Over the weekend 16 clubs will compete in the fourth round of the JD Welsh Cup, and only four of the JD Cymru Premier clubs have managed to reach the fourth round which is the lowest amount since the league was formed in 1992.
Five of the JD Cymru North clubs, and four from the JD Cymru South will fight to reach the quarter-finals, as well as two third tier teams, Holyhead Hotspur and Llanuwchllyn.
JD WELSH CUP FOURTH ROUND
Haverfordwest County (1) v Llanelli Town (2)
Airbus UK (2) v Caersws (2)
Caerau Ely (2) v Bala Town (1)
Carmarthen Town (2) v Holyhead Hotspur (3)
Denbigh Town (2) v Llanuwchllyn (3)
Afan Lido (2) v Cambrian United (2)
Connah’s Quay (1) v Mold Alexandra (2)
The New Saints (1) v Colwyn Bay (2)
In the battle of the JD Cymru North clubs, Airbus UK will host Caersws, and with the last two games between the teams having finished 3-3, it promises to be an exciting encounter at the Airfield.
There were no goals in the match between Lido Afan and Cambrian United in the JD Cymru South back in August, and the Lido have not won any of their last eight meetings with Cambrian.
Carmarthen Town will take on Holyhead Hotspur for the first time in 12 years, when the Old Gold won 2-1 away from home in the third round of the 2012/13 Welsh Cup.
Holyhead Hotspur from the third tier have not scored in the last two rounds winning on penalties against Caernarfon Town and Trearddur Bay following goalless games.
Denbigh Town have reached the fourth round for the first time in half a century, and they will welcome Llanuwchllyn who have reached the fourth round for the first time in their history.
Haverfordwest County (Tier 1) v Llanelli Town (Tier 2) | Friday – 19:45
The action will begin on Friday as Haverfordwest County take on Llanelli Town for the first time in five years.
For the third consecutive round, Haverfordwest County will face a JD Cymru South club, and after beating Trethomas Bluebirds and Ammanford on penalties, Tony Pennock will be hoping his side can get the job done in 90 minutes this time around.
Although Haverfordwest County have competed regularly in the top-flight, the club have failed to reach the quarter-finals since the 2012/13 season when the Bluebirds lost 1-0 at home to The New Saints.
Haverfordwest County’s best run in the competition came in 2004/05 when they reached the semi-final before losing 1-0 against Carmarthen Town, therefore the Pembrokeshire party have never reached the final.
Llanelli Town have managed to reach the fourth round for the third season in a row, but Lee John will aim to lead the club to the quarter-finals for the first time in 13 years.
After beating Bangor City and Rhyl in the 2011/12 season, Llanelli Town lost on penalties in the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw at Bala Town, with two of the Welsh Premier League’s all-time top scorers, Chris Venables and Lee Hunt on the scoresheet that day.
In 2011 Llanelli Town won the Welsh Cup for the only time in their history, with another of the league’s most prolific strikers, Rhys Griffiths netting twice against Bangor City in the final.
Llanelli Town have had a favourable route to the last 16 after defeating Clwb Cymric (0-3) from the fifth tier, and Pill (4-0) from the fourth tier in the previous two rounds.
But this will be a much more difficult test for the Reds against the Bluebirds, who have the best defensive record in the JD Cymru Premier (conceding 9 goals in 18 games).
Caerau Ely (Tier 2) v Bala Town (Tier 1) | Saturday – 14:00
For the second successive season Bala Town will travel to Caerau Ely in the fourth round of the JD Welsh Cup.
Colin Caton’s crew were victorious last year, winning 4-1 at Cwrt-yr-Ala with goalkeeper Kelland Absalom opening the scoring for the Lakesiders from his own box, and Naim Arsan netting a delightful goal which was chosen as the Goal of the Month winner for December 2023.
Caerau Ely have already beaten JD Cymru Premier opposition in this year’s competition, after winning on penalties against Barry Town United in the second round following an exciting 90 minutes that ended 3-3 at Jenner Park.
Since the 2011/12 season, Bala Town have managed to reach the quarter-finals eight times in 12 attempts, and then progressed to the semi-finals on six occasions.
Bala Town were the winners of the Welsh Cup in 2017, beating The New Saints in the final at Nantporth, and with so few top-flight clubs left in the competition this year the Lakesiders will be determined to reach the final once again.
Connah’s Quay (Tier 1) v Mold Alexandra (Tier 2) | Saturday – 17:20 (S4C)
Although there are only seven miles separating these two towns in Flintshire, this will be the first match between the clubs for almost 30 years.
Mold Alexandra were victorious in the most recent meeting back in April 1995, winning 3-1 away from home in the Welsh Premier League.
And decades later, the Alun Park club would be delighted with a similar result in order to beat the current cup holders, Connah’s Quay.
Mold Alexandra have reached the fourth round for the first time since 1985/86 (lost vs Cardiff City), but the club have never reached the quarter-finals.
Connah’s Quay on the other hand have reached the quarter-finals nine times in a row and have gone on to win the cup twice (2018 and 2024).
This will be the third club from the second tier to face the Nomads in the Welsh Cup this season, with Connah’s Quay beating Guilsfield and Trefelin in the previous rounds.
After defeating Penrhyncoch in the second round, Mold Alexandra managed to beat Briton Ferry Llansawel from the JD Cymru Premier in the third round, and the Alex will aim to cause another shock on Saturday night.
The New Saints (Tier 1) v Colwyn Bay (Tier 2) | Sunday – 17:30
It will be a special occasion for Michael Wilde on Sunday as the Colwyn Bay manager returns to his former club where he won the Welsh Cup on four occasions, as well as seven Welsh Premier League championships.
Wilde went on to win the Welsh Cup twice more with Connah’s Quay, playing in the final in April 2024 against The New Saints where the Nomads won 2-1 at Rodney Parade, Newport.
The 41-year-old has scored three times in Welsh Cup finals, all three against Aberystwyth – once for the Saints in 2013/14 at the Racecourse, and two goals for Connah’s Quay against the Black & Greens in the 2017/18 final.
Since 2018, the Saints have only lost twice in 30 games in the Welsh Cup with both defeats coming against Connah’s Quay, and Michael Wilde was a member of the Nomads team on both occasions.
Which means the Colwyn Bay manager certainly knows the trick to defeat the Oswestry outift, but it will be a mammoth task for the Seagulls who have lost their last three meetings with The New Saints, including a 6-1 thrashing at Park Hall in October 2023.
And the New Saints were victorious the last time the clubs met in the Welsh Cup, with Danny Davies netting the only goal of the game at Belle Vue, Rhyl in the 2021/22 semi-final.
Colwyn Bay have reached the semi-finals of the competition on four occasions, but the Seagulls have never made it to the final.
The New Saints have won the Welsh Cup on nine occasions, and only the Exiles have a better record – Wrexham (23), Cardiff City (22), Swansea City (10).
The Saints have played in 13 finals (W9, L4), and have reached eight of the last nine finals, winning six of those against six different clubs (Aberystwyth Town, Newtown, Airbus UK, Connah’s Quay, Pen-y-bont, Bala Town).
It was an unexpected disappointing end to last season for the Saints as they lost 2-1 in the final to Connah’s Quay, and Craig Harrison will be desperate to regain the trophy this year.
Highlights of most games will be available on Sgorio’s social websites and the best of the weekend’s action on S4C on Monday night.
