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Welcome to
It's back to league action tonight following our Welsh Cup victory over Cymru Alliance outfit Conwy Borough last weekend. It wasn't a game for the football purists, but results count in Cup football and it was great to see our resilience in the extra time period with Alex Darlington scoring the winner after Conwy had forced the game into extra time equalising within the dying minutes of normal time. Our reward is a tricky away tie at fellow Welsh Premier side Carmarthen Town. We still have to travel to West Wales to play them in the league, with the game now scheduled for Tuesday 17th December. Tonight we welcome Aberystwyth Town, who are having a decent season to date under new manager Ian Hughes. Hopefully we will once again attract a decent crowd for tonight's game which has kindly been sponsored by Roger Whitfiield and our good
friends and supporters of the club Turner Peachey Accountants. A warm welcome to Tony Bates and his fellow Directors, the staff, players and supporters who have travelled from the Cambrian Coast for tonight's encounter. Off the field things have been busy at the club, we hosted a couple of Show Racism the Red Card days this week, with both our academy players and local schools benefiting from the important work undertaken by the Show Racism the Red Card team. On the back of our successful Academy Audit visit a few weeks back, we recently had a visit from Rob Dowling, the FAW Club Licensing Officer, once again we were commended for the work we have completed towards this years licence application with some minor points requiring attention before our application goes to the Licensing panel next spring. Our Academy teams had a wonderful experience last weekend at Liverpool and Manchester United, two of the worlds most famous football clubs. We did
ourselves proud against some impressive academy teams at various age groups, a memory know doubt will remain with all players involved. Our Youth team have progressed into the next round of the Welsh Youth Cup and travel to Taffs Well in the quarter final in February. Steve Evans' charges have also put a good run of results together in the Welsh Premier Under 19 league and currently top the table. Our Senior Ladies team have also hit the headlines of late drawing Stoke City in the FA Women's Cup. Why not pop down to Park Hall when they host them on Sunday 12th January. Enjoy tonight's game and as always please cheer the lads on, they really appreciate your support.
Ian Williams Chief Operating Officer
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manager’s notes I would like to welcome everyone from Aberystwyth Town to the game tonight. We have trained really well this week after the match against Conwy. A number of players played 120 minutes against Conwy, so it was important that we trained properly and we are now more than ready for the game. I am sure they will make it tough for us tonight, just like they did at their place. They pulled two goals back and to be fair to them, they could have even won the game. It was a poor result for us and I will be making sure that we don’t repeat it again. We have been great at home this season wining all seven so the lads are obviously doing something right. We have got to keep going and it is something that we wanted to do. We want to make this place a real fortress and I want opponents to be scared when they come here. With the run we’re on here at Park Hall, complacency can creep in and everyone who knows me, knows that complacency is something I can not stand. This is where the senior players, like Paul Harrison, Phil Baker, Mike Wilde and Matty Williams need to drill it into everybody and remind everyone that we can not afford to be complacent. We need to keep doing what we are doing, which is working hard and being a team. Enjoy the game!
Craig
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IN OPPOSITION
Aberystwyth Town FC Player Profiles Ianhes- Manager Manager Ian Hughes is in his fourth season as part of the coaching set up at Park Avenue. Anglesey born, Hughesy is one of the youngest coaches in Wales to have achieved the UEFA A licence standard, achieving it at just 24 years of age. Ian was formerly academy director and assistant manager of Llangefni Town, and helped them to lift the Cymru Alliance in 2010, although they were unable to take part in the Welsh Premier, with the club failing to achieve the club licencing criteria. As well as more experience at Wrexham’s academy in the past, Ian has been based with the FAW Trust for the last four years, and In his role as a coach and player development officer has run courses on Advanced Coach Education, as well as managing Central Wales in the Cymru Cup. Mike Lewis Cardiff based keeper Mike Lewis signed for Aberystwyth Town in May 2012 after leaving Carmarthen earlier the same month. Lewis had been the first choice keeper at Richmond Park for two seasons after Tomi Morgan made him one of his first signings at Carmarthen, and played his first game for Carmarthen against Aberystwyth, a 3-2 in front of the S4C cameras. Before Carmarthen Mike played for Afan Lido, Cardiff Corries and UWIC in the Welsh League, and has previously had a trial at Bristol Rovers. Peter Hoy Peter Hoy, one of the well known hard men of the Welsh Premier League, has been a mainstay of the league for around a decade. Comfortable normally as a right back or at the centre of defence, Hoy began his Welsh Premier League career with Bangor City in 2003 where he spent two seasons, before he joined Rhyl FC for one season, where his chances were limited. He rejoined Bangor City late in 2006, and quickly re-emerged as a starter for the Citizens, and was an integral part of Neville Powell's revolution as he brought Bangor back to the top of the Welsh Premier. Sion James Penrhyncoch born and bred Sion James, one of the longest serving players at the club, has been an integral part of the first team over the last eight years. Sion began his career at Aberystwyth, but finding his first team chances limited, spent time at Carmarthen Town, Barry Town and home village club Penrhyncoch FC before returning to Park Avenue in 2004 to cement his place in the first team. Happy to play where needed, Sion plays in a variety of positions across the back and midfield, but has made most of his starts as a centre back. Sion won supporters and players player of the year in season 2009/10. Stuart Jones Based in Borth, Stuart Jones signed for his local Welsh Premier League club in May 2012, and will take on the role of Club
