The JD Welsh Premier League table paints a grim picture for Carmarthen Town, a club who’ve been stalwarts in the national top-flight and have offered a blueprint for many competing rival clubs who operate on a medium-scale budget.
The side collapsed to their 12th defeat in just 14 games on Saturday as newly promoted Prestatyn Town – tipped by many as relegations candidates themselves – returned back to north Wales with a 3-0 win under their belts.
Already 11 points from safety, Carmarthen’s current plight is beyond concerning – they are in absolute dire straits and even their WPL status could soon realistically become a foregone conclusion.
The Old Gold have lost just one game less than they did in the entirety of last season but to draw too many comparisons to last season would be harsh after they managed a very creditable fifth-place finish.
Carmarthen motored on impressively last season on the back of resilience, self-belief and the ability grind out results both at Richmond Park and on the road under the astute management of Mark Aizlewood, yet with essentially the same first-team squad, the character and performances of the squad look unrecognisable from last season.
Established players like Lee Idzi, Luke Cummings, Daniel Sheehan, Lee Surman, Craig Hanford, Ceri Morgan, Keiren Lewis and Liam Thomas show the calibre of Carmarthen team, yet even a manager as experienced as Mark Aizlewood has been unable to strike on a winning formula this season.
I am not highlighting the aforementioned players for criticism but merely indicating the proven quality that exists in a squad which continues to mystify with its extended sequence of poor results and sub-par performances.
Whatever it is the club have attempted in order to reverse their fortunes so far has simply not worked and successive home defeats to Newtown and Prestatyn spell out danger in bright flashing lights.
They would be foolish to ignore these indicators and if they cannot begin to at least show signs of ending their slump, then relegation will be inevitable way before the closing months of the season.
The second phase of the league format in January will present an enormous challenge to Carmarthen Town and one that Mark Aizlewood has already acknowledged will be the biggest test during his time at the club.
Phase 2 will give Carmarthen ten matches against teams all in the bottom-half of the table and they have already given themselves little choice but to be competitive in these fixtures if they are to preserve their WPL status.
The club already have plans in place to add to the squad in the January transfer window but whether that is players being introduced to supplement the current squad or a complete mid-season rebuild remains to be seen.
Mark Aizlewood has also been in football long enough to know that his own future as manager will also be undergoing scrutiny in some quarters – whether amongst fans or board members – but the fact he signed a two-year contract this summer and until now, has kept the club well clear of any relegation battles will add significant weight in his favour despite any other complicating non-football related matters.
Whichever route Carmarthen Town decide to take, the decisions that are going to be made in the next couple of months will be amongst the biggest the club have made since their promotion into the top-flight back in 1996.