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Licence News

9th April 2010

Friday 09 April 2010

EIGHT clubs have been successful in gaining the FAW domestic licence at the first attempt, a pre-requisite for next season's restructured Welsh Premier. Licences have been awarded to Aberystwyth Town, Carmarthen Town, Haverfordwest County, Llanelli, Neath, Newtown, Prestatyn Town and The New Saints. With the exception of Prestatyn, the successful clubs were also awarded a Uefa licence, along with Bangor City and Porthmadog, enabling them to take part in European competitions. The remaining clubs face an anxious wait to see whether they are successful in the appeal process with the final decision to be announced on Monday May 17. "I firmly believe that some clubs will be successful on appeal and one certainly should rectify this within a matter of days," says the FAW's licensing officer Andrew Howard. Existing Welsh Premier clubs need to finish in the top 10 and hold the domestic licence to remain in the league next season. Significantly, promotion front runners Afan Lido and Llangefni Town have not been awarded their licence at the first attempt, which means that the 11th and 12th-placed clubs could also qualify, depending on the outcome of the feeder clubs' appeals. Originally, 24 clubs set-out on the licensing process, including all the existing top flight clubs with the exception of Technogroup Welshpool. Cymru Alliance Buckley Town, Caernarfon Town, Llandudno and Llangefni Town and Welsh Leaguers Afan Lido, Barry Town and Bridgend Town also applied.

Cup Loss at Denbigh

8th April 2010

The long delayed NWCFA cup match saw us take a depleted squad to Denbigh for the early kick off, only to come home on the wrong end of a 3-1 defeat.

Not the best of nights for us, but fortunatly it didn't go to extra time as it was already dark when we finished, bad idea playing this mid week without lights, but there you go.

Starting lineup: Pearson, Jones, Mitchell, Austin, Kehoe, Gwynedd, Gowans, Craven, Williams R, Lloyd, Evans - subs Thomas, Williams C, Dixon - a fairly strong squad but some carrying knocks and Dixon needing to name (and come on) himself, some players unable to get the time off work though.

The pitch was good and it was a dry night, but we struggled to find any balance and had problems with their very tall guys especially the 6' 5" one up front, missing Gibbs to handle this. Denbigh started well and opted for the long ball over the top but it was a loose clearance that they picked up in the middle and with us backing off a good strike from distance found the bottom corner to put them 1 up. This fired us up for our best spell, when we got it down and wide, with our quick passing putting them under pressure and forcing good saves and dropped balls from the keeper. A crossfield ball to Craven and a knock in to feet to Kev Lloyd had him turning his man and striking a great shot to level the score, but we took our foot off a bit, and it was a long high ball that caught us out with a back header allowing the big guy to outjump and head over Shaun for 2-1. at the turn.

2nd half Denbigh were a lot stronger and we struggled to play our usual game, but it was a long ball again that was flicked through to what looked like offside, but was allowed to stand as the ball rolled home. We brought Chris Williams and Darren Thomas on for Gowans and Evans then Dixon came on for Lee Craven, but it was too little too late and to be honest we did not look like pulling the game back , so Denbigh deservedly ran out winners and go to Llandyrnog for a big local derby for them.

With hopefully all our players back and fit we can concentrate on the 5 game run in where we want maximum points and look to Flint to draw somewhere.

2-0 away win at Gresford

4th April 2010

After last week's disappointment at Flint, it was important to bounce straight back and keep focussed on the remaining games whilst hoping fro Flint to slip up.

Starting line up: Pearson, Williams C, Gibbs, Austin, Mitchell, Gwynedd, Higham, Williams R, Thomas, Evans, Roberts DG subs: Jones G, Craven, Gowans, Roberts K, Lloyd, Shannahan.

Not a perfect pitch but a lot better than last week and facing a team at the bottom but who had picked up a few points recently; a potential banana skin as we have seen in past seasons.

This turned out to be a bit of a one sided game, dominated by Llangefni with us creating a string of chances. We started solidly, building from the back and spreading the ball wide. Good work in the middle with the ball played up to feet allowed Marc Evans to turn his defenders and lay good balls in to Darren Thomas with a couple of early chances turned round by the keeper or lashed harmlessly wide. On ten minutes Rich Higham took a loose elbow in the face causing severe bleeding and an ambulance to attend, he was replaced by Gerallt Jones  with a switch round on the left. (fortunately Rich recovered and with some butterfly stitches is OK). The game progressed with successive efforts saved or hitting the woodwork, but it was a good move from Mitchell to oggs and a wide ball to Thomas whose deep cross was met at the back by Danny Glyn to drive it into the ground and bounce up into the roof of the net on 20 minutes. There was little in response from the hosts which left our defence to build steadily from the back; we should have gone 2 up when a ball chipped through to Evans had him rounding the keeper but the ball bobbling and coming free. Darren Thomas lifted a ball over his marker but again the keeper pushed it round and so half time came at 1-0

2^nd half carried on as before, building from the back and breaking wide at pace, an early cross field ball from Austin to Thomas had him lobbing the advancing keeper but hitting the bar. Another near post cross from Chris Williams was met cleanly by Thomas but that too came back off the post shortly followed by another near post drive hitting the post and yet another chipped free kick with Gibbs header hitting the bar. Loggs too had his share of chances with two hit across the keeper and inches wide, but it was another Thomas cross that was headed clear but fell to Robbie Williams outside the box, he kept his powerful shot down to put us 2 up. Gowans came on for Evans and immediately pushed wide right and his hard near post shot was pushed round again. A game with more misses than a nunnery ran down to a 2-0 win and a deserved 3 points to keep us in the hunt and as remarked to the unlucky Darren Thomas, like a night out in Caernarfon where you hit all the bars but come home with empty pockets.

Elsewhere Flint were held at home by Buckley so goal difference is now  not a problem as we need them to draw one of their remaining games, the pressure is on.