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Development Officer alongside his playing duties. Stuart began his career at Swansea City, and although he made over 30 appearances for the Swans between 2003 and 2005, was surprisingly released at the end of the 2004/05 season. Llanelli made no hesitation in making Stuart their first full time signing for over 50 years, and over the next 7 years made almost 200 appearances for the side and in that time at the club won the League, League Cup and Welsh Cup and qualified for Europe on several occasions. Stuart has also earned caps for both the Wales Under 21’s and the Welsh Semi Pro squads, and has been named in the Welsh Premier Team of the Year on no less than 4 occasions. Wyn Thomas- Assistant manager Llandysul born Wyn Thomas is in his third season and his second spell at the club, after joining from Llanelli in 2011. Wyn made his Welsh Premier League debut for Aberystwyth Town in 1996, under Meirion Appleton, but after 2 seasons left for Carmarthen Town. Over the next five years Wyn was a regular starter at Richmond Park, before he moved again in 2003 to Haverfordwest. After 3 seasons at Haverfordwest Wyn moved to Llanelli where he stayed for the next five years, in that time winning the league, League Cup and Welsh Cup with the Reds, as they qualified for Europe most seasons. Wyn has also been awarded internationally, being called up for the Welsh Schoolboys, Welsh Colleges and Welsh Semi Pro squads. Cledan Davies Tregaron born Cledan Davies returned to the club in June 2012 after a season away. Signed in 2009 from Tregaron Turfs after impressing then Aberystwyth Town boss Brian Coyne, left footed Cledan, happy at either left back or as a left winger, became an important part of the team during his first season at the club. After being out with an ankle injury for most of the 2010/11 season, and finding his first team chances limited, Cledan spent time on loan at Penrhyncoch before signing for Tomi Morgan at Carmarthen in 2011. After starting most games and showing his worth at Carmarthen, Tomi wasted no time in bringing Cledan back to his local Welsh Premier team for the new season. Rhydian Davies Aberystwyth born Rhydian Davies made his first team debut last season after impressing in the reserves. A product of the youth academy and Bow Street, Rhydian also spent time with Birmingham City Academy, starting and scoring against Manchester United in an academy game as well as having a trial at Newcastle United. Rhydian made his debut against Llandudno, and scored his first goal against Afan Lido, a vital second half header that helped to ensure Aberystwyth survived relegation. Rhydian also earned caps during the last two seasons for both the Wales U’16’s and Wales School’s U18’s squads and Rhydian will be hoping to
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cement his place in the first team squad during this season. Bari Morgan In his thirteenth season at the club, club legend Bari started out as a trainee at Swansea City, and although offered terms for the 2001/02 season at the Vetch, left Swansea and signed for the Seasiders. Player of the season in 2003/04 and club captain for a number of years, Bari, a tough tackling midfielder, had to sit out the whole of the 2011/12 with a cruciates injury, which ruled him out for 14 months. Ed Powl-Jones Ed Powl-Jones hails from Tywyn. Just 16 years of age, Ed came off the bench twice towards the end of the season, and with his impressive youth appearances in the last year, this striker seems to have a bright future at Park Avenue. Antonio Corbisiero Corbisiero joined Aberystwyth Town in January 2013, having won the Welsh Premier League, the Welsh Cup and the League Cup during his more than seven years with Llanelli. He also played in the Champions League, UEFA Cup and the Europa League with the club he skippered and in total, scored 15 goals from 206 (+10) Welsh Premier appearances. Chris Venables Chris Venables re-signed for Aberystwyth Town in January 2013 from Llanelli, threeand-a-half years after he made the move in the opposite direction. Venables enjoyed Welsh Cup success and played in the Europa League with the Reds before his move back to Park Avenue. He joined Llanelli in June 2009 from Aberystwyth and made his Reds' debut in the Europa League in July against Motherwell in the 1-0 victory. He joined Aberystwyth Town in July 2008 after spending a year with Welshpool Town and played for Aber in the Welsh Cup Final defeat to Bangor City in 2009. He gained his revenge against Bangor for Llanelli in the 2011 Final scoring a goal in the 4-1 Welsh Cup win. He was made Llanelli captain in 2012/13 season. Before Aberystwyth Chris also played for Caersws and Welshpool. Craig Williams Craig is a new signing at Aberystwyth Town, having arrived from Llanelli over the summer. Craig had returned to Llanelli on loan from TNS in January 2011, making the move permanent for the 2011/12 campaign. The winger made the shock switch from thenChampions Llanelli to The New Saints for an undisclosed fee in September 2008. After arriving at Stebonheath in November 2004 from Taffs Well, Craig became one of the longestserving players at the club, playing for the Reds in the Intertoto Cup, the UEFA Cup and the Champions League and won the Welsh Premier League and Loosemores League Cup. Geoff Kellaway 27 year old Geoff is a very popular player at Park Avenue. The exciting winger began his career with Aberystwyth Town, making his debut during the 2003/04 season. He went on to make 141 appearances for the club, scoring 32 goals, and featured in the 2009
