WELSH
SOCCER NEWS PAGE FOR JANUARY 2008
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JAN-31 |
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Initiative fails to take off at
Llanelli
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Welsh
Premier League leaders Llanelli have criticised some local football clubs
for letting them down on a recent initiative.The Reds have sent out
special discounted tickets to every Carmarthenshire League club in the
area in an attempt to attract more support to Stebonheath Park.
With each club receiving 18 tickets allowing them to enter the ground at
half-price, Llanelli were hoping their success on the field would be
backed up by support off it.
But they have seen some clubs opting not to get behind them, and in one
incident, handing over their tickets to Llanelli's rival fans.
For last week's 3-3 league draw with Neath Athletic, some
of the visitors fans accessed the ground via the Reds' Carmarthenshire
League ticket offer.
It left club officials not only baffled by a lack of support, but it also
hit the club in the pocket as some visiting fans spent 50 per cent less on
admission.
Llanelli general manager Nigel Richards said: "I am bitterly
disappointed by some of the Carmarthenshire League clubs.
"Twenty Neath fans got into the ground via the special ticket offer,
which is only open to Carmarthenshire League clubs.
"Some of the people who had those tickets simply gave them away to
Neath supporters.
"It is meant for Carmarthenshire League clubs and no one else.
"As the town team we want the people of Llanelli to be right behind
us.
"We are doing our part on the pitch and by offering them cheaper
tickets, so why aren't they holding up their side of the bargain?"
LS |
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JAN-31 |
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Brace: Things are looking up
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Deryn
Brace hopes Carmarthen's recent mini-revival has seen the club turn the
corner as they bid to earn European qualification for the fourth
consecutive season. The Old Gold player-manager saw his side fall behind
in the race for the third-placed Intertoto Cup spot following a tough
Christmas period, but seven points from the last nine has kept Town in the
race.
And Brace is delighted with the way his team have dug out victories
recently.
"We had a tough time over Christmas, especially with back-to-back
games against Llanelli," said Brace.
"We had a little sticky patch but we have put
together some good results since then and I have been pleased with the way
we have got the points.
"We beat Newtown although they should have put the game to bed by
half-time.
''Then we sorted things out and came back to win the game after a much
improved second half.
"We drew at Haverfordwest after being 2-0 down. We played some
excellent football in that game and came back to draw.
"Then last Saturday we beat Airbus even though we didn't deserve to.
We weren't at our fluid best in terms of passing and movement but, more
importantly, we've managed to grind out a result.
"It's times like that when you are not playing well and not deserving
to take points that you need to dig deep and pick up a draw or even a win.
"We've done that and that could be the difference at the end of the
season when European spots are decided."
Currently six points behind third-placed Rhyl, Carmarthen are without a
game this weekend as they are out of the Welsh Cup.
And Brace feels it is an ideal time for his players to recharge their
batteries.
CJ |
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JAN-31 |
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Tucker: Time to behave lads
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PORT TALBOT Town manager
Nicky Tucker has warned his players to clean up their act, writes writes
ANDREW PUGH.
The Steelmen have an
unenviable disciplinary record this season, with Lee Surman and Liam
McCreesh alone picking up 21 bookings between them.
Speaking at a fan forum
at the club last week, Tucker said: “Our discipline this season has been
shocking and it’s simply not acceptable, but hopefully it will get
better.
“Some bookings you can
understand, but it’s the really needless ones that are annoying.
“You can understood
when players get booked for hard tackles but players kicking balls away or
mouthing off to the referee is not on.
“It’s hard enough to
win games with 11 men let alone 10. For the game against Newi Cefn Druids
there are two players who should be available but aren’t.”
ICW |
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JAN-31 |
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Neath: Best ever WPL newcomers?
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Dyer now has his sights
firmly set on finishing in the top eight.
“I’ve heard that we
could be the most successful newly promoted side in the Welsh Premier, but
I’m not sure how true that is.
“As I said at the start
of the season, we targeted a top 10 finish and we look well on course for
that, and survival is no longer an issue.
“To finish anywhere
above that would probably be punching a little above our own weight.”
Dyer said his players had
performed a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season as they
adapted to the demands of the top flight.
“In the latter half of
the season we have really seen the boys progress, and we’ve come away
with good results against Rhyl, Carmarthen, Llanelli and now Caernarfon.
To come away with points has been very, very pleasing.
“It’s important that
we don’t let ourselves down and try and maintain our form for the
remainder of the season.”
ICW |
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JAN-31 |
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Llangefni split with boss Kevan
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ALEX KEVAN was sacked
because too many local players were leaving Llangefni Town, according to
club boss Bryan Owen.
The former Colwyn Bay
midfielder was sacked after just four games in charge of Llangefni
yesterday.
His right-hand man Phil
Boersma, the former Liverpool player who has worked as an assistant to
Graeme Souness as Reds coach and also at Southampton, will also leave the
Anglesey club.
Cefni chief executive
Owen said: “The board and the directors felt too many of the local lads
were leaving us and we didn’t want that to happen.
“Too many players were
being brought in from outside from the Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy catchment
area.”
He added: “I’ve got a
lot of time for Alex. He’s a great bloke and I’ve no doubt he’ll
make an excellent manager for somebody one day.
“We can only wish him
all the best for the future.”
Kevan, who took over
after Adie Jones was sacked last month, said he was “perplexed” by the
decision.
“I can’t work out
just why,” said Kevan. “What I have done is exactly what I said I’d
do when I was first appointed.
“It seems as though
word had got around that I was about to fill the team with 11 Liverpool
lads, which was not the case.
“A couple of lads left
and it seemed to prompt a chain reaction, then internal politics seems to
have taken over. I thought that I had joined an ambitious club – we
still had 10 matches to beat relegation and it’s a bit too early to
throw in the towel.”
Chris Evans, Richard
Hughes and Sion Parry have left Llangefni in the past few days.
BBC |
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JAN-31 |
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Ridsdale rules out player sales
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CARDIFF CITY chairman Peter
Ridsdale last night declared none of the club’s key players will be
leaving Ninian Park today as the Bluebirds embark on a genuine push for
Premiership promotion.
As the January transfer
window slams shut at midnight fears had been raised the
financially-troubled Bluebirds might need to cash in on the likes of Joe
Ledley, Paul Parry and teenager Aaron Ramsey.
But a bullish Ridsdale
has ruled out any departures even if “big money” offers are received
today.
The City supremo told the
Western Mail he’d had enquiries about three players during the last
week, but rebuffed them all with the Cardiff board now wanting to see how
far the current squad can take them this season.
Ridsdale refused to
elaborate on which players had been targeted, but Ledley, who grabbed his
seventh and eighth goals of the season in City’s impressive 3-1 defeat
of QPR on Tuesday, is attracting interest.
Everton are still said to
be circling and Paul Parry, also on the scoresheet against Rangers, has
also aroused speculation.
Previously Ridsdale had
conceded any Cardiff player might be sold if the right offer came in, but
with Cardiff facing Wolves in the fifth round of the FA Cup soon and just
one point off the play-off places, the chairman is now adamant no one will
depart.
ICW |
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JAN-31 |
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Baggies pay up Hartson's contract
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West Bromwich Albion have
released striker John Hartson - six months before his contract was due to
run out.
The 32-year-old, who
recently had an unsuccessful loan spell with Norwich, has slipped down the
pecking order at The Hawthorns this season.
Hartson joined the
Baggies in June 2006 but, despite scoring twice on his debut, struggled
with fitness and form.
The much-travelled
49-times capped former Wales international scored six goals in 24
appearances for Albion.
Hartson has not started a
senior game for Albion since Feburary, but his last goal in a Baggies
shirt actually came in a pre-season friendly at Histon in July.
BBC |
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JAN-31 |
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Moran on target on debut
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WELSH PREMIER: Andy Moran
made an instant impact for his new club on the day he left Rhyl.
Moran – one of the
Welsh Premier’s most successful strikers – left the Lilywhites earlier
this week after just over six years with the club, during which time he
scored 99 goals from 148 league games.
The 28-year-old marked
his debut for new club Fleetwood with a second-half goal as the Unibond
Premier Division side lost 3-2 at home to Gateshead on Tuesday.
DP |
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JAN-31 |
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Robinson confident of promotion
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Andy Robinson says leaders
Swansea are confident of the League One title after the 0-0 draw at rivals
Nottingham Forest left his side 10 points clear.
"We won't go
overboard but we have the belief that it's in our armoury to not only keep
the gap but build it," the midfielder told BBC Sport Wales.
"We showed why we're
top at Forest, we were in control and deserved the win.
"As leaders everyone
is going to raise their games against us, but we'll be up to match it, we
have the team spirit."
The Swans are now
unbeaten in 12 matches, and in their last two games have taken four points
away at promotion rivals Forest and Doncaster.
But they are troubled by
an injury to Paul Anderson, who limped off after collapsing away from any
action early in the clash at the City Ground on Tuesday.
"He felt his thigh,
it's a soft tissue injury which obviously causes a lot of problems to a
sprinter like Paul," manager Roberto Martinez told BBC Sport Wales.
"We will assess it
this week. He's not a player who comes off a football pitch for no
reason."
BBC
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JAN-30 |
Hicks
is hero in cup drama
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A
TIM HICKS hat-trick dumped holders the New Saints out of the FAW Premier
Cup in a dramatic quarter-final clash at Carmarthen last night, Saints
finishing the tie with just nine men.
Carmarthen defied the
odds to earn the right to face Llanelli at Stebonheath Park on February 26
for a place in the final of the lucrative competition.
The visitors went in
front on 36 minutes, John Toner taking up a good position in the box to
head home from a free kick.
But the lead lasted a
mere five minutes as Old Gold top scorer Hicks found the target.
A rash challenge by
Saints Phil Baker earned him a red card five minutes from the end of
normal time.
Hicks pounced five
minutes into extra-time and in a final twist, he delivered the knockout
blow with his third, with Mike Taylor the second Saints player to receive
his marching orders.
ICW |
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JAN-30 |
Camilleri
confident Pontypridd can avoid drop
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MAL
Camilleri is adamant his Pontypridd Town will not be relegated this
season.
They lie second from
bottom in MacWhirter Welsh Football League Division One with three to go
down, but manager Camilleri says: “We have made massive progress this
season and there is no way we will be relegated.
“This is a young team
with an average age of around 20 years old. We are improving all the time
and we will stay up.”
Ponty were without Ebony
Dixon for their match at Bryntirion Athletic, but they did take the lead
through Jacob Daly.
Bryntirion even had top
scorer Robbie Walters sent off, but Pontypridd slipped to a 3-1 defeat
with Martin Dando, Gavin Thomas and Jon Cuss scoring.
Pontypridd are at home to
Afan Lido this weekend, while, looking farther forward, they have some
crucial matches during March against fellow strugglers Garw, Taffs Well,
Pontardawe Town and Maesteg Park.
Camilleri’s view is:
“Forget March, there are plenty of opportunities to pick up points
before then and that’s what we should aim at.”
ICW |
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JAN-30 |
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Cardiff knocking on play-off
door after QPR win
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A Joe Ledley brace helped
Cardiff to a comfortable win over woeful QPR.
An awful back pass from
the visitors gave Paul Parry the chance to lay on the opener for Ledley
with a fine feed.
Aaron Ramsey, making his
full league debut, then found Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink who delivered the
pass for Ledley to stroke in his second.
More weak defending saw
Hasselbaink set up Paul Parry for a well-taken third, before Hogan
Ephraim's late consolation slipped under an injured Michael Oakes.
The Bluebirds are now
just one point off the Championship play-offs, having extended their
unbeaten run to nine games.
BBC |
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JAN-30 |
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Aber beat Reds for 1st Leg
Advantage
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Aberystwyth take a 2.1
advantage into second leg of the Loosemores Cup Semi Final at Stebonheath
in two weeks following a great win over league leaders Llanelli.
In the other semi Final
at Belle Vue, Rhyl and Bangor went in at the break, goalless, but drew
1.1. Dave Cameron partnered Lee Hunt up-front, whilst former Bangor
captain, Paul O'Neil was only named on the bench. Nev Powell made 1 change
with skipper Marc Limbert returning after suspension, and Craig Hutchinson
dropped to the bench.
OWP |
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JAN-30 |
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Spot kicks saves the Dragons
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Bottom club Wrexham twice
came from behind with penalties to earn a vital point at play-off chasing
Morecambe.
Carl Baker's low cross
was bundled in by Wayne Curtis in the first attack.
Danny Adams fouled Stuart
Nicholson for Danny Sonner to equalise, but after the break Neil Roberts
turned into his own net from Matty Blinkhorn's back-heel.
David Antell fouled Drewe
Broughton for Mike Proctor to power in the equaliser, Richard Hope's late
red card after a second yellow not affecting the result.
Wrexham are undefeated in
three games, but have slipped to five points from the League Two safety
zone.
BBC |
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JAN-30 |
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Swans hold out for a point
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Swansea's lead at the top of
League One was cut to 10 points after an entertaining draw at promotion
rivals Forest, who drop to third in the table.
The home side had the
better of the first half, with Swans keeper Dorus De Vries making four
fine saves.
But Swans midfielder Andy
Robinson also had a number of good chances, Paul Smith denying him in the
Forest goal.
Grant Holt and Matt
Thornhill were kept at bay by De Vries in the second half, a draw the fair
result at the death.
Swansea's unbeaten run
now stretches to 12 games, while Forest have lost just once at the City
Ground this season.
The Swans will be
troubled by an early injury to Paul Anderson, who limped off after
collapsing away from any action.
BBC |
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JAN-30 |
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Young Welsh striker on target again
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Norwich City's Ched Evans
struck on the stroke of half-time to clinch a crucial victory at
Southampton.
Lee Croft set up Evans,
on loan from Manchester City, to score his fourth goal of the season from
18 yards.
Southampton missed a host
of chances, with Grzegorz Rasiak and Rudi Skacel both being denied by the
woodwork.
But Stern John wasted
their best opportunity with 20 minutes left, when he missed a penalty
after Norwich's Gary Doherty had handled.
BBC |
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JAN-30 |
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Wrexham bid for Chester's Ellison
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Wrexham have made a
five-figure offer for Chester City winger Kevin Ellison.
Chester say they are
considering the bid for the-28-year-old who joined for a second time from
Tranmere Rovers last summer.
If a deal is completed,
Ellison would become Wrexham manager Brian Little's 12th signing of the
January transfer window.
Ellison, who has also
played for Hull and Stockport, has scored eight times in 26 League two
starts this season.
Chester owner Stephen
Vaughan said: "We will consider the offer, but if the financial
valuation doesn't meet ours and more importantly, if the manager doesn't
want the player to move on, then the deal won't go through."
BBC |
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JAN-29 |
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Moran to be sold to Unibond Prem
club |
RHYL'S record breaking striker Andy Moran is set to be sold to Unibond
League Premier Division club Fleetwood Town.
The 28-year-old is due to join The Fishermen for an
undisclosed club record four-figure fee. Subject to international clearance being confirmed, Fleetwood hope to play
Moran in tomorrow night's match against Gateshead.
Moran is Rhyl's highest Welsh Premier League scorer with 99 goals. In 226
full competitive appearances for the Lilies, he has netted 155 times.
Although he started the current campaign well, bagging 17 goals, Moran has
struggled for form in recent weeks and was dropped from the squad for
Saturday's 2-0 victory over Haverfordwest.
Rhyl manager John Hulse was full of praise for the departing striker, who
joined the club in the 2001/02 season.
"I'd like to thank Andy for all he has done for the club and he goes with
my full blessing," said Hulse.
"It is fair to say he had gone off the boil and with the strikers who've
come into the club recently we needed to shake things up a bit.
"I know Andy is sorry to be leaving Rhyl, the fans mean a lot to him,
especially for the way they and everyone at the club stuck with him
through difficult times.
"But I think he had gone a bit stale and the move to Fleetwood represents
a fresh challenge.
"The fee we've received makes good business sense as Andy's contract would
have been up in seven weeks so he'd have become a free agent and could
have moved on for nothing."
Moran has experienced
mixed fortunes during his time at Belle Vue.
In 2003/04 his 47 goals inspired the club to the Welsh Premier League,
Welsh Cup and League Cup treble, but at the end of the campaign it was
revealed he had traces of the illegal substance nandrolone in his system
following a random test during that season.
Moran was stripped of his Welsh Premier League Player of the Season title
and served an eight-month ban, but remained at the club and continued to
contribute a steady flow of goals.
His departure comes hot on the heels of prolific strike partner Lee Hunt's
transfer request.
Lilywhites online |
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JAN-29 |
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Cup romance dead as City draw
Wolves |
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AFTER Chasetown and Hereford
there was little romance left for Cardiff City in the FA Cup fifth round
draw yesterday.
Being paired with
Championship rivals was always on the cards with eight second-tier teams
in the last 16, so you could forgive Wolves boss Mick McCarthy for his under whelming
response to a trip to Ninian Park on the weekend of February 16-17.
“It’s not a sexy draw
I’m afraid,” said the former Republic of Ireland boss whose Wolves
side won 3-2 at Cardiff in the league back in October.
“But we’ve got a
chance now. We’ve beaten Cardiff once at their place this season and
I’d sooner be going there than to Liverpool.
“We have more chance of
progressing than if we had been drawn to travel to Anfield.”
Drawing Wolves, of
course, means Bluebirds boss Dave Jones comes up against one of his former
employers, while current City No 1 Michael Oakes made nearly 200 league
appearances for the Molineux men between 1999 and 2007.
“I think if you are
going to play someone in your own division it’s important to get a home
draw,” said Jones, whose side has seen off non-league Chasetown and
League Two Hereford to reach the fifth round for the first time in 14
years.
“So from that respect I
think it is as good as it could be.
“From a financial point
of view when you get to this stage any game will be a sell-out.”
“But it will be a tough
one because we know them and they know us inside out.”
A win for Cardiff would
put them in the quarter-final for the first time since 1927 when they went
on to lift the trophy after beating Arsenal 1-0 in the final.
ICW |
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JAN-29 |
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New Saint set to make debut
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NEW forward Kevin Townson
looks set to make his bow for The New Saints in tonight’s FAW Premier
Cup quarter-final tie at Carmarthen Town, writes John Bridgwater.
The former Rochdale
marksman joins from Northwich Victoria, and Saints manager Ken McKenna
hopes he will relish the chance to impress.
“Kevin’s a really
good player with a fantastic pedigree,” he said. “He scored loads of
goals for Rochdale, and a lot of big clubs were interested in him, but he
has lost his way a bit since.
“But it’s a chance
for him to come to us to get his desire back and show what a good player
he is.”
The arrival of the
24-year-old, who has netted 29 Football League goals, comes with strike
duo Michael Wilde and Ronnie Morgan both long-term injury victims.
For tonight’s
encounter, the Saints are hopeful that Martyn Naylor, Jamie Wood and Tommy
Holmes could feature but Chris King and Stephen Beck are still doubtful.
DP |
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JAN-29 |
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Dragons breathe new fire - Little
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Brian Little says his
new-look Wrexham have found a new lease of life as they look to extend
their unbeaten run to three games at Morecambe.
The Dragons boss has
brought in 11 new faces in the January transfer window in a bid to stave
off relegation and he hopes they can go on a run of form.
"I think we've found
a new lease of life," said Little.
"But results will
dictate how people feel and the last two results have made people feel a
lot better."
Morecambe, who came up to
the Football League via the Conference play-offs last summer, find
themselves three points outside the League Two play-offs.
And Little wants his side
to be able to play some of the same attractive football as their hosts.
"They play good
football, we will always want to play good football," he said.
"I watched Morecambe
myself this season and I was very impressed with them as a footballing
side.
"They have formed
themselves to be a major force in this division."
BBC |
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JAN-29 |
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Gis a goal say's Crows boss
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Poor Cwmbran simply can't
buy a goal these days, and despite the introduction of eight new signings
for their away game against relegation-threatened Maesteg Park Athletic,
the Crows fired blanks for a club-record sixth successive league match in
a 0-0 draw.
It's now 550 minutes
since manager Guillermo Ganet's team managed to find the back of the net,
a fact which doesn't bode well for the most difficult task of all on
Saturday - a home game against leaders Goytre United.
Only on one occasion,
when new recruit Benjamin Bristow saw his point-blank header tipped over
by former Crow goalkeeper Gary Wager, did Cwmbran look likely to score and
they would have lost this particular encounter had the home side not
struck the crossbar shortly afterwards.
The result means Cwmbran,
table-toppers themselves on October 7, have slipped down to eighth
position, and if the three clubs below them - Afan Lido Caerleon and
Bridgend Town - win only one of their many games in hand, then they'll
drop even further to 11th of 18.
SWA |
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JAN-29 |
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Aber aim to book their place in
finals
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ABERYSTWYTH Town will look
to move a step closer to a place in the final of the Loosemores Cup for
the first time when they host Llanelli in the first leg tonight, writes
John Bridgwater.
With the return leg at
Stebonheath Park in two weeks, the Black and Greens will be anxious to
ensure they keep their hopes alive by gaining some reward this evening.
However, it promises to
be tough semi-final with Llanelli on a rich vein of goalscoring form
having won their last six Welsh Premier matches to move top of the table.
By contrast, Aber’s
form has been mixed, having lost five of their last seven with last
weekend’s narrow 1-0 loss at Bangor City seeing them slip to ninth spot.
But they can take heart
from their successes against the Llanelli full-timers, who they defeated
in past seasons in the league and league cup.
Midfielder Gavin
Cadwallader could come into the frame after getting another game under his
belt for the reserves following a knee injury.
Meanwhile,
Aberystwyth’s reserves will also be in action when they visit Newtown in
the Central Wales Floodlit Cup tonight.
DP |
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JAN-29 |
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Bluebirds boss Jones out to
bridge financial gap
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THE so-called richest club
in football runs out at Ninian Park tonight to highlight the financial
chasm in the Championship.
But, as Cardiff chairman
Peter Ridsdale continues to juggle with a monstrous debt at Ninian Park,
Bluebirds boss Dave Jones insists that having one of the richest men in
the world involved in your club does not guarantee success.
Queens Park Rangers are
City’s visitors tonight with the west London club in the middle of a
multi-million pound revolution.
Rangers were bought by a
consortium which includes Formula One moguls Flavio Briatore and Bernie
Ecclestone and the family of the fifth richest man in the world, Lakshmi
Mittal.
Indian steel magnet
Mittal is reportedly worth £50bn and the family’s interests will be
looked after by his son-in-law Amit Bhatia, who helped buy 20 per cent of
the club last month.
Spending money on the
likes of Fitz Hall (Wigan) and former City target Rowan Vine (Birmingham)
has helped lift QPR from the bottom of the Championship with five wins in
their last 12 games.
Total spending from the
start of the season is nearly at £4m and fans will be hoping to see
further investment in the side as they look to get back into the
Premiership.
But Jones insists there
is no certainty they will be able to propel themselves out of the
Championship immediately, with so many quality teams looking to climb out
of the division.
ICW |
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JAN-29 |
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Forget the form book - Martinez
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Swansea boss Roberto
Martinez says the form book will go out of the window when his League One
leaders visit second-place Nottingham Forest.
The Spaniard hopes his
team will extend their lead to 14 points but he is refusing to take
anything for granted.
"When you play the
likes of Leeds and Forest, form means nothing," he said.
"It's whoever adapts
better in the 90 minutes that will get the good result and we need to make
sure that we're ready for it."
Swansea are 11 points
clear at the top of League One after a rousing 4-0 win at promotion
hopefuls Doncaster on Friday.
Forest left the Liberty
Stadium in August with a point after holding the Swans to a 0-0 draw
despite being under pressure for most of the game.
But Martinez is expecting
the former European champions to come out on the attack.
"They are a
fantastic group of players," he said.
"They've got
individualities that can win a football game with a little bit of magic
and we have to be very, very careful.
"The form situation
goes out of the window when you're playing such a big occasion, but we are
really looking forward to it."
BBC |
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JAN-28 |
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Nicholas's delight as Reds hit the
top
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Llanelli
are top of the Welsh Premier for the first time since November. A superb
victory at Caersws took them two points clear of champions The New Saints
whose game at Connah's Quay Nomads on Friday night was postponed because
of a floodlight failure.
The Reds also enjoy a goal difference advantage of five following a
phenomenal run of high scores recently, although Ken McKenna's men have a
match in hand.
Manager
Peter Nicholas was delighted with the efforts of his players, who had
fluffed their lines on Wednesday night, allowing a 3-1 lead over Neath to
be swallowed up late in the match and fluff three points.
"I'm very pleased with the performance and the result on a very
difficult pitch," he said.
"This was an important game for us to win and it's nice to be top of
the league, although there's a long way to go as we still have 11 games to
play.
"This time last year we were well adrift of The New Saints but at
least we are giving Ken (McKenna) a fright this time."
Nicholas added: "We are scoring lots of goals at present but we could
have had even more today as we missed some other good chances that we
created."
Llanelli
now turn their thoughts to tomorrow night's Loosemores League Cup
semi-final first leg tie at Aberystwyth.
EP
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Canary's signings up to six
|
Principality Welsh Premier
club Caernarfon Town have unveiled the latest addition to a continually
revamped squad.
Canaries` manager Steve O'Shaughnessy has swooped for Leigh RMI striker
Dean Walker, who completed his transfer from the Blue Square North last
week.
The Cofis boss has been one of the busiest manager's since the transfer
window re-opened, adding no fewer than six players to his squad, as he
hopes to add the quality to his squad that will see them climb away from
the danger zone.
Walker featured just three times for the side currently propping up the
Blue Square North after making his debut as recently as Boxing Day, and he
was consequently released by the Railwaymen's former Bangor City boss
Steve Bleasdale.
NLD
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|
JAN-28 |
|
Bellamy boost but Collins out
|
|
THE good news for Wales and
West Ham is that Craig Bellamy is back... the bad is the knee injury to
James Collins which has ruled out the big centre-half for the rest of the
season.
Wales boss John Toshack
will have to do without Collins when he names his squad today for the
friendly international with Norway on February 6.
Collins, 24, damaged knee
ligaments in a West Ham reserve game on Wednesday.
But Bellamy and Danny
Gabbidon each came through the match unscathed and should be picked in
Toshack’s squad for the game against the Norwegians at Wrexham.
Bellamy was playing his
first match in three months after an abdominal injury and is in contention
for a return to West Ham’s squad for Wednesday's Premiership clash with
his old club Liverpool.
Gabbidon was continuing
his recovery after picking up another groin injury in December.
West Ham assistant
manager Mervyn Day said, “Players always target the earliest game
possible, so we have got to look at it properly and see whether Craig is
actually fit enough to play any part against Liverpool.
