against teams such as Spurs and West Ham United. So back then London Welsh played against some very big clubs. For a long time the club was exclusively for Welsh players, however, with amateur clubs it is very difficult to keep clubs going over the years. So a good while ago the club started to be opened up to non Welsh players, as well.

What have you made of how the 2024/25 Amateur Football Combination Intermediate South Division has gone for London Welsh, so far this season?

Mariyan: We started this season really well, and there was a time when we were top of the league for quite a while. So we were playing quite well, but around Christmas time we had one bad result against the team who were bottom of the league, and then we’ve since struggled with people’s availability, because of other commitments. So we’re currently around mid table in our league, at the moment. But, overall it has been a good season, and we’ve also made some good additions to the squad. And some of those players are around the ages of 24 to 26, which is something that we definitely needed, with the core group of our squad being older. We have some players in our squad who are in their mid 30s, as well as some who are in their early 40s. But, overall I think that it’s been a decent season for the first team, so far.

What have you made of how the 2024/25 Amateur Football Combination Intermediate South Division season has gone as a whole?

Mariyan: I think that if we had our core players available, every Saturday, then on ability I think that we are in the top three teams in the league. But, overall I think that the teams near the top of the league table corresponds with their overall ability as a team, I would say.

What are some of your standout memories of playing for London Welsh, so far?

Mariyan: My best memory was winning the double with the club, during my early days with the team. We played a team in this cup final who were two divisions above us, and they had already won a double themselves, but this was an amazing day, where we won the cup in front of around 170 people. So that was a great memory and day. We celebrated a lot that day, and then a couple of months later we collected our trophy at the awards ceremony at the Oval. But, London Welsh is just a really nice club, with nice people. So it’s a pleasure to play football for them on a Saturday, and to just be involved with the club.

What have been some of your standout matches from this season?

Mariyan: There was an away match that we played against Royal Sun Alliance, and we won that game 2-1. It was a really tough game throughout, where the small details made a difference. The home team were really up for the game, and so that made the game and the result even better for us. Another standout match was when we played against Old Strand Academicals, away. We completely dominated that whole game, winning that game 2-0.

How would you describe yourself as a player? And what kind of player are you?

Mariyan: I’m a very hard worker, who enjoys playing for a team with my mates. My best attribute as a footballer is my positioning inside of the box, and so I like to be in the right place at the right time, to score a goal.

Who would say has been the most difficult team that you have faced so far this season, for their quality?

Mariyan: I would say that Cretania were the best team that we have played against this season. We played them in a first round cup-tie in north London, and although we played really well on the day, they ended up winning that game 4-1. But we were on top in that game for a good half an hour, but they are a great team.

What are some of your hopes and aims for London Welsh, during the remainder of this season? And also what are some of your hopes for the club, for the future?

Mariyan: For the remainder of this season the biggest hope that I have, is to play like we played during our most recent league game. With us having a really good squad out, and also playing some really good football during that game. So I want us to finish on a high, so that we have this group of players motivated, and ready to go again next season. And next season I think that we can really go for promotion to the next division. Also, I hope that the club can continue to grow, and also for us to continue to get exciting players to join the club, both for the first and second team, who can hopefully keep moving up the divisions, and win some cups as well. So I just want us to continue the great work that the people before us have done, at this club.