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Connah’s Quay Nomads vs Aberystwyth Town
JD Cymru Premier Friday 1st April 7.45pm KO The Black & Greens hit the road again this Friday after three successive home matches, with a trip to reigning Champions Connah’s Quay Nomads on the agenda for Antonio Corbisiero and his team. Confidence will be high coming into this match following last Friday’s victory over Barry Town United – a performance full of grit, determination and resilience capped off with a late winner from Steff Davies which sent the majority of the 466 strong crowd home delighted. This took ATFC onto 29 points for the season and thanks to other results, within 3 points of the coveted 7th place. With 6 games of the season still to play, a place in the end of season playoffs is still very much up for grabs. Connah’s Quay come into this game on the back of a 6-match unbeaten run in the league, having won two and drawn two of their opening four Phase 2 matches. They played out a 0-0 draw at Haverfordwest last weekend, in front of the Sgorio cameras. Callum Morris & Craig Curran are the hosts top scorers this season with 4 goals each, whilst they also have a familiar face in their ranks in Paulo Mendes, who was a fan favourite at Park Avenue for two seasons between 2018-2020. Two of Wales C’s victorious squad from Wednesday night’s 4-0 demolition of England C will be available for selection for this match. Aeron Edwards was on target twice for Mark Jones’ men, whilst ATFC’s own Lee Jenkins was an unused sub at The Oval. The two meetings between the two teams earlier this season were both close matches, but both ended in 1-0 victories for Connah’s Quay, despite late onslaughts from Aber on both occasions. The race for 7th place is starting to hot up and this weekend’s instalment will play out at Deeside Stadium, which can be found using postcode CH5 4BR. If you can’t make the game in person however, full coverage will be provided as always on our Twitter feed @AberystwythTown  JD Cymru Premier
Friday 25th March Aberystwyth Town 2 Barry Town 1 Aber Town ensured another one of those Fab Fridays at Park Avenue as a performance full of grit and determination gained them a hugely important 2-1 win over Barry Town. Jon Owen gave the Seasiders the lead in the fifth minute and that’s how it stayed until Marcus Day’s 51st minute equaliser. Then up stepped the Demon Headmaster himself Steff Davies to nod home a winner with just twelve minutes to go, and send Black and Green supporters home delighted. Boosted by a National Lottery promotion, a super crowd of 466 turned up at Park Avenue, as Gregor Zabret and Jon Owen returned to Aber’s starting eleven, with Ben Wynne also making a first start. Loyal home supporters were rewarded with a stirring start, as Jamie Veale set a sighter over the bar, and then Wynne’s long throw bounced around the box only to fall nicely for Jon Owen in the right pocket to pounce and slam the ball under Mike Lewis, for an early lead. Home pressure continued with Veale’s low effort stopped by Lewis, and the onetime Black and Green netminder was at it again soon after to gather Harry Franklin’s lobbed effort. Then the visitors started to get into their stride. Left back Rhys Abruzzese went on a super run, and saw his curling effort saved by Zabret, with Nat Jarvis sending the rebound wide in a let off for the Seasiders. A number of Barry free kicks and corners were repelled, with Rhys Davies and Louis Bradford looking impenetrable at the back. Barry were dominating possession, but Aber were still making chances: Franklin sent a long range volley wide, and Jack Rimmer saw two goalbound efforts blocked, before Wynne experienced the same – Lewis again to the rescue. Aber seemed to be relishing the defensive battle, and once Michael George had fired over for Barry, the job was half done, and Aber went in a goal to the good at the break. Aber started the second half brightly and Ben Wynne saw a header saved by Lewis from Matty Jones’ delivery. Next blood was to Barry however as the impressive Marcus Day once again scored at Park Avenue with a 25 yard volley which bounced up wickedly to find a way in. Davies saw a header saved by Lewis, and then earned a free kick which Jones was so unlucky to see bounce off the crossbar – almost a carbon copy to his winner in the first game of the season. In a tense and exciting game Jack Rimmer got in well to deny Kayne McLaggon a shot, and Abruzzese sent a free kick over the bar for Barry. Bradford was next to make a huge clearance for the Seasiders, and at the other end Lewis twice more denied Davies, once from a header and the second from a wicked volley. Finally with twelve to go, Veale’s inswinging corner was nodded home by Davies, for significance, one of Aber’s goals of the season. Barry pressure from this moment was incessant, with eight minutes of injury time indicated after a medical emergency in the crowd. However Aber gave a tremendous defensive display, and Jones, fed by Franklin, could even have snatched a third, but Corbs’ men held out for a huge win which once again has Aber looking upwards in the table. Sweet as the victory was, credit must be given to Barry Town’s travelling tifosi, who sang through the entire game and continue to support their team through thick and thin. However on the field of play the story is all about Aberystwyth Town’s gutsy and effective display, and unsung heroes like Steff and Rhys Davies, whose effort and commitment were inspirational. Antonio Corbisiero and his side will now travel in confidence to Deeside next Friday for a visit to Connah’s Quay Nomads (ko 7.45pm). See you there! Aberystwyth Town vs Barry Town United