“Certainly he is
training well, but Craig has only literally played 87 minutes in a reserve
match since the injury first struck ... so realistically it is going to be
a big ask for him to be involved.
ICW
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Roberts hails Little's revolution
|
|
Wrexham captain Neil Roberts
says Brian Little new recruits have brought a new solidness and spirit to
the Racecourse.
Boss Little has signed 11
new players in January, seven of which played in Saturday's 1-1 draw with
Bradford.
"The new signings
have done so well to fit into the team so quickly, it can often take time
for them to fit in," said Saturday goal-scorer Roberts.
"You can see the
difference in out performances. We're a lot more organised - that's the
biggest factor."
BBC
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Jones not worried over next cup
opponents
|
|
CARDIFF CITY manager Dave
Jones saw his side avoid an FA Cup upset at Hereford and then insisted he
did not mind who the Bluebirds get in today’s fifth-round draw.
It is the first time
Cardiff have reached this stage of the competition since they lost out to
Luton 2-1 back in February 1994.
“Financially it would
be nice to have a Premiership club, but I have not really got a
preference,” said Jones.
“I am not too bothered
really. I have always believed if you are going to do anything in this
competition then you are going to have to beat whoever is put in front of
you. I am just happy to be through to the next round.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Britton’s message to Swans
title rivals
|
|
LEON BRITTON says Swansea
have stopped looking at their rivals, insisting: “It’s all about
us.”
The Swans stretched their
lead at the top of League One on Friday night after a superb victory over
fellow promotion candidates Doncaster.
But having passed that
promotion test, Roberto Martinez’s men face another examination of their
title credentials with a trip to bookies’ favourites Nottingham Forest
on Tuesday.
Yet midfielder Britton
says the confidence in the Swansea camp has seen the side stop caring who
still stands in their way of their Championship aims.
The 25-year-old said:
“A lot of people had talked about Doncaster being a big test for us and
now we have got to go straight into another big game against rivals for
promotion.
“But we’re not
thinking about other teams or who we have to face.
“We are all just
concentrating on ourselves, doing things the right way and playing the way
we can because we know that’s what has got us to where we are at the
moment.
ICW
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Five-star show by Reds
|
|
HAVING won 3-0 and 4-1 on
their previous two visits to the Recreation Ground, Llanelli cracked five
this time to reach the summit of the Welsh Premier for the first time
since November.
Remarkably, the name Rhys
Griffiths did not appear on the scoresheet as he sat this one out with a
niggling groin injury.
Desperate Caersws
defending throughout enabled the Reds to breeze to victory, Craig Williams
and newcomer Stephen Evans both bagging a brace, the other coming from
Mark Jones.
“It’s nice to be top,
but there’s still 11 games to go yet,” said Llanelli manager Peter
Nicholas. “The lads performed well on a very difficult surface. This
time last year we were well adrift of TNS points-wise, but we hope to give
Kenny (McKenna) a fright this time.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Little sees chance of great escape
|
|
WREXHAM boss Brian Little
believes the Dragons are at last showing signs they could pull off another
great escape despite passing up the chance to climb off the bottom.
After last weekend’s
shock victory over MK Dons Little suggested his team’s 1-1 draw with an
in-form Bradford outfit is further evidence the Dragons can survive.
“Three weeks ago
that’s the sort of game we might have lost. A comparison might be the
Brentford game where we scored first, but, after conceding a goal in the
second half, were then 3-1 down within 10 minutes.
ICW
|
|
JAN-28 |
|
Welsh league round up
|
|
GOYTRE UNITED won the big
top-of-the table battle in the First Division of the Welsh League
yesterday beating Dinas Powys 3-0 at Glenhafod Park.
Deadly striker Richard
Ryan netted the first goal and Steve Conaty added the second just before
the interval.
This success stretched
Goytre’s lead to three points over Ton Pentre who were surprisingly held
to a goalless draw by Caerleon.
Meanwhile Afan Lido edged
to a 2-1 victory over Pontardawe, the seasiders’ scorers being Shaun
Best and Ian Jones, while Vinny Wattleworth scored for the Llynfi Valley
side.
Maesteg Park and Cwmbran
ended goalless at Tudor Park and Bridgend Town added to the woes of bottom
club Garw with a 3-0 victory.
Newport YMCA beat Taffs
Well 3-1 with a brace by Lewis Summers and one by John Pardue. Jamie
Roberts netted for Taffs Well.
Bryntirion Athletic saw
off struggling Pontypridd Town, while striker Chris Summers Rikki Evans
scored for ENTO Aberamanin a 2-1 win over Croesyceiliog.
A Richard Taylor brace
was enough to give Cambrian and Clydach maximum points against Caldicot
Town.
Revitalised Division Two
table-toppers Barry travelled to Old Road and beat Briton Ferry 5-2.
A David Lewis penalty
wasn’t sufficient to give Llangeinor victory against Ely Rangers.
Llangeinor’s neighbours
Bettws pipped Ammanford 3-2, while it was goals galore at Garden Village,
where the home side beat Cardiff Corries 5-3.
In the Third Division
high-flying Newcastle Emlyn beat Cwmamman Utd 3-2. But this fine victory
wasn’t enough though for Emlyn to go top of the table as Pentwyn Dynamo
continued their winning ways with a 1-0 win at home to struggling
Morriston.
Merthyr Saints hit
Abertillery for six.
Ryan Buckman and Jason
Hatch made it maximum points for sixth placed Penrhiwceiber away at
Goytre.
The Porthcawl-Llantwit
Fardre game was abandoned after 10 minutes due to a serious leg injury.
WOS
|
|
JAN-27 |
|
Rose sinks Druids
|
|
Newi Cefn Druids 0-1 Port
Talbot
PORT TALBOT picked up
where they left off last week with the scalp of The New Saints, with a
hard-earned 1-0 victory over NEWI Cefn Druids at Plaskynaston.
The only goal of the game
was after just 11 minutes from a well-rehearsed corner routine, and Lee
John’s flag-kick was powerfully headed past Chris Mullock by Martin
Rose.
The visitors deserved
their interval lead but in the second half it was Cefn who were much the
better side. However, despite their territorial advantage, they failed to
turn chances into goals.
They almost squared the
match late on, but a fierce free-kick by Mike Thompson was denied by the
upright.
On the counter-attack,
Rose missed two good chances for Port Talbot to put the result to rest,
but he was denied by Mullock.
WOS
|
|
JAN-27 |
|
Fowler kills off Airbus
|
|
Carmarthen 2-1 Airbus UK
CARMARTHEN’S late
winner was a bitter pill for Gareth Owen’s Airbus to swallow.
The North Wales side had
done enough to get all three points, as they made canny use of Owen’s
distribution skills, not to mention his inch-perfect free kicks.
Perhaps the home side
scored too early and eased off after Jamal Easter used his pace to great
effect in racing on to a Paul Fowler pass to finish clinically.
After that, it was Neil
Thomas in the Carmarthen goal who was by far the busier.
He saved well from Paul
Hallows and Owen, but could only stand and watch when Danny Desmoreaux hit
the bar.
It was all Airbus
deserved when they equalised from the penalty spot, but the home side came
on strong in the last 10 minutes, and Fowler scored in the 90th minute.
Late in the game,
Hallows, of Airbus, and Sacha Walters, of Carmarthen, both received red
cards.
WOS
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|
JAN-27 |
|
Ridsdale rules out any new signings
|
|
DAVE JONES has been told he
won’t get a penny to sign new players – because the squad is good
enough already, writes CHRIS WATHAN.
Chairman Peter Ridsdale
has told the Bluebirds boss he will not see anything of the £2.5m the
club has raised in the last month.
And that means Jones can
forget about any last-minute spending before the January transfer window
slams shut on Thursday.
The Cardiff manager could
have been forgiven for thinking the money generated from the sale of Chris
Gunter (£2m) and Steve MacLean (£500,000) could be used to try to
attract new faces for a promotion push.
But Ridsdale insisted:
“Dave will not see a penny of that because of the ongoing cost of the
court case and because of the uncertainty created just before Christmas.
“My job is to ensure
the club is viable and above board, and at this stage I needed to raise
money to underpin the club’s finance.
“So as we stand now,
there will be no transfer fees out.”
Ridsdale admits that
could change should an irresistible offer come in for one of their stars
to boost the budget – although there are no signs City are set to sell
any of their big names..
And he added: “I
won’t say we won’t bring anybody in because there’s always
opportunities and bargains to be had, and we’re used to wheeling and
dealing.
“But will we be paying
money out in transfer fees? No.”
Still, Ridsdale is
adamant that should not be a problem for his manager after the recent
revival in fortunes.
And in a veiled swipe at
Cardiff’s big-spending Championship rivals, the chairman insists
Jones’ squad is big enough and good enough to keep up their current
form.
WOS
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|
JAN-27 |
|
Caernarfon fall to Eagles late show
|
|
TO paraphrase Lady
Bracknell, ‘to concede one last-minute goal is unfortunate, to concede
two sounds like carelessness’.
As a result of
Caernarfon’s largesse, the sighs of relief from the home fans were
audible, as Neath really did not play well. This was despite taking the
lead after only three minutes, when Chris Pridham nodded home a scrappy
goal.
Caernarfon’s reply was
much classier. Paul Addo picked up the ball on the edge of the box to hit
a top corner screamer.
They scored another good
one to take the lead in the second half, when Peter Doran raced up from
full back and fired home.
Neath finally got going
with 20 minutes left and in injury time Andrew Hill headed home from a
corner. Neath fans could not believe their luck when, almost from the
restart, the ball fell to Pridham, and his deflected shot found the net.
WOS
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|
JAN-27 |
|
County head for the top
|
|
Sutton Utd 0 Newport County
1
COUNTY’S surge towards
the top of Blue Square South gathered momentum yesterday with a
hard-fought victory at basement boys Sutton.
Peter Beadle kept faith
with the same side who demolished mid-table Cambridge on Wednesday, but on
a very poor playing surface this clash in the London suburbs was always
likely to prove more difficult.
Chances were few at
either end but the game was settled by a moment of madness from Sutton’s
new signing Karim Lel-Salahi in the 42nd minute.
The central defender,
signed on loan from Eastleigh earlier in the week, needlessly handled a
ball played into the box and Jason Bowen showed his usual expertise from
12 yards to send ’keeper Phil Wilson the wrong way.
The second half was
disrupted by frequent use of the whistle from referee Karl Berry, much of
which was unnecessary but it was County who looked much the better
footballing side.
Beadle said “We showed
character, grit and determination.
“This was as good a
result as we will get all season.”
WOS
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Swans trounce Doncaster to cement
top spot
|
|
Swansea City extended their
lead at the top of League One to 11 points with an emphatic win at
fourth-place Doncaster.
Ferrie Bodde drilled a
super free-kick into the bottom corner on 28 minutes to open the scoring.
The midfielder's
pin-point pass then found Jason Scotland, whose cross gave Bauza a simple
tap-in on 52 minutes.
Stephen Roberts was sent
off six minutes later when he hauled down Bauza before Scotland scored a
late penalty and Febian Brandy stuck at the death.
Substitute Brandy, on
loan from Manchester United, finished off a flowing move which epitomised
Swansea's stylish performance.
BBC
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Saints back Havant at Liverpool
|
|
The New Saints have sent a
good luck message to Havant & Waterlooville for their FA Cup tie at
Liverpool.
"Having played
Liverpool ourselves, we're fully aware of the excitement that comes with
drawing them," said TNS official Mike Harris.
"It's a once in a
lifetime experience for clubs like ours to play in front of the Kop."
TNS drew Liverpool in the
2005 Champions League, with world attention focusing on the Welsh
champions.
"The recognition
that we have received from playing Liverpool has given us a great
reputation all over the world," Harris added.
"We have supporters
in far flung corners of the globe and people everywhere now know of TNS
and our European history."
The Saints currently top
the Welsh Premier, and are looking to qualify for the Champions League yet
again.
"We'll be rooting
for Havant & Waterlooville at Liverpool and have sent a personal
message of good luck to all the players and management from one minnow to
another," Harris said.
BBC
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Another chance for Llanelli
|
|
THE postponement of last
night’s match between Connah's Quay Nomads and Champions the New Saints
gives Llanelli another opportunity to reach pole position in the Welsh
Premier.
The Reds fluffed their
lines on Wednesday when they had to settle for a point in a 3-3 thriller
against Neath leaving them a point adrift of Ken McKenna’s team.
Today’s visit to
Caersws. a venue where they achieved 3-0 and 4-1 wins on their last two
visits, presents Peter Nicholas’ men with a second bite of the cherry.
Stephen Evans, recently
signed from Crawley Town, came on as a second-half substitute against the
Eagles, but could be in line for his first start, while Lee Phillips is
hoping to be fit for consideration. Stuart Jones has been ruled out.
Rhyl can reduce the
points deficit on Saints to eight
with victory at
Haverfordwest, but they face a rejuvenated Bluebirds who have turned the
corner following a barren autumn to post 14 points from seven matches.
Danny Thomas misses
Carmarthen Town’s home clash with Newtown. but play maker Nathan
Cotterrall returns.
“The lads have shown
real character in bouncing back from a bad spell, but Newtown has had some
decent results lately so we will have to be at our best,” said Old Gold
boss Deryn Brace.
Bangor City could be in
fourth spot tonight if Rhyl come unstuck in Pembrokeshire, but they face a
testing afternoon against Aberystwyth Town at Farrar Road.
Swansea City manager
Roberto Martinez has recommended on-loan Port Talbot frontmen Chad Bond
and Kerry Morgan to his home-town Spanish club.
“It’s a big loss to
us,” said Port Talbot manager Nick Tucker, who hopes to have two new
signings in place for the home match with Newi Cefn Druids.
Neath manager Andrew Dyer
hopes to have sealed the signature of former Swansea left wing Daniel
Lancey for the visit for Caernarfon Town to Llandarcy Park plus goalkeeper
Alex Davies from Swansea side West End.
Welshpool need three
points at Porthmadog to keep their European hopes alive, while Llangefni
Town also need victory against visitors Newtown as they fight for their
top-flight status.
ICW
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Porthmadog keen to end home woes
|
|
PORTHMADOG expect to be at
full strength and unchanged – and desperate to notch their first home
win – when Welshpool Town arrive at Y Traeth today.
Manager Viv Williams
said: “We are perfectly capable of gaining the result we need but have
to battle right from the start and keep going right to the end.”
The Port boss watched the
opposition in action in a 1-0 defeat at Bangor City last weekend and was
impressed.
He said: “Welshpool are
a very disciplined and organised side, who gave Bangor a tough game.
“We will have to match
that commitment and it will be a case of grafting.”
Porthmadog pair Danny
Hughes and striker Carl Owen return from injury and recent signing Mark
Thomas plays in midfield.
DP
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Seven Sisters lose points
|
|
TEAMS struggling near the
foot of MacWhirter Welsh League Division Three have received an unexpected
boost in their quest to avoid relegation.
The league management
committee have deducted three points from Seven Sisters’ total for
failing to play a fixture on Boxing Day.
That is good news for
Seven Sisters’ fellow strugglers Abertillery Excelsiors, Monmouth Town
and Aberbargoed Buds.
Seven Sisters were unable
to raise a team for the home festive game against Newcastle Emlyn.
The Dulais Valley team
were also fined £250 for the offence.
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Little puts faith in double striker
swoop
|
|
WREXHAM boss Brian Little
has indicated his overhaul of the Dragons’ squad is now virtually
complete after bringing strikers Drewe Broughton and Rob Duffy to the club
on month-long loan deals.
The arrivals mean Little
has brought 10 new faces to the Racecourse in January in a bid to preserve
the Dragons’ status in the Football League.
He said, “We’re at a
point now where we would be limited if we tried doing anything else.
“We’ve had several
offers for our younger players to go out on loan and we’ll probably look
more on that side of things because we owe it to them to try to keep them
improving.”
Little believes MK
Dons’ striker Broughton and Oxford United forward Duffy, who are both
over 6ft, can provide the Dragons with an aerial option they’ve been
lacking.
The 29-year-old Broughton
has featured 18 times for the League Two leaders this season, but managed
only one goal, while Duffy, 24, has clocked up six strikes in 21
appearances for the Blue Square Premier side.
Little said, “They’re
two bigger centre forwards because we feel we need a variation up there.
“Rob hasn’t really
been tried at this level, whereas Drewe has been around the block.
“It gives us the option
of having a big man up front to change the pattern of play.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-26 |
|
Points there for the taking
claims Kevan
|
|
NEW Llangefni Town manager
Alex Kevan believes vital points will be there for the taking against
Newtown today.
Kevan said: “We could
get something from any games against those teams outside the top four, who
are a bit special – TNS, Llanelli, Rhyl and Bangor.
“Take them out of the
picture and there are all sorts of opportunities to pick up points,
including against mid-table Newtown.”
When Llangefni, then with
Adrian Jones in charge, visited Latham Park in September, the result was a
narrow 2-1 defeat – “and the team are playing a great deal better
now,” said Kevan.
“Against Caernarfon on
Wednesday, in that abandoned derby, we created the better chances from
skilful play, even though the conditions were dreadful, and that has given
us confidence.”
The 14 players on duty at
The Oval will report to Talwrn Road are boosted by fit-again centre-back
Craig Hoggs.
But forward Chris Evans
has left for Newtown and could make his debut against his former
team-mates.
Newtown's problems show
no signs of abating, writes John Bridgwater.
Having lost striker Craig
Moses for up to eight weeks with damaged knee ligaments, the Robins'
resources have been further depleted with Damien Daniels picking up an
injury while out running.
The left-back faces a
long spell on the sidelines.
DP
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Steelmen sign Crows midfielder
|
|
FORMER Swansea City youth
Steve Evans has joined Port Talbot from Cwmbran Town.
The midfielder played for
the Steelmen during pre-season and scored with a superb strike in a
friendly victory over Caldicot Town but then manager Tony Pennock decided
not to sign the youngster, who moved to Welsh League UWIC before switching
to Cwmbran later in the season.
UWP
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Neath to sign ex Swansea winger
|
|
NEATH Athletic boss Andrew
Dyer hopes to capture the signature of former Swansea City left winger
Daniel Lancey head of Saturday's home Welsh Premier clash with Caernarfon
Town at Llandarcy Park.
Released from the Liberty
Stadium at the end of last season, 19-year-old Lancey joined Port Talbot
Town following a trial with Carmarthen Town and has made two full Welsh
Premier appearances plus seven from the bench for the Steelmen.
UWP
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Crows sign up foreign legion
|
|
CWMBRAN Town has taken its
recent recruitment drive to 10 in just over a week - with another likely
to be named soon once international clearance has been obtained.
Once again Spanish boss
Guillermo Ganet has delved deep into his extensive catalogue of
London-based players born overseas as he tries to inject life into the
Crows' ailing bid for first-time promotion back to the top-flight
Principality Welsh Premier League.
The club has announced
that Ganet has this week brought in: l Benjamin Bristow, a 23-year-old
born in Ghana whose last club was Remnet FC.
Ese Oduko, who hails from
Nigeria and is a 25-year-old who has joined from Croydon Athletic. Ivory
Coast-product Sosthene Guei, 24 who links up with the Crows from Enfield.
Raney Duncan, a 27-year-old Jamaican, previously with Crawley Town.
London-born Leon Clarke, 24, who previously appeared with Battersea
Ironsides in the English capital.
The five newcomers arrive
hard on the heels of: Ohmar Pike, a 17-year-old from Jamaica
previously with London League outfit Cuitural l Uwa Ogbodu, a 29-year-old
from Nigeria who arrives via Conference South side Basingstoke Town l
England-born Oliver Collins, aged 25 who has experience with Ryman League
Division One outfit Moseley l Frenchman Tidiany Kone, a 25-year-old
brought in from French League club Lilas FC l Michael Makasi, a
21-year-old English-born player who has appeared in the MacWhirter Welsh
League with student side UWIC.
Ganet took over in
pre-season and brought a whole bunch of players from his London-based
academy to train and play alongside a handful of locals.
However since, the Crows
have effectively lost an entire team with Rasul Abdul, Azeez Akinbolu,
Roland Duo, Mark McGibbon, Moses Molongo, Gareth Mouncher, Jean-Black
Ngody, Christopher Omuta, Shola Oyinloye, Ohene Quinhare, and Gareth
Williams all departing.
All 10 newcomers are
available for selection for Saturday's away game against
relegation-threatened Maesteg Park Athletic, a match the Crows must win if
they are to be re-considered as genuine promotion contenders.
SWA
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Window of opportunity almost shut
for Swans
|
|
There's
only a week left until the January transfer window slams shut and apart
from the loan arrival of Febian Brandy, there has been little movement at
the Liberty Stadium.
The first rule Roberto must employ when looking at any potential new
player is, is the player coming in better than what he's already got?
There are players not getting into Premiership and Championship first
teams that would jump at the chance of playing for a team that's top of
the league.
It's players like that Roberto should be targeting.
All the fans I speak to seem to be calling for a new centre-half to
replace Dennis Lawrence (left).
For the last month Lawrence has been the weak link in the back four.
Then Roberto left him out against Port Vale and it could have been the
kick up the backside he needed.
I'm surprised he came straight back in against Crewe. Alan Tate didn't do
badly last Saturday and he can probably feel hard done by.
But I also thought Lawrence was very, very good on Tuesday. The first ball
was knocked straight down the middle and he was straight on it.
It was probably Lawrence's best performance for some time and it's good to
see players respond.
That's what you like to see, a bit of character and grit.
EP
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Bridgend's bid for promotion looks
a failure
|
BRIDGEND Town's bid for
promotion to the Welsh Premier looks doomed - at least for this season.
The Welsh League outfit were unable to nominate a ground in their
application as they are currently playing at a temporary base in
Porthcawl, following the sale of their Coychurch Road home to Asda.
The club is already on a
collision course with the Welsh League authorities regarding its temporary
tenancy at Lock's Lane, where it was given permission for this season
only.
"If Bridgend have a
separate ground on Lock's Lane there is nothing preventing them from
playing there from September, but at the moment they are sharing match
officials' rooms," says league secretary Ken Tucker.
"We have allowed it
for this season but thought they would want to move back to play in
Bridgend."
Bridgend have already spent a one-off £30,000 from Asda to upgrade
facilities at Porthcawl and hopes the council will now allow it to dip
into the £2m which has been ring-fenced for a new ground.
UWP
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Maesteg Park sign Robbie Fowler
|
|
MAESTEG Park Football Club
have signed striker Robbie Fowler.
No, it’s not the former
Liverpool and England idol, who is now with Cardiff City, but a
front-runner of the same name from Cardiff side Bridgend Street.
Fowler has been brought
to Tudor Park on the recommendation of Maesteg defender Dave Blackwell.
He is set to link up with
recent acquisition Ohene Na Quinhare in a two-pronged attack, and Maesteg
chief Dave Elliott and scout Gareth Darks hope to bring in more new men
during the January sales.
Na Quinhare is set to
play against the club he has recently quit – Cwmbran Town – this
Saturday.
ICW
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Tucker criticises Reserve league
plan
|
|
PLANS for Wales football
league sides to field reserve teams in the Welsh Premier league are crazy,
Port Talbot’s manager has claimed, writes ANTHONY O’CONNELL.
Nicky Tucker said he was
surprised the proposals – put forward by former Welsh FA secretary Alun
Evans – were even deemed worthy of consideration by the game’s
governing body.
As part of Mr Evans’
strategic plan for 2007-12, Swansea, Cardiff and Wrexham would continue to
compete in the English leagues, but would also field second-string sides
in the Welsh Premier, giving them a chance of European qualification.
Tucker said: “It was
Alun Evans’ idea and he’s had some crazy ones over the years. I’m
surprised they have even looked into it.
“I’m against it –
it’s a no-go. I don’t think it would add anything to the Welsh Premier
because I don’t think people would buy into the idea of watching their
reserves.
“We have a yearly game
against Swansea City’s first team and it attracts a good crowd but I
don’t think people would want to watch their reserves week in, week out.
“If it was their first
team then that would be a different matter – but that’s just not going
to happen.”
Two weekends ago
Tucker’s side was beaten by the only goal at Airbus and the former Dinas
Powys boss said the league’s organisers could have learned a lot from
watching that game.
He said: “Maybe instead
of worrying about reserve teams, the league should worry about its
facilities, its pitches and its stands.
“Against Airbus we
played on a surface that was no more than a park’s pitch. It was all
about who could kick the ball the furthest.”
The implications of the
strategic plan are expected to be discussed by the FAW this week.
ICW
|
|
JAN-25 |
|
Chad Bond makes shock Spanish
switch
|
|
Port Talbot Town striker
Chad Bond has left the club and joined an unknown Spanish Tercera Division
side. In a shock switch, which is a real blow to Nicky Tucker and his Port
Talbot side, the Welsh Under 23 Semi Pro International, has left the
country in a move arranged by Swansea City manager Roberto Martinez.
Bond arrives at the club,
which plays in the fourth level of the Spanish football league, with his
former Steelmen colleague and fellow-striker Kerry Morgan. Bond was
on-loan from Swansea to Port Talbot Town and consequently, it is their
decision for the attacking pair to spend six months with the Spanish
outfit rather than continue their current loan spells at the Re/Max
Stadium.
Bond signed for Port
Talbot when former Manager Kenny Jackett released him from his hometown
club in 2006, but the appointment of Martinez who played with Bond at the
Vetch Field saw the young striker re-sign for the club and return to Port
Talbot Town on-loan. Morgan was also loaned out from the Swans to Port
Talbot during the opening half of the season and made a huge impact
despite struggling with a long term injury sustained against Carmarthen
Town in the FAW Premier Cup.
Moving in the other
direction however is young Swansea City striker Matthew Wright who will
now join Port Talbot Town on-loan from the Swans in place of Chad Bond. A
tall and powerful striker, Wright signed for the club after being released
by Plymouth Argyle.
OWP
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Llanelli held by new boy's Neath
|
|
A win last night for
Llanelli would have seen them go top of the table, as they entertained
Neath at Stebonheath.
It didn't go to plan for
the Reds as Neath took an early lead when Richard French put the visitors
ahead in the 4th minute.
The league top scorer
Rhys Griffiths drew Llanelli level on 25 minutes notching his 31st league
goal of the season, and 2 minutes before half time Andrew Mumford put the
home team ahead scoring from a free kick.
Two minutes after the
re-start Llanelli looked to have sealed all three points when they went
3-1 up when Chris Holloway extended their lead. On 75 minutes Sean Cronin
gave the visitors a glimmer of hope and on 83 minutes Andy Hill completed
a memorable fightback for newly promoted Neath.
There was one sour note
for battling Neath, they had David Burrows sent off in the 93rd minute for
a 2nd yellow card.
