Centre Battle Gives A Glimpse Of Wales' Present & Future
Rhodri Evans
Scarlets were comfortable winners in the first match of Judgement Day, cruising to a 32-15 victory over the Dragons.
A brace of second half tries from Tomi Lewis confirmed the result after Kemsley Mathias and Dan Davis had converted in the first period. Dragons substitute Sio Tomkinson scored a couple of tries to reduce the deficit, but it was ultimately too little, too late for the away side.
With both sides having seasons to forget, the match was an opportunity for some of the younger prospects to put their names forward for starting berths next season and for others to impress in front of Wales head coach Warren Gatland ahead of his squad announcement on Monday.
Will Reed and Sam Costelow traded early penalties before Kemsley Mathias dotted down for Scarlets at the back of a maul to give the ‘home’ side some breathing room.
It was a cagey first half, one where the ball rarely got out to the wide areas, making the midfield battle key to how this match was settled. Aneurin Owen and Joe Westwood of Dragons competed well up against the Scarlets duo of Eddie James and Johnny Williams, as the contest reached a stalemate of sorts in the opening 25 minutes of the match.
Westwood, starting just his third match of the season and only his second in the centres, was diligent in defence but was given very little in attack, while Williams, always a willing runner in attack, was prone to momentary lapses when defending the 13 channel.
James was most eye catching, flinging a couple of lovely passes out to Ryan Conbeer on the left wing before being yellow carded for a tackle on Owen that was adjudged to have been high by referee Craig Evans.
Owen’s right leg slipped out from under him as he played the pass, resulting in a good shot from James turning into an illegal one. Owen went off for an HIA and was replaced by Dragons’ club captain Steff Hughes, a substitution later made permanent.
Despite being a man up, Dragons were unable to capitalise. The newly-introduced Hughes’ cross kick was a touch high for Rio Dyer who was well managed by Ioan Nicholas out wide.
It was Scarlets, though that pulled further ahead before the break. Gareth Davies quick-tap penalty left the Dragons’ defence scrambling before Sam Lousi’s offload to Ioan Lloyd broke it open.
Lloyd fed Tomi Lewis on the wing who fixed the covering defender before putting through Dan Davis to score his first try of a consistent, if unspectacular, season for the openside.
Scarlets stretched their lead further just after the break as Dyer’s meandering sideways run ended catastrophically as he offloaded the ball straight into the hands of Lewis with a clean run through for a third try.
Twenty-one unanswered points for Scarlets left Dragons chasing the game. As Chris Hollis and Dyer left their wings looking for work, the visitor’s attacking shape shrunk into the middle of the pitch, making things simple for James, Williams and co in defence.
While in defence, things were unravelling in familiar fashion. Lewis was one of a number of red shirts waiting for Jarrod Taylor’s ball on the overlap, as Dragons’ scramble defence was left wanting after Johnny Williams’ break.
Taine Plumtree, another looking to impress ahead of the summer internationals, was not overly tested, while his blindside counterpart, Wales U20 captain Ryan Woodman cut a peripheral figure as the Dragons’ edge forward in attack.
In the second rows, Alex Craig was the standout. A heavy carrier, albeit without the flair of his partner Sam Lousi, Craig was consistently affecting the contact area and imposing his size and power on the contest, a deserved man of the match performance at a key time for the Scottish lock.
Ben Carter, likely to be in Warren Gatland’s squad for Wales’ game with South Africa later this month due to a number of injuries and other absentees, was his usual industrious self.
However, Gatland will be sweating over the fitness of number eight Aaron Wainwright who was forced off at half time, replaced by Dan Lyditate.
Dragons’ hit back not long after Lewis’ second try through substitute Sio Tomkinson before the impressive Lewis had to be helped from the pitch for what looked like a twisted ankle injury as he defended another yellow and black attack.
Tomkinson’s second try gave the scoreline a little gloss for the Dragons but, as has been the case for most of the season, their second half efforts were in vain.
Both sides will now look to put this season behind them and look towards next with some positivity.
Scarlets: (17) 32 Tries: Mathias, Davis, Lewisx2 Con: Costelow x2, Lloyd, Pen: Costelow x2.
Dragons: (3) 15 Tries: Tomkinson x2, Con: Reed Pen: Reed.
Scarlets: Nicholas (Lloyd 55′), Lewis (Page 66′), J Williams, James, Conbeer, Costelow, G Davies (Hardy 51′); Mathias (W Jones 55′), Elias (c) (S Evans 66′), O’Connor (S Wainwright 55′), Craig (M Jones 74′), Lousi, Plumtree, Davis, Tuipulotu (Taylor 51′).
Dragons: Rosser, Dyer, Westwood, Owen (Hughes 30′), Hollis (Tomkinson 59′), Reed, R Williams (c) (Hope 66′); R Jones (Martinez 53′), Coghlan (Benjamin 53′), Coleman (Arhip 53′), Carter, Screech (Nott 61′), Woodman, Basham, A Wainwright (Lydiate 40′).
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Battling Back: New Tredegar RFC Plans To Rise Back To Better Days
Rhodri Evans
New Tredegar RFC, a previously thriving rugby club, have fallen on hard times recently.
Demoted from Division 4 East after not being able to fulfil their fixtures, the community club will play in Division 6 next season – the bottom tier of amateur rugby’s structure.
