JD Welsh Cup – Semi-Final Sunday 8th April Newtown 1-2 Aberystwyth Town Aberystwyth Town set up a JD Welsh Cup Final clash with Connah’s Quay Nomads as they battled to a deserved 2-1 victory in a tense semi-final clash on Sunday afternoon at Maes Tegid. A first half header (23) and a second half penalty (53) from Aber right back Declan Walker were enough to see Aber through to victory, despite Nick Rushton’s late penalty pulling a goal back for Newtown. The seasiders will now face a cup final clash with the Nomads on Sunday 6th May. On a mild springtime afternoon at Maes Tegid, Aber walked out to vociferous roars from the large number of travelling supporters as they looked to make it through to their third welsh cup final in 10 years. The game started with both sides looking nervous and cautious of committing to any real attacking play as both goalkeepers remained bystanders for the opening 15 minutes. Newtown’s Neil Mitchell came closest to opening the scoring in the early stages as his curling effort sailed wide of Chris Mullock’s far post. On 23 minutes, Aber began to find their passing rhythm and almost immediately reaped the rewards. As midfield maestro Malcolm Melvin dropped deep to collect the ball, he looked up and passed forwards to Joe Phillips who then turned inside and played a magnificent pass across to John Owen. As the ball fell to the Criccieth cracker, he looked up and played an inch-perfect first time pass to Declan Walker who charged into the box to give Aber the lead with a glorious diving header, making it it 1-0. This sent the Aber tifosi into raptures as they broke out into wild celebrations. The goal gave Town a lift and they gained control of the game slowly, restricting Newtown to half chances at the very best. On the stroke of half time, with few chances of note, Craig Hobson suddenly found himself racing down on goal from John Owen’s pass, and as he went to shoot he appeared to be fouled on the edge of the penalty area....but referee Lee Evans waved away the appeal as Aber held on to their slender advantage until the break. As they have done in many recent games, Aber came out for the second half with increased verve and intensity, and on 53 minutes they were handed a glorious opportunity to double their lead. Newtown ‘keeper Dave Jones floored Ryan Wade in the penalty area, and Walker stepped up to slot home the resulting spot-kick to make it 2-0. The poor old grandstand where the Aber fans had gathered really was rocking now, as the players raced over to celebrate in front of their loyal followers. Newtown immediately introduced striker Ethan Jones as they looked for a way back into the game, but it was the black and greens who were becoming stronger and stronger in the game. On 65 minutes Ryan Wade’s attempted scissor kick was well blocked, before midfielder Tom Owens was introduced in place of target man Craig Hobson; who again put an impressive shift in for Aber. As the game entered the final 15 minutes, the Robins began to commit more and more men forward, forcing Aber deeper into their own half. On 76 minutes, they were awarded a way back into the game as captain fantastic Ashley Young was adjudged to have handled Joe Kenton’s cross in the penalty area. Nick Rushton stepped up to convert the spot kick and suddenly the game was back in the balance at 2-1. But rather than cave in or show their nerves, Aber stood firm, marshalled by man-mountain Ryan Wollacott in defence and the magic combination of Melvin and Damien Allen in midfield. Luke Borrelli was introduced in place of the effervescent Joe Phillips, whilst Kurt Sherlock came on in place of the tireless Wade. The Robins threw everything but the kitchen sink at the seasiders as the game approached added time, but goalkeeper Chris Mullock was providing a calming influence in goal, whilst local hero Matthew Jones let nothing or no one past him on the left hand side. With 4 minutes of added time to play, Aber executed their game management tactics to perfection, and very nearly put the game to bed as Melvin raced through on goal before chipping his shot inches wide of the post. Nevertheless, it wasn’t to prove costly as the full time whistle blew much to the delight of the players and management. A truly memorable occasion for everyone associated with Aberystwyth Town, made even sweeter by the fantastic celebrations that ensued with the travelling supporters and the players on the pitch. Aber’s 12th man really had roared their team on.....and their team had produced a phenomenal performance to send the club into another JD Welsh Cup Final! Aberystwyth Town Football Club are delighted to announce that the club has been awarded it's UEFA European License as well as it's Domestic License for the upcoming 2018/19 season. The Domestic, or Tier 1 Licence is a prerequisite for admittance into the JD Welsh Premier League in 2018/9, while the UEFA Licence is needed by Clubs who have qualified for European Competitions in 2018/9. This avenue remains open for the Black and Greens should they win the Welsh Cup, in which they face Newtown in the Semi Finals on Sunday. Club Licensing Officer Thomas Crockett said: "These awards accredit hundreds of hours of sterling work carried out by Club Volunteers and I would like to publicly thank Tony Bates, David Evans, Dr Richard Edwards and Jimmy Edwards in particular for their significant contributions to the process." JD Welsh Cup Semi-Final
Sunday 8th April (12p.m at Maes Tegid, Bala) Newtown v Aberystwyth Town Aberystwyth Town will look to book their place in the JD Welsh Cup Final as they face mid-Wales rivals Newtown at Bala’s Maes Tegid on Sunday afternoon. Aber haven’t won the Welsh Cup since 1900, but have made two appearances in the final in the last 10 years – back in 2009 and most recently in 2014, unfortunately finishing runners up on both occasion. The seasiders will now be hopeful that it’s third time lucky as they face off with 2015 finalists Newtown in a crunch semi-final clash at high noon in Bala. Aber’s route to Sunday’s semi-final has been far from straightforward, and the black and greens are certainly deserving of their place in the last four of the competition. The third round draw saw Town paired with current Welsh Cup holders Bala Town at Park Avenue, in a game that saw Aber’s season well and truly kick into gear. Goals from Declan Walker, John Owen, Joe Phillips and Luke Borrelli helped Town to a thumping 