JD Cymru Premier Friday 25th March 8pm KO It’s another Friday nights under the lights at Aberystwyth University Park Avenue this weekend, as Barry Town United visit Ceredigion for this important Phase Two match. Aber will be looking to bounce back from last weeks bruising encounter with Haverfordwest County and will be optimistic going into this fixture given the previous two meetings with Gavin Chesterfield’s side earlier in the season. A trademark Mathew Jones free kick secured a last gasp 2-1 win on the opening night of the season back in August, whilst a Harry Franklin header gained a point at Jenner Park in November. Antonio Corbisiero’s side will be looking to return to the level of performance which saw the team go unbeaten for 5 games from late January until early March, whilst Barry will be looking to arrest an alarming slump in form which has seen them gain only one win in their last 11 league outings, although they come into this game on the back of a creditable 1-1 draw with Cardiff Met on 15th March. Both clubs received some good news last week as Mark Jones’ Wales C Squad was announced. Aber’s own Lee Jenkins will be joined in the squad by Clayton Green & Kayne McLaggon from Friday’s visitors. One of the leagues most deadly finishers in recent seasons, McLaggon has already hit 12 goals so far this season, whilst Green has hit four himself. There will be a special ticket promotion in place for this match as part of The National Lottery Football Weekends. For every paying adult who shows on entry at the game a National Lottery ticket, they will be able to bring one guest (adult, child or concession) with them for free. All National Lottery products qualify, whether a National Lottery draw-based game e.g Lotto, scratchcard or online instant win game, whether purchased in store, on The National Lottery website, or via The National Lottery app. Season Ticket holders may also bring one free guest if they attend with a National Lottery ticket. Standard tickets are priced at £7 for Adults, £4 for Concessions & Under 16’s free. With two loud and loyal fanbases meeting, this one is sure to generate a cup tie atmosphere! As always, Friday night’s at Park Avenue are not to be missed ATFC Celebrate Explosion of Women's & Girls' Football Ahead of National Lottery Football Weekends22/3/2022
 Head of Coaching Gavin Allen urges fans to take up free ticket offer
Aberystwyth Town FC’s Head of Coaching Gavin Allen has revealed that opportunities for women and girls at the club have “exploded.” It is an example, he says, of how the community has benefited from the club’s vital National Lottery funding, which arrived during the pandemic when fans weren’t allowed to attend games. Now - in a thank you to National Lottery players – over 100,000 free tickets are available on a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ basis to National Lottery players for selected local matches across three weekends in March and April. The offer will be available for Aberystwyth Town’s clash against Barry Town United on Friday 25th March. Allen said: “The funding from The National Lottery was a lifeline. Without it, we may not have been in a position to grow women’s and girls’ football like we have.” The change of fortunes came about after Aber’s women finished bottom of the league last season: “That was a real turning point. We knew we had to do something. I resigned my post as men’s first team manager and took over the coaching of the women. We’ve since developed a whole community programme for women and girls. On a Tuesday evening, we have anywhere between 30 and 60 girls between the ages of four and seven playing in our Huddle sessions. And our Girls’ Development Centre will see up to 70 players here every week with girls coming from Cardigan, Lampeter and Caersws.” And this season, the women’s first team were free of relegation worries, finishing fourth in the Genero Adran League. Allen added: “We’re really pleased to be involved with The National Lottery Football Weekends – it’s a great way to say a big thank you to National Lottery players. And we’d love to see lots of new faces down at Park Avenue on Friday night (25th March) – it’s a great opportunity to get behind your local team and support everything we do here. “What many people don’t realise is that when you come and watch the first teams play on a weekend, they are supporting a massive community programme – whether that’s juniors playing football or our over 40s keeping active and looking after their health and wellbeing. And, like most clubs in Wales, it’s mainly run by volunteers.” In Wales, The National Lottery Football Weekends campaign will mean people can watch games in the JD Cymru Premier and JD Cymru North and South leagues for free. It aims to get people out to watch and really get behind their local team, perhaps for the first time, and experience the vital role these clubs play as part of their local community. At the height of the pandemic and when football and sport shut down, clubs struggled for survival as they lost turnstile income and other matchday revenue. In response, The National Lottery provided over £12.5 million of emergency funding to community football clubs at this level across the UK, including Aberystwyth Town FC to help them continue to operate and survive. And as Allen points out, the clubs are at the heart of their communities: “We also go into schools to run sessions in curriculum time, helping the local authority to deliver a safe environment for children to play football. We are a true community club for Ceredigion and the only JD Cymru Premier League club in the county, working with junior football leagues and all grassroots clubs in the area.” The National Lottery Football Weekends is to thank National Lottery players for stepping up when they were needed the most. The special ‘Buy One Get One Free’ ticket offer will be available to National Lottery players for a game at one of the 231 participating clubs in Wales, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.