2010–11 Welsh Premier League
Encyclopedia
The 2010–11 Welsh Premier League was the 19th season of the Welsh Premier League since its establishment in 1992 as the League of Wales. It was reduced to a size of 12 teams from this season following a unanimous decision by the Premier League clubs in June 2009. The league season began on 13 August 2010 and ended on 30 April 2011. The New Saints
were the defending champions, but lost their crown to Bangor City
.
were denied the domestic licence for competing in this season's Welsh Premier League and were therefore relegated to the second tier. Welsh Premier League aspirants Llangefni Town
(Cymru Alliance) and Afan Lido
(Welsh Football League First Division) were also denied licenses meaning that no team from the second tier was promoted. Since these three teams failed to obtain licenses, the best three teams originally to be relegated, with all three obtaining their licenses, were spared from relegation (Bala Town
, Haverfordwest County
and Newtown). Rhyl became the third Championship winning side to be relegated after Barry Town and Cwmbran Town. Rhyl had had the highest home attendances in the league for the last seven seasons.
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Clubs in these groups played each other twice again to bring the total fixture count to 32.
This meant a decrease in fixtures from 34 games to 32 from the previous season.
Bottom six
had already been assured of an Europa League spot by virtue of playing in the 2010–11 Welsh Cup
Final against Champions-League qualified Bangor City
, third-placed Neath and fifth- through eighth-placed sides Port Talbot Town
, Prestatyn Town
, Aberystwyth Town
and Airbus UK Broughton competed in the inaugural play-offs for the second 2011–12 UEFA Europa League
spot available via league placement. The winners of this play-off would go on to enter the Europa League in the first qualifying round.
----
next season as a result.
The New Saints F.C.
The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League...
were the defending champions, but lost their crown to Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
.
Teams
RhylRhyl F.C.
Rhyl Football Club is a Welsh football club, playing in the Cymru Alliance.The club was founded in 1882 and the team plays its home matches at Belle Vue, Rhyl, which can accommodate 3,000 spectators.- History :Few clubs in the Welsh Premier League have as distinguished a past as Rhyl's...
were denied the domestic licence for competing in this season's Welsh Premier League and were therefore relegated to the second tier. Welsh Premier League aspirants Llangefni Town
Llangefni Town F.C.
Llangefni Town are a football team based in Llangefni on Anglesey. In the 2011-12 season they will play in the Cymru Alliance. They competed for a single season in the Welsh Premier League in the 2007-08 season.-History:...
(Cymru Alliance) and Afan Lido
Afan Lido F.C.
Afan Lido F.C. is a football team based in Aberavon playing in the Welsh Premier League.-History:The club was founded in 1967, and they play at the Marston Stadium, Aberavon, which accommodates 4200 spectators .-Current squad:...
(Welsh Football League First Division) were also denied licenses meaning that no team from the second tier was promoted. Since these three teams failed to obtain licenses, the best three teams originally to be relegated, with all three obtaining their licenses, were spared from relegation (Bala Town
Bala Town F.C.
Bala Town Football Club are a Welsh football team that currently play in the Welsh Premier League. They play their games at Maes Tegid in Bala, Gwynedd, Wales...
, Haverfordwest County
Haverfordwest County F.C.
Haverfordwest County A.F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Football League Division One.The club was founded in 1899 and was variously known as Haverfordwest FC, Haverfordwest Town, and Haverfordwest Athletic before adopting the current name, and plays at the Bridge Meadow Stadium,...
and Newtown). Rhyl became the third Championship winning side to be relegated after Barry Town and Cwmbran Town. Rhyl had had the highest home attendances in the league for the last seven seasons.
