Long trip for Corries as they look for cup shock
IT’S the first round proper of the JD Welsh Cup this weekend.
Cardiff Corinthians, from the South Wales Alliance League, face a long trip north to Penryncoch, near Aberystwyth, who play in the JD Cymru North.
Corries are Cardiff’s longest established football club since being formed in 1898 and have picked up plenty of silverware in that time, including the Welsh Amateur Cup, the Welsh Youth Cup, the Corinthian Cup and Welsh Intermediate Cup.
Perhaps the most nostalgic piece of history for the team that still play in their original Cardinal and Gold kit they were formed in, is the amazing fact that the Corries were the first British team ever to play Barcelona while on a tour to Spain in 1910.
Manager Grant Thompson won’t have to focus on any Spanish superstars this weekend, but he will still have to try and create a shock should his Radyrbased team progress to round two.
Thompson’s team are having a decent campaign so far in the South
Wales Alliance Division One.
They are currently sixth in their table with 16 points from eight games.
George Jones, son of assistant manager John Jones, leads the way in the goal-scoring department with 17 goals from nine games and could be a key figure if a shock result was to happen. Ben Bailey, the Corries’ influential captain, would also have to be on his best form should the underdogs cause an upset.
Cardiff Draconians are another capital-based club, who also travel west tomorrow, and will take on the task of stopping Lee Trundle and Ammanford Town from progressing to round two.
Former Liverpool and Cardiff player Layton Maxwell leads the Dracs, who are currently third in the South Wales Alliance Premier Division.
There is a Rhondda derby being played tonight as Cambrian and Clydach entertain Ynyshir Albion (1930).
Cambrian were the outstanding cup team of last season when Dane Williams saw his team to the MG Cup final and the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup. Williams will be keen for his team to get a win this evening and put a stop to a run which hasn’t seen Cam win in five games.
Ynyshir have adjusted to the Welsh League well having stepped up from the Alliance in the summer and will see this game as their final.
Caerau Ely travel to play Pontypridd in an all Cymru South clash tomorrow.
Caerau sit bottom of the league at present with only two points while Ponty are two places above them with five points.
Both sets of players can forget bad starts to their league campaigns and a win would be welcome in either camp.
Llantwit Major have a decent home draw and host Llandrindod Wells in the Vale.
These two teams met in the same competition in 2016 with Llantwit running out 1-0 winners.
IN the JD Cymru Premier League, Penybont welcome champions The New Saints to their Kymco Stadium tomorrow.
It’s 10th game for Rhys Griffiths’ team at Cymru Premier level and they sit on five points and are in the bottom two.
Griffiths and his coaching staff would have most probably put down any points against TNS as a bonus but were unlucky not to have picked up a point at Park Hall in August when they narrowly lost 2-1.
Top-of-the-table Barry Town travel to Maes Tegid in Bala for the game of the day.
Connah’s Quay Nomads’ win against Caernarfon in midweek cut Barry’s lead at the top to one point, but Gavin Chesterfield’s team still have a game in hand.
Bala are on a great run of three wins in a row at present and also have top scorer Chris Venables in their ranks.
But Barry have notched up a superb five victories on the bounce on their travels, and if they could make it half a dozen, it would mark them out as very serious title contenders.
Cardiff Met are at the Cyncoed Campus tomorrow and welcome Connah’s Quay (1430).
The students have drawn their last two away games at Airbus (1-1) and Aberystwyth (2-2) and they were leading late on in both games.
Christian Edwards will want his team to get back on the winning track, but it will be difficult for his team as they are still to defeat the Nomads at home or away in the Cymru Premier.