Welsh Cup final defeat to Bangor City. In May 2010, having been named in the 2009/10 Welsh Premier League team of the season, Kellaway joined Dandenong Thunder along with fellow Welsh Premier players Luke Sherbon and Jamie Reed. In August 2010, he was signed to a three month injury replacement contract with ALeague side Melbourne Victory. He made his debut for the club as a substitute during a 2-2 draw with North Queensland Fury, becoming the 500th player to make an appearance in the A-League. He was released by the Victory and returned to Britain at the end of the 2010/11 season. In July 2011, he re-joined Aberystwyth Town and after one more season at Park Avenue, in June 2012 he moved to Llanelli, where he made his debut in the Europa League versus Kups in Finland. Geoff then moved to Carmarthen Town in January 2013. Krzysztof Nalborski Now a third year student of Sport and Exercise Science at Aberystwyth University, Krzystzof originally joined Aber's First Team squad under Alan Morgan in July 2011. Before coming to Wales he had played with Polonia Leszno in the Polish Third Division, been a member of the Remes Opalenica Football Academy, and had been invited to Polish Under 18 and Under 19 squads. Nalborski played 19 games in 2011/12 for Town, the highlight being a goal on Boxing Day against Carmarthen Town, in front of his visiting parents. Last season Nalborski moved to Penrhyncoch in the Cymru Alliance, but after being invited for trials with the Black and Greens this pre season resigning after impressing Ian Hughes Mark Jones Jones, who has previously played for Cardiff City Academy, Afan Lido, Llanelli and Port Talbot, joined Aber on New Year's Eve 2012, and scored on his debut at Newtown the following day. He went on to make a major contribution in the Black and Greens' race to safety, scoring 9 league goals from 14 starts, and these goals, added to the 7 he scored for Lido, took him to fourth place in the League Top Scorers list for 2012/3. Jamie Butler 16 year old Jamie Butler looks to be a star of the future for Aberystwyth Town. After being released from Swansea over a year ago he returned to Aberystwyth Academy, and after some assured performances in pre-season, came on in the first team friendly against Bow Street, getting two assists in the final 20 minutes. Stuart Fraser Fraser is no stranger to Park Avenue, joining for his third spell in Black and Green. An Academy product, he worked his way through the Reserve side and made his first team debut in 2006/7. Over the next four years he made 14 appearances, scoring four times, including a memorable brace in three minutes in December 2008 against Porthmadog at Park Avenue. He then moved to Newtown in 2009/10, making four further appearances, before rejoining the Black and Greens in December 2009. Stuart then joined Penrhyncoch, where he was joint top scorer in 2011/12 with 17 goals, and Huws Gray Alliance player of the month award in February 2011.
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The Big Interview with Craig Harrison Craig Harrison spoke to Gilbert Woolley this week about his time at The New Saints, the UEFA Champions League and his favourite moment at the club so far. It has been great at TNS and I have been really lucky to have inherited such a good squad. I am lucky to be working with a great chairman and very lucky to be working with Carl Darlington, who is a great coach. Obviously Carl and I worked with each other before and we have had a lot of success together. I am very fortunate to have 18 very good players with three or four young lads out on loan that have a lot of potential. When I joined, we were third in the league, with both Neath and Bangor having strong sides and I remember that in my second game, we lost to Neath at home. After that we won every game including a five nil victory against Bangor City on the last day of the season, to win the title. It was a great way to win it but I preferred winning it the way we did last year which was by a very comfortable margin. There were two huge factors why I joined TNS. One was being back in full time football again and the second being European football. I have been involved in two great Champions League experiences where we have drawn at home and
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kept a clean sheet as well as scoring against Legia Warsaw last year and controlling the whole of first half in the first leg. So much work behind the scenes goes into the matches and we had a plan A, a plan B and a plan C, so it really is a busy time. We are getting closer and closer and hopefully next year we can try again but first and foremost, we have to win the league. That is the be all and end all. I have three favourite moments at the club that stand out. One was beating Bangor 5-0 on the last day of the season because when I was at Airbus, I didn’t have the greatest record against them, as well as the rivalry between TNS and Bangor. The Champions League games were brilliant. The build up, the excitement, the hard work, the travelling, the preparation and the intensity make it so special to be part of. The other moment that stands out for me was the run we went on last season after the split. We won every single game during the second half of the season and we just kept on getting quicker, getting stronger, getting bigger and getting more confident and that is what we are aiming to do again.
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TNS
Each week a member of the team will answer the following questions, regarding their teammates.
Teammates This week CHRIS JONES will be answering. Who is the worst dressed at the club Simon Spender Who is the biggest joker at the club Chris Marriott Who is the most skilful at the club Alex Darlington Who is the quickest at the club Connell Rawlinson Who is the best trainer at the club Chris Seargeant Who is the worst trainer at the club Mike Wilde Who is the most intelligent at the club Scott Ruscoe Who is the least intelligent at the club Scott Quigley Who has the worst taste in music at the club Simon Spender
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QUICK QUESTIONS WITH...
