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Bridgend Town match previw

Bridgend are our visitors to the Marston for our 2nd league home game of the season. Last season they were our 1st opponents and they went away with a point following a 2-2 draw, a game in which young Mark Jones scored both our goals, within too long Llanelli saw his potential and signed up the young striker. Friday night's win over Bryntirion was our first home start that produced a win since our 1-0 win over Caerleon in the 2005-06 season.  Bridgend have made a good start to the season seeing off the challenge of newly promoted Bettws 2-1 at their new home at the University of Glamorgan Playing Fields  in Pontypridd. Their goals came from their usual source Raith Plant. Bridgend have high ambitions of playing in the welsh premier as they showed a few years ago when the tried to merge with Grange Quins when they had money problems when they were in the top division, but since and despite having millions at their disposal they still remain homeless and are now playing outside the Borough for their first time. Last season they finished in 10th place and inflicted a 4-2 defeat on us in our penultimate game of the season, but that was a meaningless game for both teams and neither team could climb any higher in the table with a win or defeat. Our win over Bryntirion saw a good team performance from a fairly newly formed line up and once they gel further we can surely look towards a place challenging at the top end of the table. We will be looking to improve on our 1st night's attendance of 100, our oppening game against tonight's visitors last August drew a crowd of  350. Our squad for tonight's game is: L Cosker - R McCreesh - D Williams - D Kindgdom - S Crabbe - S Parry -  C Evans (Capt) - P Evans -  K Lewis M Waters - I Turner - Corey Thomas - S McCourbrey - S Wade - J Felton - D Griffiths. Tony

Jones agrees to help Ponty again

FORMER Pontypridd Town FC chairman Clayton Jones has jumped in to help save the MacWhirter Welsh League club. Jones has been a big supporter of Cardiff City and football at Welsh League level, having been a previous main sponsor of Pontypridd plus the Shamrock Travel Cup. Now his new company, St David’s Travel, are title and main shirt sponsors for Ponty. They have been given the go-ahead to start their league fixtures in September with newly appointed manager Gary Haman busy recruiting a squad following the collapse of a plan for the club to merge with AFC Treforest. Now Pontypridd will be back playing out of Ynysangharad Park and Jones said: “I wasn’t looking to sponsor the club, but without support they’d have gone bang. I could not stand by and allow that to happen. “Now there is the chance to rebuild and the focus is on winning promotion this season and I believe Friday night football for home matches would draw more support.” Tony

Merthyr face winding up order

MERTHYR TYDFIL bosses last night moved to play down fears about the club’s future after it was revealed the Penydarren Park outfit are the subject of a shock High Court winding-up order. The bombshell news, which comes at the start of the new season, will rock Welsh football this morning. Merthyr Tydfil are not only one of the most famous brand names in Welsh soccer, but also in Welsh sport as a whole. The London Gazette reported the club is the subject of a petition to "compulsorily wind it up" as a result of an unpaid tax bill. A hearing has been arranged for the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand a week today when Merthyr’s fate is due to be decided. Merthyr have arranged a meeting to discuss the matter ahead of Saturday’s British Gas Business Premier Division opener against Brackley Town. The club say that fixture will go ahead and they are also confident the problems surrounding the court case can be resolved. When news of the winding-up order first emerged yesterday, it was thought Merthyr were in danger of collapse after a proud 100-year football heritage. The Western Mail understands the court case is as a result of a £20,000 Inland Revenue discrepancy dating back three years. The order, brought by creditors HM Revenue and Customs, is due to be brought before the courts at 10.30am next Wednesday. Merthyr confirmed the petition had been lodged. Director and comedian Owen Money said: "We have a meeting on Saturday and I’m sure we can work something out. But it will be tough." Chairman Wyn Holloway also insisted the issue was being resolved. If the court petition had totalled around the £400,000 debt burden Merthyr are believed to carry, then the future of the club may have been in doubt ... with the first fixture of the British Gas Business Premier Division against Brackley Town on Saturday being possibly their last. But Merthyr remain confident they can overcome their problems and continue their proud tradition of football at Penydarren Park. Tony

Port Talbot were to blame for not offering him a proper contract

Lee Phillips has defended his decision to end his short stint at Port Talbot by re-signing for Llanelli, insisting: "Everyone else would have done the same."The 29-year-old made a shock return to Stebonheath Park after leaving the Reds following a breakdown in contract negotiations back in May. Phillips, who was captain of Peter Nicholas's side, then made the switch to Port Talbot on non-contract terms. But following a new and improved offer from Llanelli, Phillips decided to end his 27-day stint at the Genquip Stadium and head back to the Welsh Premier League champions. And Phillips, who has been heavily criticised by Port Talbot for his change of heart, wants to put the record straight through the Llanelli Star, stating that: He did what everyone would have done in his situation. Port Talbot were to blame for not offering him a proper contract. He is ready to win over any disgruntled Reds fans. He has no axe to grind with Port Talbot or their manager Nicky Tucker. Phillips said: "I didn't want to leave Llanelli but the new contract I was offered was less than the one I signed for (former chairman) Robert Jones when I arrived here - I was being offered almost 50 per cent less. "I just couldn't sign it, so both parties went their separate ways. "I went to Port Talbot after they contacted me and I took part in training and played one game. "I was going to sign a contract but I was told they would put it on the table as soon as Tucks returned from a coaching course. "They registered me as a non-contract player. Then Llanelli contacted me and offered me better terms than what they originally offered. "Once again, I never wanted to leave Llanelli. I've worked with Nico for most of my career and I'm really friendly with the players. "Everything fell into place and when you are offered that, it makes sense to go ahead with it." Port Talbot chairman Andrew Edwards blasted Phillips for using the club as a "pawn" to negotiate a better deal with Llanelli, while Tucker questioned his commitment. But Phillips, who returned to action in Llanelli's 5-0 victory over Cwmaman Institute on Saturday, insists he has no problem with the Steelmen. "I know the chairman has said his piece and I'm leaving it at that. I don't want to comment on it," said Phillips. Tony

