Aberystwyth Town will host Cymru Alliance side Holywell Town in the JD Welsh Cup Third Round following this evening's draw, which was held at Cardiff Met. This will be the third Welsh Cup meeting between the sides in four seasons. Aber effectively qualified for the UEFA Europa League by beating the Wellmen 3-1 in the 2014 Semi Final at Newtown, and beat the same opposition in the Welsh Cup Fourth Round in February 2015, on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Halkyn Road. Supporters can assume that this season's tie will be played at Park Avenue on Saturday December 3rd with a 2.30pm kick off, unless we inform you otherwise. The full Welsh Cup Third Round Draw is as follows Aberystwyth Town v Holywell Town Bala Town v Caldicot Town Caernarfon Town v Carmarthen Town Cardiff Met Uni v Porthmadog Cefn Druids v Llantwit Major Gap Connahs Quay v Goytre Utd Greenfield v Guilsfield Haverfordwest County v Afan Lido Llandudno v Goytre Llanelli Town v Ynysygerwn Llanfair Utd v Corwen Newtown v The New Saints Penybont v Airbus UK Broughton Prestatyn Town v Holyhead Hotspur Rhyl v Penrhyncoch Ton Pentre v Bangor City Dafabet Welsh Premier
Saturday 5th November Aberystwyth Town 1 Gap Connah's Quay 3 Aber were dealt their first loss since the re-opening of Park Avenue today, with Gap Connah's Quay coming out on top by three goals to one on a bitterly cold Aberystwyth day. Aber went into the game unbeaten in 3 but second-placed Nomads were able to end this run with goals by substitutes Shelton Payne and Nick Rushton, and Matthew Williams adding a third to secure the 3 points. Aber started the game much the brightest and were rewarded in the 3rd minute when the swashbuckling Kurtis March broke through the middle of the park before passing to Chris Jones on the left flank. The tricky Jones cut inside of Gap's Wes Baynes to strike brilliantly from 25 yards, finding the bottom right corner of John Danby's net to give Aber a dream start. The stunned Nomads went about finding their rhythm by keeping possession in defence and midfield, but Aber's defence held firm with Sam Rodon deserving praise for his strength in the air against the ever-threatening Mike Wilde. It was against Rodon that Gap were awarded a penalty however, the referee adjudging him to have used a hand in the box. Matthew Williams stepped up to take but skewed his shot wide to Mullock's right to the delight of the Aber faithful. March and Jones combined again in the 17th minute but Jones' shot didn't threaten Danby at the Dias end. The 28th minute saw the first substitution of the game, with Ricky Watts having to leave the field with Will Bell coming on, having to play at left-back. Despite this forced change Aber's defence was resolute throughout, with Watts (later Bell), Rodon, Wollacott and Alfei restricting the Nomads' attack to only one shot on target all half. The first 45 ended 1-0 with fans flooding to the John Charles Lounge to get out of the cold and assess the half's events. The second half started almost a polar opposite to the first, with Gap looking much sharper after what was sure to be a passionate half-time speech by Andy Morrison. The introduction of Shelton Payne paid off almost immediately when the pacey winger found himself free at the back post to equalize for the Nomads on 47 minutes. Pressure continued as Aber were having to defend wave after wave of attack but were able to hold out for 20 minutes. A painful looking injury for substitute and goal-scorer Shelton Payne saw Nomads use their second sub of the game, Neil Rushton coming on for Payne who left the field on a stretcher. It was again a substitute who scored for Gap when Rushton put Connah's Quay ahead on 68 minutes, again finding himself free at the back post. The introduction of recently recalled Cledan Davies gave Aber a lift, with Chris Jones shooting over on 76 mins and captain Luke Sherbon's left-footed volley also over on 77 mins. Just as Aber found their feet and looked to equalize, Gap scored a third when Matthew Williams was first to pounce on a loose ball after a corner at the Dias end on 80 minutes. The introduction of Blake Davies for Geoff Kellaway gave Aber a fresh outlet in attack, but the remaining 10 + 5 minutes of added time, due to the stoppage for Payne's injury, was not enough for Aber to get back in the game. Aber will look to put this defeat behind them when they travel to Maes Tegid for a rearranged game against Bala Town next Friday, a 7.45pm kick-off against The Lakesiders (see our earlier post for information on the two rearrangements against Bala Town). The club would like to thank the fans once again for their support, even when the weather leaves much to be desired! See you all next Friday! Aberystwyth Town's Dafabet WPL Fixtures with Bala Town have been switched in order to accommodate some remedial works to one of the floodlights at Park Avenue. The Matches will now be played on the following dates:
Friday 11th November (KO 7.45pm) Bala Town v Aberystwyth Town Friday 25th November (KO 7.45pm) Aberystwyth Town v Bala Town We are grateful to our friends at Bala Town for their cooperation in these rearrangements. The Club apologises for any inconvenience caused. Dafabet Welsh Premier League Saturday 5th November (ko 2.30pm) Aberystwyth Town v Gap Connah's Quay Aberystwyth Town look to continue their spectacular home form since returning to Park Avenue as second placed Gap Connah's Quay become the fourth North Wales side in a row to attempt a siege on Saturday afternoon. Rhyl, Llandudno and Airbus have all tried and failed to return with anything more than a point and with a goal difference of seven to one in the three games Town are flying. The defensive solidity of Mullock, Watts, Rodon, Wollacott and Alfei, protected by Sherbon, Clarke and March has been the cornerstone of Town's success; while the attacking flair displayed by Geoff Kellaway, Chris Jones and Luke Borrelli have had home fans - and a few pundits - purring throughout the second half of October. Two goal Borrelli in particular was named Man of the Match in last