SAM FINLEY Number 8 First mobile phone- Sony Ericsson First car- I have a lift in Ryan Fraughan’s Ford Focus First Football boots- Red Mitre First Music Album purchased – Oasis (definitely maybe). Favourite moment at TNS – Every moment spent at TNS is my favourite. Favourite Football memory – Liverpool winning the Champions League in 2005. Favourite Holiday destination – Barbados. Favourite Film of all time – Home Alone 2. Favourite Sport other than Football – Golf / Cricket Favourite Football team – Liverpool Favourite Football player- Steven Gerrard
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ALL TIME FAVOURITE XI GK Iker Casillas
RB Philipp Lahm
CB Jamie Carragher
RM Cristiano Ronaldo
CM Zinedine Zidane
ST Robbie Fowler
CB Paolo Maldini
LB Roberto Carlos
CM Steven Gerrard
LM Lionel Messi
ST Ronaldo
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MEET The New Saints Player Profiles 2013/2014
Paul Harrison – 1 Affectionately known as ‘H’, the TNS Captain has been a model of consistency since joining The Saints in 2007. The Liverpool born shot stopper, started off his career at Anfield before moving to clubs such as Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Chester City. Born on the 18th of December in 1984, Harrison was an ever present during last season’s successful title winning side.
Steve Evans 5 Capped seven times by Wales, ‘Evo’ rejoined The Saints after a three year spell playing for Wrexham. During his spell at The Racecourse Stadium, the strong defender became the first non-league player to represent Wales for 76 years, when he appeared as a second-half substitute in Wales’ 2-1 defeat in Russia. During his time at the Oswestry based club, the Wrexham born Evans has won the Welsh Premier League title, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh league Cup. Steve is now also the Head Coach of the Scholarship programme and is the manager of the Under 19 side.
Chris Marriott – 3 ‘Mazza’ joined The New Saints in 2009 and has become a regular at left back. The 23 year old previously played for Cefn Druids, after graduating from Wrexham’s academy programme. Marriott was voted the Manager’s Player of the Year for the 2012/2013 season.
Simon Spender – 2 Phil Baker – 4 Birkenhead born Baker, started his career off at Tranmere Rovers before playing for Bangor City and Exeter City. The solid centre back completed his move from The Grecians to The Saints in 2005 and famously scored the winning goal against Cliftonville in the Europa League first qualifying round. The mean defender has won the Welsh Premier League, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh League Cup during his time at Park Hall. The mean defender has been an ever present for The Saints in the last few years.
Born in Mold on the 15th of November, 1985, the reliable right back joined TNS in 2011. Spender played over 100 games for Wrexham before moving to Barrow. The Welshman also represented his country at Under 21 level. ‘Spends’ was part of the Barrow team that won the FA Trophy at Wembley stadium in 2010.
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Scott Ruscoe – 7 Scott holds the record for the most appearances at The New Saints and has been a main stay in the team for the last decade. The TNS number seven had previously played for Newtown and Chester City before joining The Saints back in 2002. Nicknamed ‘Bobby’ the TNS number seven has won the Welsh premier League, the Welsh Cup and the Welsh League Cup during his time in Oswestry. The ball playing midfielder now divides his time between playing and overseeing the TNS Academy, in his role as Head of Youth Development. Scott has also represented The New Saints in European competition an incredible 29 times.
Matty Williams – 10
Kai Edwards – 6 Born in St Asaph on the 20th of January, 1991, Kai captained both the Welsh Under 21’s and the Welsh Under 23’s whilst at Wrexham. The Welsh Premier League’s Young Player of the Year in 2011/2012, joined TNS following Neath’s liquidation. The young defender has also played for Prestatyn Town. Kai was voted the TNS Young Player of the Year for the 2012/2013 season.
Greg Draper – 9 The New Zealand International made his debut for the All Whites in a 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Fiji. Draper also played in the Beijing Olympics against Brazil, Belgium and China. The 24 year old Somerset born front man, joined TNS in 2011 and was the top goal scorer in his debut season, with an impressive 23 League goals. Greg’s former clubs include Canterbury United, Wellington Phoneix and Melbourne Knights.
Matty joined TNS in 2010 after impressing at Rhyl. The former Manchester United reserve joined Notts County after his stint at Old Trafford, where he went onto play regularly for two seasons. The St Asaph born striker then moved on to play for both Tamworth and Burton Albion, before returning to Wales. His first season with The Saints saw him score a wonderful 24 goals in 38 appearances.
Sam Finley – 8 The tenacious young box to box midfielder was signed by Craig Harrison, in January 2012. Having spent time with Everton as a youngster, the Liverpudlian played for Southport and Warrington before switching to the Welsh Champions. Sam was born on the 4th of August 1992. Having worn number 17 last season, Sam decided to switch to number eight for the forthcoming campaign.
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Chris Jones in action against Prestatyn Town
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Ryan Fraughan – 11
Chris Seargeant – 12
‘Frawny’ began his career at Tranmere Rovers and progressed into the first team along with Dale Jennings and Ash Taylor. The tricky winger left The Superwhites in 2011, to join Stockport County. The 22 year old scored the opening goal in the UEFA Champions League fixture against Legia Warsaw. The TNS number 11 was voted the Welsh Premier League Young Player of the Season last year.
Born in Liverpool on the 13th of September, 1986, ‘Sarge’ began his career with Everton FC. During his stay at The Toffees, the TNS number 12 scored the winning goal in the Semi Final of the Liverpool Senior Cup. Chris left Everton in 2006 and went on to play for Bangor City before joining the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League champions. Former Everton player, Steve Seargeant is his father.