* The ticket offer will apply to one home match for each club, taking place between 19th March and 16th April. The campaign will be delivered in partnership with the FAW (Football Association of Wales), National League, The FA (Football Association), The SFA (Scottish Football Association) IFA (Irish Football Association) and is also backed by well-known ex-footballers Ally McCoist and Karen Carney. To find out more about The National Lottery Football Weekends and to find your nearest match visit www.thenationallotteryfootballweekends.co.uk. Each club will be responsible for distributing tickets for its home match and details on how to claim will be available from each club. Terms and conditions apply. The money for this campaign, as well as the initiatives with the various FAs and leagues across the UK during Covid came from a National Lottery promotional fund, it was not funded by money allocated for National Lottery Good Causes or by Camelot. The National Lottery is also working alongside Non-League Day, a campaign set up in 2010 to encourage supporters of clubs playing at the highest levels of the game to support their smaller local or non-league club and sample the unique matchday experience of football at local level. The National Lottery has always played a vital role in supporting elite, community and grassroot sport in the UK. Including football, The National Lottery has invested more than £5.7 billion into grassroots sport since it was established in 1994. In the last year nearly £395 million was given to grassroots and elite sport good causes, funding everything from facilities to playing fields and creating opportunities for everyone to get active and improve their lives through sport. There are other opportunities for National Lottery players in March. The National Lottery Open Week takes place between 19th - 27th March to say thank you for the more than £30 million raised every week by National Lottery players. Open Week unlocks free entry and exclusive discounts for National Lottery players at a range of participating venues including galleries, museums, gardens, historic castles and sports stadiums. Full Ts&Cs apply and are available at www.nationallotteryopenweek.com  Aberystwyth Town Football Club are delighted to be a part of The National Lottery Football Weekends. If you are a National Lottery player, you will be able to come and watch our home match against Barry Town United on Friday 25th March at 8pm with a friend and get one of the tickets for free.
As fans, you know full well how damaging the pandemic has been to clubs like ours. With a halt in the football calendar and no gate revenue there were serious fears about the future of many clubs. Thankfully National Lottery players stepped in to protect many local football clubs, providing £12.5million of support to clubs in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As thanks for the essential support, 231 clubs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are now taking part in The National Lottery Football Weekends. Each club will, for one home fixture in March or April, run a special ‘Buy One Get One Free’ ticket offer for National Lottery players to take someone – potentially for the very first time – to a game. For every paying adult who shows on entry at the game a National Lottery ticket, they will be able to bring one guest (adult, child or concession) with them for free. All National Lottery products qualify, whether a National Lottery draw-based game e.g Lotto, scratchcard or online instant win game, whether purchased in store, on The National Lottery website, or via The National Lottery app. Season ticket holders may also bring one free guest if they attend with a National Lottery ticket. To find out more about The National Lottery Football Weekend visit: www.thenationallotteryfootballweekends.co.uk/FAQs Terms and conditions apply.  Big hearted Aberystwyth Town supporters showed their generous side last night, donating £274.23 to the DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal in a bucket collection made prior to kick off in the JD Cymru Premier match at home to Haverfordwest County. Club Chaplain Jon Butler instigated the appeal with the help of Supporter Liaison Officer Tomos Roberts and he said: “A huge thank you to all who gave to the DEC Appeal before the game at Park Avenue, and to those who have given online. Being a community Club it was very encouraging to see so many Aberystwyth Town supporters giving to support the humanitarian response to help those fleeing and displaced from their own communities in Ukraine. We continue to hold the people of Ukraine in our prayers, taking the opportunities we can to help and make a difference. Diolch yn fawr i chi gyd.” Further donations to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal can be made online via the DEC website here: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal  |
Gem Nesaf
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