Llanelli quartet reject new deals

Four key members of Llanelli's league and cup double-winning squad have rejected new deals after being offered pay cuts. Skipper Lee Phillips, defender Stuart Jones and midfield duo Antonio Corbisiero and Andrew Mumford have turned down new contracts with the Welsh Premier League champions. The Reds are looking to severely cut their wage budget and have offered the majority of their squad contracts with lower terms. The news may cause panic around Stebonheath Park as the quartet played pivotal roles in the club's most successful season. And with the club issuing a May 31 deadline for contract renewals to be done and dusted, it makes for a crucial few days at Stebo. Phillips - highly respected among his team-mates - arrived from Newport County just before Llanelli turned professional while Jones was the first full-time player to sign for Llanelli in 50 years. Both have made considerable impacts since arriving almost three years ago, with Phillips's versatility and Jones's rock-solid efforts at the back a key factor behind the club's success. Corbisiero - voted player of the year by his team-mates last year - has enjoyed another successful season alongside Mumford in the heart of midfield. Despite rejecting their offers, all four players are hoping to sign new deals before Saturday's deadline. Tony

Cambrian’s progress delights El Tel

	Terry Venables had plenty of praise for Cambrian and Clydach Vale BGC for maintaining their excellent rate of progress in Welsh football. Cambrian and Clydach’s first team finished ninth in MacWhirter Welsh Football League Division One, the highest place they have achieved. They were in South Wales Amateur League Division One in 2003-4, winning that title and following that with two more championships – at Welsh League Division Three and Division Two levels. In their debut season in Division One, Cambrian earned a highly creditable ninth place finish and will look to improve on that next season. “The people in Cambrian and Clydach work incredibly hard and they have done such a lot in terms of football and for the young people of the area,” said Venables when he was back in the Rhondda. “They have fantastic facilities available for the children now and it’s great to see. “This is a hotbed of football talent. “Cambrian and Clydach BGC have done really well in the Welsh League and I applaud their achievements in climbing through the divisions. They also put a lot of time and effort into youth football for boys and girls, which is great to see.” Venables, 65, is president of the Cambrian Village Trust and chairman of the Cambrian and Clydach football section. Tony

Crows part with manager Ganet

	FORMER Welsh Premier outfit Cwmbran Town AFC have parted company with first team manager Guillermo Ganet by mutual consent with immediate effect. Gary Proctor, who was recently appointed director of football, will take over the manager's position. A former Valencia player, Spaniard Ganet took over the hot seat at the beginning of last season after previous involvement with Welwyn Garden City, Kettering Town, Berkhamsted Town and UWIC amongst others. He brought some high quality players into the Welsh League but, as Ganet and many of the players were London based, the travelling involved had been harder than the manager had anticipated. "The club would like to place on the record its thanks to Guillermo for his contribution to Cwmbran and wish him all the best for a successful future," said Crows' chairman Mike Lewis. Tony

Port Talbot reject ground share proposals

	PORT Talbot Town have snubbed the chance of ground sharing with rugby club the Wizards. Town’s arch rivals Neath, known as the Eagles, have decided to switch from their Llandarcy base to one of Welsh Rugby’s famous grounds, the Gnoll. But Town chairman Andrew Edwards, dismissed the option for his club. Edwards, when quizzed if they would consider linking up with the Wizards at the Talbot Athletic Ground if approached by the Welsh Premiership side, said: “We have put too much investment into our ground so the answer would have to be no.” “We are too far down the road to consider sharing grounds. As I speak there is a big investment going on at the ground with major work on the playing surface. I don’t think rugby and football mix, so it’s a non-starter for us.” Port Talbot are also understood to be on the verge of signing a Welsh Premiership player this week. Tony

Dan Williams wins player of the season vote by the supporters

	The supporters website player of the season vote is now closed, and the winner for the 2007-08 season is Dan Williams. Dan was a clear winner scooping 60% of all votes cast.  Congrats to Dan for winning the player of the season vote and by such a huge margin, the runner up was Steve Davies who polled 10% of the voting. Tony

Afan Lido Player Stats for 2007-08

	Some players stats for the past season featuring the top 5 in each category (league stats only)   Goals Games Minutes Played Yellow Cards   1 Michael Waters 6 Steve Davies 30 Steve Davies 2,572 Dan Williams 7 2 Steve Davies 5 Corey Thomas 29 Dan Williams 2,469 Kieran Howells 7 3 Kieran Howells 5 Kieran Howells 28 Kieran Howells 2277 Steve Cox 6 4 Corey Thomas 4 Dan Williams 28 Michael Waters 2,070 Steve Davies 4 5 Shaun Best 4 Michael Waters 23 Leon Cosker 1,895 Michael Waters 4 Tony