The Last Word: WPL Challengers Live Up To Expectations On Opening Weekend

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This season’s JD Welsh Premier League title race will be the closest in years – if the opening weekend is anything to go by.

The three clubs chasing The New Saints’ crown each turned in convincing winning performances putting out an early statement of intent in the process.

Talk ahead of the new season had largely focused on just how far can the chasing trio of Bala Town, Bangor City and Connah’s Quay push The New Saints this season and whether the current league champions’ grip on the league is finally about to be loosened.

Bangor City gave every indication that this could indeed be the case this year as they swept past The New Saints in a pulsating 5-2 victory at Nantporth on Friday night.

Tied two apiece at the break, Bangor regained the lead for a third time when player/assistant manager Gary Taylor-Fletcher headed home before Brayden Shaw (see below) unleased a wonderfully struck 30-yard effort to claim his second of the night and double the Citizens’ advantage.

Anderson Cayola, another of City’s new recruits, put the result beyond any doubt, converting from the penalty spot after he was fouled in the area becoming the first Bolivian to score in the Welsh Premier.

Bangor rampant, The New Saints in disarray – the season off to a spectacular start at Nantporth.

Last season’s runners up Connah’s Quay picked up where they left off starting the season with a convincing win away at newly promoted Prestatyn Town.

Two goals either side of half time for the ruthless Nomads gave Neil Gibson’s Prestatyn a stern reminder of the gulf in quality between the top sides in the WPL and that of the Cymru Alliance, in which the Seasiders were dominant last term.

Bala Town recorded an equally as comprehensive victory as Newtown did little to appease worries that they might find the going tough this year. The departures of the influential Shane Sutton and last season’s league top-scorer Jason Oswell have undoubtedly left the Robins weaker, though they will face few games as difficult as a trip to Maes Tegid.

Next weekend’s round of games, especially Bala’s visit to The New Saints will give us another hint of how the season might unfold but although some will disagree, I firmly expect the Saints to still be at the top of the pile come the end of season.

Alan Morgan will have been one of the league’s happiest managers this weekend after his Llandudno side came out of a difficult opening day test against Carmarthen Town with three goals and three points. Llandudno never really got going last year as they were hamstrung by a lack of goals but Saturday’s 3-0 win will definitely give them encouragement, even though two of the those goals were stroked in from the penalty spot by Sam Hart.

Cardiff Met, another side whose fortunes are difficult to predict this season, fared the best of the three southern sides claiming a comfortable 3-0 win up in Cefn Druids. You have to wonder whether the Students will find the going tougher this season now that they are no longer the unknown quantity they were twelve months ago – they might have lost their surprise element but they certainly haven’t lost their scoring touch, on the evidence of the weekend at least.

And what of Barry Town? An excellent crowd of 902 turned up at Jenner Park for their long awaited return in front of the TV cameras. Ryan Newman fired home Barry’s first goal back in the Welsh Premier League but Aberystwyth’s controversial equaliser, eight minutes from time, was undoubtedly the talking point of their return.

Bryn Markham-Jones adjudged that the ball had crossed the line and Johnny Spittle (Aberystwyth’s number 4) was credited with the goal, but Barry Town have every right to feel aggrieved from the replay.

Declan Walker whips in an in-swinging corner at pace. It travels through the six-yard box area, untouched, past the near post, where Barry’s keeper Mike Lewis punches the ball out from the goal line. Lewis doesn’t get any distance on the punch and the ball hits Spittle’s right shin and deflects straight back into Lewis, where he clutches hold of the ball on the line. Spittle rightly lunges after the ball in an attempt to poke it over the line but Lewis has the ball secure within his grasp.

From the replay, the closest the ball gets to crossing the line is from Walker’s actual delivery and not when it deflects off Spittle.

There were a crowd of bodies in the goalmouth so you can understand how Markham-Jones got the call wrong but there is no doubt in my mind that Barry Town had two points snatched from them.

Results: Bangor City 5-2 The New Saints, Bala Town 3-0 Newtown, Barry Town 1-1 Aberystwyth Town, Cefn Druids 0-3 Cardiff Met, Llandudno 3-0 Carmarthen, Prestatyn 0-3 Connah’s Quay

Featured image courtesy of JD Welsh Premier League/Bangor City

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