By Matthew Burgess
After a brief hiatus to allow for the League Cup final and Welsh Cup fourth round to be played, the Dafabet Welsh Premier League returns once again this weekend, entering what is called ‘Phase 2’.
With all 12 clubs having played each other twice, the league now splits into two with the top-half – called the ‘Championship Conference’ – playing against each home and away (10 games in total) to determine who’ll join TNS in Europe next season. The remaining top-six clubs are competing for home advantage in the end of the season play-offs which will determine a further European place.
The bottom half of the table – now known as the Play-Off Conference – also play each other home and away to determine who’ll also get a shot of entering the Play-Offs by finishing in seventh-place and who’ll risk being relegated by finishing in the bottom two.
The format certainly reads more complicated than how it works but it what it does give us is 10 rounds of very evenly matched fixtures in which, bar TNS, creates a very unpredictable stage of the season.
As things stand, after TNS only second-place will be automatically granted a European spot and in Connah’s Quay, Bala Town and Bangor City, there are three clubs clashing each with an equally as strong claim to take that runners-up place.
Of that trio, Bangor City are immediately disadvantaged needing to overcome a seven-point deficit to reach second-placed Connah’s Quay but City appear to have recruited well in what has been something of a mini-rebuild during the January transfer window. Several new faces have arrived at Nantporth including Gary Taylor-Fletcher (once of Premier League Blackpool fame) and ex-Sporting Lisbon, Liverpool midfielder Yalany Baio.
Ironically, one of Bangor’s new recruits has already departed the club after Luis Robles made the move to Spanish Segunda B outfit Atletico Baleares following just once appearance for the Citizens. After scoring twice on his one and only game in the Welsh Cup against Llandudno last week, Robles is now looking forward to make his debut in his new surroundings against Barcelona B this weekend!
The remaining Bangor City squad however is potentially potent a one and continental qualification in Phase 2 would indeed set the club up nicely as they turn full-time professional this summer.
In previous years, the bottom-six has suffered from having something of a predictable feel about it – but not this year.
Heading into Phase 2 there are 11 points separating 12th placed Airbus from Llandudno, who currently occupy seventh. That margin means very little however when taking into consideration just how closely matched all six of those Play-Off Conference teams are and each of those clubs run a genuine risk of relegation.
Rhyl, Cefn Druids and Llandudno have all spent time outside of the WPL in recent seasons but current basement club Airbus have not been relegated since gaining promotion to the league in 2004, while Aberystwyth and Newtown have both been ever present in the top-flight since its inception. In a season where the margins appear finer than ever, that might be about to change.
This weekend’s fixtures (2.30 unless stated):
Aberystwyth v Airbus (2.00); Connah’s Quay v Carmarthen; TNS v Cardiff Met; Llandudno v Newtown; Rhyl v Cefn Druids (3.00); Bala Town v Bangor City (5.15, TV game)