The club were hit hard by poor weather and a lack of playing staff, meant that the club had more fixtures to play than weeks available in the season.
Now building from the base of welsh amateur rugby, New Tredegar have unveiled their new strategy to return to their previous position as a thriving village rugby club and a community hub for the surrounding area.
The club are starting a new long-term plan that is aimed at getting the club back to the standard of rugby that it has played in the past.
A large part of their plan is to re-establish a youth side that builds on the strong work of their minis program and age-group players, creating a pathway for their talented youngsters to reach the senior team.
A new management team has been assembled with the task of carrying out these exciting changes.
Ryan Man and Roderick Miles will take on the role of joint Team Managers, while Ray Davies, who has been an integral part of New Tredegar for nearly 50 years, will be Fixtures Secretary. Finally, Dean Jones will be heading up the drive to make the senior side commercially successful.
Chairman of the club, Alan Vaughan, is thrilled to have a new team in place
“It’s so pleasing for the senior team to have some new support and fresh ideas,” Vaughan said.
“The club is successful in many ways, but the senior team is the pinnacle for any side and New Tredegar is no exception. The committee and I will be supporting in anyway we can.”
New Tredegar has identified four key areas of focus that they believe, when completed, will bring the club back back to its previous heights:
- Create a club culture that feels professional both on and off the rugby pitch.
- Develop and maintain a smooth pathway for players from mini’s to youth teams and into senior rugby.
- Recruit quality coaching to become an attractive hub for players where they can learn and develop their rugby skills.
- Establish a commercial strategy to reinforce the club’s new direction and secure the financial status of the club going forward.
As well as these core pillars, there has already been work put in to bring coaching clinics from high-profile players and coaches within Welsh rugby to create some excitement around the launch of this new strategy.
The club has also put appointing high quality coaching staff top of its priority list ahead of an important preseason.
Ray Davies, Fixtures Secretary of New Tredegar RFC, said of the changes: “I have been a part of the club for over 47 years and to see it drop down the divisions is hard for everyone.
“I know how much time and effort everyone puts into this club and that passion is what we want to be harnessing as we take the club in this new direction.
“This strategy will bring New Tredegar back to its past glory and establish it, once again, as an essential part of the local community. We are all excited to see where we can take this wonderful club in the future.”
Dean Jones a former player who is helping to drive sponsorship and other revenue to invest in the club, is excited by the direction the club is going.
“It has been sad to see the hard times that this great club has fallen on and when the opportunity came up to help in any way, I could not turn it down,” he added.
“Being born and bred in New Tredegar and benefitting from the great work the club does, I feel passionately that players should come to New Tredegar knowing it can deliver for them as a club both on and off the field.
“I am looking forward to getting stuck in and bringing the focus back on all the good this club does for its supporters, players and community. Our plan is rock-solid, and I’m buzzing to get going now!”
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Cardiff And Swansea COMBINED Team Of The Season
Rhodri Evans
You asked… and we answered!
Last week Sportin Wales’s team of the season caused a bit of a stir among Cardiff City and Swansea City fans as only two Bluebirds and one Jack were included at the expense of players from Wrexham and Newport County.
Complaints that none of the likes of Paul Mullin, Elliott Lee, or Will Evans would ever get near a Championship level team were heard loud and clear in Sportin Wales towers, so here we present our Cardiff and Swansea combined team of the season…
Carl Rushworth (Swansea City)
A survivor from our original team, Rushworth has had an excellent season at the Swans, with many fans rueing his likely departure back to his parent club.
On loan from Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion, Rushworth has been a mainstay in goal for the Swans this season and has impressed, having taken the step up a division from League One last season with Lincoln City.
Perfectly suited to Luke Williams’ patient possession football, Rushworth has been rewarded with an England U21 call-up to go alongside his supporters’ player of the season and players’ player of the season awards.
Perry Ng (Cardiff City)
A second consecutive players’ player of the season was a just reward for another excellent season in blue for Ng.
Tenacious in defence with added attacking threat – six goals and four assists this season – means that the right-back ends the Championship season as his side’s joint-top goal scorer, with forwards Karlan Grant and Kion Etete.
Whether Ng is still playing football at the Cardiff City Stadium next season is a different question, however, with manager Erol Bulut admitting that there is plenty of interest in the defender.
Nat Phillips (Cardiff City)
A defender that has had a significant impact in a short space of time, Phillips only joined Cardiff City in January, having spent the first half of the season on loan at Celtic.
The Liverpool loanee quickly established himself as the leader of the back four and was instrumental in Cardiff’s excellent run of form in late February and early March, that had fans dreaming of a play-off place, albeit briefly.
Harry Darling (Swansea City)
Signed from MK Dons in 2022, Darling has been Swansea’s most important defender ever since.
A massive part of his side’s turnaround in form since Luke Williams took over, Darling has popped up with important goals, turning losses into draws, as well as providing important interventions in defence.
Despite not being the biggest defender in the league, Darling’s aerial ability is better than any in the Swansea squad, something that Williams will look to build on next season.
Josh Tymon (Swansea City)
Having joined Swansea from Stoke without a preseason, many would have forgiven Tymon for a slow start to his career at the Swansea.com Stadium. Things could not be further from the truth, as Tymon has appeared in every Swansea game since his debut in the South Wales derby defeat at Cardiff.
A graceful player, Tymon has laid on six assists this season and has become a fans favourite in this Swansea squad.