Mike Wilde – 18
Jamie Mullan – 14 Jamie signed for TNS in January 2013. The speedy winger was born in Nottingham and played for Manchester United reserves. After leaving Old Trafford he joined Northwich Victoria where he helped save them from relegation and by doing so he won the Young Player of the Year award. Mullan then joined Fleetwood Town and was a member of the 2009/2010 promotion winning squad. The TNS number 14 has also played for Alfreton Town and Stalybridge Celtic.
Connell Rawlinson – 16 Wrexham born Connell, was previously with Chester City. The tall defender has also represented his country at Under 23 level. The TNS number 16 spent time on loan at Newtown last year before coming back to The Saints and helping the Oswestry side successfully defend their Welsh Premier title.
‘Wildey’ rejoined The New Saints last season and took no time to settle in as he powered his way to Welsh Premier Golden Boot with a very impressive 25 goals. The Liverpool born forward started his career at TNS before leaving for Fleetwood Town. The big front man has also spent time at Halifax Town and Chester City. Last season, the TNS number 18 was voted the Supporters Player of the Year as well as the Players Player of the Year. In what was a wonderful season, he was also voted the Welsh Premier League Player of the Year.
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Chris Mullock – 25 Aaron Simms – 19
Alex Darlington – 20
Aaron is a versatile defender who has developed through the TNS Academy. The Shrewsbury born player will wear the number 19 shirt this season. Simms also spent time on loan at Cyrmu Alliance side, Conwy Borugh, before returing to Park Hall and playing his part in the 7-1 thrashing of Prestatyn, in the penultimate game of the season.
‘Darlo’ began his career with Wrexham and has represented Wales at Under 19 level. The Wrexham born striker cruelly suffered two broken legs whilst at The Racecourse. The TNS number 20 has gone on to become a very important first team player for The Saints and is also the designated penalty taker for the club. The prolific forward was born on December the 26th, 1988.
Chris joined The Saints this summer and will wear the number 25 shirt. Born in Wrexham on the 16th of September, 1988, the big shot stopper famously kept a clean sheet for Cefn Druids against Finnish giants, MyPA in the Europa League first qualifying round. Mullock left The Ancients to join TNS, where he has linked up with his former School friend, Aeron Edwards.
Ryan Jones – 27 Ryan spent time at Cefn Druids last year and impressed by scoring a 11 goals. The forward has appeared for the TNS first team and played against Prestatyn in the Premier Cup. Ryan will play for Cefn Druids on loan this season.
Scott Quigley – 22 Quigley spent time on loan at fellow Welsh Premier league side, Carmarthen. The powerful youngster has also made a handful of appearances for the TNS first team. He was an unused substitute during the UEFA Champions League away fixture with Legia Warsaw. Scott will play for Cefn Druids on loan this season.
Chris Jones – 21 The former Swansea City winger spent the 2012/2013 season with The Saints and returned to the club prior to the start of the 2013/2014 Welsh Premier League season. During his time with The Swans, Chris played alongside players such as Joe Allen and Leon Britton. The speedy wide man has also spent time at Grimsby Town and Neath. Chris will wear the number 21 shirt for The Saints.
Aeron Edwards – 23 Former Buckley Town midfielder, ‘Azza’ is a key component of the TNS side. He displayed his incredible stamina by getting to level 24.2 on the yo-yo test at the start of the 2013/2014 season. The energetic number 23 was born on the 16th of February and can speak fluent Welsh. The Under 23 Welsh international signed from Caersws in June 2009.
Luke Douglas – 26 ‘Dougie’ spent time with Crewe Alexandra and Wrexham before joining The New Saints. The young defender can play at both right back and left back and will wear the number 26 shirt this season.
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Saints so far THE NEW SAINTS 3 PRESTATYN TOWN 0 The New Saints reclaimed top spot in the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League after securing a three nil win thanks to a Matty Williams goal and brilliant brace from substitute Greg Draper. The New Saints reclaimed top spot in the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League after securing a three nil win thanks to a Matty Williams goal and brilliant brace from substitute Greg Draper. Williams gave his side the lead after only six minutes and with only five minutes left, Draper scored two goals in two minutes to give the Oswestry based side a three nil victory. Early on, Mike Wilde was unlucky to see his looping header come back off the bar but in the next attack, Simon Spender's cross was cut out by Dave Roberts and the ball fell kindly into Williams' path. The former Manchester United man made no mistake and gave his side the perfect start. The Saints who were controlling the game nearly made it two after 20 minutes. However, Wilde was caught offside after being superbly played in by the once again impressive Sam Finley. After half an hour, Andy Parkinson curled an effort on goal from the edge of the box that Paul Harrison comfortably saved as the visitors looked for a way back into the game. A minute later, Finley nearly doubled the advantage. A fantastic pass from Kai Edwards was met by the sprinting Finley, who after composing himself, watched his delightful lob fly just inches over the bar. Moments before half time, Prestatyn went close to levelling the match but despite a desperate lunge from Lee Hunt, Paul Harrison was able to catch the ball without too much bother. The second half started with Neil Gibson's side searching for a way back into the game and within seconds of the restart, Ross Stephens rolled the ball past Harrison but the goal was disallowed, after he was adjudged to have been offside. Soon after Hunt hit the side netting from a tight angle as The Seasiders continued to push forward.
