We’re down to the last 16 in the JD Welsh Cup, and over the weekend seven JD Cymru Premier clubs, four JD Cymru South clubs, three from the JD Cymru North and two from the third tier will compete for a place in the last eight.
Friday, 8 December
Briton Ferry Llansawel (T2) v Llanelli Town (T2) | Friday – 19:30
Round 3: Airbus UK 1-2 Briton Ferry Llansawel, Llanelli Town (p)3-3 Pen-y-bont
Round 2: Aberfan 0-3 Briton Ferry Llansawel, Llanelli Town 4-0 Llanilltud Fawr
The weekend will begin with an exciting encounter between the two teams who are equal on points at the top of the JD Cymru South with a record that is almost identical.
Both teams have played 13 league games, winning 10, losing two and drawing one, but Llanelli Town are narrowly on top as they have scored one goal more, and conceded one less than Briton Ferry.
Llanelli Town have won their last six games scoring 25 goals (4.2 goals per game), including a special victory on penalties against Pen-y-bont in the last round of the cup.
Ethan Cann was the starman for Llanelli Town that night, scoring twice for Lee John’s Reds, and the young forward has now struck a remarkable 12 goals in his last six games.
Briton Ferry Llansawel will also be full of confidence, especially as they beat Llanelli Town 2-0 in a league match on the opening weekend of the season with Joseph Jones and Thomas Walters netting on the night.
This season, it will be 13 years since Llanelli won the Welsh Cup for the only time in their history – beating Bangor City 4-1 in the final at Parc y Scarlets in May 2011.
Last year, Briton Ferry Llansawel managed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history before losing against Bala Town, but Andy Dyer’s men will be eager to go a step further this year.
Saturday, 9 December
Colwyn Bay (T1) v Barry Town United (T1) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Newtown 1-1(p) Colwyn Bay, Barry Town United 1-0 Guilsfield
Round 2: Colwyn Bay 6-2 Llanrwst, Barry Town United 6-0 Porthcawl
Only two points separate Colwyn Bay and Barry Town United in the bottom half of the JD Cymru Premier table, therefore it promises to be a tight affair on Saturday afternoon.
The teams have already met twice in the league this year, with Barry having had the better of things so far, winning 1-0 at Llanelian Road in October thanks to Kayne McLaggon’s goal, following a 1-1 draw at Jenner Park in August.
Colwyn Bay reached the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup in 2021/22 before losing 1-0 against The New Saints, but the Seagulls have never reached the final.
Barry Town United have enjoyed plenty of success in the Welsh Cup over the years and have won the competition on six occasions – the first time in 1955 against Chester then lifting the cup in 1994, 1997 and three times in a row between 2001 and 2003.
But, unfortunately for the Dragons and their supporters, Barry have not reached a final since they last won the competition over 20 years ago, although they did come close in 2018/19 when they lost 2-0 against The New Saints in the semi-final.
Caerau Ely (T2) v Bala Town (T1) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Caerau Ely (p)3-3 Gresford, Aberystwyth Town 0-1 Bala Town
Round 2: Caerau Ely 4-1 Afan Lido, Bala Town 3-0 Llandudno
Round 1: Caerau Ely 3-2 Cardiff Corinthians
Caerau Ely are currently 11th in the JD Cymru South and have reached the fourth round of the Welsh Cup for the first time in eight years.
Caerau Ely rose to the second tier over the summer after winning the 2022/23 Ardal South West championship and the Cardiff based club will be hoping to cause a shock on Saturday in their first ever meeting with Bala Town.
Bala Town were the winners of the Welsh Cup in 2017, beating the New Saints in the final at Nantporth, and they were hoping to repeat history last season, but lost heavily against the Saints (6-0) in what was the biggest defeat in a final since 1931.
Since the 2011/12 season, the Lakesiders have managed to reach the quarter-finals seven times in 11 attempts, and then progressed to the semi-finals on five occasions.
Caerau have scored at least three goals in their three cup games to date and Bala must be wary of Brandon Griffiths who scored a brace in both the second and third rounds.
It will be a challenge to break down the solid defence of Bala Town who have not conceded in their two cup games this season, and who have the second best defensive record in the JD Cymru premier (conceding 0.8 goals per game).