Matt Grimes (Swansea City)
The first of our midfield two is Swansea captain, Matt Grimes, who has remarkably played every minute of the Championship season.
Ever the metronome of Swansea’s patient style, Grimes has popped up with goals and assists this season. A flurry in September under Michael Duff when things looked much rosier, and vital goals against Stoke and Norwich in the Swans’ promising late season run mean that Grimes has contributed to 15% of Swansea’s goals this season.
Manolis Siopis (Cardiff City)
A free transfer from Trabzonspor, Siopis has been an excellent addition to the Cardiff midfield axis.
Often partnered alongside club captain Joe Ralls, the diminutive Greek midfielder has displayed eye-catching calm in possession and tenacity off the ball.
Siopis is Sportin Wales‘ Signing of the Season.
Liam Cullen (Swansea City)
One of only two Welshmen in our team, Cullen has taken a step forward in his development this season.
Seven goals and five assists are not standout numbers but Cullen’s influence is felt massively when he isn’t on the pitch for Swansea.
Now a regular in Rob Page’s Wales squads and having made his international debut against Gibraltar, this past season has been Cullen’s best of his blossoming career.
Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City)
Not the most eye-catching season for the Welsh youngster in terms of goals and assists, but Colwill’s contributions to Erol Bulut’s side were enough for him to take home the club’s young player of the season at their end of season awards.
Colwill has mostly appeared from the bench for the Bluebirds this season and has probably shown his best form for Wales U21s, as he aims to lead his country to the U21 EURO’s.
Jamie Paterson (Swansea City)
Consistently excellent wide attacking players have not exactly been overwhelming south Wales this season, but that is not to take anything away from Jamie Paterson, who deserves his place in this team.
After a difficult 2022/23 season where he battled injury, lack of form, and failed to convince then-manager Russell Martin that he deserved a starting birth, Paterson has been much improved this season.
Seven goals this term is his best return since his was a 21-year-old in League One with Walsall and Swansea will be looking to his to lead the attack next season.
Yakou Méïté (Cardiff City)
It is a mark of both side’s profligacy in front of goal this season that Sportin Wales have picked a forward with just two league goals to lead the line in our team.
While Méïté, has not found the net with any kind of regularity, his performances have been consistently effective for Cardiff, making the likes of Josh Bowler, Karlan Grant, Rubin Colwill et al look much better.
Méïté’s hold-up play as by far and away the best among the candidates and, having proven he can score at Championship level for Reading over the last few years, Cardiff fans will be looking for their frontman to add goals to his excellent all-round game next season.
Who would you pick?
Let us know at subscribe@sportin.wales or join the debate on our social media!
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Much-Needed Glamorgan Win With Selection Dilemmas Ahead
Rhodri Evans
There’s something about the second week in May for Glamorgan.
Before last weekend’s round of the County Championship, Glamorgan had not won a match in 13 red ball games.
You would have to go back to the same time last season, the fifth round of the County Championship Division Two in early May, to find Glamorgan’s last win in red ball cricket.
In that contest, it was Australian overseas Michael Neser who fired his side to victory with runs and wickets against Worcestershire.
Fast forward to 2024 and, thanks to a club-record 315-run partnership between vice-captain Kiran Carlson and Colin Ingram, along with wickets from Mir Hamza and Andy Gorvin, the Welsh county is celebrating a rare win.
Having survived a brief wobble as West Indian quick Jayden Seales ripped through the Glammy top order in the first hour of Day Two, the home side dominated the encounter, thereafter, building a first innings lead of 133 and then bowling Sussex out cheaply.
The scenes as Billy Root flayed Aristides Karvelas through mid-wicket for the winning runs showed a team that really needed that victory to get their season going in a positive way.
Coach Grant Bradburn stressed in a preseason interview with Sportin Wales that “it doesn’t matter how many games we lose this season, it’s how many we win.”
“We’re very confident in playing the game to win and sometimes that means risking losing,” said Bradburn.
“It’s about getting 20 wickets in the longer format, and we will set up our team to do that and rely on our batsman, if that means going in with one less batsman but with a properly balanced team, clearly intending to take wickets then that’s what we’ll do.”
Taking wickets has been difficult this season, even with the addition of Hamza and leg-spinner Mason Crane.
Before last weekend’s victory, Glamorgan had bowled their opponents out just twice in four games, conceding totals of 519 vs Yorkshire, 605 vs Northamptonshire, and 655 vs Middlesex.
It is worth pointing out that winning can be hard to come by in Division Two, where bowling is weaker than batting across the board.
Before this round of matches where Glamorgan and Gloucestershire picked up much needed wins, those two, coupled with Derbyshire, had won a single game between them in their last 55 red ball matches.
This speaks to the importance of Mir Hamza.
The left arm seamer has taken a few games to get going in unfamiliar conditions but looked like the international calibre bowler he is against Sussex, ending with match figures of 7-104.
The Pakistani international blew away the Sussex top order, before Gorvin cleaned up the middle and lower order with the help of Crane.
Bradburn has shuffled his seam bowling pack this season, with Hamza and James Harris the only ever-presents, and Gorvin, Dan Douthwaite, Jamie McIlroy, Brad Wheal, and Craig Miles all rotating in and out to varying degrees of success.
With that in mind, having Hamza settled and used to English (or Welsh) conditions will be vital with two very winnable games left in this block of Championship games against Middlesex and Leicestershire.