Saturday's televised 3-1 win over Airbus, and was a shoe in for Sgorio's '5 On Form' team of the week. Connah's Quay have had a good start to the season and their 24 points from 13 games means they are the Best of the Rest in the Welsh Prem as things stand. A huge and talented squad has facilitated their strong start although their WPL record on 3G this season is mixed with just one win from three games, with Andy Morrison's men failing to score in two of those encounters. Having reached the Top Six Aber now have to opportunity to prove they can challenge even higher up the Dafabet Welsh Premier League, and Connah's Quay are the ideal opponents to measure the Black and Greens' credentials in that regard. Striker Jonathan Evans has been allowed to return to Penrhyncoch with the best wishes of all, while Cledan Davies is moving in the opposite direction, being recalled from his loan spell at Caersws with immediate effect. The scene is set for a hugely intriguing match at Park Avenue. Admission on Saturday will cost £6 for Adults, £4 Concession and £1 for Kids and with attendances up 28% this season another big crowd is inevitable. Arrive early, and make yourself heard! After a busy summer looking for new players and trying to promote the team, Aberystwyth Town’s Disability Team known as ‘Aber Stars’ finally got their season underway in Fishguard on Sunday 30th October and for the first time in a long time Aber were able to have two full teams, writes atfc.org.uk's Steven Brookes. One in the Champions League (Advanced), one in the Premier League (Intermediate) and also had two players in the Championship (Novice).
The Championship players were Meilyr Llwyd who won Manager’s Player of the Season last year and last year’s top scorer Peter Williams. Unfortunately neither was on the scoresheet this time but they both as usual worked hard and enjoyed the day. The Premier League team were made up of many new players and unfortunately lost their opening match but that was to be their only defeat. They lost just one, won two and drew one. Debutant Alex Evans scored all three of Aber’s goals. The Champions League team last season couldn’t put together a full team at this level but this time around they had a full team plus subs. But this new group of players started slowly. They were struggling to keep up with Swansea Bravehearts, losing possession regularly and getting caught out of position on numerous occasions. This resulted in a fair 3-0 defeat. Defender Jack Mccallum went in goal and goalkeeper Stephen Lester moved into defensive midfield. This changed seemed to work and a quickly taken free kick from the hard-working Derfel Reynolds found Aber’s player-manager Steven Brookes in the box who opened the scoring. Aber were looking like a completely different team and a late second from Steven sealed a 2-0 victory. Their third match was against Cleddau Warriors. The team struggled to create many chances in the first half but immediately in the second half, Derfel Reynolds scored a brilliant goal straight from kick off. It was a strike that anyone would have been proud of. Reynolds later doubled Aber’s lead and the final result was 2-0 but could have been more. The final match was against another strong Swansea side. Aber looked tired but were still working extremely hard and an early goal from Brookes after a well-worked corner meant they had something to hold on to and they did just that. It was another fantastic team performance and a 1-0 win. Afterwards Aber’s player-manager said, “To come back from that opening defeat and put in three fantastic performances shows how determined this team is, and this whole squad get on very well, some may play in different leagues to others but we all feel like one team.” Champions League team player and debutant Sean Anderson said “The tournament wasn’t just exciting, it was exhilarating, competitive, levels were high and I made sure I won every tackle I went in for. It was a great honour to put on the Aberystwyth shirt and represent Aber Stars and I can’t wait until the next tournament.” Stephen Lester was fantastic on the day and ended up winning the FairPlay award. All players should be proud of their performance on what was a brilliant day for the team. After a difficult start to the season, Aber have found home comforts to be a welcome sight. Following Saturday’s victory over Airbus, the Seasiders made it 7 points from 9 and remain unbeaten since returning to Park Avenue a fortnight ago.
Manager Matthew Bishop was keen to praise his side’s efforts following a tough encounter: “I’m delighted with three points, I’m delighted with three goals and I’m delighted we’re up to fifth [Aber subsequently dropped to Sixth on Sunday] I’m very pleased. It’s another three points at home and that’s 7 from 9 now. Airbus were a very good, they had a good shape and were difficult to play against.” He told Aber Town's Youtube channel following the game. Despite the pleasing result, Bishop and his staff’s high standards remain the same. He’s already set out areas for improvement: "We scored the first goal and I thought we’re up and running here and we’ve let them back in with a very sloppy set piece goal. We lost our shape for ten minutes, which frustrated me a bit. We came in with a game plan and it’s important we stick to that, even if we concede." But for now, Bishop and his squad can enjoy a lofty position within the top 6, the prize every team in the Welsh Premier League is chasing come the January split. “We’ve come up with the goods, [Luke] Borelli’s scored at the right time and Jonah [Chris Jones] who I thought had a great game has popped up with the penalty. Those two have been exceptional as have some others. We’ve got to keep this going. The players are starting to believe in themselves.” Watch the full interview with Matthew Bishop and another with Assistant Manager Wayne Jones on Aber Town's Youtube Channel here. |
Gem Nesaf
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Ebost / Email: AberTownFC@live.co.uk
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