Bala Town will be looking to become the first team from north Wales to beat Caerau Ely since Flint Town United did so in the fourth round of the Welsh Cup in February 2013 and on the scoreboard that day was current Bala Town defender Nathan Peate who struck twice for Flint at Cwrt-yr-Ala.
Carmarthen Town (T2) v The New Saints (T1) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Carmarthen Town 4-2 Abertillery Bluebirds, The New Saints 7-0 Trethomas Bluebirds
Round 2: Carmarthen Town 2-0 Evans & Williams, Ruthin Town 0-5 The New Saints
Since losing against Connah’s Quay in the semi-final of the 2017/18 Welsh Cup, The New Saints have won 22 consecutive games in the competition and have lifted the cup three times in a row.
As well as winning 22 consecutive cup games, the Saints are also unbeaten in their last 24 matches in all competitions (won 22, drawn two), a run that stretches back to the summer when they lost to Swift Hesperange on August 1st.
Last season the Saints won 6-0 in the Welsh Cup final against Bala Town, which was the biggest victory in a final since 1931.
That was the 9th time the Oswestry outfit had their name on the cup, and now only Wrexham (23), Cardiff City (22) and Swansea City (10) have a better record in the competition.
It will therefore be quite a challenge for Carmarthen, who are having a solid season in the JD Cymru South, 3rd in the table behind Llanelli Town and Briton Ferry Llansawel, who are the only two teams to beat them in the league since February.
Carmarthen Town were the winners of the 2007 Welsh Cup, beating Afan Lido in the final, and the Old Gold have reached the fourth round this year for the first time in five years.
The New Saints have won their previous eight meetings with Carmarthen Town, but the cup holders needed penalties to see off the Old Gold in the 2021/22 fourth round after it ended goalless at Richmond Park.
Haverfordwest County (T1) v Cardiff Met (T1) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Haverfordwest County 2-0 Ammanford, Cardiff Met 2-1 Mold Alexandra
Round 2: Haverfordwest County (p)0-0 Baglan Dragons, Cardiff Met 4-0 Cwmbrân
Haverfordwest County and Cardiff Met are battling for a place in the Top Six, but the Archers (4th) are in a much stronger position than the Bluebirds (8th) with eight points separating the two teams and five games to go until the split.
The clubs have met twice in the league this season and it ended 1-1 on both occasions, and that after a goalless draw in the play-offs in May where Haverfordwest County eventually won on penalties.
This will be the 14th meeting between the clubs in three years and Cardiff Met have had the upper hand overall (Met won six, Hav won four, drawn three).
Although Haverfordwest County have competed consistently in the JD Cymru Premier, the club has not gone further than the fourth round of the Welsh Cup since the 2012/13 season.
Their best run in the competition came in 2004/05 when they reached the semi-finals before losing 1-0 against Carmarthen Town.
Cardiff Met reached the semi-finals twice in a row in 2019 and 2020, but since the formation of the current club in 2000, the students have never won the cup.
Haverfordwest County have only lost one of their last eight fixtures (won five, drawn two), while Cardiff Met have only lost one of their last 11 (won seven, drawn three), which means spirits are high in both camps ahead of this crucial clash.
Flint Mountain (T3) v South Gower (T3) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Flint Mountain 2-1 Canton Liberal, South Gower (p)2-2 Chepstow
Round 2: Flint Mountain 3-1 Holywell Town, South Gower (p)1-1 Rockspur
Round 1: NFA 0-3 Flint Mountain, Penydarren 2-2(p) South Gower
Qualifying Round 2: Flint Mountain 9-0 Kinmel Bay, Ton Pentre 2-2(p) South Gower
Qualifying Round 1: South Gower 2-0 Vale Utd
One thing is certain, a club from the third tier will be claiming their place in the last eight on Saturday afternoon, but will it be Flint Mountain from the Ardal North East, or South Gower from the Ardal South East who will have their names in the hat.
Flint Mountain are 9th in their league, but if the team were to win their two games in hand, they would rise to second place, behind CPD Y Rhyl 1879.
South Gower are also in contention for promotion and sit 4th in their league, one point behind the top three who are level on points at the summit.
Astoundingly, South Gower have won on penalties in the last four rounds, and they are the only club to have played in every round of the competition to date.
