Pontypridd United aiming to shut down negative talk after relegation

After their relegation to the Adran South, Pontypridd United are looking to shut down the negative talk ahead of the new season.

Having won the Adran Premier Conference Plate in the 2022-23 season, Pontypridd found themselves bottom of the table last season. The finish came after a very difficult season for the Dragons, but defender Shannon Hindmarsh is looking forward to starting fresh in the second tier.

“We didn’t have the best of starts, and that continued on, then we lost our manager and assistant manager, and that was difficult with the loss of that structure. Claire then came in and we had to start from fresh.

“Maybe if we had Claire a little earlier on in the campaign, we might have been a little more consistent, but that can’t be helped now. We were all gutted to be relegated, but we’re ready and raring to go this season.”

With this new start going on in Treforest, there has been plenty of turnover. A number of high-profile names, including Adran Premier Team of the Season goalkeeper Klaudia Wojtyczka, have now departed the club.

Lucy Jones admits it is odd not having plenty of experience in the changing room but does feel there has been a real changing of the guard at the club.

“The changing room is obviously a little more quiet, but all the younger players have really stepped up in preseason and shown what they can do.

“We’ve gone into all our preseason games full of confidence, and we can’t fault them. We do miss that experience, but when you’ve got young players who are so ready for the season ahead, then it’s a big help.”

Plenty of youngsters have made their mark during preseason, and their talent and potential have been on show to everyone. Ponty have beaten Adran Premier side Aberystwyth Town twice in the lead up to the new campaign, including a 9-3 win at Park Avenue.

Jones believes the good preseason shows the side are more than ready to tackle the Adran South head on.

“Sometimes when you have a new team with a lot of new players, you don’t really know how things are going to go.

“You don’t know whether you’re going to click or what each other are going to do. But from the first preseason game against Aberystwyth, we stepped onto the pitch with the tactics we wanted and played the game perfectly.

“Those youngsters knew their roles and knew what to do, and then us as senior players knew what to do around that. This preseason has proven what we’re ready to do.”

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The woman at the helm who’s been guiding Pontypridd through this whole transition has been Claire O’Sullivan.

When she became manager after the new year, Ponty’s form and performances really improved under O’Sullivan, and Hindmarsh was full of praise for what the manager has done to this team.

“Claire was new to coaching in the league, and it was a scary time for the club because we were on the brink of relegation.

“Claire came in at the right time, and we would have liked her to come in earlier in all honesty, but she did really well with us, connected well with the squad, and really values what us as players say.

“She wants to do well, but she also wants to be clear with her communication and focus on performing well.”

Everything seems to be in place for Ponty to have a successful year, and they want a swift return to the topflight, according to Jones.

“Our main objective is to get back to the Adran Premier, but every team in this league wants to get there as well. We’re not going to go into every game this year expecting to win. We know we must go out there and perform in every game and we can’t take any team for granted.

“However, we want to perform well, score goals, and continue our preseason form into that first game. Hopefully come the end of the season we can get that promotion, but a lot of teams in this league are looking to do the same.”

And this will certainly be a competitive division this year, with the likes of Cascade, Cwmbran Celtic, and Llanelli Town all eyeing up the title. Despite having Adran Premier experience, Hindmarsh knows every game is going to be a battle.

“It certainly is an open league, but we’re very clear with what we want out of this season, and that’s why some of us have stuck around, because we want the team to do well, keep improving, and get into the Adran Premier.

“We have to focus on one game at a time, perform to our standards, and that will hopefully bring around the results that we want.”

Their first game, however, comes against newly promoted Penybont. Jones is aware that Bont will want to try and prove a point in their first Adran South outing, but she says her team will focus on their own game.

“Penybont will want to prove a point in the opening game. Being a newly promoted team, they’re going to be on a high and will want to beat us who have just been relegated.

“We’re looking forward to every game, and it’s going to be a very exciting league this year. That first game will be a good one.

“Expectation here at Ponty is to go out and win, but Penybont will be looking to do the same.”

The message coming out of Pontypridd is clear. Underestimate them at your peril.

(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell/FAW)