Tony
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
TNS teenager interests Ipswich
|
|
A young Shropshire
footballer is attracting the interest of Championship side Ipswich Town.
John McKenna, a defender
with The New Saints youth academy, has already spent a year with the club,
who are still monitoring his progress.
"I spent a year or
so at Ipswich, which was really valuable," McKenna told BBC Radio
Shropshire after playing for the English Colleges international side.
"I'm still working
hard to get myself a pro contract with a professional club."
McKenna played in the
Colleges' 3-3 draw with Australia in his home town Oswestry and now he's
preparing for a trip to Italy.
"We're off to Italy
for a series of games," the 17 year old added. "We're due to
play Latvia, Romania, and the host side Lazio.
"It's all come
pretty quickly since I was selected for the squad in December and it's
obviously a good way to show English scouts what I can do."
BBC
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Grange Quin player get world cup
call up
|
|
CARDIFF City coach Charlie
Cook has been called up for a World Cup qualifier – by the Turks and
Caicos Islands!
He is to fly out for
their home and away qualifiers against St Lucia during February and March.
Cook, 35, plays for
Grange Quins in the MacWhirter Welsh Football League Division Two, while
he coaches part-time with the Cardiff City youth academy.
He was previously coach
of the Cardiff City Ladies team at Ninian Park.
The Turks and Caicos team
play the home leg at their new national stadium on Wednesday, February 6,
with the return in St Lucia on March 26.
Centre-forward Gavin
Glinton, who plays alongside David Beckham for LA Galaxy, is the star
player for Turks and Caicos, while his younger brother Dwayne plays in
American A League football.
Cook qualified to play
for the Islands through four-year residency from 1999 to 2003.
He played in World Cup
qualifiers against Haiti four years ago.
Cook has a background in
semi-professional football.
He’s equally at home in
midfield or defence, playing for Maidenhead United, Hampton and Richmond,
Ware and Hitchin Town.
ICW
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Fleetwood turns down Crewe move
|
|
Forest Green's Stuart
Fleetwood has turned down the chance of a move back into the Football
League with Crewe.
The 21-year-old has
rebuilt his career this season and is currently the top scorer in senior
football in England.
Rovers boss Jim Harvey's
influence is one of the reasons which helped Fleetwood reach his decision.
"When many thought
my career had ended he had faith in me," said Fleetwood. "I love
the way he has the lads playing and that helps tremendously."
Fleetwood's prowess in
front of goal saw him score 30 goals in all competitions before the turn
of the year and he attracted a lot of interest from other clubs, including
Gillingham and Cheltenham.
His decision means Forest
Green miss out on the £200,000 fee agreed with Crewe, but the Blue Square
Premier club has welcomed his decision to stay.
"Neither the Board
or myself would ever stand in the way of any player progressing up the
football ladder," said delighted manager Jim Harvey.
"On this occasion we
may have missed out on a massive windfall. It shows how genuine Stuart is
and knowing the lad as I do, I know his word is his bond."
Fleetwood has now
insisted he will stay with Forest Green until the end of the season,
regardless of any offers which come in for him before the January transfer
window closes.
"I can honestly
state that even if any other clubs come in with a late bid before the
transfer window closes, I am not interested," said Fleetwood.
"The summer may be a
different matter but I owe a debt of gratitude to the gaffer and I am
committed with my team mates to making this the best ever season that the
club have experienced in their history."
BBC
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Rhyl fans
heartbroken after Hunt's transfer request
|
|
HEARTBROKEN
Rhyl fans have swamped club websites pleading with leading goalscorer Lee
Hunt to stay at Belle Vue.
The
Lilywhites were rocked this week when Hunt, 26, put in a transfer request.
The striker wrote to club officials saying he wants to quit the Welsh
Premier as he feels he gets a raw deal from referees.
Since
the news was exclusively revealed on the Visitor’s Rhyl FC web-blog
Lilywhites Online, concerned supporters have flooded the site, and the
message board on thelilywhites.co.uk appealing to Hunt to reconsider.
Hunt,
who joined the Lilywhites during their quadruple-winning 2003/04 season,
has been the first team’s leading marksman for the past three campaigns,
but he has also encountered regular problems with discipline. This season
he has been sent off twice and received six yellow cards.
Rhyl
manager John Hulse, while admitting the player’s fiery temperament can
sometimes be his own worst enemy, has also complained in the past he feels
Hunt is targeted by refs in the WPL.
DP
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Anglesey
international signs new Wolves deal
|
|
ANGLESEY
football star Wayne Hennessey has landed a two-year extension on his
contract at Championship giants Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Welsh
international goalkeeper Hennessey only signed a revised contract at the
beginning of the current campaign, but reported interest from other clubs
has encouraged Wolves to give him another two years which ties him to the
club until 2012.
“Wayne
has done very well,” manager Mick McCarthy told the club’s website.
“And this is a just reward for his progress.
“We
showed faith in Wayne in the summer when Matt Murray was injured and the
suggestion was that we had no keeper. He has repaid that faith and I’m
delighted he’s signed this new deal.”
Hennessey,
who hails from Beaumaris, has progressed through Wolves’ youth system
after being signed upon his release from previous club Manchester City.
DP
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
We aim to keep our stars –
Ridsdale
|
|
CARDIFF CITY chairman Peter
Ridsdale expects there to be a frenzy of activity at the Bluebirds before
the transfer window shuts in nine days’ time.
But Ridsdale declared he
is desperate to hang on to every single one of the Bluebirds star players
who have helped to get the club’s promotion push back on track in recent
months.
Wales international Joe
Ledley and Welsh under-21 youngster Aaron Ramsey are the most sought-after
players at the club, although Championship sides have been chasing Paul
Parry and Tony Capaldi.
City have already lost
promising right-back Chris Gunter to Tottenham Hotspur after he sealed a
£3m move to the north London club in December
Ridsdale said, “It is
getting towards the end of January and, in my experience, a lot of things
can happen in the last few days ... so watch this space. There may be
players coming in and some going out, you never know.
“Obviously we are very
happy with the squad we have got at the moment, but, if there is an option
to strengthen the squad, then we will have a look at it.
“We are hoping to hang
on to our best players, we want those who are in the starting XI at the
moment to be there come the start of February, when the window shuts.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-24 |
|
Saints told hands off manager Jones
|
|
CARDIFF City chairman Peter
Ridsdale poured cold water over reports linking manager Dave Jones with a
return to his former club Southampton today, writes Mark Bloom.
National press reports
suggest that current manager George Burley was offered the Scotland job
last night which would leave the Saints post vacant.
But Ridsdale insisted
Jones was going nowhere with the in-form Bluebirds just four points off
the play-offs.
“Our position is
absolutely clear,” said Ridsdale. “We stuck by him when we were going
through difficult times and we fully expect him to be Cardiff manager when
Southampton appoint a new boss.
“We are building
something special at this club and both Dave and myself have a job to
finish.”
When asked whether there
were transfers in or out of the club with the deadline looming on January
31, Ridsdale’s reply was: “Absolutely nothing either way.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Swansea extend lead with 2-1 win
|
|
Thomas Butler and Paul
Anderson scored as Swansea moved eight points clear at the top of League
One.
Butler struck with an
angled drive and the Swans dominated as Crewe keeper Ben Williams saved
from Guillem Bauza, Andy Robinson, Ferrie Bodde and Garry Monk.
Anderson scored the
crucial second, finishing off a sweeping move with a right-foot strike
from 12 yards.
Tom Pope scored a
consolation for Crewe in injury-time but the Swans held on for a vital
three points.
BBC
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Cardiff nick it at Welshpool
|
|
Welshpool Town 0 - 1 Cardiff
City
Welshpool Town were
unlucky in the Premier Cup match when the lost out to Cardiff City
courtesy of an 85th minute free-kick from Jon Brown.
The Lilywhites did have
the ball in the back of the Bluebirds' net twice in the first half, but
both efforts were ruled out for offside.
Former Barry Town 'keeper
David Forde also had to pull off the save of the evening to deny the Welsh
Premier side an equaliser in the dying seconds in front of over 700 at
Maesydre.
OWP
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Stott is on Fire in Citizens
Romp
|
|
Bangor City striker Ashley
Stott bagged an outstanding four-goal haul for Bangor City as Nev Powell's
side closed the gap on third-placed Rhyl with an easy 6-1 romp at NEWI
Cefn Druids' Plaskynaston ground.
The in-form Citizens
raced to a 5-0 Half-Time lead, which would have stunned new Druids'
striker Karl Connolly was was making his debut for the club.
The red-hot Stott, who
was unlucky not to score a hat-trick on Saturday against Welshpool when he
was denied countless times by Ged McGuigan, ensured that lightning
wouldn't strike twice as he put the visitors into a ninth minute lead. He
doubled the advantage on seventeen minutes and the game was safe just
before the half-hour when midfielder Chris Seargeant made it three. Stott
then completed his hat-trick on 33 minutes, before strike partner Les
Davies ensured that he joined in the fun seven minutes later by firing
passed young 'keeper Chris Mullock.
The second-half brought
some cheer to the home fans, but Geraint Lewis' 52nd minute was simply
consolation. Bangor also had the last laugh as Stott bagged his fourth on
66 minutes, which was his eighteenth of the season.
OWP
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Cardiff stadium on track for 2009
|
|
Cardiff City say their new
stadium will be ready for them and Cardiff Blues at the start of the
2009/10 season.
The clubs, stadium
developers PMG and construction company Laing O'Rourke say work is on
course for games to be played in the build-up to the campaign.
"It's bang on
course," Bluebirds chairman Peter Ridsdale told BBC Sport.
"There was a lot of
uncertainty before Christmas and that was disappointing, but this is a new
beginning for Cardiff City and Cardiff Blues."
There had been fears the
court action taken against the Bluebirds by the Langston Corporation might
derail the project.
The two sides are due to
meet in court again in March, but there is growing optimism that a deal
may be done to avoid that.
"I've always said I
don't believe that would be in anybody's interest," Ridsdale told BBC
Sport Wales.
"I don't believe we
will get to court in March. I believe that sense will prevail."
The clubs also announced
the launch of their new 2,250 seat members club and corporate hospitality
facilities called the "Premier Club".
BBC
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Aber win the mid-Wales derby
|
|
Aberystwyth Town won the
Mid-Wales derby at Park Avenue against Caersws by 2-1.
The hosts trailed by a
solitary Graham Evans strike at the interval courtesy of a 27th minute
penalty, but a stern talking from Manager Brian Coyne must have been the
tonic for the Seasiders as they responded immediately after the
break.
Striker Andy Evans scored
his third goal in two games on 46 minutes, proving that he can be the
ideal replacement for Jamie Reed and the winner came courtesy of Geraint
Passmore's 61st minute winner.
OWP
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Bluebirds let two goal lead slip
|
|
Carmarthen Town produced an
excellent comeback to gain a point at rivals Haverfordwest County after
trailing 2-0 at the Bridge Meadow Stadium.
After a goal-less first
period, former Port Talbot Town striker Luke Bowen broke the deadlock
after 53 minutes for the hosts, and the lead was doubled when midfielder
Neil Thomas struck a 69th minute effort - A collectors item for the
talented former Llanelli playmaker.
Deryn Brace had called
upon sub Jamal Easter shortly before and he proved to the be the Man of
the Match for the Old Gold by scoring twice in the 27 minutes he was on
the field for Danny Thomas.
The ex-Wales Under 19
striker scored twice in as many minutes on 79 and 80 minutes, which gained
a valuable point for Deryn Brace's side. County striker Jack Christopher
was dismissed, which spoilt the Bluebirds evening even more.
OWP
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Little to loan out ex-Rhyl star
|
|
FORMER Connah's Quay and
Rhyl midfielder Conall Murtagh is set to be loaned-out by Wrexham to Blue
Square Premier strugglers Droylsden.
The ex-Northern Ireland
Under-21 international will be joined at the Bloods by Levi Mackin and
Racecourse boss Brian Little says: "I just feel that playing at a
decent standard will be good for them both - they are both on the fringes
and will get more experience playing at Droylsden.
"They are better off
going for regular first team football, and we can take advantage of that
if they are needed here. It keeps them sharp if and when we need them, and
it will be good experience for them."
UWP
|
|
JAN-23 |
|
Haverfordwest recruit another young
striker
|
|
FORMER Blackburn Rovers
youth and Wales Under-21 international Abdi Ahmed has signed for
Haverfordwest County.
The Somalian-born striker
arrives at the New Bridge Meadow from Welsh League outfit Bridgend Town,
having previously played for Barry Town and, on loan, at Newport County.
The 19-year-old was a school friend
at Cardiff's Fitzalan High School with Scott Hillman, one of the crop of
youngsters chosen from thousands to train for six weeks at Chelsea's
academy on the Sky TV reality show Football Icon.
Ahmed went to the
Manchester United youth set-up as a 15-year-old, but struggled to get a
game and moved on to Rovers.
UWP
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
Welshpool confident of Cardiff
Clash
|
|
Welshpool Town finally look
set to play their FAW Premier Cup clash against Championship side Dave
Jones this evening after two previous postponements. (Kick-Off - 7.00pm)
The Maesydre pitch has
been waterlogged and the match postponed twice before, but it has passed a
pitch inspection this morning, so it looks like the Principality Welsh
Premier side will finally get their chance to host Dave Jones' side. The
Bluebirds, who have come unstuck in this competition against Welsh Premier
opposition before, have named a very young squad, with the exception of
club captain Darren Purse and winger Kevin Cooper, whilst the only other
two players with First Team experience are teenage striker Matt Green,
formerly of Newport County, and midfield sensation Aaron Ramsey. The
seventeen-year old has already been valued at £1m and played for the
Wales Under 21 team that beat France last year.
Welshpool Town will be
allowed to play the suspended Brett Jefferies as the Premier Cup has a
different disciplinary system to the League, whilst Dave Cunnah, Geraint
Windsor and Ross Stephens will also all be available for the hosts.
OWP
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
Jewell questions Earnshaw effort
|
|
Derby County manager Paul
Jewell says a lack of effort and not a lack of ability is the reason why
Rob Earnshaw has flopped at Pride Park.
Earnshaw was signed by
Billy Davies for a record fee of £3.5m in the summer.
But the 26-year-old Welsh
international striker has started just three matches - only two in the
Premier League.
"Rob has to look at
himself and ask why he's not in the team. It's not just me, he wasn't in
the team with Billy either," Jewell told BBC Radio Derby.
 |
Robert Earnshaw
needs to ask more from himself
|
"Robert Earnshaw has
got a lot of ability but I think he needs to look at himself and start
putting a bit more of a shift in because he should be knocking on the door
to get in the team.
"Robert Earnshaw's
played at West Brom, Norwich and Derby so he has all the attributes but I
think, and I've said this to him, he needs to ask more from himself."
BBC
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
Plan to bag Fleetwood for Swans
match derailed
|
|
FORMER Cardiff City striker
Stuart Fleetwood looks set to miss out on a chance to play against rivals
Swansea City tonight.
The ex-Bluebirds and
Hereford frontman is on the verge of joining League One strugglers Crewe
Alexandra, who visit top-of-the table Swansea at the Liberty Stadium this
evening.
Fleetwood has
caught the eye of a number of league clubs this year after netting 26
goals for Blue Square Conference side Forest Green.
With a fee of around £175,000
agreed between the two clubs, Fleetwood will now open talks with the
Railwaymen in an attempt to finalise personal terms. But he is unlikely to
be registered in time to play against the Swans.
Crewe manager Steve
Holland said last night, “We are pleased that our bid has been accepted
by Forest Green and that we have taken a step closer to trying to bring
Stuart into the club.
“We appreciate that we
have a long way to go but we now have permission to talk to him and
convince him that a move to Crewe will only benefit his career.
“If we can bring him in
then he will be a necessary improvement to the team.
ICW
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
City hope Noon is a timely
answer
|
|
BANGOR City hope to unveil a
new striker – Karl Noon from Blue Square North club Southport – in
tonight’s game at Newi Cefn Druids.
The 21-year-old is a
full-time pro, whose CV lists spells at Liverpool, Tranmere Rovers,
Prescot Cables, Bamber Bridge and Marine.
City manager Nev Powell
said: “If everything is sorted and the signing is confirmed, the lad
will join our squad at Druids.”
Powell indicated a couple
of weeks ago that he was targeting two January window signings, the first
of which was goalkeeper Andy Price.
He added: “Both players
would be eligible for our campaigns in the Welsh Cup and Loosemores Cup,
as well as the league, where we are aiming to make one of the European
positions if we can.”
Midfielder Chris
Seargeant has reported fit after an ankle problem, while Mike Walsh will
also look for the manager’s nod after a one-match ban kept him out of
the 1-0 win over Welshpool Town, as Bangor consolidated fourth place.
DP
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
Bluebirds ready to make Evans
move
|
|
CARDIFF CITY hope to
replenish their striking resources with a bold move for Wales Under-21
forward Ched Evans.
The 19-year-old striker
is currently on loan at Norwich, from Premiership side Manchester City,
until February 26.
But Evans could be
recalled by Manchester City on February 6 and Cardiff, who had Blues
goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel on loan earlier this season, could tempt
Sven-Goran Eriksson to farm his young striker out for the rest of the
season.
Evans signed a one-month
loan deal at Norwich earlier this season after impressing against the
Canaries for his parent club in the Carling Cup.
He then returned for a
second spell and in all, has scored three goals in 11 games for
Cardiff’s Championship rivals.
“I want to keep all my
on loan players, including Ched. They have all been fantastic,” Norwich
boss Glenn Roeder said earlier this season.
But Cardiff could now
throw a spanner in the works with Bluebirds boss Dave Jones keen to
strengthen his attack following the departures of Jason Byrne and Steve
MacLean and long-term injuries to Robbie Fowler, Matt Green and Warren
Feeney.
ICW
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
Cronshaw set for a Nomads derby
debut
|
|
CONNAH’S Quay Nomads
manager Jim Hackett will have former Wrexham starlet Michael Cronshaw
available again for tonight’s crucial derby date at Airbus UK Broughton,
writes Mike McEvoy.
The 17-year-old local
Quay lad would have missed last Saturday’s home date with Haverfordwest
as he was on representative duty for Wales under-18s.
Versatile Mark
Cadwallader could come back into contention, while defender Alan Glover
has recovered from a thigh strain and Gary Pinch’s one-match ban has
ended.
Hackett said: “This is
another extremely important match because if we can come away with three
points it would put us level on points with Airbus and be a significant
move away from danger, so we’ll be going flat out.”
Airbus UK Broughton will
hope to continue their push towards safety tonight, writes John
Bridgwater.
Airbus beat Port Talbot
1-0 in their last run out and will be aiming to continue.
Boss Gareth Owen said:
“We were looking for a reaction after the Bangor game and we got it.
“It was backs to the
walls for the last 20 minutes, but we dug in and battled and to keep a
clean sheet was very pleasing.”
Defender Mark Allen and
midfielder Alan Hooley are both suspended, which could see Gareth Sudlow
and newcomer Matty Woodward filling in.
DP
|
|
JAN-22 |
|
New faces for Druids
|
|
Druids will include a couple
of new faces as they gear up for tonight’s test with Bangor City tonight.
The Ancients have brought
in former Welshpool left winger Mike Thompson, while ex-Wrexham winger
Karl Connolly has also joined from Prescot Cables.
Joint boss Waynne
Phillips is hoping that a couple of fresh faces can help his side find
some consistency, and is backing both the newcomers to make their mark.
“Karl’s about 37 now,
but looks the same as he did 20 years ago,” he said.
“He may be a bit
slower, but has a good footballing brain and will be a big boost for
us.”
The Ancients are still
without Lee Jones because of a thigh injury, while Mike Heverin is also
still missing.
DP
|
|
JAN-21 |
|
Hunt submits Shock Rhyl Transfer
Request
|
|
It has been reported
exclusively on Lilywhites Online that Rhyl's top goalscorer Lee Hunt has
asked to be put on the transfer list.
It is understood the
26-year-old striker has written to club officials saying he wants to quit
the Welsh Premier League as he feels he gets a raw deal from referees.
Hunt, who joined the
Lilywhites during their quadruple-winning 2003/04 season, has been the
first team's leading marksman for the past three campaigns, but he has
also encountered regular problems with discipline. This season he has been
sent off twice and received six yellow cards.
Rhyl manager John Hulse, while admitting the player's fiery temperament
can sometimes be his own worst enemy, has also complained in the past he
feels Hunt is targetted by referees in the Welsh Premier.
Confirming the striker
has requested a move to an English pyramid club, Hulse added,
"He verbally asked
me for a transfer last Tuesday; I refused it, so he's come back with a
written request.
"This will now go
before the board and will then be circulated to clubs in England. If I had
my own way Lee Hunt would be going nowhere, no-one wants him to
leave."
Hunt has netted 71 Welsh
Premier League goals in 116 appearances for the Lilies and his overall
tally in competitive games stands at an impressive 106 from 150 starts.
Although he has had
trials at Football League clubs Accrington Stanley and Chester City, and
there was a possibility at one stage he might join The New Saints, Hunt is
now in his fifth season at Belle Vue and is worshipped by Lilywhites
supporters.
Hunt scored the club's
second goal against Caernarfon Town on Saturday with a well-placed header
from a Stuart Graves corner.
OWP
|
|
JAN-21 |
|
West End set to lose Keaveny to
Bridgend
|
|
Second
division promotion candidates West End are on the verge of losing striker
Jonathan Keaveny to Bridgend Town.
The former Swansea City striker, who has also taken in spells with Goytre
United, Carmarthen Town and Neath Athletic, was chased by the Exiles
earlier in the season.
But a second attempt to obtain the signature of Keaveny is expected to
reach fruition this week.
Bridgend are also being linked with former Carmarthen Town defender Haydn
Fleming, who went to Taffs Well but has not played this season.
Exiting Bridgend's temporary base in Porthcawl last week were Dave Truan,
who has switched to Llangeinor, and Rhys Jones (Barry Town).
EP
|
|
JAN-21 |
|
World boost to welsh soccer
|
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WELSH football has been
handed a huge double boost after a major global agreement in the game.
Peace has finally broken
out between Europe’s elite clubs and the sport’s governing bodies –
safeguarding the future of our national team in the process.
But FAW chiefs are also
hailing a move to give Wales a voice among the game’s powerbrokers.
It could mean the likes
of The New Saints or Llanelli will be rubbing shoulders with Real Madrid
and AC Milan in soccer’s corridors of power.
After years of rows, both
Uefa and Fifa have signed a letter of intent with the G14 group of clubs,
which will bring an end to the court action that threatened the future of
the international game.
The clubs had been
backing Belgium side Charleroi and French outfit Lyon in legal action
against Fifa, where they claimed compensation for players injured while on
international duty.
If they had won the case
it would have set a precedent that could have forced Wales to pay to play
Premier League stars like captain Craig Bellamy.
But now a compromise has
been reached that should see an end to the threat that FAW general
secretary David Collins predicted would bankrupt the world game.
Furthermore, G14 have
agreed to disband and reform as the European Clubs Association – with
representatives from Wales on board.
ICW
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JAN-21 |
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Jones: I want Robbie to stay
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DAVE JONES has played down
talk of the end of Robbie Fowler, claiming: ‘He’s still got the fire
for a fight’, writes CHRIS WATHAN.
And the Bluebirds boss
insists he would like to see Fowler stay and prove it beyond this summer.
Jones could not hide his
disappointment at the news last week that the striker would be out for two
months at very best – and the rest of the season at worst.
And immediately there
were questions whether the 32-year-old would ever play for Cardiff – or
any other club – again.
But, after sitting down
with the ex-England goalscorer, Jones is convinced Fowler is hungry enough
to return.
“We all feel for him
because he’s a super guy, a super pro and tremendous player,” said
Jones, who signed Fowler on a free last June on a one-year deal with an
option on a second.
“He’s very frustrated
but we’ve had a word because he’s like any player and he’ll get
down.
“But if I know Robbie,
he’s still got hunger and desire, even after achieving what he has in
his career.
“People need to know
the person. I do and that’s never a question that’s even entered my
head or his head I would think.
“He’s got a long road
ahead of him but if it was down to me I’d keep him. He’s a quality
player and we want to keep all of our quality players.”
Jones has insisted now is
not the time to discuss Fowler’s future in depth as the lengthy lay-off
prompted some to call for Cardiff to cut their losses on the high-profile
poacher.
He joins long-term
absentees Ricci Scimeca, Trevor Sinclair and Warren Feeney on the
sidelines after managing just 13 starts and six goals this term.
But Jones has no doubt
that the ex-Anfield hero can still offer City plenty if he can battle
back.
ICW
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JAN-21 |
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Little hails Wrexham's shock win
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Boss Brian Little hailed his
Wrexham side after they ended a run of seven straight league defeats to
beat leaders MK Dons at the Racecourse.
Neil Roberts strike
ensured the win keeps their hopes of survival alive.
"It was a great
result for us, we worked very, very hard, and got a break at the right
time," said Little.
"It was a quality
goal because there were so many people in there the only option was a chip
and more often than not, it would miss the target."
Six of Little's nine new
faces started the game against the runaway leaders as he aims to turn
around the club's fortunes.
"We are still
searching for the right blend, but obviously results are the most
important thing at the moment," he said.
"We were at the
point where we couldn't sit on the fence anymore, we were waiting for
January.
"Even the lads that
are here might benefit from the new people and might bring the best out of
them."
BBC
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JAN-21 |
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Premier clubs embrace Reserve
league
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NINE Welsh Premier clubs
have expressed interest in a proposed North Wales Reserve Football League
for next season.
In initial plans, teams would be split into three regional divisions -
Eastern, Central and Western.
"At the moment these are just proposals, but we have had a good
response from clubs and are now awaiting the FAW meeting in
February," says Welsh Alliance general secretary Ron Bridges.
One of the 33 clubs to express interest in the plans is Unibond League
Colwyn Bay, who vice-chairman Andy Owens says: "A reserve team is
something we would like to have as part of our development plan, and we
have expressed interest in the league assuming it is right for the club in
the form proposed."
Rhyl have asked for more details before committing themselves to the
project.
Not surprisingly, the proposals are not supported by the area leagues with
the Clwyd League saying on its official website: "None of the local
area leagues have been consulted nor any thought has been given on the
adverse impact it would have on local grass roots football.
"The whole idea of a reserve league is as misguided as putting
Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham reserves in the Welsh Premier League.
"For the record the NWCFA, Gwynedd League, Clwyd League, Caernarfon
Area, and Anglesey Ynys Mon Leagues have in principle objected to the
formation of such league(s) in North Wales."
