The Cymru Premier returns this weekend 189 days since a ball was last kicked in domestic Welsh football. The 2020/21 season will kick off in peculiar circumstances as all matches in the Cymru Premier – which is the only male league permitted to resume by the Welsh Government under ongoing COVID-19 restrictions – will be played behind closed doors.
Sgorio’s coverage – on S4C and online – will be the only way regular supporters can follow the action for the foreseeable future, which is unfortunate given this may be the most anticipated Welsh top flight campaign in some time.
Ahead of Saturday’s kick-off, I’ve taken a look at three southern clubs I believe will be interesting case studies during the 2020/21 campaign.
The Newboys
There is a real air of positivity at Bridge Meadow as Haverfordwest County prepare for their first top flight campaign in four years. The Bluebirds’ promotion was owed to a little good fortune; after finishing runners-up to Swansea University in the Cymru South, the Pembrokeshire side got the nod when the Uni side failed to obtain the FAW Tier 1 Licence.
There is a new board in place at Bridge Meadow with ambitious London-based businessman Rob Edwards the new chairman. There has been lofty talk during the summer and it looks now like Haverfordwest County have in place off the field the professional-looking and ambitious set-up more clubs in the upper levels of Welsh football need if our national pyramid is to progress and become more attractive.
That ambition has been shown with the loan signing of Danny Williams from Cardiff City; the prolific young forward who went from the Bluebirds in the west to the Bluebirds in east 18 months ago having caught the eye of scouts at the Cardiff City Stadium. There will be real hope Williams returns an even better player than the one that left and his potential ability to effect things in the final third could make or break Haverfordwest’s season.
Otherwise, manager Wayne Jones has largely kept faith with the squad that won promotion. Alaric Jones returns to the club after a season in the Cymru Premier with Carmarthen Town and the dual signing from Cambrian & Clydach Vale BGC of Corey Sheppard and Cameron Keetch is an interesting punt. Both are excellent performers in the second tier and played key roles in the Rhondda side’s recent cup runs. It is a great opportunity for both to show whether they can perform at a higher level week in, week out.
Positive results in pre-season will no doubt boost the confidence but the question that will always hang over newly promoted sides is whether they have the quality to deal with the weekly rigours of the Cymru Premier. Wins against Aberystwyth and Cardiff Met and draw away to Barry Town certainly look good on paper but ultimately results in pre-season don’t earn you any points and when the competitive action starts this weekend Haverfordwest are going to face a steep learning curve.
While there have been utterances about the ambition of playing European football, realistically Haverfordwest County are targeting survival and if they can match the performance levels of Penybont last season they will at least have a sporting chance.
The Dark Horses?
Last season Penybont did fantastic to retain their Cymru Premier status in their first ever campaign in the top flight. Although their survival was secured on the points per game (PPG) method they weren’t simply beneficiaries of an algorithm.
Apart from a couple of heavy defeats to Bala, Rhys Griffiths’ side were competitive in practically every game; eight of their 14 defeats being by a single goal. There was even some evidence when the 2019/20 season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Penybont were just starting to land their shots at this level, winning three and taking 11 points from their final seven league games.
So what next for the Bridgend side? In recent years we’ve seen Cardiff Met and Barry Town United come up to the top flight, stabilise and quickly become annual challengers for European football. Should Rhys Griffiths and his side start looking at getting closer to the top six?
Survival again might be a more realistic goal but there has been exciting moves in the transfer market this summer by Griffiths.
Last season one thing Penybont looked short of was firepower; it is no surprise then that Rhys Griffiths has sought to bolster his attacking options with a trio of signings.
Ian Traylor arrived from Merthyr Town and having been an important player for The Martyrs in the English Southern League, Penybont will be hoping he can convert that pedigree into Cymru Premier form. Long-time target Ben Ahmun joined from STM Sports before they folded after their Cymru South demotion. Former Llantwit Major striker Sam Snaith returns to Welsh football with Penybont after a stint in the USA.
Snaith is the one player Cymru Premier fans may be aware of. He showed glimpses of his ability during a brief stay at Cardiff Met a couple of years ago, but ultimately that move didn’t work out, nor did a subsequent move to Barry Town. Penybont fans will certainly hope Snaith returns to Wales hungrier and more determined for his experience over the past couple of seasons; he certainly has the attributes and potential to be a success at this level.
The versatile Mael Davies joins from Cardiff Met, he should add energy, quality and more top flight experience to the side. Youngsters Lewis Clutton and Connor Davies could be ones to look out for, having spent time in the academies at Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City respectively.
Whether the recruitment is enough for Penybont to kick on to the next level we will discover this season, but there is definitely something progressive in the way Penybont are going about things. The decision to try and recruit younger players and bring new talent into the league is something to be more excited about than simply mopping up the journeymen that trudge the lower Cymru Premier / upper Cymru South beat.
Stagnant Met?
Having won their first ever major trophy and played European football for the first time in 2019, there has been some talk of the “end of a cycle” at Cardiff Met and last season’s 7th place finish felt underwhelming (although Met were in the semi-finals of the Welsh Cup and well-placed to challenge in the Europa League play-offs when the season was suspended and later curtailed). The loss of Adam Roscrow’s goals was felt keenly last season and with other key players exiting this summer (notably Joel Edwards and Will Evans) there have been concerns raised from some quarters.
While Cardiff Met’s unique ethos of only recruiting from their student population may not allow them to make the sort of transformative recruitment other Cymru Premier clubs can, apart from TNS and Connah’s Quay Nomads, arguably no other club in Welsh football is run as professionally as Met. Despite losing some integral players, a strong core has been retained in Emlyn Lewis, Dylan Rees, Chris Baker and Elliot Evans.
The nature of university enrolment means Met will always be later than others in confirming new players but this week the acquisitions of Jac Davies, CJ Craven and Kieron Proctor boosts the squad numbers.
If Met are going to challenge again for the top six and possibly target a cup run the question that lurks is where the goals will come from. Roscrow’s goals have never been replaced and while Elliot Evans is a matchwinner, he hasn’t always been prolific in the top flight; Will Evans and Jordan Lam’s departures are a further loss of goal threat.
Liam Warman has been tipped as one to look out for in the upcoming campaign having impressed in Met’s BUCS teams and as a Cardiff Met supporter told me this week “Swanny [Christian Edwards] always has a plan!”
I am confident Met will be as competitive as ever this season and will continue to play some of most attractive football in the league; nevertheless, you could plausibly make a case for The Archers finishing anywhere between 4th and 10th this season.
Jordan Forster 