Several experienced names are now members of the Flint Mountain squad, and former JD Cymru Premier stars Rob Hughes (3), Aaron Simpson (2) and Mike Hayes (1) have already contributed six goals between them in this year’s cup competition.
The two clubs from the third tier have done exceptionally well to get this far in the competition and one of the clubs will step into the last eight for the first time in their history.
The match will be held at Park Hall, Oswestry, as Flint Mountain share a pitch with Flint Town United and Connah’s Quay at Cae-y-Castell, and those two clubs play against each other on Saturday.
Porthmadog (T2) v Buckley Town (T2) | Saturday – 14:00
Round 3: Porthmadog 5-1 Cardiff Airport, Llanuwchllyn 1-2 Buckley Town
Round 2: Chirk AAA 1-1(p) Porthmadog, Bow Street 2-3 Buckley Town
Round 1: Porthmadog 3-0 Glantraeth
It will be an interesting match-up at Y Traeth between two teams that are in the bottom half of the JD Cymru North League with only four points separating them.
The good run in the cup has been a blessing for Buckley this season as they are struggling in the league and sit in the relegation zone after losing seven of their last eight league games.
Porthmadog have reached the fourth round for the first time in six years, while Buckley Town are in the fourth round for the third successive year.
The last two games between the teams have ended in a 1-1 draw, so both squads will need to practice their penalties ahead of the weekend.
Flint Town United (T2) v Connah’s Quay (T1) | Saturday – 17:35 (S4C)
Round 3: Bangor 1876 1-1(p) Flint Town United, Connah’s Quay 8-0 Prestatyn Town
Round 2: Denbigh Town 0-3 Flint Town United, Connah’s Quay 4-1 Caernarfon Town
A derby match is usually measured by the distance between the two clubs, but as Flint Town United and Connah’s Quay both play their home games at Cae-y-Castell, it’s fair to say that you won’t get much closer neighbours than these.
Furthermore, for the second consecutive round, Connah’s Quay manager Neil Gibson will face one of his former clubs, and after thrashing Prestatyn 8-0 in the third round the Nomads boss will be crossing his fingers for a similar result on Saturday night.
Flint Town United currently play in the JD Cymru North after their relegation from the top-flight last season, but Lee Fowler’s side are in a promising position to win immediate promotion as they are only three points behind Airbus at the top, with three games in hand.
Flint Town United had not lost in 13 games and had won seven in a row before their last outing where they lost 4-3 at home to Denbigh Town in the Welsh Blood Service Cup.
Connah’s Quay have been scoring countless goals recently, beating Caernarfon Town 6-1, winning 7-0 against Barry Town United last weekend, and hammering Prestatyn 8-0 in the last round of the cup.
But they haven’t scored nine like Flint Town United did in their last league game, winning 9-4 against Llanidloes at Cae-y-Castell with Elliot Reeves and Joshua Jones scoring a hat trick apiece for the Silkmen.
Both clubs have had their hands on the cup in the past – Flint Town United won the competition back in the 1953/54 season with a 2-0 win against Chester in front of a bumper crowd of almost 16,000 at the Racecourse, Wrexham.
Connah’s Quay won the cup in 2018 after beating Aberystwyth 4-1 at Latham Park under the management of Andy Morrison, but they stumbled in the semi-finals last season, losing 3-2 against Bala Town.
Flint Town United reached the fourth round in 2021/22 under the leadership of Neil Gibson, before losing 2-0 at home to Connah’s Quay, who were managed at the time by the current manager of The New Saints, Craig Harrison.
Flint Town United have not reached the last eight since the 2019/20 season, where they lost against Neil Gibson’s Prestatyn Town, who won 1-0 at Cae-y-Castell through Jack Kenny’s solo strike, who has also moved on to Connah’s Quay!
There are many links between the two clubs and several players have played for both teams including Jake Phillips and James Owen who were members of the Connah’s Quay side that won the cup in 2018 but are now part of the Silkmen’s squad.
The clubs have not met since New Year’s Eve last year when it ended goalless in a league fixture at Cae-y-Castell, but Connah’s Quay are unbeaten in nine meetings with Flint Town United (won seven, drawn two) and the Silkmen have not beaten the Nomads in 12 years.
Live coverage of this fixture will begin at 17:20 on Saturday, and highlights of all matches will be available on Sgorio’s social websites with the best of the weekend’s action on S4C on Monday night at 9:30.