The proposed make-up if the three area divisions is:
Eastern: Airbus UK Broughton, Buckley Town, Colwyn Bay, Connah’s Quay
Nomads, Denbigh Town, Flint Town United, Halkyn United, Llandyrnog United,
Mold Alexandra, Mynydd Isa, Prestatyn Town.
Central area: Bala Town, Brymbo, Corwen, Gap Queens Park, Gresford
Athletic, Lex XI, Newtown AFC, Penycae, The New Saints, Welshpool Town.
Western: Bangor City, Caernarfon Town, Glan Conwy, Holyhead Hotspur,
Llandudno, Llandudno Junction, Llanfairpwll, Llangefni Town, Llanrwst
United, Porthmadog FC, Pwllheli.
UWP
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JAN-21 |
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Britton delight as Swans
faithful keep the faith
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SWANSEA CITY midfield dynamo
Leon Britton thanked the Liberty faithful for not turning on the players
after their big Anfield day out turned to dust.
If the Swans fans felt
let down by last Wednesday’s FA Cup shocker at Havant &
Waterlooville, which denied them a fourth-round trip to Liverpool, they
certainly didn’t show it.
From the very first
minute of their impressive 2-0 win over Port Vale, Roberto Martinez’s
men were made fully aware of the supporters’ appreciation as any
bitterness was left behind at the turnstiles.
Britton was easily one of
Swansea’s best players on view and he was duly rewarded with raucous
cheers of “Leon, Leon, Leon” every time he touched the ball.
“The fans were
brilliant for us,” he said. “After what happened on Wednesday, it
would have been easy for them to not give us so much support.
“But they were great
again and the players responded to it. They have really got behind us this
season.
“We know Havant was a
big disappointment for them because it’s not every day you get to go and
watch your team at Anfield.
“But it’s the same
for the players because a lot of us haven’t had a chance to play at an
arena like that.
“We wanted to put
things right on Saturday and make sure everybody had something to cheer
about after that disappointment.
ICW
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JAN-21 |
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Morris red card hits Martyrs
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THE Martyrs were up against
it before a ball had even be kicked, with eight first-team regulars
missing through suspension, injuries and even international call-ups.
But any hope of taking
points off a high-flying Halesowen went with the dismissal of Martyrs
keeper Ashley Morris, red-carded after half an hour for handling outside
the box.
After an encouraging
start for the visitors, Morris’ moment of madness saw him race out and
palm the ball away from striker Dean Brennan.
Andrew Thomas took over
between the sticks and he managed to keep the home side at bay until
seconds before the interval when Shane Paul beat Ross Porter and his low
cross was turned in by Zema Abbey.
Darren Griffiths’ shot
flew inches wide for the visitors. But the game ended as a contest on 65
minutes when Brennan met another Paul cross to volley home.
And, with 14 minutes
left, the 10 men conceded a third, Brennan converting a carbon copy of the
second goal.
ICW
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JAN-20 |
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Steelmen jinx hits TNS again
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THE Port Talbot jinx struck
again for the Saints as a second-half blunder let in Lee John, who sent
them sliding to a shock defeat.
The visitors lost at the
same venue last season as the Steelmen again rose to the challenge to turn
the form book on its head.
The Welsh Premier
Champions and current leaders were hot favourites going into the game,
boasting a magnificent record of 18 wins and a draw from their previous 19
league matches.
In contrast, the Steelmen
have been frustratingly inconsistent, a feature that manager Nicky Tucker
and his coaching team have been working hard to remedy.
The result concluded a
week of mixed fortunes for Tucker and his rival Ken McKenna, who had been
named manager of the month in December for his side’s invincible
exploits.
In contrast, Tucker was
recuperating after undergoing surgery for a hernia complaint that caused
him to sit out training as his right-hand team plotted the downfall of the
aristocrats of the domestic scene.
The conditions of driving
rain and a slippery surface conspired to work in Port Talbot’s favour as
they set about unsettling the Saints and gained parity in terms of
possession and territory without creating too many clear-cut scoring
opportunities.
But the Steelmen had a
great chance on 34 minutes when debutant Paul Evans, the former Afan Lido
skipper, hit a post only for Saints Alfie Carter to respond with a similar
outcome.
The visitors must have
sensed it was not going to be their day when defender Chris King and
keeper Paul Harrison conspired to hand the Steelmen the vital
breakthrough.
The pair failed to clear
the danger as a mix-up led to John being gifted a simple tap-in.
Although Saints responded
with purpose, they failed to unhinge a steadfast home defence.
To add to the
champions’ woes, King was stretchered off soon after the goal went in,
following a collision with a post.
The visitors’ misery
was complete when substitute Gary Brabin was sent off in injury time
following a reckless challenge.
WOS
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JAN-20 |
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Carmarthen on form against Robins
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CARMARTHEN ended a lean
spell with this first league win in six matches.
In a game full of
incident, Newtown had to contend with having keeper Ian Havard sent off
after just three minutes. Havard saw red for bringing down Danny Thomas on
the edge of the box, pressing left back Damien Daniels into emergency duty
between the posts.
Daniels did well,
especially after Newtown had gone ahead against the run of play, home
keeper Neil Thomas misjudging a corner for Craig Moses to chest the ball
home after 12 minutes.
But Moses was taken to
hospital in the second half after suffering a twisted knee in a tackle.
Before that, Gregg
Coombes grabbed a Carmarthen equaliser after Nathan Cotterrall and Paul
Keddle had combined to set up a cross, which he converted with a neat
header.
The winner came after a
Tim Hicks shot had hit a post, Danny Thomas the first to react and thump
home the decisive goal.
WOS
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JAN-20 |
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Baggies late late show
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West Brom salvaged a point
as they came from behind to draw with Cardiff.
Cardiff's Paul Parry
fired into the top corner after just 30 seconds and poked in a shot to put
the visitors 2-0 up.
Roman Bednar hit back for
the Baggies after heading in a Jonathan Greening cross only for Joe
Ledley's drilled strike to extend Cardiff's lead.
But Martin Albrechtsen
then headed in for the Baggies, who equalised when the ball deflected off
Bluebirds defender Roger Johnson into his own net.
"I am disappointed we
conceded from set plays and an own goal.
"But I don't think
many teams will come here, take the game to West Brom and give them a
lesson at times.
"It was a great
game. When we go forward we have a lot of power and pace and we gave
Albion a bit of a fright."
BBC
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JAN-20 |
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Swans win see's them 5 points clear
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Swansea opened up a five
point lead at the top of League One after bouncing back from their FA Cup
upset to see off strugglers Port Vale.
Ferrie Bodde grabbed the
first goal on 28 minutes after Tom Butler cut inside and set up the
Dutchman.
Chris Herd had the chance
to level for Vale but he sent his free header over the bar.
And Darren Pratley
doubled the Swans lead straight after the break firing into the bottom
corner.
BBC
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JAN-20 |
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Wrexham stun leaders with victory
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Bottom side Wrexham stunned
leaders MK Dons at the Racecourse to end a run of seven straight league
defeats.
Neil Roberts broke the
deadlock after 71 minutes of a tight encounter with a clever 20-yard
strike to give the new-look Dragons hope of survival.
He pounced after keeper
Willy Gueret could only punch a corner clear, giving himself time to lift
the ball over everyone and into an empty net.
MK Dons piled on the
pressure but could not find an equaliser.
BBC
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JAN-20 |
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Webber in right place to claim
points
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CENTRE-BACK Lee Webber’s
third goal of the season – headed in at the near post from a long throw
from the left – was just enough to enable Bangor City to resume winning
ways.
With 55 minutes gone,
battling opponents Welshpool were prised apart for the only time by Peter
Hoy hurling the ball towards the goalmouth, where Webber out-jumped his
markers from five yards.
Otherwise, this
action-packed Farrar Road slog was shaded by Bangor without their being
able to get the better of Ged McGuigan in Welshpool’s goal.
The keeper pulled off a
late double block to fend away a free-kick from Sion Edwards and the
follow-up drive by Ashley Stott, but luck was on his side, when Mel
McGuiness miscued near the line.
Welshpool’s hopeful
moments included Steve Rogers skipping past three defenders in City’s
box, only to drag his effort into the side netting.
Rogers was also denied at
close range, when Bangor’s Paul Smith rushed off his line to execute a
vital block, but Bangor finished stronger as they looked for more reward.
WOS
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JAN-20 |
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It was easy to leave Ninian Park
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STEVE MacLean has questioned
his value at Ninian Park after landing the Bluebirds £500,000 with his
record move to Plymouth Argyle.
Scottish international
MacLean joined City for nothing when he made the switch from Sheffield
Wednesday, where he was out of contract last summer, but yesterday he
became the Home Park club’s most expensive acquisition.
Plymouth manager Paul
Sturrock has given the City striker a three-and-a-half year contract after
working with MacLean at Hillsborough.
“It hasn’t worked out
for me in Cardiff and I wonder whether the gaffer (Dave Jones) never
fancied me,” admitted MacLean.
“I want regular
first-team football, but I seemed to be getting 10 minutes here and there
off the substitutes bench.
“What can I do in that
time?
“But I have absolutely
no problem with Cardiff and wish them all the best for the rest of the
season.
“My focus is now on
playing for Plymouth on a regular basis.
“When Paul Sturrock
came in for me it was an easy decision,” added MacLean, who first heard
about a possible move on Thursday.
“I had a good time
under Paul at Sheffield Wednesday and scored goals.”
ICW
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JAN-19 |
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Steelmen inflict defeat on the
Champions
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Port Talbot Town managed the
result of the day as they overcame League leaders The New Saints for the
second season running at the Re/Max Stadium. Despite an injury to key-man
and skipper Matthew Rees, as well as suspensions to influential
midfielders,
Liam McCreesh and Gareth
Phillips, the Steelmen's squad was strong enough to gain the victory.
After a goal-less first period, the deadlock was broken after 73 minutes
when Wales Semi Pro International Lee John scored the decisive goal for
the hosts.
Ex Lido legend Paul Evans
made his first start for Port Talbot today and played the full match.
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JAN-19 |
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Druids sign veteran striker Karl
Connolly
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NEWI Cefn Druids have
confirmed the signing of veteran striker Karl Connolly.
The 37-year-old former
Wrexham, Swansea and Queen's Park Rangers frontman signed for The Ancients
from hometown club Prescot Cables, where he had been plying his trade
since leaving The Swans where he scored 114 goals under boss Brian Flynn
Connolly, 37, has
received international clearance and would have been available to make his
debut tomorrow at Caersws had the match gone ahead. Instead he is likely,
together with fellow January signing Mike Thompson, to make his bow in
Tuesday's match against Bangor City at Plaskynaston Lane.
Joint player-manager Lee
Jones said, "We're delighted to have Karl on board.
"He is experienced
and, although some people might say 'he's old', you can't substitute
quality. Take a look at Andy Legg - he's 42 and still turning it on for
Llanelli week-in, week-out.
"He keeps himself
fit - there's not an ounce of fat on him - which is what you need at this
level.
"Hopefully he will
be a good addition to the squad for us."
Jones refused to rule out
another signing before the window closes.
DP
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JAN-19 |
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MacLean joins Argyle from Cardiff
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Steven MacLean has
sealed a club record £500,000 move to Plymouth Argyle after Cardiff
accepted a bid for the striker.
The 25-year-old Scotsman, who
signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Pilgrims, played under
manager Paul Sturrock while at Sheffield Wednesday.
He joined Cardiff from the Owls on
a free transfer in June, but lost his place due to an ankle injury.
Since his return to fitness, he
failed to score in 13 games and has become surplus to requirements.
ICW
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JAN-19 |
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Tucker faces a tough test
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Port Talbot boss Nicky Tucker faces one of
the toughest assignments of his short tenure at the helm when his side go
head-to-head with champions and current leaders The New Saints. The
Steelmen pit their wits against Ken McKenna's men who will take the Remax
Stadium pitch tomorrow boasting 18 wins and a draw from their last 19
Welsh Premier matches.
They are looking for a seventh straight victory, and McKenna was this week
named manager of the month of December.
Tucker realises his side will have to be at their best to interrupt the
Saints' march and should they create an upset it would provide Tucker with
a perfect tonic as he recuperates from minor surgery.
The former Llanelli and Dinas Powys boss
had a hernia operation on Monday, which forced him to miss training this
week
"These are the games you look forward to, be it players, coaching
staff or supporters,'' said Tucker.
"They have proved to be the most consistent side in the league over
the last three or four years and have set the standard to which all clubs
aspire," said Tucker.
"But they are not unbeatable and we must go in with a positive
attitude. On the day, if we perform as a team we can do well."
Tucker has moved to bolster his defence, with skipper Matthew Rees
sidelined for the next few weeks. He is also recovering from minor
surgery.
He has signed experienced centre-half Paul Evans as cover from neighbours
Afan Lido.
Port Talbot will also be without the injured Gareth Phillips, while Liam
McCreesh starts a two-match suspension.
EP
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JAN-19 |
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Dyer looking for all 3 points
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Neath head to bottom
club Llangefni, looking to extend a fine run that has produced just one
defeat in nine league matches.
Jarrod Price (suspension) and Clayton Blackmore (flu) are both available
to play.
But Dale Evans is rated as doubtful, while out is Billy Timothy.
"We go up there looking for three points, although it won't be easy
as they are fighting for their very existence," said manager Andrew
Dyer.
"The big plus for us at the moment is that our record away from home
is as good as it is at home.
Carl Jenkins has left the club. He
joined Aberaman this week.
While Former Newport County youth
striker Andy Hammett, who had trials at Swansea City has joined Pontardawe
Town, Hammett scored just once for the Eagles from five sub appearances.
EP
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JAN-19 |
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Quartet join Wrexham with one
out
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Wrexham boss Brian
Little has taken his January transfer window signings to nine by bringing
in four more players.
Tranmere defender Carl Tremarco,
22, has joined until the end of the season as has midfielder Robbie
Garrett, 19, from Stoke.
Striker Stuart Nicholson, 20, has
signed a three-month loan deal from West Brom and midfielder Jeff Whitley,
28, joins on non-contract terms.
Leaving is defender Ryan Valentine
who has returned to former club Darlington.
"It's been very hectic,"
said Little. "It's important for us to try and change the side around
a little bit.
"The players we have brought
in have a pedigree of playing at a higher level."
Asked if that was the end of the
signings, he replied: "I don't think so."
ICW
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JAN-19 |
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Coleman rejects Newcastle talk
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CHRIS COLEMAN has laughed
off suggestions linking him with Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, saying,
“I’d make a useless No 2.”
The Welshman left his job
as Real Sociedad boss on Wednesday just minutes after Newcastle announced
Keegan was joining them.
Coleman accepts the
timing of his own announcement was bound to fuel the speculation about him
joining up with Keegan in a young and old St James’ Park partnership.
Coleman was Keegan’s
captain at Fulham and the two men have a huge regard for one another.
But Coleman said,
“While some people thought, because of the timing, I was off to
Newcastle to join up with Kevin again, the reality is that it is a
non-starter.
“Newcastle are a
fantastic club and Kevin is a man I respect and have a huge regard for.
“But the truth is I
would be a very poor No2... and I know that! I wouldn't entertain that
sort of role after five years of being a No 1, first with Fulham, then
with Real Sociedad.
“I’m sure Kevin will
do an excellent job at Newcastle and he will have his own ideas about who
he wants to bring in as his backroom staff.
“I wish him the very
best in the role ... and, in due course, I will be looking for a
manager’s position of my own.
ICW
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JAN-19 |
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Fowler on crutches for two
months
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Cardiff striker Robbie
Fowler is facing eight weeks on crutches after surgery on a hip injury
which could keep him out for the rest of the season.
Fowler, 32, flew to
America recently expecting to have minor surgery to cure a long-standing
problem.
But medical staff had to
perform a 'micro-fracture' of the hip bone after discovering a more
serious condition.
"He's going to be on
crutches for about eight weeks and they'll assess it and see how it
goes," said boss Dave Jones.
But despite the news,
Jones could not say if Fowler would be out for the rest of the season.
"I hope not,"
he said. "It's a long way to go, but there is a timescale because
they had to do a micro-fracture to let the bone bleed and that's as far as
my medical expertise goes.
"I would imagine if
they had done something like that, it's a bit more serious than we were
hoping."
Fowler, who was sent for
surgery after an ankle injury last month ruled him out for two weeks,
signed a one-year contract with Cardiff in July.
The Bluebirds do have an
option for another year, and talks are expected to take place over the
next few weeks over his future at Ninian Park.
BBC
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JAN-18 |
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Former Reading Youngster on
trial at Stebo
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Following the arrival of
former Wales Under 21 International, Stephen Evans this week, Peter
Nicholas could be adding another new face to the Reds squad in the next
couple of days as former Reading apprentice Nathan Bailey is on trial at
Stebonheath.
Bailey, 21, has played in
Wales before with Newport County in the 2005/06 season after he was with
his hometown club Reading from schoolboy level to a professional contract,
but he was released after Steve Coppell replaced Alan Pardew as manager.
He then had brief spells at Colchester, Darlington and Forest Green Rovers
before joining Newport in March 2006, but at the end of that year, he
played in the Caribbean along with a stint at York City.
The striker has been
trying to impress Nicholas and his assistant Paul Wanless since the
opening of the transfer window, with a view to sealing a move to South
Wales, and the Reds boss is keen to snap him up.
"Regarding Nathan,
we are having a look at him. I've been quite impressed and hopefully we
will get something sorted in the next few days"
Whether Bailey signs or
not, Nicholas doesn't anticipate any further signings arriving this month
as he plans his final assault on a first ever Welsh Premier Title for
Llanelli.
LS
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JAN-18 |
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Powell wants to be at Bangor for 10
years
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NEVILLE POWELL says he sees
himself in the Bangor City hotseat for the next 10 years as he seeks to
recapture the club’s glory days as one of the country’s greatest
non-league sides.
The Citizens boss last
week told a Daily Post web chat – the first of its kind involving a
Welsh Premier manager – that he wanted to make the club full-time like
current champions The New Saints and challengers Llanelli.
And Powell, who has taken
Bangor from mid-table mediocrity to fourth place and the race for Europe
since taking over in the summer, said: says as long as he keeps getting
the club’s backing he wants to stay there long-term to help it achieve
its ambitions.
The manager said:
"It has been discussed by (Bangor president) Gwyn Pierce Owen and Ken
Jones, the chairman, that when we move to the new stadium there’s a
possibility we could go full-time. It’s the way forward if we’re going
to emulate the likes of The New Saints and Llanelli.
"The two teams that
are full-time, you can see a mile off that they’re well above the rest.
On the day you might have a chance of beating them, but over 34, 36 games
those two teams are always going to be on top.
"If we do go
full-time we’ll do it gradually," he added. "We’ll get some
YTS lads in and we’ll go out into the schools doing some coaching. It
would be great if we could invite all the school kids from Bangor, Gwynedd
and the surrounding area, get them down to the ground and have a soccer
school.
"We’ve got a great
academy at Bangor and if we can develop that there’s no reason why in
five or 10 years’ time we can’t have a full squad of home-based
players who are all full-time.
DP
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JAN-18 |
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Five new faces at Cwmbran
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MACWHIRTER
Welsh League promotion hopefuls Cwmbran Town have moved to fill some of
the gaps created by a whole host of recent departures by snapping up no
less than five new recruits, writes Terry Daley.
During
the past few weeks, the Crows have lost Moses Molongo, Christopher Omuta,
Shola Oyin-loye, Jean-Black Ngody, Azeez Akinbolu, Mark McGibbon, Raful
Abdul, striker Ohene Quinhare and Roland Duo.
Now
Spanish manager Guillermo Ganet, who this week brought former coach Gary
Proctor to the club as his assistant, has swooped to bring in: * Ohmar
Pike, a 17-year-old from Jamaica previously with London League outfit
Cuitural * Uwa Ogbodu, a 29-year-old from Nigeria who arrives via
Conference South side Basingstoke Town * England-born Oliver Collins, aged
25, who played for Ryman League Division One outfit Moseley * Frenchman
Tidiany Kone, a 25-year-old brought in from French League club Lilas FC *
Michael Makasi, a 21-year-old English-born player who has appeared in the
MacWhirter Welsh League with student side UWIC.
All
five go straight into Ganet's squad for Saturday's away game against
third-placed Dinas Powys, who like Cwmbran have applied to promotion to
the top-flight Welsh Premier League.
After
maintaining the leadership of Division One following a 2-0 win over Gwent
rivals Caldicot Town on October 7, the Crows have slipped down to sixth
position following an horrendous run of picking up only nine points from
the last 30 on offer.
They've
not scored in their last five league games and have gone 460 minutes
without managing a goal.
Cwmbran
Town striker Martin Houston is to train with Division Three side Goytre
following talks with Division One rivals Croesyceiliog.
Both
clubs put in seven days notice of approach for the Scotsman, who would
link up again with former Cwmbran manager Sean Wharton if he were to join
Goytre.
SWA
|
|
JAN-18 |
|
Wrexham net West Brom's Nicholson
|
|
Wrexham have signed West
Brom striker Stuart Nicholson on a three-month loan as boss Brian Little
aims to end his side's alarming scoring problems.
Nicholson, 20, returned
to the Baggies last month after ending an unsuccessful loan spell at
League Two Shrewsbury Town because of "personal" reasons.
"My contract at West
Brom runs out in the summer and I feel I have something to prove," he
told the Daily Post.
"If I can help
Wrexham out then that benefits both of us."
Nicholson, a former
England Under-19 international, scored just one goal for Shrewsbury in 16
appearances after joining at the start of the season.
He hit six goals for
Bristol Rovers in their League Two promotion success last season.
West Brom gave him his
senior debut in an FA Cup tie against Reading two years ago and Nicholson
has gone on to make another seven appearance for the Hawthorns club,
scoring twice.
Wrexham have the worst
scoring record in League Two, having found the net just 15 goals in 24
games, with only six of those coming at home.
BBC
|
|
JAN-18 |
|
City close to debt agreement
|
|
CARDIFF CITY are close to
reaching an out-of-court agreement with main creditors Langston over the
club’s £30m debt it has emerged.
The Western Mail
understands no firm deal has yet been brokered, but it is thought the
case, which has threatened the very existence of the club, will be settled
ahead of a High Court hearing currently set for March.
If the club can agree a
repayment structure with the Swiss-based company, it would ease the
financial pressures which have been dogging the Bluebirds and lessen the
threat of administration hanging over City since legal proceedings began
back in August.
During that time the club
has been forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees
to fight their side of the case with the postponement of previous court
dates only exacerbating the problem.
An end to the action by
Langston, who are demanding immediate repayment of £24m in loan-notes
plus interest taken out when Sam Hammam owned the club, would see an
upturn in the off-field fortunes of the Bluebirds to match the on-field
resurgence led by manager Dave Jones.
Chairman Peter Ridsdale
has told the Western Mail he is optimistic an agreement will now be
reached without the need for a High Court hearing.
“I am very hopeful we
will be able to come to agreement with Langston over this issue sooner
rather than later,” said Ridsdale.
“That would hopefully
be before the next court date currently set for March. It has always been
our aim to do that.”
“I have not personally
had any meetings with anyone from Langston, but our aim is to sort out the
situation for the benefit of Cardiff City as soon as we possibly can.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-18 |
|
Welshpool sign former Swans
defender
|
|
Welshpool Town have signed
former Swansea City Youth star Max Powell. The Centre-Back, who hails from
Knighton in Powys, was a member of the Swans' Youth set-up last year but
he was released at the end of the season and he joins the League for the
first time, although he did have a spell at TNS earlier in his career.
The nineteen-year old has
also played for Presteigne and was part of the Swansea Academy with fellow
Welsh Premier players, Kerry Morgan and Daniel Lancey of Port Talbot and
Nicky Holland and Ashley Johns of Llanelli.
OWP
|
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JAN-18 |
|
Caersws sign TNS defender
|
|
Caersws have also bolstered
their defensive lines with the addition of TNS left-back Mark Davies who
arrives at the Recreation Ground on loan. Mark has featured just twice
this year with Chris King excelling in his position, so he joins Mike
Barton's side for some experience and regular first team football in the
League.
Davies also went on loan
last season with a very brief spell at Newtown, which lasted just 29 days,
playing three matches for the Robins. He answered an SOS call by Ken
McKenna when the Saints underwent an injury crisis prior to their Welsh
Cup match at Porthmadog on February 3rd - Ironically, Mark's last game for
Newtown was against Porthmadog on the previous Saturday.
Mark is a former Rochdale
youth player, who joined TNS on 27th August 2004 and he became the first
youngster from TNS's successful Scholarship Scheme to be offered a
full-time professional contract in June 2006 after establishing himself in
both the Scholarship and Reserve sides.
OWP
|
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JAN-18 |
|
Swans left counting the cost of cup
loss
|
|
SWANSEA were left counting
the cost in more than ways than one following their desperate FA Cup
surrender at minnows Havant & Waterlooville.
If injuries and knocks to
several of Roberto Martinez’s squad wasn’t enough, the Swans also lost
out on a bumper pay-day after their shock exit.
Missing out on the
glamour fourth-round tie against Liverpool appears to have cost the League
One outfit a cool £500,000 in gate receipts and prize money.
The Swans supporters had
also been allocated 6,000 tickets for their trip to Anfield next weekend
– but will now have to head to Keepmoat Stadium for a tricky league trip
to Doncaster instead.
“There’s still a huge
feeling of frustration and disappointment after all the hopes we had,”
admitted Swans chief Martinez.
“You don’t get many
better opportunities to get to Anfield in the FA Cup fourth round. The
boys felt they let the fans down. We weren’t ourselves in the way we
defended and that was going to affect our rhythm going forward.
“We have to bounce back
to winning ways and make sure this doesn’t cause too much distraction.
I’m sure that won’t happen.”
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Man Utd striker set for Swansea
|
|
Swansea City are set to sign
striker Febian Brandy on loan from Manchester United until the end of the
season.
The Manchester-born
youngster, 18, has progressed through the club's ranks and became a
regular in the reserves last season.
Swansea boss Roberto
Martinez is looking for a new striker after ruling out signing Cardiff's
Warren Feeney on a permanent basis.
The Swans have also been
linked to Blackpool striker Keigan Parker.
BBC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Ridsdale ready for Hereford test
|
|
Cardiff chairman Peter
Ridsdale admits the club's FA Cup fourth round tie at League Two side
Hereford will be tough.
Ridsdale and manager Dave
Jones were at Edgar Street on Wednesday to watch Hereford's 1-0 win over
Tranmere in their third round replay.
"We saw enough to
understand that whoever we played it would be a tough tie away from
home," he said.
"We hope the game is
a week on Saturday as scheduled, but Hereford are staging the tie, so it's
up to the police."
