The JD Welsh Cup is wide open this year after The New Saints and Connah’s Quay were knocked out in the third round, meaning the eight clubs left in the competition will be determined to seize the opportunity to lift the cup and secure a place in Europe.
Saturday, 31 January
14:00 – Bangor City 1876 (3) v Caerau Ely (2)
14:00 – Flint Town Unite (1) v Trearddur Bay (3)
14:00 – Y Rhyl 1879 (2) v Barry Town United (1)
17:15 – Caernarfon Town (1) v Colwyn Bay (1)
Half of the clubs remaining in the competition are members of the JD Cymru Premier, and two of those — Caernarfon Town and Colwyn Bay — will meet at Parc Maesdu on Saturday afternoon.
The other two top-tier sides are Barry Town United and Flint Town United, the only clubs left in the competition that have lifted the cup in the past.
Barry Town United will travel north to face second-tier Y Rhyl 1879, while Flint Town United will welcome third-tier Trearddur Bay to Cae-y-Castell.
Bangor City 1876 sit at the top of the Ardal Northwest League (tier 3) and are the only club in Wales yet to lose a match this season.
After beating second-tier teams in each of the last three rounds, the Citizens will be hoping to cause another upset against one of the strongest clubs in the JD Cymru South, Caerau Ely.
Bangor City 1876 (3) v Caerau Ely (2) | Saturday – 14:00
There is a wealth of history and memories of Welsh Cup success in Bangor, with the trophy having been lifted on eight occasions by the Citizens. However, with the original club having been dissolved, the successors are now eager to emulate the achievements of the former club.
Bangor City 1876 sit at the top of the Ardal Northwest League and are the only team in Wales yet to lose a match this season (28 wins, 2 draws).
The Citizens’ journey began in the first preliminary round, and since then Michael Johnston’s side have defeated three second-tier clubs — Guilsfield, Holywell and Trefelin.
The journey so far:
Bangor City 1876: Mochdre (3-1), Conwy Swifts (0-12), St Asaph (0-6), Guilsfield (p 1-1), Holywell (2-1), Trefelin (2–0)
Caerau Ely: Penydarren (5–0), Morriston (3–0), Dolgellau (2–0), Llandudno (2–1)
This will be the first-ever meeting between the clubs, and the side that sits fourth in the JD Cymru South will be hoping to become the first club to defeat Bangor City 1876 this season.
Caerau Ely have reached the quarter-finals for the second season in a row, but after losing to Connah’s Quay at this stage last year, Dean Wheeler’s squad will be determined to go one step further this season and reach the semi-finals for the first time ever.
The visitors’ confidence will be high after a 5–1 win over Trethomas Bluebirds last weekend, with striker Daniel Griffiths scoring a hat-trick for the Cardiff-based club.
However, Caerau’s defenders will need to keep a close eye on Bangor’s new forward, Declan McManus, who is hoping to make his debut for the club on Saturday.
Declan McManus won the Welsh Cup twice during his time with The New Saints between 2021 and 2025, and the Scotsman was also the JD Cymru Premier Golden Boot winner for two consecutive seasons.
He left The New Saints to join Coleraine in January 2025, but after a year in Northern Ireland, McManus has returned to north Wales for a new challenge in the third tier of the Welsh pyramid.
Both clubs have managed to avoid JD Cymru Premier sides in the cup so far, and if Bangor win on Saturday afternoon, they will become the first third-tier club to reach the semi-finals since Holywell achieved the feat 12 years ago.
Flint Town United (1) v Trearddur Bay (3) | Saturday – 14:00
This is the third time Flint Town United have reached the quarter-finals in the last 15 years, but the club have not progressed to the semi-finals since the 1953/54 season, when they beat Cardiff City before defeating Chester in the final at the Racecourse Ground.
Of the remaining teams, Flint Town United are the only club to have beaten a JD Cymru Premier top-six side in the competition this season (Pen-y-bont), and the Silkmen have yet to concede a goal in their three cup matches so far.
