Denbigh Town striker Nathan Brown has scored in every round he has played in of the JD Welsh Cup this season and believes the added pressure of being one of the senior players in the squad has helped him thrive as the Reds target a place in the semi-finals.
A tough challenge awaits them on Saturday as JD Cymru South leaders Llanelli Town head to Central Park (KO 14:00), but the 26-year old is desperate to continue his excellent run of form in the competition and is confident his side can deliver.
“It’s a massive opportunity for us,” Brown told FAW.cymru this week. “But we have to beat what’s in front of us on Saturday.
“Hopefully we can get a massive crowd. We’ve had over 1,000 people at our last two Boxing Day games, and since I’ve been at the club we’ve had some really good crowds, so that’s what we want again at the weekend.
“It’s the Welsh Cup, we want to perform and for everyone to turn up and get behind us. Llanelli are on a really good run and we’ve watched a few clips. They look physical but also a really good side. We’re a team that likes to play and hopefully our quality on the day will shine through. We’re really confident.”
Denbigh have reached the quarter-final stage – for the first time for the first time in their history – with victories over lower-league opponents in Llangefni Town, Llanrwst United and Llanuwchllyn.
Brown registered three goals and three assists in the latter tie as his side ran out 7-1 winners, with Owen Davies also helping himself to a hat-trick in the convincing win (below). The accolades continued after the match as Brown was voted Player of the Round, and the striker has now scored 20 goals in all competitions this season.
“We’ve performed well in the Welsh Cup games this season and scored a lot of goals,” he added. “While we’ve been quite lucky to play teams that are in the league below, they can be tricky games too.
“We played Llanuwchllyn in pre-season and we were expecting it to be a tough game, and the scoreline makes it look more comfortable than it was on the day, but sometimes you just have to be ruthless in games like that. It was a good performance and a good result.
“I was proud to be named Player of the Round. It was the first time I’ve had that and it was a good feeling. It’s probably my best season at the moment and I’m playing my best football. I’m one of the oldest in the team now so I have felt a bit more pressure to deliver.
“In previous seasons we’ve had some older lads who have helped to push us through games, but this year I’ve taken on a bit more of that leadership and responsibility. I like the added pressure and I think that’s why I’ve performed better.”
Although Denbigh Town are currently ninth in the JD Cymru North, manger Dewi Llion Jones is developing a young and exciting side, while the continuous ground improvements at Central Park – ahead of hosting matches at next year’s UEFA U19 Championship – indicate a bright future for the club both on and off the field. The Reds head into Saturday’s match having taken seven points from their last three league games.
“When these Welsh Cup games come around you do look forward to them,” Brown added. “If you can get a good run in the competition it really builds momentum. There’s a lot of work going on and off the pitch at the club which the players recognise.
“Dewi has done a really good job with the team, it’s really young but there’s so much talent there, and they will benefit from the experience of this Welsh Cup run. In the league I think we can push on, and if we can keep this group together then in the next two or three years I think we could really challenge at the top of the table.”
Brown has consistently delivered since arriving at Central Park in the summer of 2022 and scored 30 goals as his team claimed a league and cup double in his first campaign.
Having previously played for Chester, Airbus UK Broughton and Flint Town United, where he played two games in the JD Cymru Premier in a season disrupted by the pandemic, Brown still has ambitions of returning to the domestic top-flight.
“I’ve always said that I want to play at least one full season in the Cymru Premier at some point,” he added. “I got promoted with Airbus but at the time it didn’t work out for me to make that step-up. I’ll be honest, I’ve always said that I want to get Denbigh Town to the Cymru Premier as Dewi has helped me a lot and he’s got me back to enjoying football again. For me personally, I would love to do it with Denbigh. That would be my end goal.”