With the imminent arrival of Australian international Marnus Labuschagne, the team will be bolstered by the world’s number 12 ranked batsman who has averaged 55.52 with eight centuries in 26 matches at Glamorgan.
The situation seems clear, right? Hamza and Labuschagne play as Glammy’s two overseas players for their net set of games.
Well, that would mean dropping Colin Ingram. The South African batter is a Glamorgan mainstay since first arriving in 2015 and is enjoying an extraordinary season so far.
Ingram has scored 637 runs in Division Two this season, topping the chart ahead of his captain Sam Northeast, despite batting two fewer times this season.
In eight innings, Ingram’s scores read: 132*, 30, 51, 82, 11*, 48, 113, and 170.
His three hundreds are unequalled in Division Two, with only Joe Clarke of Nottinghamshire in Division One equalling him on that number.
Even with the undoubted quality of Labuschagne, can Bradburn afford to drop either Ingram or Hamza with the form they are in?
“It’s exactly what we want,” Bradburn said of the selection headache he and his coaches now have.
“We want headaches from a selection point of view. Mark Wallace and I want some tough decisions to make, and we’ve got some, not only with the overseas professionals, but also, we’ve now got other guys putting their hands up now too.
“We’ll regroup, we’ve got to be mindful and keep bodies fresh at this point in the season. We’ve got a clear plan on how we want to approach the Middlesex game and put a team together specifically for Middlesex and the conditions at home for that game.”
Whichever combination Bradburn goes with, three does not go into two and one big name will have to sit out of the XI as his team look to build on their first win of the season and back up those strong words from the start of the season.
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Who Joins Mullin And Lee In The Sportin Wales Team Of The Season?
Rhodri Evans
With the football season at a close and many turning their attention to the summer sports season, Sportin Wales have picked their Welsh football Team of the Season for 2023/24.
One team stands out above the rest in terms of Welsh football this season, as Wrexham completed back-to-back promotions, but there were plenty of individual success stories from the other three teams competing in the English Football League this season.
So, Paul Mullin is in, Elliott Lee is in, but who joins them in the Sportin Wales Team of the Season? Read on to find out…
Carl Rushworth (Swansea)
On loan from Premier League club Brighton and Hove Albion, Rushworth has been a mainstay in goal for the Swans this season and has impressed, having taken the step up a division from League One last season with Lincoln City.
Perfectly suited to Luke Williams’ patient possession football, Rushworth has been rewarded with an England U21 call-up to go alongside his supporters’ player of the season and players’ player of the season awards.
Honourable mention: Arthur Okonkwo (Wrexham)
Max Cleworth (Wrexham)
Since breaking into the Wrexham back three during the festive period, Cleworth has been a vital part of one of League Two’s best defences.
In 2024, the 21-year-old defender has started every league game except for two in early February, popping up with a single goal and assist.
A Wrexham academy graduate, Cleworth’s contribution to his side’s promotion to League One won him his second young player of the year award.
Honourable mention: Eoghan O’Connell (Wrexham)
Nat Phillips (Cardiff City)
Another defender who has had a significant impact in a short space of time, Phillips only joined Cardiff City in January, having spent the first half of the season on loan at Celtic.
The Liverpool loanee quickly established himself as the leader of the back four and was instrumental in Cardiff’s excellent run of form in late February and early March, that had fans dreaming of a play-off place, albeit briefly.
Honourable Mention: Harry Darling (Swansea)
Ryan Delaney (Newport County)
An up-and-down season at Rodney Parade may have gone very differently had their talismanic captain not suffered a season-ending knee injury in February.
Before suffering his injury, Delaney was an integral part of a 7-game unbeaten run that had brought Newport to the brink of the play-offs.
After Delaney was confirmed to be out for the season, his side only won four of their last 15 games, losing the other eleven and fading into mid-table obscurity.
Honourable Mention: Scott Bennett (Newport County)
Perry Ng (Cardiff City)
A second consecutive players’ player of the season was just reward for another excellent season in blue for Ng.
Tenacious in defence with added attacking threat – six goals and four assists this season – means that the right-back ends the Championship season as his side’s joint-top goal scorer, with forwards Karlan Grant and Kion Etete.
Whether Ng is still playing football at the Cardiff City Stadium next season is a different question, however, with manager Erol Bulut admitting that there is plenty of interest in the defender.
Honourable Mention: Ryan Barnett (Wrexham)
James McClean (Wrexham)
Not the only player Wrexham have lured down from the higher divisions, McClean has looked a class above on the left-hand side of Wrexham’s attack this season.
The left wing-back has been a revelation for the Dragons, laying on ten assists and scoring three more. Such has his influence been that the Republic of Ireland international captained the club on six occasions in his first season at Y Cae Ras.
Honourable Mention: Josh Key (Swansea)
Thomas O’Connor (Wrexham)
Forgive Sportin Wales a bit of a fudge here, as O’Connor has played mostly at centre-half this season but spells as Wrexham’s deepest central midfielder have won him a place in this team.
An ultra-reliable presence, O’Connor’s broken foot coincided with a run of three straight defeats, Wrexham’s only real blip in form throughout the season.
Honourable Mention: Matt Grimes (Swansea)
Andy Cannon (Wrexham)
Cannon’s scintillating late season form earns him a spot in this team ahead of departing legend Luke Young and Jordan Davies, who has become more of a bit part player this season.
