The players unlucky to miss out on a Wales C call-up

With just 20 players in the Wales C squad, it was inevitable that some big names would be excluded, as Mark Jones faced the difficult task of having to exclude some of the league’s most talented players.

Whilst the squad picked by Mark Jones is a strong one, there are plenty of players in the Cymru Leagues who will feel hard done by not to have been included, and here’s a look at some of them;

Alex Lang – Cardiff Metropolitan University

The Swansea academy product is the form goalkeeper in the Cymru Premier at the moment, having kept 10 clean sheets in 24 appearances this season, as well as a man of the match performance against The New Saints a fortnight ago. Lang has also worn the captain’s armband in Chris Baker’s absence for Met this season, and has has been a key factor in his side’s current 10-game unbeaten strike.

Whilst Connor Roberts and Alex Ramsay are both fine goalkeepers, the former has made just one league appearance for The New Saints this season, and Ramsay has looked shaky on occasions this season. Lang does appear to be in better form than both, but Mark Jones has opted for the experience of Ramsay and Roberts instead.

Dan Jefferies – Penybont

Penybont have the highest amount of representatives in the Wales C squad, with four of their players selected. However, a few more Bont players can count themselves unlucky not to have been selected – and centre-back Dan Jefferies is one of those.

Jefferies has been an ever-present fixture at the heart of Penybont’s defence, having played every single minute of the league campaign so far – Caernarfon’s Gruff John is the only other outfield player to have achieved this feat.

Jefferies has already played at a fairly high level, having made four appearances for Partick Thistle in the Scottish Championship three years ago, and this experience could have made a big difference to a relatively young defence which will have the unenvious task of keeping the likes of Paul Mullin and Michael Cheek quiet.

Noah Edwards – Caernarfon Town

With the game being held at Caernarfon’s The Oval, it’s something of a shock that Darren Thomas and Dion Donohue are the only players who will represent the hosts.

One player in particular that would have been part of the discussions when selecting the squad is midfielder Noah Edwards.

Edwards has impressed in his 25 appearances for the Cofis this season, having shown his ability to turn defence into attack with some great runs on more than one occasion, and his solo effort against Haverfordwest in November is a prime example of this.

The only obvious flaw in his game is his discipline, having picked up eight yellow cards in the league this season. In a game where cool heads will likely prevail, Mark Jones has instead favoured a midfield with a cleaner disciplinary record.

Edwards’ midfield partner Danny Gosset can also count himself unlucky after not making the cut, despite showing no signs of rustiness in his first full season back after recovering from a cancer diagnosis.

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Nick Rushton – Newtown

Now in his sixth season at Newtown, Rushton seems to have found a new lease of life this year, having helped his side’s stunning charge up the table with eight goals and seven assists. The versatile forward is thriving off being able to play with the likes of Lifumpa Mwandwe, Aaron Williams, and Zeli Ismail.

Had Rushton been included, he could have offered Mark Jones a different option to the forwards that have been selected, and Rushton could have provided an extra creative spark that could be missing from the selected players.

Nathan Peate – Bala Town

After playing for Wales C in the 2019 fixture, and being named in the squad for the game that was then cancelled in 2020, Peate could have rightly been expecting to be included for a third time, but it wasn’t to be.

In addition to his defensive duties, Peate has shown that he can contribute at the other end of the field, with five goals to his name so far this season.

Whilst plenty of full-backs have been selected, Lee Jenkins, Emlyn Lewis and Dion Donohue are the only out-and-out centre-backs in the squad, although Callum Roberts could also fit in there. With a five-at-the-back formation looking likely, Peate could have provided an extra option in the middle of the defence for Wales C.

Adam Davies – Airbus UK/Thomas Walters – Llantwit Major

No player outside of the top tier has been selected for a Cymru C squad in the past, but both Davies and Walters have made strong cases for their inclusion. None of the Welsh strikers in the Cymru Premier are firing on all cylinders at the moment, whilst Davies and Walters in contrast have 28 and 20 league goals respectively.

It would be a big step up for both to go from the second tier of Welsh football to facing the likes of Wrexham’s Aaron Hayden and Ben Tozer, but it would be a great platform for them to prove they deserve to be playing in the top tier.

Other players from tier two who could have had a chance include Carmarthen’s Liam Thomas, who appeared for Cymru C in 2019, and Ammanford’s Tristan Jenkins, who is level with Walters at the top of the Cymru South scoring charts.