Craig Harrison replaced Williams with Ryan Fraughan and within moments of the former Tranmere winger coming on, his excellent cross was nearly converted by Wilde. Seconds later, the TNS number 11 won a free kick just outside the box. Chris Marriott stepped up but after scoring from a similar distance against Afan Lido a couple of weeks ago, the left back had to watch his shot fly just past the post. With 12 minutes left, Greg Draper replaced Wilde and within seconds, Fraughan magnificently played the substitute in but as Roberts managed to beat the Kiwi to the ball, Spender found himself with time and space in the box, before firing his shot into the side netting. With six minutes left, Draper sealed the points. The New Zealand international raced on to a wonderful through ball from Darlington and slotted in from just outside the box. Draper completed his brace a minute later after wonderfully rounding Roberts and slotting into the empty net to ensure The Saints' seventh league win in a row. The New Saints line up was Paul Harrison (C), Simon Spender, Chris Marriott, Kai Edwards, Connell Rawlinson, Sam Finley, Matty Williams (Ryan Fraughan 65), Chris Jones, Chris Seargeant, Alex Darlington and Mike Wilde (Mike Wilde 78). The unused substitutes for TNS were Ryan Kershaw, Aeron Edwards and Aaron Simms. The Prestatyn line up was Dave Roberts, Chris Davies, Jack Lewis, Dave Hayes, Sean Hessey, Gareth Wilson, Michael Parker, Andy Parkinson, Lee Hunt, Ross Stephens (Rhys Lewis 85) and Tom Kemp. The unused substitutes for the visitors were Simon Williams, Carl Murray, Rhys Owen, Neil Gibson, and Luke Astley.
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TNS are the third highest scoring team in Europe Due to being one of Europe’s most prolific scorers this season, The New Saints are rubbing shoulders with the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona.
Having scored an incredible twenty eight goals in only seven home games so far this season, The Saints are averaging exactly four goals a game at Park Hall. Craig Harrison’s prolific side are also yet to concede, adding to the wonderful start that the reigning Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League champions have made. In total TNS have scored forty five goals in fifteen games this season. Harrison admitted that having competition in the squad is really paying dividends, ‘We have had twelve different goal scorers this season which shows that we are reaping the benefits of having competition in every position. We have tweaked our game slightly in terms of passing the ball and rotating players into different positions and we have really worked hard on improving our set plays.’ The list of the highest-scoring teams in Europe so far this season is below. FC Lusitans from Andorra have scored 36 goals from only eight games this season, which is an average of 4.5 goals a match.
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Olympiacos from Greece have scored 41 goals from 13 games this season, which is an average of 3.15 goals a match. The New Saints from Wales have scored 45 goals from 15 games this season, which is an average of 3 goals a match. FC Salzburg from Austria have scored 53 goals from 18 games this season, which is an average of 2.94 goals a match. Real Madrid from Spain have scored 44 goals from 15 games this season, which is an average of 2.93 goals a match. Manchester City from England have scored 40 goals from 14 games this season, which is an average of 2.86 goals a match. FC Sheriff from Moldova have scored 48 goals from 17 games this season, which is an average of 2.82 goals a match. Barcelona from Spain have scored 42 goals from 15 games this season, which is an average of 2.80 goals a match.
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Sarge Signs! The New Saints are delighted to announce the news that Chris Seargeant has put pen to paper on a new 18 month contract. ‘Sarge’ has been a consistent performer this season and has managed to score three goals from midfield, which has helped his team climb to the top of the table. Craig Harrison was understandably happy to have retained one of his key players and the Director of Football at TNS said, ‘He has signed a new 18month contract which is brilliant. His contract was due to run out in January, so he now has the rest of this season as well as the whole of the following season. He has been a key part of what we are trying to do after changing his position a little bit. At Bangor he played wide out on the right but for us he plays as a holding midfielder and has done really well.’ The former Middlesbrough defender added, ‘He has got fantastic ability. He can pass the ball really well and he has got himself really fit, which has helped him stay in the team. We have got a lot of
competition for places at the club but he has made that position his own. He is a great starting point for us due to his technical ability, his vision and his game management.’ Harrison also admitted that the club will be opening contract negotiations with some of his other players, ‘In the very near future we will be looking at tying down some of the other lads because we are looking to build and carry on moving forward. However, we have not taken our eye off this season and it is imperative that we win the league.’ The former Everton graduate joined the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Champions in 2009 after switching from rivals, Bangor City. Seargeant's father Steve, made over 80 appearances for the Toffees during the 1970’s.
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Antoni on trial at Legia The New Saints Under 16′s Goalkeeper, Antoni Sarnowski, has flown to Poland to start a 10-day trial with Polish Champions Legia Warsaw. Whilst over in Poland he will stay with Legia Warsaw and play games against Polish sides Ruch Chorzow and Zaglebie Sosnowiec, who both compete in the Polish Youth Premier league. The teams will also be observed by the Poland Youth International Coaches.