Five goals and a further two assists in key victories over Mansfield Town, Crewe Alexandra, and Stockport County cement the former Hull City midfielder’s place in this team.
Honourable Mention: Rubin Colwill (Cardiff)
Elliott Lee (Wrexham)
Not many can overshadow Paul Mullin but, for most of the season, Elliott Lee has out-performed Wrexham’s main man.
Thirteen goals and a couple of assists at the start of the season kick-started Wrexham’s promotion charge, ending with 16 in all competitions.
While Lee has had to revert back to his supporting role with the return of Mullin, he was integral to his side throughout, appearing in every league game, starting them all except for two substitute appearances.
Honourable Mention: Bryn Morris (Newport County)
Will Evans (Newport County)
Evans has had a career year at Rodney Parade, scoring 21 league goals, over a third of his team’s overall tally.
The former Bala Town striker struggled last season, scoring just two league goals and often playing away from his favoured position, but has produced some memorable performances this campaign.
It was no coincidence that, as the goals started to dry up for Evans at the end of the season, Newport’s form took a turn for the worse.
Honourable Mention: Liam Cullen (Swansea)
Paul Mullin (Wrexham)
Having missed the start of the season with that freak punctured lung injury against Manchester United in preseason, some may have forgiven Mullin a slow start to his return to League Two.
A brace in his third appearance of the season against Crewe kick-started a run of 10 goals and five assists over the Christmas period.
While he finished behind his old striking foe Macaulay Langstaff in the League Two top-scorers’ charts, 24 goals and a further six assists was enough for Mullin to take home Wrexham’s player of the season.
Honourable Mention: Ollie Palmer (Wrexham)
What do you make of our picks? Let us know at subscribe@sportin.wales or join the debate on our social media!
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Price Fight With McCaskill Her 'Biggest Test Yet'
Rhodri Evans
Ahead of the biggest Welsh boxing event of the year, the Sportin Wales Podcast welcomed former boxer turned trainer Gary Lockett and boxing journalist Dewi Powell to run the rule over Lauren Price’s hometown fight with Jessica McCaskill on Saturday.
The Olympic champion is aiming to win her first world title and is up against current WBA, WBC, and IBO welterweight title holder McCaskill.
Dewi Powell, though, is confident that Price can overcome her experienced opposition.
“It could be a fight where she wins all 10 rounds or wins eight of the 10 rounds, but I would not be surprised at all if she won,” Powell said on the Sportin Wales Podcast.
“Each of the rounds will be competitive. Stylistically, Jessica McCaskill is rough and tough.
“She likes to fight up close and, while she can look a little bit untidy, she has had a lot of success. She’s physically strong for a female welterweight and she makes that count.”
Powell added that he thinks that McCaskill’s style matches well to Price’s strengths.
“Lauren does her best work at mid to long range,” he said.
“If she can manage that distance, she should be able to control the fight. That’s why I expect her to rack up the rounds.”
Price, despite being an Olympic, European, World, and Commonwealth champion, is still a relatively inexperienced at the professional level. She has won all of her six fights since going pro in 2022.
“I think she’s adapted into the pros relatively well,” said Powell.
“There were a couple of little things. When she turned over [to professional boxing] I think her chin was a bit high and she was bouncing on the balls of the feet a bit much, but she has since settled down.
“I think the challenge that she’s had is just that quality of opposition, you tend to find in female professional boxing. There’s a big difference between the top females in the world and those further down.
“McCaskill is really experienced at this stage, seen it, done it. She hasn’t always won, but will be comfortable in this environment. I’m sure Lauren will be as well. But it just might be a new experience for her as a pro.”
One eye catching point of note in Price’s professional career so far is that she is yet to lose a round, let alone a fight. Lockett is not surprised, though, such is the talent that she possesses.
“That’s something that I’d expect from an Olympic gold medalist,” he said.
“She is a talented boxer and I think her talent alone will probably be enough to beat McCaskill but she is going to be tested at certain points.
“You might not see it in the action but McCaskill is strong and knows how to surprise, how to come through adversity. She will push Lauren.”
Powell also added that Price may lose her first round in professional boxing.
“Lauren has made good fighters look levels and levels below her,” Powell said.
“This is the first fight where I think she may lose a round or two. She may have to respond to that and keep going.
“She could win every round but I think that the margin that she wins those rounds against McCaskill may be noticeably smaller than when she’s beaten previous boxers.”
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Williams: Swansea's 'Very Average Season'
Rhodri Evans
Swansea City manager Luke Williams is keen to “move forward” from what has been a disappointing 2023/24 season at the Swansea.com stadium.
Speaking after his side’s final day home defeat at the hands of fellow mid-table floaters Millwall, Williams gave no impression that he or anyone at the club would rest on their laurels in the off season.
“If anyone felt like there wasn’t work to do [for next season] then they must be crazy,” he said.
“We have to keep control, make more chances, be more clinical and concede less chances.
“It’s as simple as that because much of our performances this season suggests that we should be able to do that with time.”
Upon taking over, Williams’ first seven games saw just one win and six defeats, but his side have shown signs of progress since a chastening 4-0 defeat at home to Leeds in February.
Since then, Swansea have won six league games and were on an excellent run before the disappointment of the final day.
