After their relegation from the Genero Adran Premier last season, a new look Pontypridd United side are looking to shock many this weekend.
The Dragons are currently leading the title race in a competitive Genero Adran South and youngster Megan Gladwyn is keen to praise the unity within the squad.
“The Adran South is tough, especially for us being quite a young side and others around us having a lot of experience behind them. But we are a tight-knit group and there’s such a strong sense of camaraderie between us. We have so much confidence and belief in each other, and we want to keep pushing and keep motivating each other to keep driving forward and to keep being ambitious.”
Ponty are proving Alan Hansen and many others wrong by proving that you can win with kids, but while they do have no fear, Gladwyn says this is a squad who know exactly what they’re doing on the pitch.
“In a sense I guess we don’t have a lot of fear, but we are a very mature side, and we understand the tactical side of the game very well. We have a strong understanding of how to play in every game. We all love going out on the football pitch and enjoy playing, and in that way, we have no fear, because it’s what we love to do.”
Gladwyn and the rest of the team will take a break from league action this weekend as they take part in the Bute Energy Welsh Cup quarter-finals.
Ponty have been favourites in their three ties so far in the competition this season, at home to Ammanford and Penybont and then away to Johnstown. Yet, Gladwyn says the way they’ve won shows a high level of professionalism in the team.
“It was really important the way and the manner we’ve come through in the previous rounds of the cup. It’s allowed us to be clinical in both boxes, and despite the teams we’ve come up against having more experience than us, we’ve been able to give good accounts of ourselves.”
The task for Claire O’Sullivan’s side is tougher this weekend, as they take on Genero Adran Premier side Aberystwyth Town at Park Avenue.
Ponty are the only second tier side left in the competition, but Gladwyn and company are quietly confident of pulling off an upset.
“We’re all expecting a really tough game against Aberystwyth. It’s going to be physical, fast paced, and the stakes are obviously really high. Particular for us, because this is the standard that we want to be playing at. It’s going to be a great opportunity for us as a young team who are in the middle of a rebuild, to show what Ponty is all about.”
A lot of change has taken place at Pontypridd in the past year or so, but things are looking up for the Dragons, and a win on Sunday would be another indicator of how far this young team could go.
“It would be brilliant if we could reach the semis. As a team, we know that we’re able to do it. We’ve played some really good football so far in the league, and we just have to keep going now. We’re so driven and so motivated, we have lofty ambitions too, and I think we can do it on Sunday.”