He added: "I don't
see why the match would be that high security because our supporters have
been magnificent recently and certainly at Chasetown is was a carnival
atmosphere."
BBC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Swans dumped out of FA Cup
|
|
Havant and Waterlooville
secured a dream FA Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool after beating
Swansea in a thrilling third-round replay.
Garry Monk's headed own
goal put the Blue Square South side a goal up before a Jamie Collins bundled
effort and Rocky Baptiste's tap-in made it 3-0.
Swansea replied with a
Guillem Bauza strike before the break, and then Leon Britton saw his penalty
saved.
Jason Scotland cut the
deficit to one, but Tom Jordan's header sealed victory.
Crowd congestion at the
compact Westleigh Park stadium caused a slight delay in the kick-off, and a
few of the fans were still making their way through the turnstiles when
Havant - three divisions below their opponents - took a shock lead.
Mo Harkin collected a short
corner on the right wing, and delivered a wicked in-swinging cross towards
Swansea's front post.
Monk dived forward under
pressure from home striker Richard Pacquette, but the centre-back only
managed to head the ball into his own net.
Swansea almost found an
immediate response as striker Bauza sent a deft chip over advancing Havant
goalkeeper Kevin Scriven just wide of the post.
Scriven then produced a
fine save to push Andy Robinson's low drive - which took a slight deflection
off Bauza - for a corner.
Swansea's superior class
began to tell as they pushed the home side back to the edge of their penalty
area, but indecisive defending and poor goalkeeping allowed Havant to double
their lead on 25 minutes.
Left-back Marcus Painter
gave away a needless corner and, after a poor clearing punch from goalkeeper
Dorus De Vries, Collins' shot through a crowded area found its way into the
Swansea net.
The home side, a massive 83
places below League One leaders Swansea in the English pyramid, were in
dreamland 13 minutes later when Baptise put them 3-0 up.
Again, the Swansea defence
looked under little pressure but Pacquette's miss-hit low shot from outside
the area found its way to the far post and Baptiste sneaked around the back
to tap the ball home.
The three-goal advantage
lasted about a minute as Bauza's fierce 20-yard drive, aided by a slight
deflection, nestled into the Havant net.
There was still time for
yet more drama in a remarkable first-half as Swansea wasted two golden
opportunities to score.
Midfielder Britton was the
biggest culprit when his poor penalty, awarded after a foul on Bauza, was
comfortably saved by Scriven.
And then defender Dennis
Lawrence's downward header from just six yards bounced over the crossbar.
Havant were themselves
guilty of wastefulness in the opening seconds of the second half as
Pacquette, left unmarked inside Swansea's six-yard box, hit his shot
straight at De Vries.
The miss took even greater
significance just two minutes later when Swansea closed the deficit to 3-2.
Robinson, whose mazy runs
were a constant threat, delivered a pin-point cross which Bauza volleyed
against the post, but Scotland was perfectly placed to tap the ball home.
A Swansea equaliser looked
inevitable as they continued to dominate possession, but their defensive
frailties were again exposed as Havant scored their fourth on 65 minutes.
Brett Poate sent a
regulation cross into the centre of Swansea's penalty area but substitute
Jordan, son of former Scotland striker Joe, beat his marker to glance a
header off the back of his head into the bottom corner.
Jordan almost sealed the
win moments later when his looping header came down the wrong side of the
crossbar.
The constant entertainment
continued as Swansea then hit the woodwork twice in six minutes, substitute
Tom Butler denied by the post from a tight angle before Britton's
left-footed effort rebounded off the bar to safety.
Robinson then hit the post
in stoppage time, and that proved to be the final threat as Havant held on
to record a dramatic and famous FA Cup victory.
BBC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Coleman resigns as Sociedad boss
|
|
Coleman said he and assistant
Steve Keane were unable to work alongside newly elected president Inaki
Badiola.
"It is with much
sadness that we leave a great club," said Coleman.
"Things have changed
with the arrival of Badiola as there were two distinct ways of looking at
the club and it's operations."
Badiola had hoped former
Wales international Coleman would stay in charge of the club, and the pair
met to discuss the future last week.
Having asked for a few days
to consider his position, Coleman last Thursday announced he would be
staying at Sociedad for "as long as the club need me" after
receiving the backing of both his players and Badiola.
But the 37-year-old appears
to have had a change of heart and announced to a press conference that he
was stepping down as coach.
Coleman had originally
offered to step down following the resignation of president Maria de la Pena
in November, but he was persuaded to stay by the Sociedad board.
De la Pena played an
influential role in bringing the former Fulham boss to San Sebastian last
July on a three-year contract after the club lost their first division
status for the first time in 40 years.
BBC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Powell builds for the future at
Bangor
|
STRIKER Ashley Stott is the third Bangor City player to commit himself to
the club for next season as manager Neville Powell plans for the future.
Stott joins fellow front man Les Davies and midfielder Mel McGuinness in
signing a contract for 2008/09 season, while Powell is also moving to get
cover for some tough matches coming up.
With custodian Dave Roberts gone to Weymouth, Andy Price returns as cover
for Paul Smith, his second spell at Farrar Road after playing during Peter
Davenport's reign.
Meanwhile, Powell is tracking a striker in the Blue Square North League
and is also hoping to hear that defender Michael Johnson's loan period be
extended until the end of the season.
"We have some
crucial matches coming up, and a number of players on four bookings,"
explains Powell.
"I spoke to Tranmere this week and am confident that Mike will be
allowed to stay.
"It was pointless signing a striker from the Welsh Premier who would
be ineligible for the League Cup semis and the Welsh Cup, while Andy has
not been playing but training regularly at Warrington Town."
NWC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Swansea call off Feeney pursuit
|
|
Swansea boss Roberto Martinez
has ruled out signing Cardiff striker Warren Feeney on a permanent basis
during the January transfer window.
The Northern Ireland
international is back at Ninian Park recovering from an ankle injury
sustained at the end of his four-month loan spell with Swansea.
Feeney still has two and a
half years left on his Cardiff contract.
"It seems as though
it's going to be very, very difficult to agree something over Warren,"
Martinez said.
However, Martinez told the
Swansea website that while any permanent move for Feeney had been shelved
for the moment, it could be revitalised for next season.
Feeney scored six goals in
13 games on loan for the Swans between September and December.
"We will be looking at
the next transfer window in the summer for that one, so we'll see what
develops," Martinez said.
BBC
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Brothers unite at Caernarfon
|
Principality Welsh Premier
club Caernarfon Town have been boosted by the arrival of midfielder Peter
Doran, who joins twin brother Phil at The Oval.
The 19-year-old Liverpudlian has been signed from Blue Square North
strugglers Leigh RMI, who are managed by former Bangor City boss Steve
Bleasdale, and he made his debut in the 2-1 home win over Carmarthen Town
last Saturday.
Doran was a trainee at Walsall and played a key role in the success of the
Saddlers' youth teams before establishing himself in the reserves and
signing a professional contract in May 2007.
He was allowed to spend an extended loan spell at Blue Square North outfit
Worcester City in August, but joined Leigh a few months later.
Brother Phil is a former Blackpool youth who had a trial at Barrow and has
been ever-present since joining the Canaries last summer.
NLD
|
|
JAN-17 |
|
Injury-prone Ugarte quits Wrexham
|
|
Juan Ugarte has left Wrexham
after conceding defeat in his battle to overcome a succession of knee
injuries.
Persistent knee and
hamstring problems have limited the Basque striker to a handful of
substitute appearances over the last two seasons.
Despite undergoing several
operations, 27-year-old Ugarte has failed to regain full fitness and has now
asked for his Wrexham contract to be cancelled.
"It's sad that he has
decided to move on," said manager Brian Little.
"He's a really nice
guy who has had a tough period. I myself had to retire from football at a
similar age to him.
"I know he has had a
load of injury issues, but I would like to wish well and hope that it all
works out for him.
"Juan will always be
welcome back here at any time and we all look forward to seeing him again at
some time in the future."
BBC
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Four Crows leave the nest at
Cwmbran
|
|
CWMBRAN Town insist everything
is fine at the MacWhirter Welsh League club, but four players have moved on.
The Crows have had a poor
run of results amid rumours that all is not well at the Gwent club.
Now Rasul Abdul has left to
rejoin Pontypridd Town, while Ohene Quinhare has returned to Maesteg Park.
A third player, Richard
Duo, has left Wales and signed for Kent League Erith Town.
The other player to move is
Mark McGibbon, who has joined Principality Welsh Premier League club Port
Talbot Town.
Meanwhile, Cwmbran Town's
Scottish born striker Martin Houston is the target of Division One rivals
Croesyceiliog and Goytre of Division Three.
Both clubs have placed
seven days notice of approach for Houston, who joined the Crows.
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Brace seeks new faces
|
|
Carmarthen
Town will dip into the transfer market in order to halt their alarming
six-match winless streak.
The Welsh Cup holders saw their torrid run continue last weekend with a 2-1
defeat at lowly Caernarfon, which saw the Richmond Park side lose ground on
the clubs chasing a European spot.
Manager Deryn Brace has already snapped up the likes of ex-captain Rhodri
Jones, Paul Keddle and Phil Cattlin, but he revealed he would be entering
the transfer market again in order to bolster his squad.
"I'm pretty sure we will look into the market,"
said Brace.
"There are a couple of players we have been looking at.
"I was hoping that we didn't really need to but with hiccups like this
you're glad that they have happened now when you have an opportunity to do
something about it."
Town sit in fifth place but are stuttering after making a pleasing start to
the campaign.
But Brace is confident they can get over their blip and beat the likes of
Rhyl, Bangor and Welshpool for the final European spot.
"It's a huge disappointment because we're used to winning," added
Brace.
"The boys have got to make sure that we approach each game positively.
There is no game that we need to be scared of and I'm sure that a win is
just around the corner.
"Our ambition of a European placing is still realistic and achievable.
We're just making it hard for ourselves, but other teams are doing the same
- winning, losing, drawing.
"What we need to do is snap out of our current run and with a couple of
wins the table will look completely different."
CJ
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Whitley set for Dragons return
|
|
JEFF WHITLEY could be poised
for a return to Wrexham as he continues to look for a club since being
released by Cardiff at the end of last season.
Whitley featured for the
Dragons in 11 games towards the end of the last campaign during a loan spell
and played a leading role in keeping the club in League Two.
“I really enjoyed being
back at Wrexham last season and I was delighted that it eventually turned
out well for the club,” said the 28year-old
“The people here showed
their faith in me, so I would be more than happy to come back and help out
once again.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Defeat not a
disaster for Bangor City
|
|
ALTHOUGH
disappointed his team’s 13-match unbeaten run in the Welsh Premier came to
an end at leaders and champions TNS on Saturday, Bangor manager Neville
Powell sees this weekend’s home meeting with Welshpool Town as the ideal
opportunity to start another winning streak.
City
still remain fourth in the WPL after a weekend where results elsewhere went
in their favour.
“Rhyl
only drew, Carmarthen lost, Port Talbot lost and Welshpool didn’t play, so
things are much the same,” said Powell.
“The
Welshpool game is a real six-pointer as if we win it we’ll be six points
ahead of them.”
Midfielder
Mike Walsh will miss the Farrar Road clash through a one-match suspension
but otherwise Bangor should be close to full strength.
Powell
received another great boost last week when free-scoring young striker
Ashley Stott signed a deal that will keep him at City next season. Fellow
front man Les Davies agreed the same terms the previous week.
“People
talk about bringing in players in the transfer window, but keeping the ones
you’ve got is just as important,” Powell stressed, adding he is still on
the hunt for another forward to strengthen the squad.
BAS
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Caerleon eye seventh place
|
|
CAERLEON will bid to become
Gwent's highest placed MacWhirter Welsh League Division One team tonight
when they travel to face Cambrian and Clydach (kick-off 7.30pm).
A draw will take Caerleon
above Newport YMCA in eighth position on goal difference, while a win would
also see them leapfrog over seventh-placed Cwmbran Town.
However, manager Bren-don
Dowd will again be minus attacking midfielder Luke Cueto, who misses the
clash while serving the second of a three match suspension.
"It's a difficult task
for us because Cambrian and Clydach are a good side, although we are also in
good form," said Dowd.
The boss missed his side's
2-1 win at Bridgend on Saturday because he was in north Wales on a spying
mission, running the rule over future Welsh Cup fourth round opponents GAP
Queens Park of the Cymru Alliance.
SWA
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Proctor new assistant at Cwmbran
|
|
CWMBRAN Town's season-long
search for an assistant for London-based Spanish manager Guillermo Ganet has
ended with the recruitment of former coach Gary Proctor.
The 48-year-old had a spell
coaching with the Crows in the 2001-02 season and the management team of the
late Tony Wilcox and former Wales defender Mark Aizlewood before he went on
take charge of Welsh Premier League outfits Rhayader Town and Llanelli.
Proctor has joined Cwmbran
in time to stand alongside Ganet in the dug-out for Saturday's MacWhirter
Welsh League Division One match at Dinas Powys.
"Working with such a
great guy as Tony (Wilcox) and of course Mark Aizlewood was a very good
learning curve for me," said Cardiff-based Proctor.
"Now I'm working
alongside Guillermo (Ganet) and I'm really looking forward to the challenge
of trying to get the club back to where it belongs - the Welsh Premier
League.
Cwmbran secretary Ian
Greaney said the club went for Proctor because he fits the bill of knowing
local players for possible recruitment.
SWA
|
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JAN-16 |
|
Earnshaw unaware of Cardiff link
|
|
Out-of-favour Derby County
striker Rob Earnshaw says he knows nothing of a mooted deal to rejoin
Cardiff City.
BBC Wales Sport understands
Cardiff have made an inquiry about signing the Wales international on loan.
But the Bluebirds were not
given any encouragement by the Premier League strugglers, who would appear
to favour selling Earnshaw to another club.
"Joining Cardiff
hasn't crossed my mind and nothing has been said to me about it,"
Earnshaw told BBC Wales Sport.
Earnshaw, who left Cardiff
in 2004 after seven years at Ninian Park, has started just two games for
Derby this season following his £3.5m summer move from Norwich City.
He accepts some clubs could
be interested in securing his services during the January transfer window,
but remains determined to force himself into the reckoning at Derby.
"I still feel like a
new singing because I've only played two games - and one of them was on the
right wing," said Earnshaw, who has been out with a calf problem.
"So it's been a little
bit difficult and I feel I've just got here and I'm waiting to play.
"It is hard and I
don't know what's going to happen but I want to do well for Derby.
BBC
|
|
JAN-16 |
|
Uncertainty over Welshpool tie
|
|
CARDIFF City offered to switch
their FAW Premier cup tie to Ninian Park last night with Welshpool Town’s
pitch under water.
But South Wales Police
would need a week’s notice of the tie being played in Cardiff because the
tie is a first team fixture. The quarter-final has now been postponed twice
and it is difficult to see when it can be fitted in.
City are without a match
next midweek, but Welshpool play Port Talbot Town in the Principality Welsh
Premier League.
The second FAW Premier Cup
tie scheduled last night, Carmarthen Town v The New Saints, was also
postponed.
The Premier Cup board are
keen to stage the semi-finals before the end of January, but that now seems
highly unlikely. The winners of the Welshpool v Cardiff tie will face
Newport County, while Carmarthen or holders TNS take on Llanelli.
ICW
|
|
JAN-15 |
|
McKenna scoops manager Monthly
Award
|
|
Ken
McKenna of The New Saints is the Principality Welsh Premier Manager
of the Month for December 2007. December was another successful month for
the Champions and subsequently, it's another Manager of the Month award for
Ken. With Saints' unbeaten run continuing through the month, Saints remain
one of the League's dominant sides.
The month began with a
surprising 0-0 draw against a battling Airbus side but Ken's side soon found
their scoring boots and three wins on the trot against NEWI Cefn Druids,
Aberystwyth Town and Welshpool Town maintained their title defence.
McKenna has already steered
the club to three runners-up spots in the Welsh Premier before finally
lifting three successive titles in 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, as well as
adding FAW Premier Cup, Welsh Cup and Loosemores Challenge Cup successes and
is going all out to bag the championship again this term.
OWP
|
|
JAN-15 |
|
Player of the Month is Nomads
Kilgannon
|
|
An unlikely candidate one
might say with Nomads really struggling of late, but Wes thoroughly deserves
the award as he becomes one of the few players to gain the opposing
Managers' man of the match award for his every appearance in December.
Connah's Quay Nomads boss
Jim Hackett completed the signing of Chester-born striker Wes Kilgannon just
before the start of the 2007/08 season. Kilgannon had worked under Hackett
before, whilst the pair were at Chester City Youth. Nomads Secretary Bobby
Hunter was full of praise
"A deserving award for
the lad who has worked hard over the last few weeks during our injury crisis
and has now adapted well to the WPL in whatever position he has been asked
to play."
OWP
|
|
JAN-15 |
|
Martinez is staying put
|
Swansea City have welcomed
stories linking Roberto Martinez with Newcastle United - but don't fear they
are about to lose their boss.
Newcastle president Sir John Hall yesterday mentioned Martinez as a young,
up-and-coming manager who could be a candidate to take the reins at St
James' Park following the sacking of Sam Allardyce.
And Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins admits the Liberty Stadium club will have
to get used to speculation as Martinez continues his spectacular start to
life in the dugout.
''Like some of the other foreign managers in this country, Roberto has
brought a fresh approach which probably appeals to a lot of other clubs,''
Jenkins said.
''I've got no idea whether Newcastle are really interested in Roberto, but I
think we are going to have to get used
to this kind of story because of the number of games we're winning and the
way we're winning them.
''I've got no doubt Roberto will manage at the top level, and we're doing
our best to make sure he does that with Swansea City.
''Roberto is an intelligent man and I think he recognised that he has still
got a lot to learn in management and he is doing that with us.
''But to have stories about Newcastle United being interested in Swansea's
manager is nice for us.
''It shows that we made the right decision in appointing Roberto and it
shows that this club is heading in the right direction.
EP
|
|
JAN-15 |
Wrexham
looking to Swans for help
|
|
Wrexham
are hoping Swansea City can help them avoid dropping out of the Football
League. The Dragons are bottom of League Two and six points away from
safety, with manager Brian Little desperate to bolster his squad.
The former Aston Villa boss said his struggling side is in urgent need of an
injection of players if they are to avoid slipping into the Conference.
Swansea were in the same situation during the 2002-03 season where a
last-day victory over Hull saved the club from dropping into football's
abyss.
Little, who saw his side
humiliated last week after losing to Welsh Premier League outfit Llanelli in
the FAW Premier Cup, has revealed he is hoping Swansea boss Roberto Martinez
will help his cause.
Midfielder Matty Collins, who arrived at the Liberty Stadium this summer
from Fulham, has already spent time on loan at Wrexham and Little is hopeful
of more arriving.
"What we need now is some faces," said Little. "We have
worked on it and we know we need lads in there to help the current squad.
"We give away the worst goals I have seen in the 37 years I have been
in the business. We are trying our best and we are getting better, but we
are nowhere near good enough yet.
"We have to look everywhere and anywhere. We have spoken to Swansea in
the past and we continue to speak to them. We have been on the phone to them
and we know that Swansea will help us as much as they can.
Little added: "We need to bring in players who have been in this
situation before and might be able to turn things around.
"Swansea are really keen to help us and hopefully we can find someone
there that can do a job here."
EP
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JAN-15 |
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Armstrong
becomes a Nomad
|
Principality Welsh Premier
club Connah's Quay Nomads added former Oldham Athletic trainee Paul
Armstrong to their squad ahead of Saturday's visit to Newtown's Latham Park.
Nomads' manager Jim Hackett has suffered further injury blows to his
already-depleted squad which has seen the loss of influential frontman Adam
Dickinson for the remainder of the season and a long-term absence for
highly-rated central defender Chris Williams.
New signings Michael Burns and Liam Jones are ruled out, while defender Gary
Pinch is now suspended. There are fears that Jones may have sustained a
cruciate ligament injury on his debut at Rhyl, which lasted only 15 minutes.
Armstrong, 24, who signs from Manchester-based Vodkat North West Counties
League outfit Flixton, played on loan at Barrow and Mossley during his time
at Boundary Park and has also featured for Hyde United, Ashton United and
Warrington Town.
NLD
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JAN-15 |
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Dave Jones slams managerial
merry-go-round
|
|
DAVE JONES saw his Cardiff
City side move to within two points of the Championship play-play off places
– and then branded English football’s managerial merry-go-round crazy.
Back in November, Jones
himself was facing the sack at Ninian Park following a year of poor results,
but, after the backing of the Bluebirds’ board, he has turned things round
and now insists patience is needed in the pro game.
“When you are not
winning, those that keep their heads are the ones who will come out on
top,” said Jones.
“There was a lot said and
now a lot of people in this football club want to prove people wrong. Time
and patience is not a commodity people want to give you.
“You have only got to
look at Sam Allardyce at Newcastle, it is crazy. You cannot build a football
club in a short space of time. How long do you give somebody?
“We have sold people, but
the expectation is still that you have got to be beating everybody and
winning the league.
“There has been a lot of
building here and to throw all that away just because results are not going
with you to start with is wrong.
“If that were the case,
Sir Alex Ferguson would not still be at Manchester United. It is a slow
process.”
ICW
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JAN-15 |
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Parry outlines Wales desire
|
|
CHEPSTOW-BORN Paul Parry has
told Wales manager John Toshack that he wants to return from a self-imposed
international exile to help the Dragons' bid to qualify for the 2010 World
Cup finals in South Africa.
The Cardiff City midfielder
informed Toshack he wanted to take a break from international duty for
personal reasons after earning his 11th cap when coming on as a substitute
for Ryan Giggs in the 3-0 home Euro 2008 Championship qualifier win against
San Marino at the Millennium Stadium in March, 2007.
Now, however, the in-form
ex-Hereford United ace could be named in Toshack's squad at the end of the
month for the friendly clash against Norway at Wrexham next month.
"I don't expect to be
named in the squad for the Norway game," said a modest Parry. "But
if the call comes again soon, I'll be ready for it. At the moment I'm
feeling very refreshed and I'm up for wearing the Welsh shirt once
more."
After spending six seasons
with then-non-league Hereford, Parry burst onto the professional scene after
joining Cardiff in early January, 2004.
Within weeks he'd made his
international debut in a 4-0 friendly victory over Scotland at the
Millennium Stadium following a series of highly-impressive displays for the
Bluebirds.
Parry, 27, has scored 16
goals in 184 league and cup appearances for the club and has been the
subject of transfer speculation regarding Cardiff's Championship rivals
Ipswich Town and Leicester City.
But after being linked with
a £750,000 move to another Championship side, Norwich City, Parry this week
declared he has no intention of leaving the capital club.
"I'm not going
anywhere," said Parry, who has 18 months remaining on his current
Cardiff contract. "I'm happy with my form at City and enjoy living
here, so there is no reason for me to go anywhere else."
ICW
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JAN-15 |
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Bauza promises more Swansea goals
|
|
GUILLEM BAUZA was delighted to
have finally scored his first league goal for Swansea City – and the
Spanish striker is now hoping more will follow, writes Blair Wood.
Bauza, known as ‘Bussy’
at the club, endured a difficult start to life in South Wales.
But, having rediscovered
his form and confidence in recent weeks, he has been rewarded with
consecutive league starts for the first time in his Swansea career.
It seems to be paying
dividends and, with Johnstone’s Paint and FA Cup goals already in the bag,
he broke his League One duck with a well-taken goal at Luton.
EP
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JAN-14 |
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Cardiff on a roll - Hasselbaink
|
|
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has
warned the rest of the Championship that Cardiff are now a force to be
reckoned with.
The Dutchman's goal earned
victory over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, moving the Bluebirds to within
two points of the play-off promotion places.
"We are getting
confidence, especially players like Stephen McPhail, Gavin Rae, Joe
Ledley," Hasselbaink said.
"While they are
playing well, we up front are getting the nice bits and bobs off it and it's
just great."
Cardiff stuttered at the
start of the season, displaying an inability to hold onto leads that at one
point had them hovering nervously above the relegation zone.
But a run of five games
unbeaten in the league - only dropping points in a draw at Watford - has
seen Dave Jones' side soar up the table.
"People are playing
well in the team at the moment and it's going for us," Hasselbaink
added
"In the beginning we
played some good football, but we didn't defend well as a team.
"At the moment we are,
we're working very hard for each other.
"We don't have someone
who has scored 15 or 16 goals but everybody is scoring, we are more a
team."
BBC
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|
JAN-14 |
|
Swans ready to take ob bully-boys
|
|
SWANSEA’S CITY’S stars
have been warned to expect a fiery FA Cup reception – quite literally.
The Swans are still nursing
the bruises from last week’s Battle of Waterlooville, where Alan Tate and
Brett Poate were red-carded as non-leaguers Havant attempted to rough up
Roberto Martinez’s men.
But on Wednesday they
travel to Westleigh Park – where skipper Garry Monk has already
experienced the Waterloovile ‘welcome’.
He said: “I played there
in pre-season for Southampton and I think it is fair to say it wasn’t
pretty.
“It probably had a bit of
an added edge to it because it’s kind of a local derby, so you had that
hostility.
“But it’s not going to
be nice for us either, if that trip is anything to go by.
“The ground is in the
middle of a council estate and I have to say I was lucky being a centre-back
and in the middle of the pitch because every time the lads took a throw in
they were being spat on, or having their shirts pulled by supporters; it was
ridiculous.
“Then I remember being on
the halfway line with the ball in their area and for some reason I turned
around and saw our keeper Scott Bevan’s towel was being set on fire.
“He’d put it in the net
like most keepers do and it was about to go up in flames!”
Swansea are still seething
at the way last week’s third-round tie turned ugly, a mass brawl following
Poate’s challenge on Andrea Orlandi seeing Darryl Duffy having his eye
gouged and both clubs fined for failing to control their players.
ICW
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JAN-14 |
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Wrexham suffer Jones injury blow
|
|
Wrexham's fight for Football
League survival took a double battering on Saturday as star midfielder Mark
Jones was injured in the 1-0 loss at Grimsby.
"I think it's a torn
hamstring," Jones said. "I was running and I just felt it snap and
I went down.
"I'm not really sure
how long I'll be out, we'll just have to see in the next couple of
days."
Wrexham physio Mel Pejic
will assess the injury on Monday, but Jones is likely to be out for four to
six weeks.
Jones, 24, suffered a back
injury earlier in the season and has needed a series of surgeries on
persistent knee injuries over his career.
The defeat at Grimsby
leaves Wrexham still anchored to the foot of League Two, six points from
safety.