Williams is fully aware of how far Swansea have come, and need to go to improve and look towards their main goal: play-offs.
“I think we have come a long way from the beginning of my reign here,” added Williams
“We take the ball off the opposition pretty well and then we’re able to build up well with the ball. We get the ball in the final third well but need to find more solutions to scoring goals.”
A lack of goals has been an issue all season for Swansea. Bournemouth loanee Jamal Lowe is top scorer with 9, while £2.5 million man Jerry Yates has disappointed with just 8.
There was an obvious explosion of frustration for Yates on the final day as he received a red card against Millwall. Having started on the bench, Yates came on with fifteen minutes to go and was sent off within ten minutes for what looked like an attempted punch at Millwall centre half Japhet Tanganga.
Carwyn Bowen, creator of Swansea City unofficial content account Only Swans, was scathing in his assessment of Swansea’s recent transfer business.
“£2.5 million on one striker who averages nine touches a game [Jerry Yates from Blackpool] and simply doesn’t look fit to play for this football club,” said Bowen.
“He was completely miss-profiled and can’t play in a one striker formation so god knows why we signed him.”
“Then the other striker [Mykola Kuharevich], another £2 million spent on him potentially and he’s barely seen the pitch, he sits in the same row as me for every single Swansea game because he doesn’t play.”
“It was damming transfer business, especially when signed by a new sporting director.”
“The January players were players that fit the profile a bit more but we still need to rectify this poor business from last season.”
The number of decisions made by the Swansea hierarchy that have backfired means that, according to TalkSport‘s Laurence Mora, the club have a “summer of problems” coming to them.
“Some of the decisions over the last 12 months have blown my mind, they’ve made some bad decisions in the last couple of years but in the last 12 months they’ve been phenomenally bad,” More said on the Sportin Wales Podcast.
“Andy Coleman came in as chairman and talked a good game, but the mess with Russell Martin around him leaving the club is an embarrassment.
“I see a real summer of problems…sorry Swansea fans!
“Are they going to splash the cash? Absolutely not. They’ve got to remove people from the books. Williams has had half a season to look at his players now, he knows which ones he wants, he’ll have gone through it with Coleman.”
“I don’t think they’ll be fishing in the pool of the Championship, they’ll be looking at League One and League Two and teams like that which they can get a bargain from.”
There are some success stories in Swansea’s recruitment this season. Full-backs Josh Tymon and Josh Key have generally proved to be good acquisitions and, combined with Harry Darling and Ben Cabango, have formed a mean defence this season.
Carl Rushworth, Brighton loanee and Swansea’s player of the season, will be returning to his parent club and Williams needs to look for another new no.1.
Along with a goalkeeper, Swansea need to be focusing recruitment on midfielders, wingers, and strikers, as well as adding depth to the squad.
It sounds like a lot, and it is. The club are well aware that the most of squad is a bottom-half quality. The question is whether Williams will get what he wants in the summer.
Bowen is quietly confident that the decision to bring Williams in from Notts County was the correct one. But he is under no illusions that the squad needs some serious changes for Swansea to be a top-half team next season.
“Since we’ve brought in Luke Williams, we’ve brought in some more exciting players than we had in the summer and it looks more positive now,” he said.
“The midfielder to go next to Grimes has to be one of our first priorities, we’ve been linked to Aberdeen midfielder Connor Baron, I don’t hate it, we usually do well when we sign from Scotland.”
Mora, though, is more pessimistic about the work Swansea need to do away from the pitch this summer.
“This is what worries me about the Swansea summer transfer market,” he warned.
“Liam Cullen is almost out of contract is not getting a long-term deal, not a better paid deal, just an extension and has to go and prove himself again. I do worry that financially they haven’t got the money to push them on.
“Whether we see the likes of Joe Allen there next year, I remain unconvinced whether that will continue.
“It depends if the manager wants him and whether Joe fits. He’s been terrific this season in the bits I’ve seen of him but the body is the body and he’s done a lot of hard yards.”
The good news for Swansea fans is that Luke Williams is fully aware of how much the club need to do.
“There is a lot of work to be done,” said Williams
“If we are not prepared to work hard after a very, very average season, then we are in the wrong place mentally if we think haven’t got a lot of work to do, because we have.
“We have a lot of players to bring in, for sure.
“I am determined to do everything to try to make that a reality and there’s going to be a lot of things that we have to get to make that possible.”
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Swansea Handed Defeat By De Norre
Rhodri Evans
Swansea ended the season in defeat as Casper De Norre’s goal decided a fiery affair against Millwall on the final day of the 2023/24 Championship season.
In the space of eight second half minutes, Matt Grimes had a penalty saved by Millwall goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, before the visitors went down the other end and scored through midfielder De Norre.
It was a blow for Swansea, who had dominated the possession and, largely, the chances in the game up until that point.
As the game was winding down to a close, Japhet Tanganga and Swansea substitute Jerry Yates were both shown straight red cards after they clashed following a heavy challenge.
From there, the game devolved into spats and squabbles before the referee blew for full time.
Defeat means that Millwall leapfrog Swansea into 13th, with the Welsh side a place behind.
There was a familiar, almost comforting, clash of styles on show at the Swansea.com Stadium. Swansea, under manager Luke Williams, have reverted to their patient, attractive, possession-based style of football, while Millwall were more than happy to relinquish control and look to play direct to Tom Bradshaw up front.
