Today heralds the start of the Nathaniel MG Cup quarter finals, which has handed gap Connah’s Quay, Rhyl, The New Saints, Bangor, Carmarthen, Newtown, Haverfordwest and Barry Town midweek fixtures and the chance to reach the semi finals of Welsh football’s most prestitgious league cup.
Here, we preview each game to see what the competition might have in store for us.
25/10/16 7:45pm Bangor City v The New Saints
In the blockbuster fixture of the quarter finals, Bangor will be eager to test themselves against The New Saints after a 4-0 defeat at their hands earlier in the season.
Since then, Andy Legg has whipped Bangor into a formidable-looking side, but they still face a huge challenge against a TNS side who kept their 100% start to the season with a late winner against Newtown AFC on Sunday.
25/10/16 7:45pm gap Connah’s Quay Nomads v Rhyl
Deeside will see a North East Wales derby tonight, with both teams looking for a boost after difficult runs of form in the league. Connah’s Quay have been held by Bangor and Cardiff Met, whilst a slump has seen the Lilywhites lose their last four games, a run which began at Deeside.
Both Andy Morrison and Niall McGuinness will be expected to field strong sides in pursuit of the semi finals, with both sides knocked out of the competition last year by underdogs and eventual finalists Denbigh Town.
25/10/16 7:45pm Barry Town vs Haverfordwest County AFC
This fixture guarantees a feeder league presence in the semi finals, continuing this competition’s trend for smaller clubs enjoying big cup runs.
Barry come into the game after a 4-1 thrashing of Port Talbot, whilst Haverfordwest are looking to build on their Nathaniel MG Cup run of last year which saw them get knocked out in the quarter finals by TNS.
Whatever happens, Jenner Park will expect a quality encounter between two of the competition’s surprise packages so far.
26/10/16 7:45pm Newtown AFC vs Carmarthen Town
Both sides will welcome this quarter final as a distraction from their mixed start to the Welsh Premier League, with Carmarthen Town eighth and Newtown surprisingly rooted to the bottom of the table. After a fierce encounter recently which saw Carmarthen come out on top 3-1, another tough game will be anticipated by both sets of players.
Stay up to date with all the news from the Nathaniel MG Cup right here on Y Clwb Pel Droed.
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