The first round of JD Cymru Leagues matches in September promises to be one not to be missed. Here are some of the key match ups.
JD Cymru Premier – Aberystwyth Town v Flint Town United (Saturday, 5:15pm)
A rivalry will be reignited on Saturday evening as Aberystwyth Town host Flint Town United, live on Sgorio.
The two sides battled against each other to avoid relegation from the JD Cymru Premier in 2022/23, with Aber ultimately coming out on top – helped by Jonathan Evans’ 93rd-minute winner to defeat Flint 1-0 at Park Avenue in Phase Two.
The Silkmen are now back in the top-flight after a season in the JD Cymru North, but they are still looking for their first point of the campaign after five consecutive losses so far. Lee Fowler’s side led 2-0 at half-time away at Barry Town United last weekend, but a second half collapse saw them lose 3-2.
However, there was a welcome sight for the Silkmen at Jenner Park as Elliott Reeves came off the bench for his first JD Cymru Premier appearance after being injured since April. The striker netted 30 times in the second tier last season, so he could provide the spark that Flint need to kickstart their campaign.
Aberystwyth have suffered back-to-back defeats to Penybont and The New Saints and have only won one of their five league games so far, but they are unbeaten in their two matches at Park Avenue – earning a 1-1 draw against Connah’s Quay Nomads and claiming a 1-0 victory against Barry Town United.
Saturday’s game was built up even further last weekend, with Flint boss Fowler saying: “This game is personal. Their manager tweeted after we got relegated last year, so this is a game my players will be one hundred percent up for”. His comments refer to a tweet from Aber boss Anthony Williams that said “ONE WORD. KARMA!” after Flint’s relegation in 2022/23. This could get interesting…
JD Cymru North – Prestatyn Town v Llay Miners Welfare (Saturday, 2:30pm)
The JD Cymru North’s bottom two sides go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon as Prestatyn Town host Llay Miners Welfare.
Prestatyn have won just one of their five matches so far and have lost their last four in succession in all competitions – including 7-0 defeats to both Ruthin Town and Mold Alexandra. A 1-0 loss to Penrhyncoch in the Welsh Blood Service League Cup last weekend compounded their woes.
Newly-promoted Welfare remain the only side in the division without a win to their name this season, earning just two points from six games with draws against Gresford Athletic and Colwyn Bay.
However, Phil Hudson’s side earned an impressive 2-1 win away at high-flying Buckley Town in the Welsh Blood Service League Cup last weekend, which they will hope to build on at Bastion Gardens.
JD Cymru South – Trethomas Bluebirds v Llanelli Town (Saturday, 2:30pm)
The only two remaining unbeaten sides in the JD Cymru South meet on Saturday as Trethomas Bluebirds host Llanelli Town.
The Bluebirds have been a surprise package since promotion from the Ardal South East, winning their first four matches of the campaign before back-to-back 2-2 draws against Trefelin and Caerau Ely in which they conceded late equalisers.
Mark Dunford’s side currently sit top of the table, but now only by one point as second-place Trefelin closed the gap at the end of August.
Llanelli are currently in sixth place on 10 points, having won just two of their opening six games alongside four draws. A convincing 3-0 victory over Pontypridd United a fortnight ago was their most impressive performance to date though, with Ethan Cann scoring once and setting up the other two goals.
Both sides actually lost in the Welsh Blood Service League Cup first round last weekend, with Trethomas being defeated 1-0 at home to Caerau Ely and Llanelli exiting on penalties against Newport City after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
