Trearddur Bay will be looking to make more JD Welsh Cup history on Saturday when they take on Newport City for a place in the quarter-finals (KO 17:00).
“It’s probably the biggest game in the club’s history,” manager Campbell Harrison explained to FAW.cymru. “There’s a bit of excitement, a bit of trepidation, but we’ll go for it. It’s been a long couple of months, and we’ve got a few injury concerns, but whatever team we put out we’ll be giving it our best shot.”
Trearddur Bay currently sit fourth in the Lock Stock Ardal North West and were handed away ties in all four previous rounds of the JD Welsh Cup this season. However, the Beach Boys have scored 19 goals in convincing victories over Llangefni Town, Berriew, Broughton United and Glynneath Town to reach Round Four for the first time.
“I think we’ve done well in all our games,” Harrison added. “The Welsh Cup is a special cup. We’d dearly love to get into the last eight as that would be a huge achievement for the club. We know we need a little bit of luck along the way, but we’ve worked hard in every game, and we’ve certainly earned the home draw.
“It’s great to have a home tie and hopefully we’ll be able to progress through, but we know it’s going to be extremely tough against a very good Newport City side that have a lot of experienced players. We’re going to have to be at our best, there’s no question about that.”
An away trip to fifth-tier Glynneath Town in the last round could have been a potential banana skin for Trearddur Bay, but a 14-minute hat-trick from Tom Hilditch eventually made the difference in a 5-2 victory.
“Tom’s really hot right now,” said Harrison. “He’s in a rich vein of form and we hope that continues Saturday.”
Newport City are currently eighth in the JD Cymru South. Sam Houldsworth’s side have progressed to Round Four with a 3-1 win over Penygraig United and needed penalties to get past Blaenavon Blues of the Elite Stands UK Ardal South East following a 2-2 home draw in the last round.
“Every game that we’ve progressed, we’ve done well,” Harrison added. “We had a great trip to Glynneath so a big thank you to them for making us feel really welcome. They’re a great set of lads there. It was great to meet all the guys at the rugby club as well. They really made an effort, so that was fantastic.”
A former defender with Cemaes Bay and Porthmadog, Harrison also managed Holyhead Hotspur and took over at Trearddur Bay in May this year. “I live in Trearddur Bay so I knew all about the club. It’s a good club with a good committee and a lot of commitment from local people with a really ambitious chairman.”
In October, the club were awarded FAW Platinum Accreditation, the highest award available in recognition for providing football for all people regardless of age, gender, ability and background. The ambition now is to achieve promotion to the JD Cymru North and build on the foundations that are already in place.
“We’re hoping to move into a new ground as soon as we can, which will give a bigger identity to the club and bring the local community together,” Harrison added. “There’s some good plans going forward.”
In the meantime, the club are playing from the Bangor City Stadium having agreed to the move this season.
“Bangor has been fantastic for us,” Campbell said. “It’s a beautiful stadium and a beautiful pitch which has helped our brand of football. I think the biggest thing is a decent playing surface as we like to play good football, so that’ll make a big difference. We can be a match for anybody on our day.”
JD Welsh Cup
Games to Watch in Round Four
Trearddur Bay are one of three teams from the third tier left in the JD Welsh Cup alongside league rivals Porthmadog and Bangor City 1876.
“It’s great for the league and it’s great for North Wales,” Harrison explained. “These are three very good clubs looking to get into the last eight of the competition.
“For us, this Welsh Cup run is great for the club and for the island of Anglesey. I think it’s also special for the committee as everybody will get to see all the hard work that’s being done here, and it really does just bring everybody together. We’ve got a lot of momentum, so hopefully we can take that into Saturday.”