Team summaries
| Team | Ground | Capacity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town Aberystwyth Town F.C. Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Premier League.The club was founded in 1884, and plays at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, where their ground accommodates 5,000 spectators with 1,002 of that capacity seated.... |
Park Avenue Park Avenue (Aberystwyth) Park Avenue is a multi-use stadium in Aberystwyth, Wales. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Aberystwyth Town F.C.. The stadium capacity is 5,000 with 1,002 seats.... |
5,500 | |
| Airbus UK Broughton | The Airfield The Airfield The Airfield is a football stadium in Broughton, Wales.It is home to Airbus UK Broughton F.C. who play in the Welsh Premier League.... |
2,100 | |
| Bala Town Bala Town F.C. Bala Town Football Club are a Welsh football team that currently play in the Welsh Premier League. They play their games at Maes Tegid in Bala, Gwynedd, Wales... |
Maes Tegid Maes Tegid Maes Tegid is a community playing field in Bala, Wales. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bala Town. The stadium holds 3,000 people, with 304 seats.... |
3,000 | |
| Bangor City Bangor City F.C. Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992.... |
Farrar Road Stadium Farrar Road Stadium Farrar Road Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Bangor, Wales. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Bangor City F.C. The stadium holds 1,500 people, with 700 seats.... |
1,500 | |
| Carmarthen Town | Richmond Park Richmond Park (Carmarthen) ----Richmond Park is a Welsh Premier League stadium in Carmarthen, Wales. Situated on Priory Street, It is currently used for football matches and is the home ground of Carmarthen Town AFC... |
3,000 | |
| Haverfordwest County | Bridge Meadow Stadium Bridge Meadow Stadium New Bridge Meadow Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Haverfordwest, Wales. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Haverfordwest County F.C.. The stadium holds 2,000 people.-References:... |
2,000 | |
| Llanelli AFC Llanelli A.F.C. Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg.... |
Stebonheath Park Stebonheath Park Stebonheath Park is a multi-use stadium in Llanelli, West Wales with a capacity of 3,700. It is primarily used as a football ground and is the home of Llanelli Football Club.It is also used for athletics and Llanelli Amateur Athletic Club are based at the stadium... |
3,700 | |
| Neath | The Gnoll The Gnoll The Gnoll in Neath, Wales is a sports ground, with a capacity of 5,000.In July 2009, Neath RFC presented plans for the redevelopment of the Gnoll, including building a community centre on the site, which were criticised as "too woolly".-Rugby union:... |
7,000 | |
| Newtown AFC | Latham Park Latham Park Latham Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Newtown, Wales. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Newtown F.C.. The stadium holds 5,000 people and is named after former Liverpool footballer George Latham.-References:... |
5,000 | |
| Port Talbot Town Port Talbot Town F.C. Port Talbot Town F.C. is a football club from Port Talbot in Wales and was founded in 1901, making Port Talbot Athletic as they were then one of the first association football clubs to be founded in Wales... |
Victoria Road | 2,500 | |
| Prestatyn Town Prestatyn Town F.C. Prestatyn Town Football Club is a Welsh association football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.- History :Prestatyn town FC played their first-ever game on Thursday October 20th 1910 when they travelled to Rhyl Amateurs and got off to a flying start, winning 3-2 thanks to goals by Gratton,... |
Bastion Road Bastion Road Bastion Road, also known as Bastion Gardens, is a football stadium in Prestatyn, Wales. It is currently used for football matches and is the home ground of Prestatyn Town F.C.... |
2,500 | |
| The New Saints The New Saints F.C. The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League... |
Park Hall Park Hall (football ground) Park Hall Stadium is the home ground of The New Saints in Oswestry.Oswestry Town first used the former council-owned stadium on 28 August 1993 but, after the club's financial problems and the merger with TNS, the ground fell into disrepair and was purchased by Mike Harris.After redevelopment at a... |
2,000 |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newtown |  Darren RyanDarren Ryan Darren Ryan is an English former footballer and manager.-Career:Ryan began his professional career with Shrewsbury Town, as he progressed through the youth system and made four Football League appearances for them from 1990 to 1992... |
Stepped down | 4 August 2010 | Andy Cale |
7 August 2010 |
| Haverfordwest County | Derek Brazil Derek Brazil Derek Michael Brazil is an Irish former footballer who played for the Republic of Ireland B team. A defender he began his career with Rivermount Boys Club before being signed by Manchester United where he played under both Ron Atkinson and Alex Ferguson, making two first team appearances.Raised in... |
Sacked | 15 November 2010 |  Gavin Chesterfield |
26 November 2010 |
| Haverfordwest County | Gavin Chesterfield |
Resigned | 28 February 2011 | Derek Brazil Derek Brazil Derek Michael Brazil is an Irish former footballer who played for the Republic of Ireland B team. A defender he began his career with Rivermount Boys Club before being signed by Manchester United where he played under both Ron Atkinson and Alex Ferguson, making two first team appearances.Raised in... |
28 February 2011 |
League table
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Results
Teams played each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league split into two groups - the top six and the bottom six.Clubs in these groups played each other twice again to bring the total fixture count to 32.
