The JD Welsh Cup is the talk of one small village in particular this week as CPD Sychdyn United, one of the lowest-ranked teams remaining in the competition, prepare to visit Penrhyncoch of the JD Cymru North on Saturday 20 September (KO 14:00).
“They’re the home team so it’s up to them to come and beat us,” explained manager Jordan Ashley to FAW.cymru. “At the end of the day we’ve got nothing to lose, but we fancy ourselves against anyone.
“I’d back our lads to go there and get a win. I don’t see a scenario where we’re going to just lay down. We’re going into it to get in the hat for the next round, and hopefully pull one of the big boys next.”
CPD Sychdyn United have had an eventful few years off the field with the club having merged with Rhydymwyn before re-establishing themselves as a club in 2023. Ashley has played a key role in the transition and praised his side following their impressive 4-1 win over Lex XI of the Lock Stock Ardal North East in the last round of the JD Welsh Cup. A win that followed a 3-0 victory over Abermule.
“Last season we got a 5-0 hammering off Lex in the cup,” Ashley added. “So, it was absolutely phenomenal to get the result. I was expecting a tighter game, but to win in that fashion and how we did it was brilliant to see. We had a big crowd there as well, again, so it’s amazing where the football club is at the minute. It’s an exciting time, absolutely.”
CPD Sychdyn United have enjoyed a perfect start to the season in the North East Wales Division Two and the challenge now is to carry that into Saturday’s huge JD Welsh Cup match.
“We’ve had big players missing in certain games and we’ve coped with it quite well,” explained Ashley. “A couple of lads have come in from the reserves, which were only formed this summer, and that’s already proved fruitful for the first team.
“We’re almost at full strength for Saturday so we’re quite hopeful of getting the result. In fairness, we’ve got no reason not to as confidence is high in the group. We’ve got goals going in from all over the place. It’s brilliant. We’ve got four or five lads who can pop up with goals at different times in different ways. We’re quite lucky at this level to have a team that’s just so fruitful in front of goal.”
Manager Jordan Ashley has a long association with CPD Sychdyn United
Jordan Walker was the hat-trick hero for CPD Sychdyn United in the win over Lex XI in the last round and he has seven goals in all competitions this season. However, the club have found the back of the net 24 times in just six competitive games, while higher-ranked opponents Penrhyncoch are still looking for their first victory of the campaign.
Although they are currently competing in Tier 5, the club are clear about their short and long-term ambitions, despite the current restrictions on their home pitch in neighbouring Mold.
“The short-term plan is to try and find a suitable pitch or try and upgrade our ground, which I don’t think is going to be plausible,” Ashley said. “It’s not fair to hold this group of players back anymore, because they’re absolutely amazing.
“We deserve to be in the league above and I think we can challenge in that league as well. Long-term, we’ve implemented the reserves, and we’d like to try and form junior teams, but obviously we need a permanent home to do all of this. It’s not fair. There are young lads in our village who should be playing for Sychdyn, but we need a permanent home to be able to build something like that.”
Ashley has a long-standing connection with the club, having grown up watching the team on the sidelines, and leading the club through this exciting new era is a challenge he is clearly passionate about.
“Little old Sychdyn’s on the map just from this cup run so it’s absolutely incredible to me,” he explained. “The club definitely has a lot more of a settled structure in place now and you can see that in the results.”
JD Welsh Cup
The CPD Sychdyn United squad currently pay to play football every weekend, but the potential financial benefits of a run in the JD Welsh Cup would make a significant difference.
“It means that we can improve our equipment and our facilities,” Ashley added. “We need new nets, that would be the biggest thing. But our sponsors are massive for us and their money goes a long way at this football club.”
Although Penrhyncoch will have home advantage this weekend, CPD Sychdyn United will still be able to count on their excellent support.
“They’re absolutely brilliant,” Ashley said. “It gives you an edge, no matter what level you’re at. The lads on the sidelines are relentless as well. They don’t have to give that level of support, but we wouldn’t be where we are without them. They’re a big part of the football club.”
Finally, we asked Ashley what his message will be to his players before they take to the field.
“Just relax, enjoy the experience and play as we set up to do. I can’t ask for much more than that. Some of these lads have only just started playing football again, so the message is to enjoy it more than anything else.”
(Photos courtesy of CPD Sychdyn United)
