‘Massive’ – Former Coventry City and Nottingham Forest man’s first words at Penybont after Barrow transfer exit
Tyler Walker has signed for Penybont after leaving Barrow following their relegation from the EFL League Two. (Pic by Lewis Mitchell/FAW)
Tyler Walker says the chance to compete for trophies and European football persuaded him to swap the English game for the Cymru Premier after joining ambitious Penybont this summer.
The 29-year-old striker arrived in Bridgend following the end of his spell with Barrow, who were relegated from the EFL League Two last season, and believes the club’s ambitions matched his own.
Walker, the son of former England defender Des Walker, has enjoyed a career that has taken him to clubs including Nottingham Forest, Coventry City and Portsmouth. Now, after a week with Rhys Griffiths’ side, he is targeting silverware and believes Penybont have what it takes to challenge perennial champions The New Saints.
Why Penybont? A fresh start and fresh ambitions
“I think a lot of reasons really; it’s a chance for a fresh start in a different country,” Walker told Ben Thomas on Y Clwb Pêl-droed when asked what convinced him to make the move.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge. Challenging at the top of the league and challenging for European football is definitely it.
“It was a massive thing for me to come here and see what we can do. It’s been a really good week, and we’re looking to build off that result.”
Walker’s arrival is another statement of intent from Penybont, who have enjoyed one of the most eye-catching recruitment drives in Welsh football this summer. The club have added several players with Football League and National League experience, most notably paying a transfer fee to sign former Aldershot Town captain Ryan Hill.
European football and a Cymru Premier title challenge
The striker made his debut as Penybont opened their Cymru Premier campaign by holding reigning champions The New Saints to an impressive goalless draw – a performance that reinforced the belief within the camp that they can compete with the league’s dominant force.
Penybont head into the new campaign determined to bounce back after their European adventure ended with a heavy aggregate defeat to Andorran side FC Santa Coloma. This season, qualification for Europe has become even more difficult, with only three places available: the Cymru Premier champions earning a Champions League berth, the Welsh Cup winners qualifying for Europe, and one further place decided through the end-of-season play-offs. As a result, even finishing second in the league no longer guarantees continental football.
Despite the increased challenge, Walker insists Penybont should be aiming for the summit.
“I’m here to push the club forward,” he said.
“I want to challenge for the top of the league. I feel like we’ve got the squad to do that and the players to do that, so why not?
“We’ll definitely give it our all and just see where we can get.”
‘The gaffer has been great’
Walker has also been impressed by manager Rhys Griffiths since arriving in south Wales, praising the preparation that went into the season opener against TNS.
“The gaffer has been great. I can’t fault him really,” he said.
“The sessions have been really good. We were really prepared coming into today. I think you could see how prepared we were because we gave the defending champions a good game.
“All things are going really well at the minute. We’ve just obviously got to try and see if we can get the goals.
“I’ve enjoyed my first week here, obviously topped it off with a good result against a really good side.”