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Steve Benyon is his coach at TNS and added ‘Everyone at the club would like to wish Ant a safe and enjoyable experience. He has worked ever so hard since joining us two years ago. Under both the goalkeeper coach Mike Wells and Simon Smith, he has continued to develop and will hopefully carry on doing so’. The New Saints were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Legia this season, after losing 4-1 on aggregate back in July.
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Match by Match DATE SAT 24 AUG Mon 26 Aug Fri 30 Aug Sat 7 Sep Fri 13 Sep Sat 21 Sep Sat 28 Sep Sat 5 Oct Sat 12 Oct Sat 19 Oct Tue 22 Oct Fri 25 Oct Fri 8 Nov Fri 15 Nov Sun 24 Nov Sat 30 Nov Fri 6 Dec Fri 13 Dec Tue 17 Dec Fri 20 Dec Thu 26 Dec Wed 1 Jan Sat 4 Jan Sat 18 Jan
OPPONENTS PORT TALBOT TOWN Prestatyn Town Aberystwyth Town Bala Town Gap Connahs Quay BANGOR CITY CARMARTHEN TOWN Airbus UK Broughton Rhyl AFAN LIDO Airbus UK Broughton (WCQF) GAP CONNAHS QUAY RHYL Afan Lido Port Talbot Town PRESTATYN TOWN Conwy Borough (WC 3R) ABERYSTWYTH TOWN Carmarthen Town BALA TOWN Newtown NEWTOWN Bangor City AIRBUS UK BROUGHTON
H/A HOME Away Away Away Away HOME HOME Away Away HOME Away HOME HOME Away Away HOME Away HOME Away HOME Away HOME Away HOME
SCORE 6-0 0-1 2-2 *3-1 4-0 2-0 6-0 1-1 2-0 3-0 1-2 5-0 3-0 2-1 3-1 3-0 2-1 (aet) 7.45pm 7.45pm 7.45pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm 2.30pm
ATT 306 449 409 204 316 482 234 505 814 435 ---413 512 247 207 272 --
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) Edwards
FRAUGHAN 1
Mullan
Harrison
Spender
Marriott (50)
Baker
(K) Edwards
Seargeant
(A) Edwa
Harrison
Spender
(K) Edwards
Baker
Rawlinson
(A) Edwards (64) Finley
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
BAKER 1
(A) Edwards
(K) Edwards
Seargean
Harrison
Spender
Baker
(K) Edwards
Rawlinson
Finley
(A) Edwa
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) Edwards
Finley (69)
Fraugha
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) Edwards FINLEY 3 (72) Seargea
Harrison
Spender
MARRIOTT 1 Baker
(K) Edwards Finley
William
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) Edwards FINLEY 1
Seargea
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) EDWARDS 1
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Simms
Rawlinson (44) Kershaw (86) (A) EDW
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) Edwards SEARGEANT 2 Mullan
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker
(K) EDWARDS 1 SEARGEANT 1 Mullan
Harrison
Spender
MARRIOTT 1 Baker
(K) Edwards
Seargeant (72) (A) Edw
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Baker (50)
(K) EDWARDS 1
(A) Edwards
Seargea
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
(K) Edwards Rawlinson
Seargeant
Finley
Harrison
Spender
Marriott
Rawlinson
* Own Goal
THIS WEEKEND`S FIXTURES IN THE CORBETT SPORTS WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE FRIDAY 13TH DECEMBER Bala Town v Gap Connahs Quay The New Saints v Aberystwyth Town SATURDAY 14TH DECEMBER Airbus UK Broughton v Afan Lido Newtown v Rhyl Prestatyn Town v Bangor City Port Talbot Town v Carmarthen Town
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Seargeant
(A) Edwa
(K) Edwards (A) Edwards Searge
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Follow the progress of The New Saints in 2013-2014
6
7
8
FRAUGHAN 1
Mullan
Seargeant (68) WILDE 1 (68)
DARLINGTON 1 (65) (A) Edwards
10
11
Seargeant
(A) Edwards
12
14
DRAPER 3 (68) Rawlinson
16
17
18
Jones
Simms
Williams (65)
Fraughan (67)
Mullan
Wilde
Darlington (63) Draper (63)
JONES 1
Williams (51)
Draper (79)
Seargeant (64) DARLINGTON 1 (51) Wilde (79)
Ruscoe
Mullock
Simms
(K) Edwards
Seargeant
Finley
WILDE 1
Jones
Fraughan (72)
Darlington
Draper
Mullock
Rawlinson
Simms
Mullan (72)
Finley
(A) Edwards (77) Seargeant
WILDE 2 (77)
Fraughan (74)
JONES 2
Mullan (74)
Draper (77)
Darlington (77) Williams
Simms
Finley (69)
Fraughan (69)
WILDE 1
Jones
(A) EDWARDS 1 Draper
Williams
Mullan (69)
Simms
Darlington (69)
Wilde (64)
(A) Edwards JONES 1
DRAPER 1 (64)
WILLIAMS 1 (28)
Fraughan (72 Rawlinson
Darlington
Simms
(A) Edwards Jones
Draper (83)
Fraughan (77) Simms
Darlington (59) Rawlinson Darlington (79) Mullan (79) Simms
Finley
Williams (59) Mullan (77) Wilde (83)
FINLEY 1
Seargeant (79) DRAPER 1
Seargeant
(A) Edwards (89)
Mullan
4) Kershaw (86) (A) EDWARDS 1 Mullan
Seargeant (72) (A) Edwards
Rawlinson
Fraughan (79) Jones
(A) Edwards Williams
Rawlinson
Wilde
Draper (69)
DARLINGTON 2
Jones (69)
Rawlinson
Simms
Williams (69) Wilde (69)
Jones (69)
Williams
Wilde
(K) Edwards (44) Draper (86)
