💬 |”It’s a big occasion for everyone involved.”
I had the pleasure of speaking to @CambrianBgc‘s @Danewill1 ahead of Saturday’s #NathanielMGCupFinal against @CardiffMetFC for @YClwbPelDroed Thanks to @CMetSportTV for the footage. pic.twitter.com/B78SNR6Kwg— Josh Thomas (@JDPThomas) January 16, 2019
Cambrian’s Cup run has showcased the clubs potential says manager Dane Williams.
The Rhondda Club are preparing for their first ever League Cup final, when they take on Welsh Premier League outfit Cardiff Metropolitan on Saturday evening.
Cambrian have beaten four Welsh Premier League sides along the way and have gone one step further, to their semi-final appearance five years back.
The Cam Army are one of the Tier One applicants for the Welsh Premier League this season and currently sit third in the Welsh League.
Cambrian manager Dane Williams said: “I think this has given the club and the players on what we can achieve and what we want to achieve.
“The media attention and everything the club has had over the last few months has really lifted the profile. Hopefully, there’s someone out there who can step in and take us a little bit further.
“I and the players are getting the attention and spotlight but I want to say to the people who have been here for a long time, week in week out. They’ve been here when the media hasn’t. I want them to really enjoy it, it’s their hard work which has got us here.”
It’s a final in which Cambrian didn’t expect to reach, having not previously discussed it in their pre-season ambitions.
The Tonypandy based side are currently going strong in three competitions, with a Welsh Cup match against North Walian side Rhyl to follow next week.
“When we sat down in the summer in what we wanted to achieve this year, this certainly wasn’t on the list.
“We’ve earned the right to be there and what we’ve put in place has obviously worked. We’re enjoying it and we’ll look forward to it more than anyone else.”
It’s the first South-Walian final in the League Cup, following each sides shock victory over Cardiff Metropolitan and The New Saints respectively.
The non-regionalisation of the competition at the semi-final stage, which was introduced at the start of the season, has allowed for the two South Wales sides to reach the final, in a competition which has been dominated by northern sides in recent years.
It’s a chance for top-flight silverware in the Rhondda area, something in which hasn’t happened in the Valleys, for a long time.
“For the Valleys and South Wales on a whole, it’s great to see Welsh Premier football with Cardiff Met and Barry.
“In the Valleys, we’re trying to represent something more different, I think it’s a big occasion for everyone involved.”
(Featured Image: Will Cheshire)
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