BBC
|
|
JAN-14 |
|
Airbus deserve victory over Steelmen
|
|
Airbus 1-0 Port Talbot
AIRBUS UK clinched a
thoroughly deserved 1-0 victory over visiting Port Talbot, and they set
their stall out straight from the start with Kristian Rogers in the
Steelmakers’ goal pulling off a point-blank save from Darren Wright.
Rogers had to be alert
moments later to deny Danny Desormeaux with a good chance to break the
deadlock, and the same player missed a golden opportunity soon after.
The breakthrough came in
the 33rd minute and Desormeaux was the creator, carving out a chance for
Paul Hallows, who had his initial shot blocked but made no mistake at the
second attempt.
A Gareth Caughter cross
found Hallows unmarked just prior to the break, but this time his effort was
poor.
The visitors came more into
their own in the second half with Martin Rose in particular looking
threatening.
The Wingmakers were content
to sit on their lead but had a late scare when Chad Bond and sub Sam Baker
had to be denied by last-ditch tackles by John Davies.
ICW
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JAN-14 |
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Hat-tricks as campaign hot's up
|
|
PRESTATYN TOWN top the league
by a massive 15 points after walloping Ruthin Town 6-0 to chalk up their
17th win of the campaign.
Ian Griffiths, the former
Liverpool junior, was the architect behind the success, notching up a
hat-trick.
Steve Bowes, Steve Harris
and Mike Parker completed the debacle.
GAP Queen Park showed what
a class outfit they are, flooring Glantraeth 5-1.
Kevin Breeze was the jewel
in the GAP crown, adding his hat-trick to Colin Quirk and Ashley Wilson’s
efforts.
The visitors bagged a
consolation goal through John Peris Jones on 20 minutes.
Bala Town had their game
with Buckley wiped out due to the weather, meaning the Lakesiders – who
were title favourites in August – now trail the leaders by a massive 25
points.
Gresford Athletic flopped
badly again, sinking 4-1 to Holyhead Hotspur.
Hotspur’s tally could
have been even higher had it not been for the fine skills of Gareth Rowland
in goal.
Mike and Tom Edwards netted
a goal apiece in each half for the visitors to take the spoils and, although
Ian Mathias and Max Peate offered some hope, it was Mike Pugh who snatched a
late consolation goal.
Mike Edwards had plenty to
celebrate, being presented with the Player of the Month award for December.
A ten-goal spectacular
between Llandyrnog United and Lex ended in an unlikely 5-5 draw, although
the home team only just made it with two late strikes.
A penalty by Mike Jones on
90 minutes and a point-saver by Chris Williams in stoppage time were
Llandyrnog’s face savers, after earlier goals from Jon Slater, Neil Davies
and Antony Marshall.
Lex’s Dave Greenway did
enough to finish on the winning side, notching up four goals.
Gary Penlington added the
other.
Llandudno Town’s title
hopes are still alive as they kept their second place by winning 3-0 at
Penrhyncoch.
Chris Hogg, Jodie Hamilton
and Lee Thomas were the trio to put their names on the scoresheet.
ICW
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JAN-14 |
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Marc cant grab a Rhyl goal against
Neath
|
|
Neath Athletic 1-1 Rhyl
RHYL may be higher up the
league table, and they did have the lion’s share of possession, but it was
the home side who finished the game disappointed as good chances went
begging.
The first half was more
even, and Neath took the lead with a scrappy goal from Richard French, who
looked to have lost his chance when he failed to connect with a volley.
However, a fly-hacked
clearance hit French, and the ball rebounded into the net.
That much-travelled
goal-grabber, Marc Lloyd-Williams, was making his debut for Rhyl, but he was
closely policed by Sean Cronin, and never had a clear sight of goal.
Rhyl increased the pressure
and they equalised in the 79th minute when a header rebounded from the
woodwork for Paul O’Neill to shoot home. However, in the final 10 minutes,
it was Neath who took hold of the game.
Matthew Rees was put
through one-on-one against the keeper, but could not score. There was more
frustration soon after, when Andy Hill shot over the bar.
ICW
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JAN-14 |
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Five-Goal Llanelli bury Llangefni
|
|
Llanelli 5-0 Llangefni
LLANGEFNI’S best hope was
that the home side would be a little flat after their mid-week dramas
against Wrexham.
But it didn’t work out
that way, as a highly-motivated Llanelli were on the attack right from the
start.
In fact, the visitors’
best player was their keeper, Farai Jackson, who made three excellent saves
in the opening 20 minutes.
It was only a matter of
time, however, and Llanelli went ahead when Rhys Griffiths headed home from
a Craig Jones cross.
Jones was involved again,
13 minutes later, when he was up in the box and deflected a cross towards
Mark Jones, who headed firmly home.
Two minutes into the second
half and another header hit the back of the net – this time Rhys Griffiths
from a Gary Lloyd cross.
Three minutes later
Llanelli scored again, as Rhys Griffiths’ shot could only be parried by
Jackson, leaving Mark Jones with a simple tap-in.
Finally, Jackson made his
only mistake when Mark Jones shot from the edge of the box, and the ball
squirmed through his fingers.
ICW
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JAN-14 |
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Brace's men fail test
|
|
Caernarfon 2-1
Carmarthen
DERYN BRACE’S Carmarthen
failed to extend their record of three consecutive wins over Caernarfon at
The Oval, when they finished second best.
In a storming finish,
Carmarthen might well have salvaged something but they had been exposed
regularly during the first hour, when they could so easily have been six
goals down.
Caernarfon, struggling to
climb clear of the relegation danger zone, scored twice, had two other
goal-bound efforts cleared off the line and wasted a couple of glaring
openings.
Steve O’Shaughnessy’s
hosts began to put right a bleak sequence of seven appearances without a
win, when Paul Addo hit their first goal on nine minutes, slamming a
left-angled 20-yarder past keeper Mike Poole.
John Rowley delivered the
second goal from a similar situation on 36 minutes after latching on to
another creation by livewire James Thomas.
It was a reply goal from
sub Danny Thomas on 75 minutes, following Nathan Cotterall’s low cross
from the left, that sparked Carmarthen’s late revival bid, which led to
heavy pressure but nothing else.
ICW
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JAN-13 |
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Big 3 EURO plan blocked by UEFA
|
|
UEFA have blocked Welsh hopes
of a European revolution – before they have even been discussed by the
Football Association of Wales.
Reports suggested football
bosses were ready to rubber stamp a plan to provide Cardiff, Swansea and
Wrexham a route back into European football by entering reserve teams in the
Welsh Premier.
But not only have the FAW
played down the leak as nothing more than one of many ideas of modernising
the Welsh game, Wales on Sunday has discovered European football’s
governing body will block any such moves.
A spokesman for Uefa said:
“It’s highly unlikely this proposal will be accepted and there are major
provisions which don’t allow this.
“Uefa has strict rules
regarding teams fielding two separate sides in different leagues. There also
can be no overlap with teams registering players in different
competitions.”
Uefa have referred to
Article 51 of their statute, that insists clubs cannot field teams in
separate leagues, even if they are a second string.
It had been claimed new
Uefa chief Michel Platini’s wish to encourage the development of the
“lesser” footballing nations, would aid the plan’s cause.
But even if Uefa could be
persuaded to give the move the go-ahead, they would then need to convince
Fifa.
The Uefa spokesman
revealed: “Even if Uefa agreed to such a bold request, the clubs involved
would have to gain approval from Fifa before fielding two combinations.
It’s very unlikely.”
ICW
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JAN-13 |
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Martinez might fit Magpies - Hall
|
|
Sir John Hall has suggested
that managerless Newcastle could consider Swansea City boss Roberto Martinez
as a candidate to go to St James' Park.
The Magpies life president
and former chairman told BBC 5 Live's Sportsweek that Martinez might be an
outside bet.
"Do you go for a big
name, like the (Guus) Hiddinks, or do you try and find someone who can give
us the football we had under (Kevin) Keegan," Hall said.
"There's the Swansea
manager, Martinez, who seems to be turning them around."
Swansea are flying high in
League One this season, three points clear of Nottingham Forest at the top
of the table and with a game in hand.
The south Wales club
maintained their momentum on Saturday by overcoming a spirited Luton,
beating the financially stricken club 3-1 at Kenilworth Road.
Swansea had their own brush
with liquidation in 2002 and Martinez has every sympathy with the Hatters'
plight.
"It's a sad situation,
a club like Luton Town with a huge history, to be in this situation and I
think we all feel for them," Martinez said.
"We hope they will
turn the corner very quickly and they will have a bright future."
BBC
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JAN-13 |
|
In form Cardiff win again
|
|
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's
36th-minute strike proved the difference as in-form Cardiff beat Sheffield
Wednesday.
Within four minutes Peter
Whittingham fired in a shot that had Owls goalkeeper Lee Grant sprawling.
Stephen McPhail also
peppered Grant's goal, while defender Roger Johnson hit the post from Whittingham's
corner.
Hasselbaink then latched on
to Gavin Rae's through-ball before firing home, although Ronnie Wallwork and
Deon Burton almost grabbed Owls equalisers.
"They are
a good side Said Jones and when we didn't get the second goal we deserved,
it gave them hope.
"We should have been
more than a goal up at the interval but we held on for the victory.
"Jimmy's goal was a
great move but we had to grind it out and some of the defensive headers were
superb."
BBC
|
|
JAN-13 |
|
Swans bowl over the Hatters
|
|
Swansea maintained their
momentum at the top after overcoming a spirited display from crisis club
Luton.
The Swans were in charge
when Keith Keane turned Andy Robinson's shot into his own net and Guillem
Bauza scored after a fine, flowing five-man move.
Veteran striker Paul
Furlong pulled one back for the hosts with his first touch after coming on
as a substitute.
But Jason Scotland's
rasping 20-yard drive eight minutes from time sealed the win for the League
One leaders.
BBC
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JAN-13 |
|
Wrexham losing streak continues
|
|
Danny North pounced midway
through the second half to earn Grimsby all three points against strugglers
Wrexham.
Wrexham started promisingly
and new signing Paul Hall made an instant impression with a snap-shot that
keeper Phil Barnes somehow kept out.
Grimsby's Nick Hegarty and
Paul Bolland then both wasted fine scoring chances.
But the breakthrough came
when a long ball from Tom Newey dropped behind the defence and North raced
in to lob advancing Dragons keeper Gavin Ward.
BBC
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JAN-12 |
|
Welsh Premier League bosses
call for talks
|
|
WELSH PREMIER bosses have
echoed Peter Ridsdale’s call for urgent talks with FAW bigwigs over plans
for a radical shake-up of their league.
The FAW’s proposal to ask
sides from Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham to enter the Welsh Premier next
season, and thus qualify for Europe, has sent shock waves around the game.
Cardiff chairman Ridsdale
(below) says he needs to meet FAW chiefs to thrash out the nuts and bolts of
the plan.
And Welsh Premier officials
have asked their secretary John Deakin to obtain as much detail as possible
from his own FAW boss David Collins.
Under the restructuring
proposal, five Welsh Premier teams would lose their places in a new 16-club
league.
The Welsh Premier clubs
were, as expected, up in arms after attending a meeting in Mid Wales
yesterday to voice their opposition to the proposal.
An official statement from
the clubs read, “The recent newspaper reports that the FAW were to permit
reserve teams from Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham to join the Welsh
Premier in 2008-09 were discussed at meeting of the league’s board of
directors.
“The board were informed
that this proposal was presented to the FAW board at a meeting prior to
Christmas as part of a FAW strategy paper, but there had to date been no
further discussion on the matter.
“The Welsh Premier board
therefore decided that it would be inappropriate to make any definitive
comment regarding this matter until further information is available.
“The board did, however,
instruct the league secretary to write to the FAW to seek consultation on
those aspects of the FAW strategy paper appertaining to the league.
“There will not be any
further comment until the situation is clarified.”
ICW
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JAN-12 |
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TNS face big test against Citizens
|
|
CHAMPIONS and current Welsh
Premier leaders the New Saints face a real threat to their supremacy when
upbeat Bangor City visit Park Hall this afternoon.
The visitors are unbeaten
in 13 league matches. while the hosts are on a remarkable run that has
yielded 52 points out of the last possible 54.
It promises to be one of
the clashes of the season with both sides having beaten their opponents in
the two games between the sides earlier in the campaign.
“TNS are a tremendous
challenge for any side, but we beat them 2-1 in the League Cup and the lads
are playing with great confidence at present,” said Citizens’ boss
Neville Powell.
Saints’ manager Ken
McKenna has concerns. “It promises to be another difficult game for us,
especially as we have a few players out at the moment, but the ones who have
stepped in have done brilliantly,” he said.
ICW
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JAN-12 |
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WPL preview
|
|
Rhyl have pulled off a major
capture this week, signing the Welsh Premier’s all-time leading goal
scorer Marc Lloyd-Williams from Newtown, where he has been so effective.
John Hulse’s side are at
Llandarcy Park where Neath Athletic manager Andrew Dyer has major problems
due to injuries and illness.
Three players, including
recent capture Clayton Blackmore, are out, while five others are doubtful or
very doubtful.
Llanelli, fresh from their
historic 4-2 FAW Premier Cup quarter-final victory over Wrexham, should
maintain their title aspirations at the expense of strugglers Llangefni
Town, although manager Peter Nicholas will be mindful of the shock home
defeat by lowly Porthmadog in November.
Caernarfon’s desperate
home form – no wins in the last nine matches – will again be tested by
Carmarthen, although the Old Gold's have hit a trough recently, with five
winless games.
Mark McGibbon returns from
suspension for Port Talbot for the visit to Airbus UK, while improving
Haverfordwest should add to their three-match unbeaten run when they host
Porthmadog.
Aberystwyth seek to end a
depressing sequence of four successive losses when they travel to Newi Cefn
Druids and, in the remaining match, Newtown host Connah’s Quay Nomads.
ICW
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JAN-12 |
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Llanelli snap up midfielder Evans
|
|
Welsh Premier side Llanelli
have signed Stephen Evans on an 18-month deal after Crawley Town let the
midfielder leave.
Caerphilly-born Evans, 27,
has been limited to just half-a-dozen Blue Square Premier appearances this
season.
"He was keen to play
regularly and was presented with a great opportunity to continue his career
at home," said Crawley assistant boss Paul Raynor.
Evans, a trainee with
Crystal Palace, had spells at Swansea, Brentford, Woking before joining
Crawley.
BBC
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JAN-12 |
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Jones has to play the hand he's
dealt
|
|
WITHIN the Championship there
are the haves and the have-nots and Cardiff City are most definitely one of
the have-nots.
As the likes of Wolves, QPR
and even lowly Colchester splash the cash in this month’s transfer window,
Bluebirds boss Dave Jones can do little more than look on enviously.
With the club mired in a
financial malaise there is little room for Jones to manoeuvre and, with
buying anyone currently out of the question, the Bluebirds boss is trying do
his best in the loan market.
Ahead of today’s clash
with Sheffield Wednesday at Ninian Park, Finnish goalkeeper Peter Enckelman
has been brought into the Cardiff squad until the end of the season with
Jones admitting any other captures may be few and far between.
But, despite his admitted
frustrations, Jones is not convinced throwing money at the situation is
necessarily the best way to reach the Premiership anyway.
“Every football manager
is going to get frustrated about a lack of funds,” said Jones.
“But that is the
situation I am in, there is no good going on about it or moaning about it.
“It is a disadvantage to
anyone not to have money, if you have got it, you can go out and get the
players you want.
“We can’t do that so we
have to go another route and maybe that route requires a bit more patience
than people would like.
“I would like it all to
happen in one fell swoop, but that is not going to happen unless someone
comes in with a massive amount of money and says, ‘There you are, go out
and buy who you want.’
“We have to go out and
look for loans and maybe someone will help us out. I’m enquiring, but it
all comes down to finances.
“Even if we sell someone,
we have got to find someone to come in so it is just juggling the balls at
the minute.
ICW
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JAN-12 |
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Wrexham add another two signings
|
|
Wrexham have added two more
faces to their squad as they continue their battle to stay in the Football
League.
Walsall forward Paul Hall
has teamed up again with manager Brian Little, who previously signed him for
Tranmere Rovers in March 2004.
The 35-year-old joins until
the end of the season on a free transfer.
And another former Walsall
player, midfielder Danny Sonner, 35, has signed a month-to-month contract
after impressing on a trial this week.
Both players should be
available to play at Grimsby on Saturday.
"The message to
everybody is that we are trying to change things around, trying to brighten
things up, try to bring in fresh faces, bring a group of people together who
want to win football matches," said manager Brian Little.
"We are close to one
or two other things as well but that couldn't be done in time."
Meanwhile, the club has
allowed two of their youngsters to join Blue Square North side Tamworth on a
month's loan.
Central defender Gareth
Evans and striker Jamie Reed, both 20, will make their debuts against Blyth
Spartans in the FA Trophy second round on Saturday.
Evans has already had a
spell on loan at Northwich Victoria this season and Reed has turned out for
Welsh Premier side Aberystwyth.
BBC
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JAN-11 |
|
FAW to face a backlash over Exiles
|
|
WELSH Premier secretary John Deakin is ready for a backlash from clubs over
proposals to allow the “big three” into the league.
The league’s 18 clubs will discuss the idea outlined in an FAW report
to allow Wrexham, Cardiff and Swansea to compete for the Welsh Premier’s
European places.
The move could see five clubs relegated from the league as FAW chiefs look
to slash the number of clubs from 18 to 16.
The likes of Rhyl, Bangor City, The New Saints and Llanelli would also face
stiff competition as they target Wales’ Champions League and Uefa Cup
qualification spots.
Ahead of today’s Welsh Premier board meeting, Deakin said: “Before I make
any sort of definite statement I would want to see the proposal and speak to
the league’s board of directors.
“But there is a major concern from the existing member clubs.
“If the league is to be streamlined to 16 clubs, and three clubs come in
and you promote two, then who knows how many are relegated? The clubs halfway
down the table are going to begin sweating.”
Newi Cefn Druids manager Waynne Phillips said he was concerned about the
idea.
The former Wales under-21 and Wrexham midfielder said: “The idea’s good,
but what I disagree with is the number of clubs who might be going out of the
league.
“It would be difficult to swallow if teams who rely on being in the league
found themselves in the bottom five and got relegated as a result,” he added.
DP |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Wales announce World Cup fixtures
|
|
Wales will play two of their weaker 2010 World Cup qualifying group rivals
at home in their first three matches.
The fixtures meeting was held on Thursday in Frankfurt and Wales begin
against Azerbaijan on 6 September.
Four days later John Toshack's men travel to face Russia, one of the more
powerful teams in Group Four.
Wales' next two games in October see them at home to Liechtenstein, followed
by a tough trip away to face group favourites Germany.
Finland come to Wales on 28 March 2009, followed by Germany on 1 April before
Wales go to Azerbaijan on 6 June.
Russia are the visitors on 9 September and Wales finish their campaign next
October in Finland and Liechtenstein.
FAW secretary David Collins said he was happy with the fixtures, which do
not take up friendly dates.
"The major points we wanted, we were able to get," he said.
"We have the two top seeds and the two bottom seeds in the first two months
of the championship.
"All of our dates are on competitive dates.
"And by agreeing to play in Azerbaijan on Saturday, 6 June, the match
itself will not kick-off before 20:00 local time, so we've been able to ensure
playing in the relatively cooler part of the day."
BBC |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Masterplan 'a wonderful idea,' says Martinez
|
|
SWANSEA CITY boss Roberto Martinez has welcomed the FAW’s new Champions
League masterplan with open arms.
The man who has taken the Swans to the verge of the Championship reckons
the idea of getting sides from our Football League big three into the Welsh
Premier is the best thing that could happen to the game here.
Martinez even declared giving Wales’ best youngsters the chance to be
groomed at that level of football could one day make Wales a genuine force in
European football. Martinez reacted with a mix of surprise, amazement and
excitement when first told of the planned radical reforms by the Western Mail.
As far as the Spaniard is concerned, Wales have nothing to lose and
everything to gain by moving to the new system. Since his first day as a
manager, Martinez has been a strong supporter of permitting Swansea, Cardiff
and Wrexham to field B teams in the Welsh Premier.
But he maintains such a move stretches far beyond the Swans’ own
self-interests. Martinez reckons the new system could lead to a watershed in
Welsh football that would see the nation finally qualify for a major
championship.
“Generally, this is the best thing that could happen to Welsh football,”
enthused Martinez.
“If the proposals go ahead, it will be one of the turning points in the
history of football in this country." I'm very surprised it has got this far.
Since the day I signed here as manager, I’ve been fighting for this.
“We are fortunate in Wales because we have the Welsh Premier league and we
should use it.
“This will permit us to create the sort of competitive footballers that can
produce results three or four years down the line and turn Wales into a
European force in football.”
ICW |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Cardiff snap up keeper Enckelman
|
|
Cardiff City have signed Blackburn goalkeeper Peter Enckelman on loan.
The 30-year-old Finland international will remain at Ninian Park for the rest
of the season.
He joined Blackburn from Aston Villa four years ago for £150,000, but has
made just two Premier League starts for Mark Hughes' club.
Enckelman has been brought in to replace Kasper Schmeichel, who has returned
to Manchester City after a successful loan spell.
BBC |
|
JAN-11 |
|
All Gwent Final in prospect
|
|
THE last-four draw for the
Nathaniel League Cup final has thrown up the possibility of an all-Gwent
affair in the end-of-season final,
Caerleon have been paired
with Dinas Powys or Goytre United while in the other half of the draw, the
winners of Saturday's rearranged Croesyceiliog v Llanwern tie will face
Bryntirion Athletic.
All six survivors play in
Division One of the MacWhirter Welsh League and both semi-final matches will
be played on a March date and at a venue yet to announced.
Whoever Caerleon eventually
play will prove to be tough opponents.
Dinas Powys are third in the
table while Port Talbot-based Goytre United currently lead the pack and both
clubs have applied for promotion to the top-flight Welsh Premier League.
"Semi finals are always
difficult games no matter who you play and I'm sure this one will prove to be
just that," said Caerleon boss Brendan Dowd, whose team is eighth but with
games in hand over all the teams above them.
"I'm not particularly
bothered who we play, although I was a bit glad to avoid Bryntirion because a
bit of a bogey side for us at the moment.
"But there's an awful lot of
football to be played before we get around to the semis and we're currently
busy trying to put dates to the outstanding league matches which have built
up."
SWA |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Blues boost ahead of Pool clash
|
GARI Lewis will make his debut when Caersws travel to Welshpool Town tonight
(Friday).
The veteran defender joins from Mid Wales rivals Aberystwyth Town having made
327 top flight appearances in a 16 year stint at Park Avenue.
Manager Mike Barton said: “Gari has only made one appearance this season and
wants to kick-start his career.
“He is only 32 and can offer our younger players invaluable experience. We are
delighted to have him on board.”
Ironically Lewis could make his Caersws debut against the man who launched his
Welsh Premier career - ex-Aberystwyth Town boss Tomi Morgan.
Giant defender Michael Parry is also in line to retain his squad place after
switching from Llangefni Town.
Meanwhile Welshpool Town are stretched by bans to Brett Jefferies and Geraint
Windsor ahead of the derby.
The Lilywhites are tracking highly rated Porthmadog midfielder Kyle Jacobs
with a view to bringing the 21-year-old to Maesydre.
CT |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Keddle goes back over the bridge
|
Paul Keddle has returned to Principality Welsh
Premier club Carmarthen Town after spending the first half of this season with
Bath City, where he made thirteen league and cup appearances for the Blue Square
South outfit.
The 24-year-old Welsh semi-professional international began his career with his
home-town club Brecon before moving into the Welsh Premier with Rhayader Town
during 2001/02.
Keddle impressed sufficiently for Merthyr Tydfil to make a move for
him and he spent five seasons at Penydarren Park, making over 200 appearances.
He decided to leave the Martyrs in November 2006 and returned to the Welsh
Premier with Carmarthen Town but decided on a move to Bath last summer, teaming
up again with his former manager at Merthyr, John Relish.
Meanwhile, Old Gold boss Deryn Brace has finally completed the signing of Phil
Cattlin, after his move from Haverfordwest County was delayed over the weekend.
EP |
|
JAN-11 |
|
Thomas tunes in to Port’s survival
struggle
|
|
VIV Williams has delivered Porthmadog a
boost in their battle against relegation by signing Caernarfon Town
midfielder Mark Thomas.
The Port manager is hopeful the
29-year-old, who has also played for Bangor City and Rhayader Town in the
Welsh Premier, can help revive the fortunes of the Traeth outfit who remain
deep in relegation trouble after a 10th successive home defeat at the
weekend.
“I’ve been looking at one or two other
players, but unfortunately they are on contract,” said Williams.
“I’ll assess things over the next week or
so before deciding whether to go for anyone else. It’s not easy to entice
people when you are battling against relegation, but I’ve got players here
who will battle.
“I’m still confident we’ll get out of
trouble, but we’re cutting it fine. It won’t be about pretty football for
the rest of the season – we’re in a scrap and we need wins.”
DP |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Llanelli put out Dragons fire |
|
Llanelli pulled off a
stunning comeback to dump 10 man Wrexham out of the FAW Premier Cup at
Stebonheath.
Chris Holloway's quick brace in extra time ensured they booked their
place in the semi final.
Chris Llewellyn had put Wrexham 2 0 up before Rhys Griffiths pulled
one back for the home side.
Griffiths took the game into extra time scoring from the penalty spot
after Steve Evans was sent off for hauling him down on 89 minutes.
It was Llanelli who made the brighter start forcing Gavin Ward in the
Wrexham goal into three fine saves.
But they fell behind after 12 minutes when Craig Jones' weak
back pass let in Llewellyn to round keeper Ryan Harrison and tap home.
Llewellyn doubled the lead 11 minutes later before Rhys Griffiths
instantly replied after a Mike Williams error.
Llanelli pushed for the equaliser in the second half, but just as
Wrexham seemed to be heading for the semi final, they gave away a
penalty.
Evans fell to ground as he challenged Griffiths in the box and
grabbed the striker's ankle to bring him down, resulting in the
spot kick and a sending off.
The home side made the most of their extra man and scored twice in
three minutes at the start of extra time.
Holloway first headed home Griffiths' cross and then sealed the win
after pouncing on a loose ball after Wrexham failed to clear Andrew
Mumford's header.
BBC |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Swans & Havant charged over brawl
|
|
Swansea City and Havant & Waterlooville have been charged
following a mass brawl towards the end of last weekend's FA Cup third round
tie.
It was sparked by Havant player Brett Poate's lunge on Andrea Orlandi. He
was sent off and Swansea's Alan Tate also saw red for his part in the melee.
The FA has charged Havant with failing to control their players and they
have until 24 January to respond.
The Welsh FA have charged Swansea with the same offence.
