FAW Trophy Preview: Last four to battle for cup glory
The FAW Trophy semi finals commence on Saturday afternoon with lower tier yet high quality teams looking to make it to the prestigious finals. Sully Sports take on Penlan Social at Port Talbot Town, whilst Chirk AAA and Llangefni Town face off at Rhyl FC.
Chirk AAA vs Llangefni Town
There will be little against Chirk and Llangefni at Rhyl tomorrow afternoon.
Chirk AAA come into the game with the FAW Trophy a prominent competition in their history, having won the cup three times and been beaten finalists in 2014. However, Llangefni have also won the competition in 1992 and will want to put themselves within 90 minutes of being reunited with the cup.
Both sides are respected in their leagues, as Chirk are the Welsh National League Premier Division’s dark horses for the title and Llangefni not out of the race for the Welsh Alliance Division One championship.
League form will however take a back seat in the semi final which is recognised as a landmark fixture for both clubs.
A statement from Llangefni Town admitted the magnitude the fixture has for the club.
It means everything, to play in the Semi Final of such a prestigious competition. Since we have reached the semi-final there has been excitement around the place, everyone is looking forward to it. It’s the biggest game for the club for nearly 10 years and it shows how far we’ve come in the past few years.
The achievements so far has been fantastic. We feel very confident going in to the match v Chirk, we have faith in the players and management but it is very important we don’t get ahead of ourselves. We are going to enjoy the occasion and hope quality will shine and take us through to the final 25 years on to when the club last won the competition.
And Chirk AAA see the game in the same light, with the FAW Trophy now their main chance of silverware after a league defeat at the hands of FC Nomads last week.
“Everyone at the club is looking forward to tomorrow’s game. The league looks like it’s gone for us now after last weekend’s defeat, so we will be putting every effort into the semi final to keep our season alive. We fondly remember our experiences 3 years ago when we reached the Final of the Trophy.”
Sully Sports vs Penlan Social
Sully Sports will fancy their chances of reaching the cup final tomorrow, as they won the FAW Trophy in 2012 and missed out as losing finalists last season. Standing in their way is Swansea Senior League side Penlan Social, who are the lowest ranked team left in the competition and will be hoping to cause an upset.
Both sides ply their trade in the lower South Wales pyramid, but are well recognised as strong outfits and met in a competitive fixture around two seasons ago.
Jimmy Blackie’s Sully are the favourites to go through, but Port Talbot’s Genquip Stadium could see an upset if Penlan can produce another plucky performance.
