Cwmbran Town sign former Cardiff City and QPR forward as Swansea City legend Lee Trundle reacts after transfer
Leon Jeanne featured in the same Trethomas Bluebirds squad as Michael Chopra. (Pic by Jamie Edwards/FAW)
Cwmbran Town have completed the signing of former Cardiff City forward Leon Jeanne as the Ardal South East club look to build on their first league win of the season.
The 45-year-old has joined the Crows from Trethomas Bluebirds, where he made five appearances after previously signing for the club from Bridgend Street. Jeanne scored during Trethomas’ 1-1 draw with Llanelli Town.
On Saturday, he made a winning start to his spell with Cwmbran, finding the net on his debut in a 1-0 victory over Blaenavon Blues.
That result gave Cwmbran Town a welcome boost after they finally claimed their first league victory of the campaign on their sixth attempt.
Leon Jeanne makes switch to Cwmbran Town
Born in Cardiff, Jeanne is an eight-time Wales Under-21 international who began his career with Queens Park Rangers.
He returned to his hometown in 2001 when he joined Cardiff City, before going on to represent some clubs during his career, including Port Talbot, Barry Town and Cardiff Corries.
His arrival adds further experience to a Cwmbran Town squad that already contains former Swansea City favourite Lee Trundle.
Trundle reacted to the news of Jeanne’s arrival with a simple message on social media, writing: “What a signing.”
Jeanne could make his home debut for Cwmbran Town when they welcome Undy on Saturday, October 3.
The experienced forward will be hoping to help the club climb the Ardal South East table after their difficult opening to the campaign.
Cwmbran have already changed manager this season
The move comes during a period of significant change at Cwmbran Town.
Branded Simpson was replaced by Sean Wharton earlier this season, with Simpson having taken over from Dale Clark.
Clark had guided Cwmbran to within one match of reaching the Cymru South, but the club ultimately missed out on promotion, losing to Pontarfawe Town. In the aftermath of the defeat, Clark stood down with Simpson replacing him.
The former Cwmbran boss has since made a return to management, taking over at league rivals Goytre.
He will come up against his former side when Goytre travel to Plough Road on October 9.
The Pontypool-based side also contains several former Cwmbran players, including last season’s top scorer Jack Pewtner, as well as Samuel Davies and Blake Tovey.
Wharton will now hope Jeanne’s arrival can provide another boost as Cwmbran attempt to move up the standings.
The Crows have already shown signs of improvement by securing their first league victory, and Jeanne’s goalscoring record could give them another attacking option.
Lee Trundle remains sidelined with shoulder injury
Cwmbran made headlines earlier this summer when they pulled off a surprise move to sign Trundle.
The 49-year-old has, however, been restricted to just one appearance so far this season.
Trundle featured in Cwmbran’s opening-day 3-0 defeat to local rivals Cwmbran Celtic before suffering a shoulder problem that has kept him out of action.
Speaking about the injury in August, on the Feast of Football podcast, Trundle explained that he had torn his shoulder during pre-season but chose to play in the derby because of the significance of the fixture.
He said: “I’ve torn my shoulder in pre-season as well, and I played in that game because it was a derby game. They hadn’t played each other for 16 years. I shouldn’t have really played.”
Trundle subsequently saw a specialist and was told he may require surgery, with the former Swansea City star expecting to spend a couple of months on the sidelines.
He added: “I’ve got to go and see the surgeon on Wednesday, so it looks as though I’ll have to get an operation on it so hopefully I’ll get that sorted soon. I’ll be out for a couple of months now and then back playing.”
Despite the setback, Trundle remains determined to return before the end of the season.
He added: “Still keeping fit, still playing, and I’ll definitely be back this season as well.”
With Jeanne now joining the club and Trundle working towards his own return, Cwmbran will hope the experience within their squad can help transform their fortunes over the coming weeks.