SEARGEANT 2 Mullan (69) (A) Edwards (46) DRAPER 1 (64) DARLINGTON 2 (C) Jones 1 SEARGEANT 1 Mullan
Rawlinson (50) Finley
19
Fraughan
Seargeant
Jones (67)
15 Finley (68)
(A) Edwards (64) Finley
FINLEY 3 (72) Seargeant (28)Mullan
1
9
Finley (69)
Darlington (69) James
Williams (46) Wilde (64)
Kershaw
Darlington (82) Jones
(M) Williams (82)
WILDE 1 (57) Finley (57)
Simms
Jones
Darlington (72) Mullan
Draper (72)
Williams (72) Simms
Kershaw
(A) Edwards
Seargeant
Darlington (73) FINLEY 1
Jones
WILDE 1
Draper
Fraughan (73) Rawlinson (50) Williams
Finley
WILLIAMS 1 (65) Wilde (68)
Darlington
Jones
DRAPER 2 (68)
Fraughan (65)Simms
Finley (61)
Fraughan (61)Draper (68)
WILLIAMS 1 Wilde (61)
Jones (61)
Davies Kershaw
Seargeant
(A) Edwards Seargeant
Kershaw (89)
Simms
(A) Edwards (57) Draper (57) WILDE 1
Williams
Wells
Pryce
(A) Edwards Kershaw
DARLINGTON 1 (68)
Baker
Simms
Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Table (Up to and Including Saturday 23 November 2013) Team The New Saints Airbus UK Broughton Carmarthen Town Bangor City Newtown Aberystwyth Town Rhyl Prestatyn Town Gap Connahs Quay Bala Town Port Talbot Town Afan Lido
P 15 16 15 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16 16
W 12 11 7 7 7 5 6 5 4 3 3 3
D 2 3 4 3 3 7 3 3 4 4 4 4
L 1 2 4 6 6 4 7 8 8 9 9 9
F 45 34 28 24 24 27 21 18 19 14 11 13
A 7 15 23 20 25 26 22 22 37 24 25 32
PTS 38 36 25 24 24 22 21 18 16 13 13 13
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TNS players visit Whittington School
Greg Draper and Chris Jones were joined by Spot the Dog at the recently held annual Whittington Christmas Fayre. The players posed for photos and signed autographs for the excited children on what was a special night at the School. Following a request to attend from the friends of Whittington School group the Welsh Premier League Champions donated a signed kit to their Christmas rae.
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academy news We finished our first half of the Academy season with a great weekend of fixtures against Wolves, Liverpool and Man Utd. Our 13s played Wolves and our 9s, with a few 10s went to Liverpool's academy on Saturday. I would like to mention the 13s who played against a good Wolves side and were disappointed to draw 4-4 after being 4-1 up! After the boys finished their game at Liverpool, the highlight for some of the 9s was having photos with Robbie Fowler, a few even having their boots signed. Sunday saw us travel to Manchesters Littelton Road training ground with 9-12s and the 14s got to play at the Aon training pitches at Carrington. All boys getting game time against the very best in their respective age groups. An experience the groups will remember for a long time, all boys a credit to the club, conducting themselves in the correct manner on and off the pitch. A big well done to The Ladies team who won their FA cup tie and now face Stoke City in the next round. Good luck to Olly and his squad. Over the past week our current under 16 goalkeeper Antoni Sarnowski has been in Poland training with Legia Warsaw. They are taking a look at him and we have high hopes for him on the International stage too, where the club has received contact about Antoni possibly representing his country soon. Enjoy the game,
Scott
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The New Saints
Aberystwyth Town
Manager Craig Harrison
Manager Ian Hughes
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•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Paul Harrison Simon Spender Chris Marriott Phil Baker Steve Evans Kai Edwards Scott Ruscoe Sam Finley Greg Draper Matty Williams Ryan Fraughan Christian Seargeant Jamie Mullan Connell Rawlinson Michael Wilde Aaron Simms Alex Darlington Chris Jones Scott Quigley Aeron Edwards Ryan Kershaw Chris Mullock Luke Douglas Ryan Jones
Referee: Mr R.J Stewart
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1 2 3 4 5 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 22 25 30 31 33 38 40
•• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• •• ••
Mike Lewis Sion James Antonio Corbisiero Peter Hoy Stuart Jones Chris Venables Bari Morgan Mark Jones Geoff Kellaway Cledan Davies Stuart Fraser Krzysztof Nalborski Craig Williams Tom Shaw Wyn Thomas Rhydian Davies Aaron Lemon Jolyon Harries Chris Alldritt Samba N`Dong Jamie Butler Jamie Owen Daniel Thomas Ed Powl-Jones
Assistants: Mr P Roszkowski & Mr T Williams
Next Match at Home BALA TOWN • Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Friday 20th December • Kick-Off 7.45pm
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4th Official: Mr R.I Jenkins