The journey so far:
Flint Town United: Bow Street (3–0), Airbus UK (1–0), Pen-y-bont (0–0 pens)
Trearddur Bay: Llangefni (5–3), Berriew (3–0), Broughton (6–0), Glynneath (5–2), Newport City (5–3)
Trearddur Bay are the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition (7th in the Adran Northwest League), so it comes as no surprise that this is the first time the club have reached the Welsh Cup quarter-finals.
Trearddur Bay have attracted a fair amount of attention in recent weeks for the wrong reasons after defender Thomas Taylor was caught on camera appearing to throw an elbow at a Porthmadog player.
Since then, Taylor has been released by Trearddur Bay and a 35-year-old man was arrested in connection with the matter.
This unfortunate incident came just a few weeks after Trearddur Bay were deducted three points for fielding an ineligible player in a league match.
It has therefore not been an easy period for the Bay, who will be hoping to turn the corner on Saturday afternoon in one of the biggest matches in the club’s history.
Trearddur Bay forward Tom Hilditch will be the one to watch on Saturday afternoon, as he is the competition’s leading scorer this season with 10 goals in five games, including a hat-trick against Glynneath.
Like Bangor, Trearddur Bay will be hoping to become the first third-tier club to reach the Welsh Cup semi-finals since Holywell achieved the feat in the 2013/14 season.
Y Rhyl 1879 (2) v Barry Town United (1) | Saturday – 14:00
Y Rhyl 1879 have reached the quarter-finals for the first time since the new club was formed in 2020, although the former Rhyl club won the cup on four occasions.
Ben Lightfoot (4) is Rhyl’s leading scorer in the competition this season, with the midfielder scoring once in every round for the Lilywhites so far this campaign.
Y Rhyl 1879 sit in seventh place in their first season in the JD Cymru North after securing promotion to the second tier over the summer.
The journey so far:
Y Rhyl 1879: Pwllheli (3–1), Brickfield (1–0), Cwmbran (3–2), Porthmadog (2–1)
Barry Town United: Aberystwyth (5–0), Llanelli (6–0), Gresford (4–0)
Barry Town United are enjoying a strong season after confirming their place in the Top Six for the first time in five years, reaching the Welsh Cup quarter-finals, and the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
Steve Jenkins’ side have cruised into the quarter-finals this year, scoring 15 goals without conceding, and striker Ollie Hulbert is clearly enjoying the competition after netting seven goals in three matches so far.
Barry Town United’s defensive record is one of the best in Wales this season, with the Dragons keeping clean sheets in half of their matches to date (15 clean sheets in 30 games across all competitions).
Barry Town United have lifted the cup on four occasions, winning the competition three times in a row between 2001 and 2003, but the Dragons have not reached the semi-finals for seven years.
Caernarfon Town (1) v Colwyn Bay (1) | Saturday – 17:15 (S4C)
In one of the biggest matches of the weekend, two top-flight clubs will meet at Parc Maesdu, with both sides fully aware of the importance of the game.
Neither Caernarfon Town nor Colwyn Bay have ever lifted the Welsh Cup, and it is possible that a better opportunity may not come along for some time, considering the strength of the clubs already knocked out of the competition.
The journey so far:
Caernarfon Town: Newtown (3–0), Penrhyncoch (4–0), Cardiff Met (4–2)
Colwyn Bay: Kinmel Bay (5–0), Carmarthen Town (3–1), Pontypridd United (3–0)
Caernarfon Town have reached the semi-finals on five occasions in the past but have never progressed to the final, and that will be their aim this season.
Colwyn Bay have also never reached a Welsh Cup final, and the Seagulls have a genuine opportunity to make that dream a reality this campaign.
The clubs have already met three times this season, with Caernarfon winning 3–0 in the second round of the Nathaniel MG Cup in August, but Colwyn Bay came out on top in both league fixtures between the sides during the first phase.
Colwyn Bay have so far avoided JD Cymru Premier clubs in the cup, while Caernarfon had to overcome Cardiff Met in the previous round.
The Cofi Army will be expecting a strong performance from their new striker Brad Young, who has yet to score in his two appearances since joining Caernarfon at the start of the month.
Colwyn Bay are on a run of three games without a win, while Caernarfon Town have lost just one of their last six matches — that defeat coming against Colwyn Bay at Parc Maesdu in December.
