Pontyclun’s Barry Quin says the club will be looking to return to the Welsh League, as they currently sit top of the South Wales Alliance.
With the season almost at an end with only a quarter of the season left, many clubs will be fighting for promotion to a higher level whilst some sides will be fighting to stay in the division, for Pontyclun it could be a time of joy as they lead the division and seek a return to the Welsh League.
Quinn is under no illusions on how hard the division is but says his side will be grounded going into the tail end of the season.
“As everyone in this division knows, its a very competitive league and whilst we are in a good position, we know there is still a lot of hard work ahead of us.
We won’t allow ourselves to start looking any further ahead than the Cardiff Corries game on Sunday. The message to our players will be exactly the same for the final 11 games, as it has been from the start of the season. It’s important we stay focused on winning each game that comes along, by sticking to all the things we have worked on throughout the season.”
Pontyclun of course spent a majority of their existence in the Welsh League, so a return to the division could see them rise up the leagues.
“We have a long history of playing Welsh League football (44 years) and it has been our ultimate aim to return there. Everyone at the club is working really hard, to ensure we achieve this at the earliest opportunity. The Club have also worked extremely hard behind the scenes, to improve the facilities at Ivor Park. We now have an excellent set-up at the club and something for everyone to be proud of.
Part of the reason why Pontyclun lead the division and look the best bet for promotion at this moment in time is due to their defensive record, with Quinn’s men boasting the best defence in the record.
“Our defensive record has been the foundation that our results to date have been built upon. Our defensive unit have been excellent so far, keeping 11 clean sheets in 19 league games so far and only conceding 10 goals in total.
It’s something I’m delighted with of course, being a former centre-half myself. Lots of work in training sessions still goes into that and our coaching team of Martin Lawrence, Eliot Davey and goalkeeping coach Huw Jones will continue to strive for more clean sheets.”
Interestingly, the game will be played on a Sunday due to the Welsh Groundhop of 2017. in which they requested the two oldest sides in South Wales, play one another and this saw the two sides agree, with a bumper crowd expected.
“We are expecting a very tough game from the Corries and won’t be paying any attention to league positions. It can probably be classed as a local derby, so we know that we will have to be at our very best for this game.
I think for footballers, you always want to play in front of big crowds and I know all the players are really looking forward to it. Hopefully, it’s something we will thrive on and put in a good performance on the day.”
Unfortunately though, midfielder Harry Flint may miss out on the chance to play in front of a bumper crowd, due to an ankle injury which saw him miss last weeks match.
“As it stands today, we have one injury doubt – midfielder Harry Flint missed last week’s game at Grange Albion with a niggly ankle injury and is a doubt for the Cardiff Corries game this weekend. We don’t have any suspensions at the moment.”
One player who could make the difference on Sunday is striker Chris Bullock who has been amongst the goals in recent weeks.
“Chris has been a great addition to the side, since he joined in the summer and its always important to have a regular scorer in your ranks for any team. Overall, our goals have been shared well around the team, which is also great to see.”
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