History has an amazing way of coming full circle as Ammanford have drawn against Haverfordwest County for the second year in succession.
In 23/24, the Bluebirds earned progression in the next round of the cup thanks to a 2-0 win in Pembrokeshire. This year sees Town get the opportunity to avenge that defeat with a tie against the JD Cymru Premier side, this time in Carmarthenshire in front of the Sgorio cameras.
Ammanford earned their place in the JD Welsh Cup third round with a fantastic 1-0 victory over Aberystwyth Town three weeks ago. On a fantastic afternoon on the Ceredigion coast, Callum Thomas’ early goal was enough to settle the contest which also saw a fantastic performance from keeper Luke Martin and his defence of Luke Sylvester, Callum Jones, Nich Arnold and Ellis Williams.
Like the home side, County have only played one game in this competition to date and required spot kicks to see off the dogged resistance of JD Cymru South leaders Trethomas Bluebirds in the last round after it ended level after the allocated ninety minutes.
The Black and Whites head into this game after two defeats in the league at the hands of Pontypridd United and Caerau Ely respectively. Wyn Thomas will be looking for a reaction from his players after back to back losses.
However, a big performance will be needed to if Town expect to get anything out of the game given Haverfordwest’s current lofty league position in the top flight. They currently sit in third place behind leaders Penybont and Europa Conference League outfit The New Saints after 16 games of the season. They have won half of those games, drawn 5 and only lost 3. They have scored 20 goals, conceding just 8 at an average of 0.5 goals a game.
There are many links between the two sides. It will be an emotional afternoon for assistant manager Sean Cresser who is Bluebirds legend given his time in Pembrokeshire. Boss Wyn Thomas also spent time at Conygar Bridge Meadow during his fabled playing career. Striker Callum Shirt arrived at Ammanford this summer in search of regular game time after spending time with the club’s youth set up in previous campaigns.
For County, winger Dan John was part of Gruff Harrison’s squad that finished third last year. Striker Owain Jones hails from Ammanford and is a regular at The Recreation Ground when his own football commitments allow. The ex Amman Valley School star has previously played for Swansea City, Merthyr Town, Aberystwyth Town and Pontypridd United before joining Tony Pennock’s side in the summer where he has made an immediate impact, chipping in with vital goals including the winner away at Caernarfon Town.
As well as the links between the personnel, the two sides met in preseason in the very early stages of their preparations for the 24/25 campaign in early July. On that occasion, an experimental Ammanford side were defeated 3-0 (pictured above).
Bryn Markham-Jones will be the man in the middle which is a good omen for Town given he was the referee in our last round victory. He will be ably aided by experienced assistants Johnathan Bebee-Bryant and Connor Thomas. Alex McInch is tasked with keeping order on the touchline as the fourth official.
Kick off for the big game will be at 2:20pm. Gates are open at 1:00pm for you to soak in the matchday atmosphere. There are printed programmes available at the gates full of original content written by the hard working volunteers at the club. This is a day for your town. This is a day for your club. This is a day your Town and your club needs you.
