Briton Ferry Llansawel will be looking to book their spot in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup semi-finals for the first time in three years, as they travel to Cwmbran Celtic on Sunday (KO 14:00).
After missing out on a top four spot in the Genero Adran Premier, Ferry will be hoping to put that behind them in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup and an opportunity to move closer to silverware.
Their fixture with Celtic will also see the return of Rhys James in the dugout, following his appointment as manager on an interim basis until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old has been full-time at Ferry since November, as Head of Academy and Football Operations, but now he is back in a role he held between 2022 and 2025.
“It’s been very busy,” James explained. “I’ve been full-time with Ferry now since November, so it’s very much a prime focus of looking after the academy and day-to-day operations with the football club so it’s very full-on. I’m really enjoying it.
“When the opportunity came up to step back into the women’s team and the board felt like I was the right person to try and steer that ship for the rest of the season, I wasn’t going to say no.
“It’s a club that I love, especially with the project I had over the last five years of with the women’s, I think the right thing for me to do is to help them out where I can.”
Bute Energy Welsh Cup
Preview all of the Quarter-Final ties
James guided Briton Ferry to promotion to the Genero Adran Premier in 2024 and finished second in the top-flight in their first season back last term.
Whilst it was an incredible achievement, to repeat that was always going to be a tough ask, and James has explained that there was no pressure on the group to repeat those heights.
“The objective that I’ve set the girls is to win every game. That’s realistic in terms of my expectations for them and the club’s expectations,” he stated.
“Going into the season, there was no expectations of results. I don’t think second place was something that was a target like we finished last year. It was very much to try and get the environment and the club sustained correctly, ready for future years.
“In my eyes the squad is good, it’s definitely a lot lighter than when I was there last year, and a lot younger which has its positives and negatives in the Adran Premier.
“For us it’s about trying to keep those players together. The difficult thing in this league is when you’ve got a young and exciting player, the teams above will definitely be looking and you can’t blame them.
“It’s just about maintaining the environment that we’ve got, harnessing that young talent and making sure that they’ve got minutes and room to excel. Once they get themselves in that starting shirt, it’s down to them. If they go on to play for a semi-pro or pro club, I’ve done my job and the club’s done their job to kick them on.”
Ferry reached the final of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup in 2023 while still a second tier side, losing 4-0 to Cardiff City in that game.
Since then, they have failed to progress past the quarter-final stage, something James will be looking to put right on Sunday.
“Putting us into a semi-final would be amazing,” he said. “We got to the final a few years ago which was not a great day out if I’m honest, I made a few mistakes that day and learnt a lot from that. If we can push the club into another final, that would be unbelievable.
“It’s always been a good competition. We know if we were to get through on Sunday you’ve got to pass one of the better teams in the Semi-Finals and then you’ve got to beat one of the best teams in the league in the final. You’ve got to beat the best to win it all. That’s not me disregarding Cwmbran at the weekend.
“For me that’s an exciting challenge. The club’s missed out on top four, but I do believe we can still challenge those top four teams.”
Bute Energy Welsh Cup
Briton Ferry face a Cwmbran Celtic side still in contention for the Genero Adran South title, with games in hand on the sides above them in the league table.
In a new era under former player Georgia Shwartz, Cwmbran were narrowly beaten 3-2 by Briton Ferry earlier on this season in the Genero Adran Trophy, so James is fully aware of the threat that they pose.
“I’ve watched a few of their games now and I’ve seen the footage from when we played them earlier in the season. We only just managed to get across the line in that one with a late winner, so that’s going to be a real tough test.
“This time it’s away from home, so the test is even harder. They’re a good well organised side with lots of pace, so they’re definitely going to cause us problems.”
“They’re having a strong season. They’ll be in high confidence and so they should be. I think Georgia has done a fantastic job there.”
