Welsh Premier League

Domestic league and cup football
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seso
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Post by seso »

Good morning members! I hope everybody is having a nice post-Christmas time!
Just one MD remaining in the Welsh premier league before it splits into two groups – the top six and the bottom six clubs. TNS continue to dominate, they have a 9-point difference over Connah's Quay. Bangor City, Bala Town and Cardiff MU follow. One of Cefn Druids, Llandudno or Barry Town United will be the final club in the Championship group.
Cefn Druids vs Llandudno on Saturday!
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seso
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Post by seso »

Phase One of the Welsh Premier League has been completed! No surprises in the last MD. Cefn Druids 0-0 Llandudno, so Cefn Druids is the final club in the Championship group. This is the first time in the club's history that they reach the top six. The other five clubs are: The New Saints, Connah's Quay, Bangor City, Bala Town and Cardiff MU. Clubs keep their Regular Season record going into the Championship group, so TNS enters with a 12-point lead!
Llandudno, that led the table until MD6, will compete in the Relegation group.
There are 10 MDs still to be played and then the Europa League play-offs.
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seso
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Post by seso »

Good morning forum! Phase Two of the Welsh Premier League has begun!
Connah's Quay 1-1 Bala Town
Cefn Druids 2-2 The New Saints
So TNS keep their 12-point lead! More interesting matches today!
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seso
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Post by seso »

Big wins for TNS against 2nd-placed Bangor City and for Bala Town against Cefn Druids! I don't see TNS losing the title; they are 14 points ahead with 8 matches to play.
Also Aberystwyth Town 3-1 Llandudno and Aberystwyth Town takes a big step to avoid relegation!
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seso
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Post by seso »

Cardiff MU is the only club with three defeats in Phase Two. Probably because MU students prepare for exams!!...
In the Relegation group, Barry Town United does best and they are in the EL play-off spots now!
Generally very balanced Phase Two; all clubs have wins, draws, defeats, so no big changes in the table.
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seso
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It's a quiet day at the office, so I check several unrelated things!! I noticed that 6 clubs (out of 12) in the Welsh Premierleague and 9 clubs (out of 30) in the two second divisions are from North-East Wales. This area represents just 13% of the total population of Wales. Could 'cultural/football proximity' to Liverpool and Manchester explain this?? :roll: :?:
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Post by MalcolmW »

seso wrote:It's a quiet day at the office, so I check several unrelated things!! I noticed that 6 clubs (out of 12) in the Welsh Premierleague and 9 clubs (out of 30) in the two second divisions are from North-East Wales. This area represents just 13% of the total population of Wales. Could 'cultural/football proximity' to Liverpool and Manchester explain this?? :roll: :?:
It has always been the case that South Wales is rugby first, notwithstanding that such talents as John Charles and Gareth Bale are from South Wales.

The area around Wrexham is very different, so I'm not too surprised at your statistics.
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Post by seso »

Thank you for the info MalcolmW! I am also glad you interrupted my monologue!
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seso
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Post by seso »

TNS continue doing greatly and will almost certainly be champion! Cardiff MU continue losing matches!
In the relegation group, Barry Town seems to be the club that will get the last EL play-off spot!
Carmarthen Town vs Aberystwyth Town today in the relegation battle!
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Post by Oldelpaso »

MalcolmW wrote:
seso wrote:It's a quiet day at the office, so I check several unrelated things!! I noticed that 6 clubs (out of 12) in the Welsh Premierleague and 9 clubs (out of 30) in the two second divisions are from North-East Wales. This area represents just 13% of the total population of Wales. Could 'cultural/football proximity' to Liverpool and Manchester explain this?? :roll: :?:
It has always been the case that South Wales is rugby first, notwithstanding that such talents as John Charles and Gareth Bale are from South Wales.

The area around Wrexham is very different, so I'm not too surprised at your statistics.
Yeah, as Malcolm says, rugby is big in South Wales, whereas it is practically non-existent in North Wales.

In NE Wales, Liverpool is more of an influence than Manchester. Liverpool are by far the most commonly supported team. People form near the border have slightly Scouse-tinged accents, and don't sound very Welsh. The border here is porous. Places like Flintshire don't have many job opportunities, so people seeking good jobs will often commute to the Wirral (the peninsula next to Liverpool, where there is a lot of heavy industry), Liverpool or Chester. Recent European qualifiers Airbus UK Broughton are only a few hundred metres over the border, its effectively a village on the outskirts of Chester. Works teams are traditionally strong around there on both sides of the border - Vauxhall Motors knocked QPR out of the cup a few years back.

Welsh national identity is not as strong in those parts - you get people from Wrexham who are happy to support England when they are not playing Wales. part of this might be the lack of north-south transport links in Wales. Much of Wales is rural and hilly. To get to Cardiff from North Wales you'd drive to England, go south and then west. Far longer, but much quicker than the windy country roads. Not all of North Wales is like the north east. As you go further west toward Anglesey, the Welsh language gets more common, and the vote share for Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru become rises, particularly in rural areas. However, one time the people of Wrexham display their Welsh identity is matches between Wrexham and Chester. The two are fierce rivals, and there can be few fifth tier rivalries like theirs anywhere in the world - the last one had a crowd of 4,000. Incidentally, Chester's ground is right on the border, and has one goal in England, and the other in Wales.
No to Superleague
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seso
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Post by seso »

Thank you for the info Oldelpaso! I didn't know that there was such rivarly between Wrexham and Chester!
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Post by seso »

Big win for Connah's Quay against TNS in the Welsh Cup! The other Cup semi-finalists are Bangor City, Aberystwyth Town and Newtown.
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Post by seso »

Welsh Cup Semi-finals:
[Single matches that will be played at neutral venues]
Connah's Quay Nomads vs Bangor City
Newtown vs Aberystwyth Town

All are first-division clubs.
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Post by seso »

Welsh Premier League:
No big changes in the Championship group. TNS are on their way to be champions, Bala Town does best in the play-offs and are second, Cardiff MU has 1 draw and 4 defeats. TNS vs Bala Town on Friday!
In the Relegation group, Barry Town has 4 wins in 4 matches! Carmarthen Town and Prestatyn Town will probably be relegated.
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seso
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Post by seso »

The New Saints 3-0 Bala Town, and TNS are champions for a 7th consecutive season!!... They have 5 matches to spare!!... They start in the CL 1st Qualifying Round.

I can't believe I followed a full season of the Welsh Premier League!! :shock: :thumbs:
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