Both sides will feel that this has been a season to bank and move on from. Swansea, with the failure of Michael Duff and the protracted signing of his replacement in Williams, and Millwall who, until a recent run of four wins in a row, were in the relegation mix.
On the nicest weekend of the year so far, as the Championship looked elsewhere for promotion and relegation battles, these two sides had nothing more than pride and potentially an extra place or two up the table to play for.
After some back and forth in the early stages, the home fans were almost out of their seats as Liam Cullen whipped an enticing ball across the face of the goal. It seemed destined for Ronald at the back post but Danny McNamara’s stretching clearance saved his side from going behind in the first ten minutes.
To their credit, the visitors did attempt to press Swansea high up the pitch. They employed a rigid 4-4-2 mid-block and looked to spring onto captain Matt Grimes, as well as fullbacks Josh Tymon and Josh Key whenever they received the back from the centre halves.
Ben Cabango, starting a fifth match in a row, was dominant with and without the ball for the home side. Often tasked with tracking the quick breaks of Ryan Longman and Zian Flemming, the Wales international swept up with authority and was ever-reliable with the ball at his feet.
Half-chances fell onto the head of Charlie Patino and at the feet of Ronald, but neither were able to convert after both were set up by Ollie Cooper.
Just as the first half seemed to be winding down, Bradshaw managed to get the wrong side of Bashir Humphries on the counter and released Longman. The winger drove into the Swansea area but Cabango did well to show him wide and his powerful shot was beaten away by Carl Rushworth with relative ease.
It was a sign off how the game had gone that referee Geoff Eltringham blew the whistle for the break the second his watch hit 45 minutes.
Both sets of players came out after the interval somewhat reinvigorated. Swansea looked to progress the ball up the pitch with more urgency, while this led to some carelessness that Bradshaw and co could exploit on the counter.
The game exploded into life on the 65th minute when Ronald’s drive into the box and feint past Millwall skipper Jake Cooper brought the concession of a penalty.
Swansea’s own captain, Matt Grimes, stepped up and his penalty was saved by Matija Sarkic, diving to his right. Grimes put the ball at a comfortable height and could only look on in anguish as Cullen put the rebounding ball over the bar.
The home side looked a little rocked after the miss and took more chances. Ronald took one risk too many as he looked to flick the ball over the newly-introduced Duncan Watmore in his own half.
Watmore pounced and drove the ball into the box before cutting it back for Casper De Norre to slam the ball home from inside the six yard box.
Ronald and Paterson were hooked by Luke Williams, who looked to Jerry Yates and youngster Azeem Abdulai to rescue their afternoon.
A heavy challenge by Humphries on Watmore sparked a melee between Yates and Japhet Tanganga, with their actions enough for referee Eltringham to send both players from the pitch.
A disagreement between the two led to both grabbing at each other’s shirts before their teammates pulled them apart.
The unsavoury scenes were not over as, the dying minutes, Abdulai skipped past McNamara, who body checked him. The Swansea winger did not take kindly to the defender’s treatment and let him know as much, leading to bookings for both players as they had to separated by the linesman.
Swansea: Rushworth; Key, Cabango, Humphries, Tymon; Grimes, Patino (Walsh 61′), Ronald (Abdulai 73′), Cooper (Lowe 61′), Paterson (Yates 73′ Red Card 86′); Cullen.
Subs not used: Fisher, Kuharevich, Wood, Govea, Lissah.
Millwall: Sarkic, Leonard (Norton-Cuffy 58′), Cooper, Tanganga (Red Card 86′), McNamara; Longman, De Norre (Goal 72′), Mitchell, Esse (Watmore 58′); Flemming (Hutchinson 86′), Bradshaw.
Subs not used: Trueman, Mayor, Emakhu, Saville, Honeyman, Harding.
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Wrexham Release Tozer, Young, Lainton, Hayden
Rhodri Evans
Wrexham have announced their 2024 list of retentions and released players with some of the biggest names in Wrexham’s modern history now set to leave the club.
Club captain, Ben Tozer is one of those leaving Y Cae Ras, having led the club to back-to-back promotions.
The defender leaves the club having played 136 times, scoring seven goals. From his debut in 2021 onwards, the former Newport County man appeared in 100 consecutive league games, including every minute of his side’s National League title in the 2022/23 season.
Notable for his long throws, that have caused havoc in the National League and League Two, Tozer leaves a legend of Wrexham.
Wrexham’s current longest serving player, Luke Young, is also leaving the club.
Young made 259 appearances for the Dragons and won player of the season in both 2019/20 and 2020/21, as well as taking home goal of the season twice in his six seasons at the club.
Goalkeeper Rob Lainton is another that is departing Wrexham.
The former Bolton and Bury shot-stopper initially joined the club on loan in 2018 and quickly made himself the undisputed no.1 for Wrexham, keeping 63 clean sheets in 143 appearances.
Injuries meant he dropped out of contention in the last two seasons, with Christian Dibble, Mark Howard, Ben Foster, and Arthur Okonkwo all taking the starting spot at various times.
Aaron Hayden has also left the club, having spent three successful seasons at Y Cae Ras.
A defender with an eye for goal, Hayden was a big part of the Wrexham team that won a record breaking promotion back into the football league in 2022/23, scoring a remarkable 11 goals from defence.
