With JD Cymru Premier clubs entering the JD Welsh Cup in Round Two this weekend, there are plenty of exciting ties to look forward to.
Follow all of the action on the Cymru Football app.
Holyhead Hotspur v Caernarfon Town (Friday, 7:45pm)
A bumper crowd is expected at The New Stadium on Friday night as Caernarfon Town make the short trip to Anglesey to face Holyhead Hotspur.
The Cofis were stunned on Tuesday night as they suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Aberystwyth Town in the JD Cymru Premier – only six days after their 2-1 victory away at The New Saints.
Holyhead have made a solid start to the season in the Ardal North West and have not lost a game in 90 minutes since August. They have beaten Valley Seniors, Bethesda Athletic and Llandudno Amateurs in the JD Welsh Cup so far, scoring 18 goals in the process, as they target a place in Round 3 for the first time in six years.
The two sides last met in the Nathaniel MG Cup in the 2022/23 season, when an Iwan Cartwright goal earned Caernarfon a 1-0 win.
The New Saints v Llangollen Town (Friday, 7:45pm)
No club has lifted the JD Welsh Cup more in the 21st century than The New Saints, whose remarkable 25-match winning run in the competition was finally ended by Connah’s Quay Nomads in last season’s final.
The last time the Saints were knocked out at this stage of the competition was in 2007 and although their league form has taken a hit due to their European commitments – with defeats to Penybont, Bala Town and Caernarfon Town in the last month – a loss this weekend would be the biggest shock yet.
Third tier Llangollen Town make the trip to Park Hall on Friday night, having won six of their first nine matches in the Ardal North East this season.
This is their first appearance in the second round for a decade, following wins over Holywell United, Felinheli and St Asaph City so far this term.
Connah’s Quay Nomads v Guilsfield (Saturday, 2pm)
JD Welsh Cup holders Connah’s Quay Nomads begin their defence of the trophy with a home tie against Guilsfield on Saturday afternoon.
It is almost six months since the Nomads stunned TNS at Rodney Parade, but plenty has changed since then. Both goalscorers in the final, Harry Franklin and Josh Williams, have departed the club alongside the likes of Andy Firth, Jordan Davies and Ryan Harrington, while Neil Gibson was sacked as manager just one game into the new league season.
It has not been plain sailing for his successor Billy Paynter, with the Nomads currently ninth in the JD Cymru Premier after one win in their last eight games, and he will be hoping to avoid an upset on his JD Welsh Cup managerial debut.
Guilsfield are currently 12th in the JD Cymru North and are on a run of four successive league defeats, but did reach the quarter-finals of this competition three years ago.
Clwb Cymric v Llanelli Town (Saturday, 2pm)
One of the lowest-ranked sides left in the competition, Clwb Cymric was a club founded in the 1960s by a group of friends keen to play football and socialise through the medium of Welsh – a value which remains a core part of their identity today.
One of the biggest games in the club’s history awaits on Saturday afternoon, as 2011 JD Welsh Cup winners Llanelli Town visit Ocean Park Arena.
Cymric are currently top of the South Wales Premier League Championship – the fifth tier of Welsh football – and are yet to lose a league game this season. They caused an upset in the previous round of the cup by knocking out third tier Treherbert BGC on penalties.
Meanwhile, JD Cymru South side Llanelli have pushed for promotion to the top-flight in recent years and have only lost one league game so far this term. They caused a cup shock of their own last season by knocking out Penybont in Round 3.
New Inn v Briton Ferry Llansawel (Saturday, 2pm)
Fourth tier side New Inn are preparing for a monumental day as they welcome top-flight Briton Ferry Llansawel to Woodfield Road on Saturday.
New Inn are currently eighth in the Gwent County Premier Division and have knocked out three third tier clubs from the JD Welsh Cup so far this season – Tredegar Town, Evans & Williams and Abertillery Bluebirds.
Briton Ferry will hope that the cup provides some respite from their league campaign as they currently find themselves bottom of the JD Cymru Premier.
The Reds have reached the quarter-finals of this competition in the last two seasons, losing to the eventual runners-up on both occasions.