BBC |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Llangefni link
up with Wrexham
|
TALENTED young footballers from Llangefni Town Football Club have got a direct
route to full time soccer after the Principality Welsh Premier club set up
links with Wrexham Football Club.
Directors at the club this week rubber stamped links between the
academies of both clubs that could have a spin off effect at senior level.
"The new arrangements will see our youngsters visiting the superb Colliers
Park Centre of Excellence in Wrexham and we will have regular matches between
the academies," explained Llangefni FC academy director Ian Hughes.
"Sam Faulkner, one of our talented ten year olds is already receiving
specialist coaching at the Wrexham academy, and I am sure more will follow."
Meanwhile, the Coca Cola League division two side will encourage their
developing players to join Llangefni on loan terms.
"This arrangement has mutual benefits for both clubs," explained Llangefni Town general manager Bryan Owen.
"If it had been in place earlier, we may have been able to get the likes of
Jamie Reed who is currently on loan at Aberystwyth Town.
"Top Wrexham coaches will also come to Llangefni regularly to help our
Academy."
Wrexham are also pleased with the link and are looking forward to keeping
local talent in Wales.
"We are still hurting at missing the likes of Wayne Hennessey, the current
Welsh keeper, who moved out of the area to qualify for the Manchester City
academy and is now at Wolverhampton," said Wrexham recruitment officer Stuart
Webber.
"Wrexham should be the natural choice for Welsh lads and this link will be
good for both our clubs.
"We have already seen that there are some promising youngsters at Llangefni
and we will be doing all that we can to nurture and develop that talent."
DP |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Alnwick spurns Cardiff for Foxes
|
|
CARDIFF City lost their bid to attract Tottenham England Under 21
international goalkeeper Ben Alnwick on loan until the end of the season.
Alnwick decided that Ian Holloway’s Leicester City was the better option,
and he joined the Foxes following the departure of Marton Fulop – who was
recalled from his loan spell by Sunderland boss Roy Keane on New Year’s Eve.
Ironically, Fulop was part of the deal that saw Alnwick move to White Hart
Lane from Sunderland in January 2007 – with the London club paying £900,000
for his services. The 21 year old had a brief loan spell at Luton Town in
October, but was recalled following an injury to Paul Robinson.
City are obviously not happy at the goalkeeping position having already had
Middlesbrough’s Ross Turnbull and Manchester City’s Kasper Schmeichel on loan
at Ninian Park already. The pressure now falls on ’keeper Michael Oakes to
make an impression with manager Dave Jones.
It has been well documented that City don’t have the cash to splash in the
January transfer window and will have to work hard on loan deals to fill four
targeted positions.
ICW |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Aber
boss remains positive
|
|
Brian Coyne refuses to allow his players’ heads to
drop after four successive defeats
ABERYSTWYTH Town manager Brian Coyne stressed that he would not be pressing
the panic button after his team crashed to a fourth successive league defeat
last weekend. Having gone seven league and cup matches without a defeat, Aber
have since slipped to ninth place in the Welsh Premier League, and are still
seek ing their first points of 2008. A narrow defeat at league leaders, The New
Saints, has been followed by two successive defeats to Haverfordwest,
culminating in last Saturday’s reverse at Welshpool Town. However, Coyne
maintained that his side will travel to lowly Newi Cefn Druids in good heart
this weekend, and deter mined to avert their apparent freefall down the league
table. “It’s been a miserable Christmas and New Year results wise, most teams
go through a bad spell at some point in the season, and it seems that we’re
having ours now,” said Coyne. “Hopefully we can stop this run of defeats as soon
as possible, the boys are still working as hard as they did when we were on our
unbeaten run, and they are not too downhearted. “It is certainly not all doom
and gloom, I feel that we could have got something out of each of the games, but
unfortunately things are not going for us now as they were a few weeks ago.”
Having now conceded eight goals in three matches, Aber will be looking to
rediscover the kind of form that had seen them claim six clean sheets in their
previous seven matches. Coyne added: “There are one or two issues that we need
to address as a squad, but it is the same defence that was keeping clean sheets
for us, but things are now going against us.” The Seasiders will travel to Plas
Kynaston for their fourth away match in five fixtures on Saturday, but the
Aberystwyth manager is eager they show no sign of travel sickness. “Cefn Druids
is never an easy place to go and hopefully we will be able to get a result, but
we know that it will be another hard game on another difficult pitch,” said
Coyne.
AT |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Ex Crow Wigg calls it a day
|
|
AFTER playing in Europe for both Cwmbran Town and Ebbw Vale, making over 70
Football League appearances for Cardiff City and appearing in an FA Trophy final
at Wembley, Risca United midfielder Nathan Wigg has brought the curtain down on
his playing career.
However the 33 year old will remain assistant manager to Risca player boss
Jeff Eckhardt, a former Cardiff colleague of Wigg's who is looking to steer the
club to promotion from Division Three of the MacWhirter Welsh League.
Risca born Wigg was with Cwmbran Town's youth team when he became a target of
then Cardiff manager Eddie May, who eventually handed him a three year deal.
He went onto to become a regular in the Bluebirds' line up, quite a feat when
you consider the amount of different managers he played under at Ninian Park.
"It was like a revolving door there!," exclaimed Wigg. "There was Eddie May,
twice, Kenny Hibbitt, Terry Yorath, Phil Neal, Russell Osman and Frank Burrows."
After leaving Cardiff, Wigg linked up with Forest Green Rovers, for whom he
played in the 1 0 FA Trophy final defeat by Kingstonian at Wembley, before
spells with Gloucester City, Clevedon, Cwmbran, Dundalk, Ebbw Vale, Port Talbot
Town and Llanelli.
"My favourite time was playing under the late, great Tony Willcox at
Cwmbran," continued Wigg. "Tony was a magnificent guy who we all still miss very
much.
"The bunch of lads he assembled while I was there were brilliant and it's a
shame to see the club not in the top flight anymore."
So does Wigg see his future in football management: "To be honest, I've not
really thought about whether I have aspirations to become a manager," he said.
"I'm simply concentrating on trying to get a bit of success here at Risca and
we'll see where that takes both me and the club."
SWA |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Savage delighted after Derby move
|
|
Robbie Savage has revealed he rejected a move to Sunderland
and took a pay cut to complete a £1.5m move from Blackburn to Derby County.
Savage, 33, will make his debut against Derby boss Paul Jewell's former
club Wigan at Pride Park on Saturday.
He said: "Of course I was tempted by a move to Sunderland, for a manager
like Roy Keane you are going to be tempted.
"I felt Derby and Paul wanted me more and for Derby to pay the fee they
have shown how much they wanted me."
He added: "Paul also wanted me when he was manager at Wigan and that was
a big factor in making me come.
"I have taken a pay cut to come and just play football and I am happy to
do that. Blackburn could qualify for Europe but I would rather be playing
week in week out.
"I wanted to play first team football and Mark Hughes couldn't give me
that on a regular basis. But the gaffer at Blackburn was fantastic for me,
he gave me permission to speak to people."
ICW |
|
JAN-10 |
|
Gunter settles into life with London giants
|
|
CHRIS Gunter moves into his new apartment, a few minutes away from the Spurs’
training ground in Essex, today.
Wales team mate Gareth Bale lives in the same block of apartments. So do a
number of other Spurs players.
“It’s ideal and it feels good to start settling in the area,” said Gunter.
He admits to being ‘excited’ when he was told Spurs had agreed a fee and
says: “It’s the best club I could have signed for.
“There simply isn’t one who would look after my development as a player
better.
“The manager Juande Ramos believes in youth and when you look at Tottenham
Hotspur and what a big club it is you start to think what a good move it will be
“That was the case for me when I was told it was Spurs.”
Gunter hasn’t been at all thrown by training alongside players like Dimitar
Berbatov, Jermaine Defoe, Ledley King and Co.
“It’s a huge step up, I realise that,” said Gunter. “I am training with
players who have experience in World Cup finals and the Champions League.
ICW |
|
JAN-9 |
|
Griffiths:
We are confident of cup upset
|
|
Goal
machine Rhys Griffiths admits Llanelli have a great chance to upset Wrexham
when the pair meet in the FAW Premier Cup tonight (7pm). All attention
switches to Stebonheath Park as the League Two strugglers meet the Welsh
Premier League title-chasers and the fact that the game is being televised
live suggests broadcasters sniff a shock.
And Griffiths, who has already notched 28 league goals this season, is
determined to fire the Reds into the competition's semi-final.
Along with that carrot dangling in front of him, Griffiths can also show
Wrexham what they are missing out on.
The Dragons were monitoring Griffiths's situation at
Llanelli 13 months ago but then manager Denis Smith turned his attentions
elsewhere.
Since then, the fireman has been in blazing form for the Reds - form which
persuaded Swiss club FC Aarau to take him on trial recently.
A move to the Swiss Super League looks unlikely given Griffiths has just
signed an extension to his contract, but the 27-year-old is now focusing on
matters at Llanelli - starting with Brian Little's Wrexham.
"This is a great opportunity for us to measure where we are as a team
and how we cope with English League opposition," said Griffiths.
"Wrexham are really struggling in League Two while we are just two
points behind The New Saints at the top, so it's going to be an interesting
game.
"They won't field a weakened side - they need the £100,000 on offer to
the eventual winners, so we are expecting their best side.
"The pressure is always on the league side to win in these kind of ties
but we are confident after a good run in the league.
"We want to show the likes of Wrexham that there is talent in the Welsh
Premier League. Why they don't look at more players in this division is
beyond me."
Llanelli will be without injured trio Lee Phillips, Stuart Jones and former
Wales midfielder Matthew Jones.
EP
|
|
JAN-9 |
|
FAW
reveals bold new Euro plan for Exiles
|
|
WELSH football chiefs are
discussing radical new plans to give Cardiff City, Swansea City and Wrexham
the dream chance of playing in the Uefa Champions League next to the
greatest footballers on the planet.
The stunning proposal,
which would end the controversial European exile of our “big three”
league clubs, is being recommended as the way forward in a secret report
currently under review by the FA of Wales.
If the move is
rubber-stamped, it could mean Dave Jones’ Bluebirds or Roberto
Martinez’s Swans lining up against Europe’s elite sides like Barcelona,
AC Milan and Bayern Munich as early as next year.
Welsh youngsters Aaron
Ramsey (Cardiff) and Joe Allen (Swansea) would be rubbing shoulders with the
cream of world football such as Ronaldinho, Kaka and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
An official 16-page
document called FAW Strategic Plan 2007-2012 calls for the dramatic
shake-up. It states Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham must be permitted to field
teams, which would in effect be second-string XIs, in the Welsh Premier
league from August onwards.
The Welsh big guns would be
eligible to go for Champions League and Uefa Cup places in 2009 as a result
of finishing in the top places in the table.
If the professional clubs
get into Europe, they would inevitably field their first-choice teams.
The FAW are adamant the big
three’s positions in the Coca Cola League would not be affected.
The stunning move echoes a
plan first hatched at the start of the millennium by former Cardiff chief
Sam Hammam, who wanted to take over Cwmbran to qualify his Bluebirds for the
Champions League that way.
The FAW threw out
Hammam’s idea at the time after meeting fierce resistance from Welsh
Premier clubs, who argued reserve sides could not play in their competition.
However, the official
strategic report being discussed by the FAW recommends a U-turn in time for
the start of the 2008-09 season.
The report states a change
in power at Uefa, where Michel Platini has taken over from Gerard Aigner as
the main man, presents a favourable window of opportunity for the Big Three
which “must be seized” by the FAW.
Platini is keen to end the
European exile which has been unfairly imposed upon Cardiff, Swansea and
Wrexham, whereas Aigner was seen as indifferent to the ban.
The document was discussed
by the FAW’s 14-man board of directors before Christ-mas and will be
debated further tomorrow.
An FAW official who
attended the pre-Christmas meeting confirmed, “We discussed the whole
document put before us and asked lots of questions about it.
“A number of things were
in the strategic plan, but the one that stood out most was this issue about
Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham having teams in the Welsh Premier.
“There is a view that,
for the good of Welsh football, this chance to get the three of them back
into Europe needs to be taken.”
Welsh Premier clubs will be
up in arms at the proposal of losing their European spots to the big three.
Five of them would have to
drop out of the league to accommodate Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham in a
streamlined 16-team competition which would be more competitive.
Intriguingly, the
masterplan has been drawn up by former FAW secretary Alun Evans, who has
always been the fiercest backer of the league.
ICW
|
|
JAN-9 |
|
More
good news for rampant Bangor
|
|
GREAT news for Bangor City fans –
goal-getter Les Davies has already committed himself to the Farrar Road club
for next season and strike partner Ashley Stott is expected to do likewise
this week.
Manager Nev Powell announced the good
tidings after another successful weekend which saw City stretch their
unbeaten league run to 13 matches with a 5-0 thrashing of Airbus.
Davies and Stott netted another two apiece
to take their combined total to 32 goals in all competitions this term.
"Les
has agreed to sign a contract to stay with us next season and I’m hoping
Ashley will do the same," said Powell.
"It
shows how far we’ve come as a club that players like these with such
bright futures want to commit themselves to us."
Mel
McGinness, a highly promising 17- year-old midfielder who has played for
Ynys Môn and Welsh Colleges, is another who has put pen to paper to stay
with the Citizens.
DP
|
|
JAN-9 |
|
Swans
see off Brighton
|
|
Swansea City booked their
place in the southern area final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy against MK
Dons after overcoming Brighton.
Darryl Duffy grabbed the
game's only goal after nine minutes, wrong-footing keeper Michel Kuipers
with his header from Angel Rangel's defelected cross.
Guillem Bauza then missed a
chance to extend Swansea's lead from three yards.
The visitors rallied after
the break and the best chance fell to Alex Revell who saw his 30-yard strike
saved.
BBC
|
|
JAN-9 |
|
Ridsdale's
cautious welcome over FAW Euro plan
|
|
CARDIFF CITY chief Peter
Ridsdale gave a cautious welcome to the FAW’s new master plan but warned
there were major hurdles to overcome.
Ridsdale emphasised
his No 1 priority was to ensure the Bluebirds’ Football League status
would not be affected by also playing a team in the Welsh Premiership.
He also highlighted what he
saw as perhaps the biggest stumbling block.
UEFA according to Ridsdale,
are not keen on players being registered to play in two different leagues.
Cardiff would have to be
given the go-ahead, he pointed out, to use their entire first-team squad in
the Coca Cola Championship as well as the Welsh Premier.
In that way, the Bluebirds
would be able to field their strongest side in the UEFA Champions League,
should they win the Welsh Premier.
“I’m not against this
idea, although I must emphasise it has come as something of a shock because
no-one has spoken to me about it yet,” said Ridsdale.
“What I will say is that
clearly there would have to be a lot of talking, and a number of obstacles
that need to be overcome, before we could agree to such a plan.
“I can’t give a
completely considered view of it because I haven’t been told by anyone at
the FAW about the detail.
“Clearly, though, because
of the politics involved, it is something that needs an awful lot of debate.
I’m more than happy to enter those discussions.
“We would need assurances
from the authorities that our Football League status would not be affected
in any way whatsoever.
“It’s very well people
in Wales saying it won’t be, but what’s to stop someone in the English
set-up saying a few years down the line that we play in the Welsh Premier
League, so they don’t want us any more.
“We need a cast-iron
guarantee that our place in the English League will remain okay, but this
will form part of the discussions we are more than happy to participate
in.”
ICW
|
|
JAN-9 |
|
Purse
bids could temp City's skipper
|
|
CARDIFF CITY’S hope not to
sell any first-team squad members during the January transfer window might
be tested by interest in club captain Darren Purse.
Championship rivals
Charlton, Colchester and Southampton are all tracking the out-of-favour
Bluebirds skipper, who has not started a game for over five weeks.
Purse, 31 next month, has
been restricted to only a handful of substitute appearances since the 2-0
home league defeat to Charlton on December 4.
In that time, Glenn Loovens
and Roger Johnson have established themselves as the No 1 centre-back
partnership at Ninian Park and City have steadily climbed the Championship
table.
With Loovens and Johnson
outstanding as a partnership, City have won six times in eight games with
their only defeat coming in controversial circumstances at Bristol City.
Purse’s commitment to the
Cardiff cause has never been in doubt as he has shrugged off interest in the
past from Charlton, Sheffield United, Watford and Wigan to stay at Ninian
Park and produce wholehearted performances.
But the veteran campaigner
may now feel that the time is right to move on with first-team opportunities
at Cardiff seemingly limited.
Ambitious Charlton would
also offer him a return to his native London and Addicks boss Alan Pardew is
keen to buy during the window and revive the club’s promotion challenge
after winning only once in six games since their Ninian victory.
If Purse were to leave,
then City would seek to bolster an area where their cover is threadbare.
Bluebirds boss Dave Jones
wants to keep his small squad in tact with City now only three points off
the play-off places.
ICW
|
|
JAN-8 |
|
Stern
rest ahead for TNS
|
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THE New Saints launch the
defence of their first FAW Premier Cup with tonight’s trip to Carmarthen
Town, writes John Bridgwater.
Manager Ken McKenna admits
his side have plenty to do, despite having already won 3-0 at Carmarthen in
the Welsh Premier earlier in the season.
“We played well there
that day,” he said. “But this is another game and it’s going to be
tough as they are well coached and well organised.
“But our lads have been
superb this season, with some of their best performances coming away from
home.
“The Premier Cup is a
brilliant competition to be involved in and it would be fantastic if we can
get through to play either Llanelli or Wrexham in the semi-final.”
Steven Beck and Jamie Wood
are still injured, with the pair joining long-term absentee forwards Mike
Wilde and Ronnie Morgan on the sidelines.
McKenna’s men are
unbeaten in their last 18 league games.
DP
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JAN-8 |
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Blackburn
accept Savage bid
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Derby have agreed a fee with
Blackburn for midfielder Robbie Savage, who is now expected to hold talks
with the East Midlands club later on Tuesday.
Rams manager Paul Jewell
told BBC Radio Derby: "Robbie is massively keen to come. Hopefully he
will be at the training ground later on Tuesday.
"This club lacks a bit
of devilment and Robbie will bring that to the club.
"But he can also play
a bit and he will have a positive effect on the team and the fans. He is
keen to do well."
Asked whether the Pride
Park faithful will take to Savage, after reports that some fans had voiced a
protest against him joining the club, Jewell said he felt their opinion
would change.
"I hated Robbie Savage
when he played against me," Jewell admitted.
"He is one of those
characters you despise when he is playing for the opposition but you love
when he is on your team.
"I know there is a
little bit of history between Robbie and the Derby fans, but that is the
same for him and every club - that is part of his nature.
BBC
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JAN-8 |
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Martinez
eye's Wembley trip
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Roberto Martinez insists
Swansea City will be focused on reaching Wembley when they host Brighton in
the Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-final.
Booking a place in the
southern area final will leave the Swans just two games away from the big
arch.
And Martinez does not want
the prospect of an FA Cup tie at Liverpool to distract his players on
Tuesady night.
"We've played a lot of
games in the Johnstone's Paint already and now it's another great
challenge," he said.
"Liverpool is a draw
all Swansea City fans will be looking forward to, but at the moment, we've
got too many things in front of us to lose concentration starting on
Tuesday.
"Brighton have already
played here and shown how good they are.
"They have a fantastic
mixture of experience and young talent in the ranks and they will want to
come here and get out of the disappointment they had in the FA Cup (losing
2-1 to Mansfield).
"It will be a
difficult task, but it's one we are looking forward to because we are only a
couple of steps away from a dream finish."
Swansea will be without
suspended pair Ferrie Bode and Alan Tate, but Angel Rangel could return
after his one match ban.
Defender Marcos Painter
will have a late fitness test on his ankle injury.
BBC
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JAN-8 |
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Three
on trial at Wrexham
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Wrexham have offered trials to
three out-of-contract players in a bid to boost their chances of Football
League survival.
Left-back Stephen Cooke,
24, played under manager Brian Little during his time in charge of Aston
Villa and has since been released by Bournemouth.
Former Northern Ireland
midfielder Danny Sonner, 35, was at Port Vale where new coach Martin Foyle
managed.
And midfielder Tommy
Taylor, 22, has played for Viking Stavanger in Norway.
"We have brought in
three lads who are out of contract and looking to work," said Little.
"On top of looking for
other players who are contracted, it's important for us to bring people in
and out of the dressing room so people are on their toes.
"We are doing lots of
things behind the scenes and we'll continue to do that.
"We want to bring some
players in. We've may a little headway in one or two areas, but I'm not sure
everything is clear yet, but I'd like to think we'll have some news very
shortly."
Little also confirmed that
he expects to see players make way during January's transfer window as
Wrexham look to take themselves away from the bottom of the Football League.
"It's fair to say I've
had calls about one or two of our players, I keep reminding people that is
the case, but we'll see," said Little.
"Sending someone out
on loan might do them the world of good, we don't especially want to lose
players at the moment."
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JAN-7 |
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Griffiths
is Reds hat-trick hero
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GOLDEN boy Rhys Griffiths
fired a hat-trick at Plas Kynaston yesterday to keep the Reds’ title
challenge bubbling as they moved back to within two points of Welsh Premier
leaders The New Saints.
But they were made to work
hard for the points after the home side had fought back from two goals down
to level at 2-2.
Griffiths fired the
visitors ahead from the penalty spot after three minutes,and beat the
offside trap for the second.
But a blunder by Llanelli
keeper Ryan Harrison saw his clearance balloon off Darren Williams and into
the net.
Chris McGinn equalised on
the hour, but Chris Holloway's header restored the Reds’ lead, and Waynne
Phillips and Griffiths completed the scoring.
ICW
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JAN-7 |
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Feeder
league's round up
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Welsh League
IN the top clash of the day
in Division One, Ton Pentre boosted their title prospects and dealt a huge
blow to Cwmbran Town’s hopes of a quick return to the Welsh Premier with a
thumping 4-0 victory.
There was only one side in it as Andy Hughes, Neil Price, Mattie Davies and
Jonathan Kift all netted to move Ton to within a point of leaders Goytre
United with a game in hand.
Cymru Alliance
ON a day of regional cup
action, only one game was played in the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance and title
favourites Prestatyn Town increased their lead at the top of the table to 15
points over Llandudno Town after a 3-1 home win against Llanfair PG.
Ian Griffiths netted the first two Town goals and Steve Bowes made it 3-0 on
the stroke of half-time..
Ian Burgess grabbed a
consolation goal for PG.
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JAN-7 |
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Caerleon
are through to semis
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ON A DAY when inclement
weather again had a major influence on local football, Caerleon moved to
just one win from a Nathaniel League Cup final appearance, Newport YMCA hit
nine away goals while a Gwent referee took an unprecedented decision to
allow a game to go ahead - just 20 minutes after he'd told both teams the
match was off.
Division One outfit
Caerleon progressed to the semi-finals of the Nathaniel League Cup thanks to
a 3-1 success at Swansea-based West End, of Division Two.
Injuries and unavailability
forced manager Brendan Dowd to name skipper and midfielder Martyn Philips as
a substitute, but saw his team settle well before going ahead through
striker Chris Pearce on 20 minutes.
However, before the
interval, it all went wrong, with Caerleon having attacking midfielder Luke
Cueto sent off and then seeing their promotion-seeking hosts equalise.
But goals after the break
by Phillips, who later went off with a hamstring pull, and Simon Truman
earned the visitors their passage through.
"This was always going
to be a tricky test and that's how it turned out," said Dowd. "The
pitch got a bit boggy in the second half, but we coped well enough and
deserved to go through."
It could well turn out to
be an all-Gwent Cup final if Caerleon avoid being paired with the winners of
the Croesyceiliog v Llanwern quarter-final.
SWA
|
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JAN-7 |
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Steve
Evans out for Wales big qualifiers
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WREXHAM defender Steve Evans
is set to withdraw from the Wales squad for the forthcoming European
Championship qualifiers against Germany and Slovakia.
Evans, recalled to the
Dragons side for his first League Two start of the season against Hereford
United on Saturday, lasted just 17 minutes before limping off with what is
feared to be a recurrence of the ankle ligament damage he suffered during
the pre-season build-up.
Racecourse boss Brian Carey
was not optimistic about Evans' chances of travelling to join John Toshack's
squad later today, although the player will have an x-ray before a final
decision is made.
“Steve went over on his
ankle again and has the same injury he picked up at Newtown in July,"
said Carey.
"The Hereford player
landed on him when he went over on it and so we’ll have to see how he is,
but I think it’s very unlikely he will report for duty with the Wales
squad."
Evans was one of three
Dragons players named in the national squad, along with Mark Jones and Chris
Lewellyn for Saturday's Millennium Stadium clash against Germany, which is
followed by an away game in Slovakia on Wednesday week.
Youngsters Mike Williams,
Neil Taylor and Michael Carvill are also on international duty with the
Wales and Northern Ireland under-21 squads respectively.
DP
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JAN-7 |
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Martyrs
earn point in thriller
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FOR the second successive week
these two teams fought out a thriller, but over the two games it is Merthyr
who are happier with a return of four points out of a possible six.
The Martyrs fell behind to
Rob Miller’s penalty on 29 minutes after goalkeeper Ashley Morris had
brought down Andrew Phillips.
Phillips put Bedford two
goals up practically straight from the restart but a reshuffle saw Merthyr
introduce another striker in Marcus Griffiths on the hour and within a few
minutes Merthyr had pulled a goal back through Matthew Harris.
Michael Lyons restored the
home side’s two-goal cushion, but Steins hit back within two minutes and
with nine minutes remaining the same player got Merthyr level.
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JAN-7 |
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Bangor
City keeper joins Weymouth
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Weymouth manager Jason Tindall
has reshuffled his squad - bringing in three players and letting two leave.
Rushden & Diamonds
striker Michael Malcolm, 22, and Bangor City keeper David Roberts, 19, have
both joined the Terras on non-contract terms.
Meanwhile, Grays left-back
Adam Gross, 21, has arrived on a month's loan.
But striker Jefferson
Louis, 28, has left by mutual consent after a bust-up with Tindall, and
non-contract defender Callum Hart, 22, has been released.
Gross made his debut in
Saturday's 4-1 defeat at Ebbsfleet, while Malcolm came on at half-time and
Roberts was an unused substitute.
The Terras have taken just
one point from their last seven league fixtures and have slipped to 19th
place in the Blue Square Premier table.
BBC
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JAN-7 |
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Whittingham
praises Ramsey class
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Peter Whittingham says fellow
Cardiff goal-scorer Aaron Ramsey can become a star after his performance in
the 3-1 FA Cup third-round win at Chasetown.
Ramsey, just turned 17,
helped create Whittingham's equaliser after their non-League hosts had taken
the lead.
