PREVIEW: CARMARTHEN TOWN

Two teams with identical records meet this Friday, as ATFC make the journey south to face old adversaries Carmarthen Town. Both sides have won two and drawn one of their three league outings so far.

This fixture was once a regular on the calendar — in 2010/11 alone the clubs met no fewer than six times. Surprisingly, however, this will be the first encounter between the two this decade, with the most recent meeting being a 3–0 Nathaniel MG Cup win for Aber back in October 2019.

Carmarthen have spent the last five seasons in the JD Cymru South, with last season’s 7th-place finish their lowest during that period. Manager Mark Aizlewood has reshaped his squad over the summer, adding quality in Lewis Harling, Keyon Reffell and Luke Cummings. Reffell has already found the net in two of the Old Gold’s matches, while the evergreen Liam Thomas has also scored twice — both goals coming at Cwmbran Celtic on the opening day.

For Aber, Tomos Evans is expected to continue in goal as Reece Thompson serves his suspension. The young shot-stopper was rewarded for his excellent performance and clean sheet against Pontypridd last weekend with a place in the JD Cymru Leagues Team of the Week.

Long-time Seasiders fans will recall many memorable clashes with Carmarthen, such as the Geoff Kellaway-inspired 5–0 victory in 2016, when the Black and Green legend netted a hat-trick. Kellaway was also twice on target in another famous meeting — the Welsh Cup Semi-Final of 2009 — when Freddie Thomas struck the extra-time winner.

Carmarthen’s LHP Stadium is situated to the north-east of the town centre and can be located using postcode SA31 1HZ. Directly adjacent to the ground, on either side, are two public car parks. (Enter Southsiders info here).