Other departures include wing back Callum McFadzean and centrehalf Jordan Tunnicliffe, as well as academy graduates Owen Cushion and Daniel Davies.
Mark Howard, Steven Fletcher and youth-product Aaron James have been offered new deals, while James McClean is staying for at least the 2024/25 season after an automatic extension in his contract was triggered.
Manager Phil Parkinson said: “I’d like to thank all the players for their efforts over the last few years. They’ve all played a part in our success and I’d like to wish them all the best for the future.
“The professionalism shown by all the lads has been excellent, and likewise those who have not been playing as regularly still play an important part with their attitudes and standards off the pitch.
“Ben Tozer and Luke Young have not had as much game time in the last few months, but as club captain and first-team captain they have showed great leadership for the club.”
“All the players leaving the club go with our very grateful thanks for their efforts and contributions during their time at Wrexham.”
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Meet 'Dai Canio', Welsh Football's Overnight Hero
Rhodri Evans
It was a goal good enough to win the Champions League Final, let alone the 2024 Welsh Cup Final.
A sparky final, contested by Connah’s Quay Nomads and The New Saints, was winding down as players started to play for halftime.
Josh Williams, though, had other ideas.
“I don’t even know what it was! I’d call it a scissor kick,” said the Nomads midfielder.
Not quite a bicycle kick, certainly not an overhead kick, Williams’ description is about right, with one fan dubbing the scorer ‘Dai Canio’.
Similar to the former Italy great’s remarkable effort for West Ham against Wimbledon way back in 2000 – four years before Williams was born, no less – the ball drops for the midfielder just inside the area and sits up perfectly to be hit.
“Gôl y tymor hefo’r techneg yna!”
GÔL! Josh Williams! ??
39' @the_nomads 2-1 Y Seintiau Newyddhttps://t.co/ovPDR0Tdes | ????????#JDWelshCup | #CwpanCymruJD pic.twitter.com/60hSEWnqRM
— Sgorio ⚽️ (@sgorio) April 28, 2024
“I gave it a good swing and thankfully it went in,” said Williams.
Thankfully, indeed, as that stunning goal would end up being the winner for Connah’s Quay, who won their second Welsh Cup on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over The New Saints.
Harry Franklin opened the scoring for the Nomads before Ashley Baker’s equaliser for TNS.
Then, in the 40th minute, 19-year-old Williams stole the show as the Nomads won the Cup for the first time since 2018.
Cup holders The New Saints were aiming to complete a fourth domestic treble having won the JD Cymru Premier and Nathaniel MG Cup earlier this season.
Connah’s Quay were the last team to beat TNS in the Welsh Cup, defeating them at the quarter finals stage on their way to their first Cup win in 2018.
“I’ve come through the academy [at Connah’s Quay] and you dream of getting these kind of moments,” he said to Sportin Wales.
“To get to score the winner in the cup final for your club, the club I’ve been at since eight years old, it’s a surreal feeling. Crazy, really.”
Previous to this victory, Connah’s Quay had failed to beat TNS in all five encounters this season. However, a 2-0 defeat, with both New Saints goals scored in second half added time, gave Williams and his team a confidence boost ahead of the final.
“The 2-0 defeat the week before was actually a good game for us,” he explained.
“We took a lot from that game because of the chances we created and how well we defended up until the last minutes.
“We said to each other ‘the chances we missed this week, will go in next week’ and thankfully they did.
“It’s been a tough year against TNS and they were always going to give us a tough game. But in a one off final, anything can happen.”
Williams credits a lot of this season’s success to his manager, Neil Gibson, who has entrusted him with a great role in the side as the season has gone on.
“Obviously, getting all the opportunities I have from Gibbo and the club have led up to this moment: scoring in the cup final,” he added.
“When Gibbo came in [in 2022], to be honest, I was a bit reluctant because I had to gain the trust of another manager.
“But straight away he sat me and my dad down and said ‘by this time next year, you’ll play 25 games’. He stuck to his word and gave me opportunities and a platform to play and now I think I have 50 starts for the club.
“That was huge for me, it really gave me a massive boost. I couldn’t really have done it without him.”
Williams is also keen to credit his teammates who have ended their up-and-down season on a massive high.
“We had a great night!” said Williams.
“We started the season, as a group of players and the staff, with the aim for getting second place [in the Cymru Premier] and a cup win.
“To be able to achieve that is massive for us as a group. All the hard work you put in throughout the season, training everyday, playing tough games, travelling down south all the time, this win has made up for it all.
“I have to give the players on my team all the credit in the world, because without them I wouldn’t be playing here and getting these great results.”
With their second place finish secured last weekend, the Nomads’ fans can look forward to another season of European football at Cae-y-Castell.
“To play in Europe is kind of the whole reason we work so hard in the Cymru Premier,” he added.
“The opportunity to play in the Europa Conference League again is huge. Last year, I played my first game in Europe on my birthday so that was pretty special.”
Looking forward, Williams’ clearly has a bright future ahead of him. Not a week on from his stunning winner, he has been linked to beaten finalists, The New Saints, as well as clubs in the English League One and Two.
Williams, though, has just one goal in mind.
“I want to be a full-time professional footballer,” he said.
“I think that’s the aim of everyone playing football who isn’t there yet. I’m in no rush just yet. I’ve got a lot of time so I’m just focusing on preparing for Europe at the moment.
“Who’s knows, though. None of us can predict the future.”