Then the midfielder gave
Cardiff the lead with a brave header in what was his FA Cup debut.
"Aaron's a frightening
prospect, you can understand why there's so many clubs after him,"
Whittingham said.
"He just looks so
comfortable on the ball and obviously for him to get his goal was massive
for him."
Ramsey has just signed his
first professional contract with the Bluebirds and is eager to secure a
place in the first team after his debut.
"That's probably the
best start you can get, making your debut and scoring a goal," Ramsey
said.
"Every time I play
football I enjoy it, I play with a smile on my face and it was the same
against Chasetown.
"We came to do a job
and that's what we did, we won the game.
"It's been a big week,
what with signing my first professional contract as well, it hasn't quite
all sunk in yet but I'll look back in a few weeks and realise how big it
was."
BBC
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JAN-6 |
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Port
Talbot win nipped in the bud
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Port Talbot 2-2
Haverfordwest
NICK Tucker, who is making
his mark at Port Talbot since his recent appointment, has been around a
while so this type of game was no surprise to him.
His team was dominant
throughout – even during a first half when they ended up trailing to a
Jack Christopher goal. Then, when they did get ahead, they threw away the
win with a late defensive error.
Who would be a manager?
Tucker remained philosophical and was not interested in picking out which
attacker had wasted the most chances.
If Haverfordwest’s
equaliser was annoying, then their first was not good from a defensive point
of view. From a free kick out near the corner flag, the home defenders were
out-muscled on the far post by Jack Christopher, who headed firmly home.
The home side came back
after the interval and, at last, managed to finish a move – and a good one
it was too.
Kyle Shepherd picked up the
ball in midfield and waltzed past two defenders, before cutting it back to
the waiting Chad Bond, who drilled home the equaliser.
With 11 minutes to go,
there was little dispute from Haverfordwest when Port Talbot were awarded a
penalty. Martin Rose stepped forward and seemed to have secured the win.
However, things went wrong
when the visitors launched a long ball down field.
It should have been dealt
with, but Lee Hudgell nipped in to grab an equaliser, just two minutes from
time.
Port Talbot's
attempt to increase attendances by reducing prices, didn't cut it with
locals, just 166 were at the South Wales derby, a gate even below their
average of 174.
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JAN-6 |
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Neath
let it slip at the death
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CARMARTHEN Town’s push for a
top finish in the Welsh Premier has stalled in recent weeks, and this home
draw did them no good at all.
Neath have proved
competitive since their promotion, and so it was again.
They took the lead on the
half-hour mark when Paul Fowler was blown up for handball. Andy Hill is
pretty reliable as a goal-scorer, but Mark Poole made a fine parry.
However, Steve Pockett was
the most alert, and forced home the rebound.
It had been a first half
with few real chances, and it continued that way after the interval, with
both defences snuffing out attacks before they could threaten.
However, if any side looked
like adding to their goal tally, it was Neath, and Poole had to be sharp in
goal to keep out a Carl Shaw effort.
Finally, the home side did
carve out a chance, but Sacha Walters drove over the bar when a loose ball
came his way.
It seemed as if Neath were
going home with all three points, but then, from the best move of the game,
Danny Thomas was there to drive the ball past Morris, the opposing keeper,
after a series of first-time passes opened up Neath and Carmarthen grabbed a
precious point.
ICW
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JAN-6 |
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Havent
hold Swans in fiery clash
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Havant & Waterlooville
earned a home replay against Swansea in a fiery FA Cup third-round clash.
Jason Scotland, Leon
Britton and Darren Pratley all saw shots hit the crossbar for the luckless
hosts.
Swansea led on 74 minutes
when Andy Robinson struck a 30-yard free-kick but Rocky Baptiste drilled in
an equaliser.
In between, Havant's Brett
Poate saw red for a lunge on Andrea Orlandi, with Swansea's Alan Tate also
sent off for his part in the melee that followed.
Swansea started confidently
against their opponents from the Blue Square South and Scotland saw his
fourth-minute shot clip the top of the Hawks bar.
Britton also crashed a shot
against the Havant bar soon afterwards, goalkeeper Kevin Scriven gratefully
gathering as the ball rebounded into his midriff.
Havant were living on
scraps but the willing Alfie Potter made it his mission to make life
difficult for the Swansea defence.
Swansea continued to
threaten after half-time, with Robinson forcing Scriven into a fine
finger-tip save to turn a free-kick over the bar.
Robinson was again close
with a curling shot as he turned inside off the left wing and caressed the
ball just wide of the far post.
The Havant bar shivered
again as Pratley smacked a shot off the underside of the woodwork.
Robinson at last broke
Havant's resistance with a sublime free-kick, hit right-footed from 30
yards, that spun into the top left corner of the visitors' goal.
Both sides had tackled with
conviction but Poate's two-footed lunge on Orlandi crossed the line and
deservedly earned a straight red card in the 79th minute.
The incident sparked an
angry clash between both sets of players.
Once the dust settled,
Swansea defender Tate also got his marching orders, with Kevin Austin and
Havant's Shaun Wilkinson seeing yellow for their part in the tussle.
The drama was not over as
Baptiste drilled an 87th-minute equaliser into the far corner, seizing the
ball as Austin and Orlandi got in a tangle from a lofted ball to the right.
The replay at Westleigh
Park will be played on Wednesday, 16 January.
BBC
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JAN-6 |
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Dave
Jones admits, I feared the worst
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|
DAVE JONES admitted he did
have concerns when Cardiff saw Chasetown take an unlikely lead at the
Scholars Ground.
But the Bluebirds boss
insisted it was more to do with the way his side were playing than the
threat of an almighty FA Cup shock.
Jones said he was always
confident City would book themselves a place in the fourth round despite the
heroic effort by the Midland League minnows.
Jones said: “We were
sloppy and gave them a goal but I can’t take anything away from them –
it was their day.
“We needed a shake-up
because we had been a little bit lazy and lethargic and one or two needed to
realise we were in a cup game – although it might have been a bit to do
with the way Chasetown were playing themselves.
“I’m not going to lie
and say I wasn’t concerned because I was concerned with the way we were
playing, but I knew once we pulled our fingers out we would be fine.
“Once we equalised and
got control of the game it was always going to be a case of ‘how many?’
and I think you could see that Aaron Ramsey is going to be a real player.”
Jones admitted Cardiff were
keen to keep tradition alive by staging the game at Chasetown; “This is
what the romance of the FA Cup is all about and why it is the best
competition in the world.
“That’s why there has
been so much attention on it, because people are looking for a fairytale,
but we’ve been the party poopers.
“But we have been
honoured to be a part of Chasetown’s history. Their players were
magnificent and they’ve taken just about taken everything they could away
from our dressing room, shirts, boots, the lot!”
Robbie Fowler will have a
hip operation in America this week while Ricci Scimeca has flown to Dubai to
aid his recovery.
ICW
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JAN-6 |
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TNS
tighten their hold on the top
|
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HE New Saints tightened their
grip at the top of the Welsh Premier by moving five points clear with
victory over a dogged Caersws.
Goals in each half from
Duane Courtney and Martyn Naylor helped the defending champions stretch
their unbeaten run in the league to 18 games, which in turn put the pressure
on second placed Llanelli to prevail in their clash at Newi Cefn.
The Saints dominated
throughout in the heavy conditions but were met by a resilient Caersws side,
who were eager to turn in a improved performance after being crushed 6-0
earlier in the campaign.
Despite dominating
possession the visitors struggled to find a way through before making the
breakthrough on 32 minutes, when Courtney fired home low from the edge of
the box, after a Naylor corner was only half cleared.
The visitors, themselves
limited to few opportunities, got back on terms eight minutes into the
second period when Sion Meredith was brought down by John Leah and Graham
Evans put away the penalty.
It was the first league
goal that TNS had conceded since early November, but hopes of surprising the
league leaders faded as the Bluebirds fell behind again just four minutes
later when Naylor headed home Chris King’s left wing cross with the
defence exposed.
The Saints could have made
the scoreline more emphatic after that with John Toner striking the post and
bringing a fine save from keeper Andy Mulliner, while Luke Holden fired an
angled effort narrowly past the upright.
TNS had also enjoyed the
better of the first half but failed to capitalise on what chances came along
in the testing conditions.
Caersws, apart from the
penalty, had few other efforts of note on goal but could take heart from
their committed showing.
ICW
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JAN-6 |
|
Chris
Coleman staying quiet on his future
|
|
FORMER Fulham manager Chris
Coleman is keeping quiet on his future as Real Sociedad coach until he meets
with newly-elected president Inaki Badiola at the start of next week.
Badiola, who was voted in
as the new Sociedad chief on Thursday night, pledged during the lead-up to
the election to bring in a number of new players to try to help the club
regain their Primera Liga status.
However, that could cause
an irreparable rift with Coleman, with the Welshman admitting before
Christmas that he would find it impossible to continue if the new president
– whoever it was – drafted in new signings over his head.
Badiola also revealed prior
to his election that he has lined up former Sociedad coach Javier Irureta to
take over if Coleman opted not to continue.
Coleman refused to comment
on the situation and insisted his thoughts were focused only on tomorrow’s
league match with Salamanca.
“Before we start I want
to say congratulations to Inaki Badiola on becoming the new president,”
said Coleman.
“I am sure you all have a
lot of questions for me, but, please, I will speak with Inaki on Monday,
after the Salamanca game.
“So I am only interested
in the Salamanca game. I have told the players to concentrate on this game,
it’s a big game. I don’t want to speak about anything else.”
ICW
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|
JAN-5 |
|
TNS
wary of potential Caersws banana skin
|
An improved run of form over
Christmas and New Year has boosted the Bluebirds survival prospects.
There are no such worries for title chasing TNS who go into the derby two
points clear at the top of the table.
“Caersws are always difficult opposition, particularly at the Recreation
Ground, and they have hit form” said spokesman Gordon Evans.
“At TNS we always take one game at a time and are not going into 2008
complacent because there is a long way to go.”
The Saints are sweating on the fitness of Steve Beck and Jamie Wood with
hamstring problems while Luke Holden is also an injury doubt.
However the Saints hope the recent flu
epidemic which ravaged the squad over Christmas has relented.
Phil Baker and Tommy Holmes are back to full fitness following their bout of
flu with only Michael Wilde a definite absentee for TNS.
Meanwhile Caersws have completed the signing of defender Mike Parry from
Llangefni Town ahead of the weekend.
Parry has been training with the Bluebirds since October after being
released by the islanders.
Meanwhile Kevin Scott has snubbed a return to the Welsh Premier with Caersws
to link-up with GAP Queens Park in the Cymru Alliance.
The Bluebirds also hope to complete the signing of an experienced midfielder
by the weekend.
Sion Meredith is struggling with a back injury which forced him to limp off
during the New Year’s Day clash with Newtown.
Meanwhile Graham Evans and Mark Griffiths should be fit to be included
despite struggling with illness.
CT
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JAN-5 |
|
Chase chief dreams of cup upset |
|
Chasetown boss Charlie Blakemore
hopes his side can take inspiration from FA Cup folklore when they host Cardiff
tomorrow but remains cautious over their chances of another giant killing act.
The British Gas Business
Division One Midlands side are the lowest ranked side to ever reach the third
round after shocking Coca-Cola League One Port Vale with an 89th-minute winner
in their replay.
They now face an even more
daunting task against a Bluebirds side six divisions above them in the
Championship and who have won five of their last seven games.
However, that will not stop
Blakemore dreaming of his side making even bigger headlines.
“I have been watching the FA
Cup since I was a little kid,” he told PA Sport. “There’s a magic about
it. I remember watching Hereford beating Newcastle when Ronnie Radford scored
that goal.
“I think ’crikey, I wonder
in years to come whether people will remember Chasetown doing the same thing’.
“I still look at the third
round draw and I’m pinching myself that we are in it.
“I did not sleep a wink the
night we beat Port Vale, all I could think was we are in the third round of the
FA Cup!”
The club were only recently
given the green light for the tie to be played at their Scholars Ground with
Staffordshire police keen to see it moved to a bigger venue.
And with temporary seating now
in place behind each goal to boost the capacity to the 2,000 mark, Blakemore is
keen to make home advantage count.
“It makes me smile when
people call it a stadium,” he added. “The club have to try and make
everything work in our favour.
“Whatever we do I’m sure it
won’t be to the standard that Cardiff are used to.”
ICW |
|
JAN-5 |
|
Martinez confident of Swans focus |
|
Swansea City manager Roberto
Martinez says his players will know exactly what to expect from FA Cup minnows
Havant & Waterlooville on Saturday.
The Swans overcame another
non-League side, Horsham, in the second round, but only after being taken to a
replay.
"It's a no-win situation
for us because everyone is hoping for an upset.
"We need be professional
and play as well as we can, and be ready for the occasion. FA Cup football is
magic, it's special," said Martinez.
Swansea were given a huge shock
against Horsham in their second-round replay at the Liberty Stadium last month
when the Ryman League side twice took the lead.
But the gulf in class between
the two sides eventually showed as Swansea emerged as comfortable 6-2 winners.
Blue Square South division side
Havant & Waterlooville booked their place in the third round with a stunning
1-0 win at League Two side Notts County.
They can boast a number of
players with Football League experience, including former Swansea City centre
back Neil Sharp, who spent just under two years at the south Wales club.
BBC |
|
JAN-5 |
|
Cheltenham
up bid for Welsh striker Fleetwood |
|
Cheltenham Town have increased
their offer for the highly-rated Forest Green Rovers striker Stuart Fleetwood.
The Robins made an offer of £100,000
for the 21-year-old in November but it was turned down.
Cheltenham chairman Paul Baker
told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "We made an improved six figure offer but
we've put a seven day notice on it.
"If the player is not
going to come or the club's not interested in selling then we have to move
on," he added.
There is a lot of interest in
Fleetwood, who has netted 30 goals in all competitions this season, from a
number of clubs, with Gillingham the latest to table an offer in excess of £100,000.
But Cheltenham manager Keith
Downing is keen that the club do not get caught up in a bidding war.
"What's important is that
we don't get involved in an auction," he said.
"I sat there (at Forest
Green Rovers' recent match at Kidderminster) with about eight other scouts and,
no disrespect to Cheltenham, some of them were from much bigger clubs.
"So we have to be careful
but we are interested in him. He's been terrific for Forest Green Rovers and
he's a local lad so it would be silly not to be interested in him."
BBC |
|
JAN-5 |
|
Ryan
after maximum points at Traeth |
NEWTOWN manager Darren Ryan has
targeted maximum points from this weekend's trip to basement side Porthmadog. “The draw against Caersws on
Boxing Day was deserved over 90 minutes and I was pleased with our reaction
from Boxing Day,” confirmed Ryan.
“However it is tight in the table and with everyone capable of beating
anyone we must be careful not to be dragged any further down the table.
“Everyone from the management and players to board and supporters know how
vital getting three points from Porthmadog is
after New Year.”
The Robins have welcomed back
Justin Wickham who has been unattached since leaving Caersws without making a
single appearance.
The 32-year-old winger returns to Latham Park for a third stint having
previously made 314 appearances for the Robins.
“It’s great to welcome Justin back to the club,” said Ryan. “He is a
committed player and everyone knows what we can expect.”
Meanwhile Ryan insisted there would be comings and goings in January having
already entered the race to sign Port Talbot Town midfielder Dylan Blain.
“I played with Dylan at Haverfordwest County and he would be a great asset
in the middle of the park or in defence.”
Ex-Caersws midfielder Graham Jones is also mulling over a move back to Mid
Wales after Ryan expressed an interest in the 27-year-old who made 163
appearances in six years with local rivals Caersws.
CT
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JAN-5 |
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Gwent
4 chase cup glory
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THE keenly-anticipated Gwent
derby between Croesyceiliog and Llanwern tomorrow will give the county at
least one representative in the semi finals of the Nathaniel League Cup in
March.
And there could be two more
local clubs in the last-four draw if Caerleon can win at Swansea-based West
End and Tredegar Town are able to see off visiting Bryntirion Athletic.
Llanwern were Gwent's last
winners of the cup in 2001-02, when they defeated Gwynfi United in the final
at Neath, but they must bridge a section gap if they are to get past
Division One side Croesyceiliog.
The home side will be minus
injured trio Daniel Clare, Josh Higgins and Callum Miles plus unavailable
top scorer Jody Jenkins while the visitors will also be disadvantaged by the
loss of their leading goal-getter, Steve Perszewski, and holidaying left
winger Matthew Currie - but they welcome back Greg Taylor, Gareth Wysome and
Steve Stinton from injury.
Full-strength Tredegar must
fill the same gap against a Bryntirion side managed by former Cwmbran Town
striker Francis Ford while Caerleon will try to use it to their advantage at
Division Two club West End, where midfielder and skipper Martyn Phillips
will be out with a hamstring strain.
SWA
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JAN-5 |
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Swans
sell Craney
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Swansea
City have sold midfielder Ian Craney back to Accrington Stanley.
The Scouser departs in an £85,000 deal - meaning a substantial loss on the
man Kenny Jackett brought to Wales for £150,000 14 months ago.
Craney has spent the last three months on loan in League Two with Accrington
after an unhappy stint at the Liberty Stadium, where he failed to score in
27 league appearances.
"Ian has opted for a change because he felt he needed
a new chapter in his career and I can understand that," said Swansea
boss Roberto Martinez.
Swansea target Keigan Parker, meanwhile, is close to joining Championship
side Barnsley.
EP
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JAN-4 |
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Two players exit Bridge Meadow |
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Two players make their exit
from Haverfordwest, one the subject of a transfer, the other surplus to the
clubs requirements.
Carmarthen Town manager Deryn Brace has succeeded in
bringing Phil Caitlin to Carmarthen Town, Caitlin has joined his former
Haverfordwest manager following a successful seven day notice on the player.
Caitlin had spent the first few seasons with the Bluebirds as a fringe player,
but had since made himself a regular first team player.
Caitlin could make his Carmarthen Town debut against
Port Talbot this Saturday. Caitlin had spent 5 seasons at Haverfordwest.
Also leaving Haverfordwest is long serving defender
Wayne Jones, but there is no news at present of Jones joining another club and has
simply been
released by manager Derek Brazil.
Tony |
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JAN-4 |
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Foyle joins Wrexham's management |
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Former Port Vale player and manager Martin Foyle has
joined Wrexham's back room staff.
Foyle left Vale by mutual consent in September, having
been in charge when the club lost to Wrexham in the Carling Cup at the start of
the season.
Wrexham first team coach Steve Weaver and chief scout
Brian Prandle are leaving the club as boss Brian Little battles for League Two
survival.
Weaver was assistant to ex-manager Brian Carey, now
Little's assistant.
Assistant physio Jenni Taylor has also left the club.
Little plans significant playing recruits in the January
transfer window as he seeks to raise the Racecourse club off the bottom of the
league.
"I have been here for a number of weeks now and decided
that I needed to make a few changes to bring in another experienced coach,"
Little told the Wrexham website.
"This is not a reflection on the staff that will be
leaving, but we have half a season to turn round the situation and I feel that
Martin has the kind of experience of football at this level which will only help
us.
"We obviously run on a tight budget and, while it's not
nice releasing people, it is a necessary side of the game - which can be very
cruel at times.
"I would like to thank Steve, Brian and Jenni for their
efforts on behalf of the club and wish them well for their future careers."
BBC |
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JAN-4 |
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Ridsdale
vows to keep Ledley
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EVERTON are the latest club said
to be preparing a bid to lure Cardiff City midfielder Joe Ledley from Ninian
Park.
Toffees coach David Moyes is
set to offer £3.5m to tempt the in-form Welsh international to Goodison Park
during the January transfer window.
But Cardiff chairman Peter
Ridsdale last night said he had received no fresh offers for the 20-year-old
and gave his clearest indication yet the Bluebirds intend to fight to hold on
to Ledley.
But Moyes yesterday agreed a
£1.5m fee to sign Plymouth’s 17-year-old central defender Dan Gosling and
Ledley is said to be next on his shopping list as the Merseyside club look to
break into the top-four places in the Premiership.
Cardiff have confirmed they
have already turned down one offer for Ledley, believed to have been from
Wolves, and Charlton are also said to be interested.
Cardiff manager Dave Jones
dismissed a move to another Championship club as “a sidestep”, but an
approach from Everton could prove a completely different prospect.
Although it is believed
Cardiff would hold out for more than the £3.5m currently being touted.
But, in what could turn out
to be a game of transfer window brinksmanship, Ridsdale has told the Western
Mail he is virtually convinced Ledley will be at the club when the transfer
window closes next month.
Indeed a bullish Ridsdale
insists it his highly likely none of Cardiff’s first-team operators will be
leaving the club despite offers aleady being received for two.
This paper understands two
firm bids have been made for Paul Parry, whilst an initial enquiry has been
made about the availability of Tony Capaldi.
Ridsdale last night said no
official offer had been received from Everton for Ledley or from any team in
the top flight and that the club are not actively looking to offload the
midfielder.
ICW |
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JAN-4 |
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Bangor
boss has high hopes for 2008
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Third
spot and a place in Europe is certainly not beyond Bangor in the new year, but
Powell is keeping his feet on the ground.
“Bangor
finished ninth in the league last year and were nowhere near good enough in
the cups,” he stressed.
“This
season we’re doing a lot better in the league and cups so we’ve got plenty
to go for.
“My
first aim is to do better than ninth in the league; it’s looking good at the
moment but I’m not soft enough to think that things can’t change quickly
if a few results go against you.
“It’s
a case of taking each game as it comes and hopefully we’ll be in a position
to win something towards the end of the season.
“We
haven’t been beaten in the league since the end of September and the mood in
the camp is very positive.”
This
Saturday Bangor are home to an Airbus UK side hovering just below mid-table
and capable of troubling the best on their day.
HAM |
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JAN-4 |
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Martinez
backs Bodde to adapt
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SWANSEA CITY manager Roberto
Martinez has insisted that his controversial Dutch midfielder Ferrie Bodde
will adapt to the “different rules” of British football.
Bodde was sent off for the
second time as a Swansea player in last weekend’s 3-2 league defeat of Leeds
and must now serve a five-game ban, having also picked up five cautions in 17
games since his summer move from Den Haag.
The 26-year-old arrived with
the tag of the ‘Dutch Roy Keane,’ but Martinez believes it is his
different football education in Holland rather than his reputation which has
left him at the mercy of referees in this country.
“I understand the situation
because I’ve played on the continent and know how you are brought up as a
player,” said the Spaniard, who was yesterday named League One manager of
the month for December – the second time he has won the award this season.
“Ferrie was trying to
protect himself in that incident because the Leeds player went to ground and
sometimes on the continent that’s not allowed.
“’But the rules in
British football are completely different. People are allowed to go to ground
here and Ferrie has to understand that, it has to be part of his education in
football.
“He needs to understand in
British football that you are allowed to tackle and you are allowed to go to
ground.
“He has to be a bit quicker
to react and get away from the area, but he will learn to do so.
ICW |
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JAN-4 |
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3 Clubs
do battle for Craney's signature
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Three
clubs are battling to sign Swansea City midfielder Ian Craney - but the hunt
for a new striker continues for Roberto Martinez.
Craney has just arrived back from his loan stint with Accrington Stanley and
will immediately sit down with Martinez to discuss his future.
League Two rivals Stanley and Peterbrough, who have previously had a bid
rejected for Craney, are battling it out with another club, who have remained
a secret.
After arriving from Stanley in a £150,000 deal last January
following a loan stint, Craney failed to win over the Swansea faithful under
Kenny Jackett.
This season he has made just three appearances, two coming in the Carling Cup,
and Martinez decided to send out the 25-year-old back to his former club to
get some matches under his belt.
With a wealth of options in midfield, compounded by Darren Way's return from
his loan stint at Yeovil Town, Craney is firmly down the pecking order at the
Liberty Stadium.
But talk of a possible move will be put on the backburner as Martinez will ask
Craney whether he wishes to fight for his place at Swansea.
Stanley boss John Coleman, though, is keen to sign the midfielder before
Saturday's home clash with Chester City.
EP |
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JAN-4 |
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Sunderland
fail to get Savage
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Blackburn manager Mark Hughes
has turned down an approach from Sunderland for midfielder Robbie Savage.
The 33-year-old has fallen
out of favour with Hughes this season and has been left out of the Rovers side
for the last three matches.
Hughes told BBC Radio 5 Live:
"At the moment the valuation we have placed on Robbie hasn't been met.
"Whether Sunderland meet
that or other clubs, who have expressed an interest, meet it, we'll have to
wait and see."
Former Wales international
Savage, who joined Rovers from Birmingham in 2005, is competing with Steven
Reid, Aaron Mokoena and Tugay for one of two midfield berths.
"Robbie wants to play
week-in week-out and I can't guarantee that," Hughes added.
"If a situation arises
that I feel will benefit us and Robbie is comfortable with that decision and
wants to do it, we'll look at it. But no-one is forcing Robbie Savage out of
the club. He knows that.
"It's well documented
Sunderland have expressed an interest, although up to now they have not met
our valuation of Robbie.
"They may well do that
in the next couple of days and then we will make a decision, although other
clubs have expressed an interest so it is not cut and dried at the
moment."
BBC |
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JAN-3 |
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Carmarthen
chase cash bonanza
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Carmarthen
Town face two huge matches in the next seven days that could shape their
season.
First up is the Welsh Premier League clash with this season's surprise package
Neath Athletic.
Andrew Dyer's side arrive at Richmond Park hoping to avenge a 2-1 defeat at
Llandarcy Park back in August.
While Neath have more than held their own this season after
winning promotion out of the Welsh League, Carmarthen have also been punching
above their weight.
Deryn Brace's side are contenders to qualify for European competition along
with Rhyl, Bangor and Welshpool.
And three points against Neath will maintain their challenge on that front.
After a tough December, which saw Carmarthen take eight points from five
games, Brace and Co are now looking forward to more prosperous times in 2008.
On Tuesday night, league champions The New Saints arrive at Richmond Park
looking to defend their FAW Premier Cup title (7pm).
The Saints tackle Carmarthen in the quarter-final stage with the winners
travelling to either Llanelli or Wrexham.
"It is going to be a big night for the club both on and off the
field," said Brace. "I think we have shown this season that we can
compete with the best and we have done well over recent years in the FAW
Premier Cup.
"It won't be easy but we are fully committed and with the fans behind us
it will be a great occasion with excellent prospects of progressing to the
semis."
Carmarthen Town chairman Jeff Thomas has called for the town to support the
club on what is a big night of football. "It's an important night and
potentially very lucrative as the match will give added value of £10,000 to
the winners," he said.
"The money earned from this competition will go directly into helping to
finance our ambitious £400,000 Community Centre being developed at Richmond
Park."
CJ |
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