4-0 victory to dump the current holders out at the first hurdle of the competition. Following on from their victory against Bala, Nev Powell’s side were yet again handed a difficult-looking tie away at Cardiff Met. But rather than allow their hard work from the third round go to waste, Aber produced a textbook away performance with Malcolm Melvin’s deft header earning a 1-0 victory much to the joy of the noisy away supporters. After conquering the capital, it was a quarter-final tie away at Carmarthen Town next for the seasiders. After the original fixture was postponed, Aber faced a tricky Tuesday night journey to Richmond Park, but came through the test with flying colours. Goals from Joe Phillips, John Owen and Malcolm Melvin secured a 3-1 victory and booked Aber’s place in the Welsh Cup semi-finals. One man in Town’s squad for Sunday who knows plenty about Welsh Cup semi-finals in the black and green jersey is wingman Geoff Kellaway, who memorably scored two goals back in the 2009 semi-final to help defeat local rivals Carmarthen Town on the way to the final at Parc Y Scarlets. In addition, Aber’s Director of football Nev Powell will be hopeful of adding to his 100% success rate in Welsh Cup semi-finals, having won every semi-final he’s managed in throughout his career as manager. In what promises to be another superb occasion for the club, kick off at Maes Tegid is at 12p.m. The green army of supporters have been outstanding in backing their team to this stage of the competition, and the players and management team will again be hopeful of a massive turnout from the fans to roar them on to another Welsh Cup final. There will be a supporters coach leaving Park Avenue at 9:30a.m, and supporters are encouraged to e-mail abertownfc@live.co.uk to guarantee a seat. Welsh Cup semi-finals don’t come around too often, so be sure to get to Bala on Sunday for what could be a memorable afternoon! Weds 4th April 2018
Welsh Premier Development League (South) Aberystwyth Town 5 Risca United 0 Aberystwyth followed up an impressive 4-0 home win against Barry Town on the weekend with a 5-0 home win against Risca on Wednesday night which secured their first ever league triumph in the Welsh Premier Development League (South), after Swansea City only managed a 2-2 draw against third placed Cardiff Metropolitan on the same night, writes Team Assistant Manager Iwan Roberts. It’s a fitting end to a fantastic season for the young Aberystwyth team which has consistently performed week in week out over the last eight months. The game was an emphatic victory and performance which saw Town dominate with such attacking potency from start to finish. The Black and Greens opened the scoring with striker Liam Doherty when he latched onto a ball in behind the Risca defence and coolly lobbed the ball over the keeper. Aberystwyth increased their lead when midfielder Niall Coleridge produced a screamer from 25 yards which flew into the top corner of the Risca goal, and if things couldn’t get any better Jack Rimmer extended the home team's lead on the stroke of half time. The second half was similar to the first half even though Aber were playing into a strong wind. The young players coped admirable with the difficult conditions and continued to dominate Risca with their pace and quick movement of the ball and it wasn’t long before Aber celebrated the 4th goal when senior player and Aber legend Geoff Kellaway smashed the ball into the bottom corner of the Risca Goal. News began to filter through that Cardiff Met had secured a 2-2 draw against Swansea; Aberystwyth then sealed a perfect night with the perfect goal when young striker Liam Doherty produced an incredible strike from 30 yards to notch up his 30th goal for the season and seal the title for the young Black and Greens. Aber manager Bari Morgan was delighted for his young team “I'm so pleased for these young lads, they have been fantastic all season. Their attitude and commitment has been spot on from the first pre season session and all the hard work has paid off for them. What’s pleased me the most is the commitment, some weeks we have had twenty players in training, every player has made themselves available for long journeys away and it has paid off. We still have a lot to play for, a game this weekend in Swansea City, a Cup Final and a Play-off game against TNS on 7th May to decide the winners throughout Wales, still lots to look forward to.” Welsh Premier Development League (South) Wednesday 4th April Aberystwyth Town 5 Risca United 0 Atfc.org.uk is delighted to announce that Aberystwyth Town Under 19s have won the Welsh Premier Development League (South) for 2017/8! A 5-0 home win over Risca United at Park Avenue this evening, combined with Swansea City dropping points at Cardiff Met confirmed Bari Morgan's side as Champions with a game to spare. Aber will now play WP Development League (North) Champions The New Saints in the National Final, on a date and venue to be confirmed. Aberystwyth Town FC publicly congratulate the Management Team, Players and support staff on a fantastic achievement! Full report to follow Aberystwyth Town's new First Team Manager Seamus Heath was in a philosophical mood in conversation with Sgorio following Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Llandudno. "It wasn't the result we wanted. I thought the game today looked like it had a draw written all over it, with very few chances. We actually had two half decent chances, didn't take them, and the next thing they went up the other end and scored, and that was probably the only clear cut chance in the game." A tight game looked destined for stalemate until Llandudno's Mattie Williams popped up with an 80th minute winner to break Aber hearts, and leave the Management Team ruing their luck: "We are disappointed not to get anything out of it, I think we actually deserved at least a draw". Looking forward Heath underlined the fact that despite the weekend's disappointing result Aber Town's WPL destiny remains fully in their hands with three games to go. "We've to play (Carmarthen) obviously, and that'll be a big one, but it's in our hands, and it's up to us what we do, so we'll dust ourselves down and go again." Watch full match highlights on Sgorio's YouTube Channel here. |
Gem Nesaf
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Ebost / Email: AberTownFC@live.co.uk
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