Cup fever has swept across Ammanford as Town head into the Southern section semi-final of the Welsh Blood Service League Cup on Saturday afternoon.
The competition, exclusively for teams in the second tier of the Welsh footballing pyramid, concludes with one team from the Northern section and one team from the Southern section facing off at a neutral venue late in the season to be crowned champions.
Gruff Harrison’s men have been in formidable goal-scoring form in this competition this season overcoming Taffs Well 5-4 in September before putting in arguably their best performance of the season in a 3-0 victory at the Recreation Ground against Carmarthenshire rivals Carmarthen Town back in November.
New signing Dan John will be looking to make an instant impact after his move from Haverfordwest County was finalised this week. Elsewhere, the management has a clean bill of health with the squad having trained well on Wednesday evening.
Our opposition on Saturday will be Briton Ferry Llansawel. Assignments in Tier 2 aren’t much tougher than a visit from the Reds. Currently, they lead the way in the JD Cymru South and are seven points clear of their nearest rivals.
They are the league’s leading scorers having found the back of the net 54 times in just 18 games which, given the wealth of attacking talent in their arsenal including Luke Bowen, Tyler Brock and Thomas Walters, comes as no surprise to outside observers.
They have a plethora of talent right across the field. In addition, they’ve also added to their ranks in the January window with the additions of Cymru Premier stalwart Jonathan Hood as well as Alex Pennock between the sticks.
This game sees a third successive away trip in the competition for Ferry. Before the weekend’s fixture, the Reds have dispatched Baglan Dragons and Pontardawe Town to reach this stage.
Should the game end level after 90 minutes, then it will be decided by penalty kicks immediately following the referee’s full-time whistle. The winner of this game will take on the winner of Llanelli Town AFC vs Cambrian and Clydach in the other semi-final. It is worth noting that Ammanford have defeated both sides in league action this season.
However, unfortunately, Ammanford have yet to defeat the Reds this term having lost in the Nathanial MG Cup on September 19th when an early penalty from the prolific Bowen saw the Reds advance to play Swansea City where they eventually exited the tournament.
As well as an opportunity for revenge for curtailing this term’s League Cup campaign, this game offers a chance to avenge last season’s WBS League Cup exit when after a thrilling 4-4 draw, Andy Hill’s men won from 12 yards to earn progression at the expense of the Black and Whites.
The man in the middle at 14:00 will be Daniel Richardson and he’ll be assisted by Harry Hendricks and Darren Hales.
We are grateful for our matchday sponsors Penybanc Car Hire as well as our Matchball sponsors DJ Davies Fuels.
Kick-off is at the slightly earlier time of 2 pm on Saturday. Entry is £5 for adults, £4 for concessions and £1 for Under 16’s. Academy players and coaches are admitted free of charge.
In a positive season to date, this game offers the Black and White’s a big chance at some silverware. Your support will be needed in what is sure to be a difficult but enjoyable test for Town. Come on Ammanford!
