As we turn the corner of Christmas, and enter the now fortnight old New Year, it's worth looking at the leagues beneath the League of Wales. A league in North Wales, the North Wales Joinery Cymru Alliance, and a league in South Wales, the CC Sports Welsh League, feed directly into the League of Wales, with one side being promoted from each.
In South Wales, former League of Wales side, Ton Pentre, are leading the way, with 44 points from 18 matches. However, the Rhondda Valley side have again decided not to apply for promotion back to the League of Wales.
In fact, the only club who meet all of the criterion for the League of Wales is second placed Llanelli, another ex-League of Wales side. They are above Port Talbot by a single goal, with both sides having 37 points. However, Port Talbot have a game in hand on Llanelli. The West Walian club will need to maintain their position in the top two to ensure promotion to the League of Wales.
Another former League of Wales side doing well in the CC Sports League is Maesteg Park Athletic, who are in fourth place, but they should be overtaken by BP Llandarcy, who have five games in hand on the Gwynfi Valley club.
In North Wales, it's a club with a slightly older pedigree which is clear at the top. Flexsys Cefn Druids, the modernday descendants of the club which won eight Welsh Cups in the nineteenth century, are poised to join the League of Wales, with an eight point gap and a game in hand on Porthmadog.
The two clubs in the village of Cefn merged to form one club a few years ago, and play at Plaskynaston Lane. Recently, they took advantage of the sale of many amenities at Connah's Quay's old Halfway ground and a new �40,000 sponsorship deal with Flexys has allowed them to go clear at the top of the Alliance.
Second placed Porthmadog were controversially relegated from the League of Wales last year, and were many people's favourites to bounce straight back and earn promotion to the LoW, especially with the formation of their own 'Football in the Community' scheme and the signing of two brothers from Sweden. However, unless there is a substantial change at the top, that scenario appears unlikely.
Anglesey side, Glantraeth, climbed to third last week, as they have a better goal difference than fourth placed Flint, who were relegated to the Alliance after final day defeat here at Jenner Park last season. Glantraeth's goal difference is three better than Flint, but the Anglesey side also have five matches in hand on the Deeside club.
Below them in fifth is another former League of Wales club, Cemaes Bay, who, after facing financial ruin last season, appear to have turned the corner.
The Alliance is currently plagued by problems though, with its geographical base covering nearly three-quarters of Wales. Several clubs at the Southern end of the league, i.e mid-Walian clubs, decided to pull out of the league over the Summer, and take a step down to the more regionalised Spar Mid-Wales League. Those clubs, which included Llandrindod Wells and Penrhyncoch, cited the large amount of travel and subsequent costs involved, with Llandrindod wondering about the potential of a move to the CC Sports League. Leaving few mid-Walian clubs behind, another one, Knighton Town, pulled out of the Cymru Alliance a few weeks into the season. It seems that potnetial problems are being stored for the future should any of the five mid-Walian League of Wales clubs get relegated.
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LoWdown 09.01.99
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1999.
This article first published in the Barry Town Matchday Magazine, v Connah's Quay Nomads, 16.01.99, League of Wales
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