This meant a decrease in fixtures from 34 games to 32 from the previous season.
Matches 1–22
Matches 23–32
Top sixBottom six
UEFA Europa League play-offs
As Llanelli AFCLlanelli A.F.C.
Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg....
had already been assured of an Europa League spot by virtue of playing in the 2010–11 Welsh Cup
2010–11 Welsh Cup
The 2010–11 FAW Welsh Cup was the 124th season of the annual knockout tournament for competitive football teams in Wales, excluding those who play in the English League System. The 2010–11 tournament commenced on August 14, 2010, and ran until the final in May 2011...
Final against Champions-League qualified Bangor City
Bangor City F.C.
Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992....
, third-placed Neath and fifth- through eighth-placed sides Port Talbot Town
Port Talbot Town F.C.
Port Talbot Town F.C. is a football club from Port Talbot in Wales and was founded in 1901, making Port Talbot Athletic as they were then one of the first association football clubs to be founded in Wales...
, Prestatyn Town
Prestatyn Town F.C.
Prestatyn Town Football Club is a Welsh association football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.- History :Prestatyn town FC played their first-ever game on Thursday October 20th 1910 when they travelled to Rhyl Amateurs and got off to a flying start, winning 3-2 thanks to goals by Gratton,...
, Aberystwyth Town
Aberystwyth Town F.C.
Aberystwyth Town F.C. is a football team, playing in the Welsh Premier League.The club was founded in 1884, and plays at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, where their ground accommodates 5,000 spectators with 1,002 of that capacity seated....
and Airbus UK Broughton competed in the inaugural play-offs for the second 2011–12 UEFA Europa League
2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...
spot available via league placement. The winners of this play-off would go on to enter the Europa League in the first qualifying round.
Quarterfinal
Aberstwyth Town and Airbus UK Broughton, as worst-placed teams of the play-off participants, had to compete an extra match in order to reduce the teams for the semi-finals to four. The winners of this match would face Neath in the semi-final.Semifinals
The semi-finals were held simultaenously on the 15th of May. Aberystwyth Town, having beaten Airbus, faced third-placed Neath in the first, while fifth-placed Prestatyn faced off against sixth-placed Port Talbot in the other.----
Final
The final was held at Neath's Gnoll, as they had finished higher than Prestatyn in the league and had therefore 'earned' home advantage. Neath won the game 3-2 and will play in the Europa League2011–12 UEFA Europa League
The 2011–12 UEFA Europa League is the third season of the competition since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup. It began on 30 June 2011 with the first legs of the first qualifying round, and will end on 9 May 2012 with the final to be held at Stadionul Național in Bucharest, Romania...
next season as a result.
Top goalscorers
Including matches played on 18 February 2011; Source: Soccerway| Rank | Scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Reed Jamie Reed (footballer) Jamie Lee Reed is a footballer who plays for York City as a striker. Reed made seven appearances for Wrexham in Football League Two.-Early career:... |
Bangor City Bangor City F.C. Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992.... |
17 |
| Rhys Griffiths Rhys Griffiths (footballer) Rhys Griffiths is a Welsh footballer, currently playing for the Welsh Premier League club Llanelli. He is also the captain of the club.Griffiths is a six-time winner of the Welsh Premier Golden Boot award... |
Llanelli AFC Llanelli A.F.C. Llanelli Association Football Club is a Welsh semi-professional football club that plays in the Welsh Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The team has been based at Stebonheath Park since 1920, and as of 2009 is managed by Andy Legg.... |
17 | |
| 3 | Matty Williams Matthew Williams (footballer) Matthew Williams is a Welsh footballer, currently playing as a striker for Welsh Premier League side The New Saints.-Manchester United:... |
The New Saints The New Saints F.C. The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League... |
16 |
| 4 | Lee Trundle Lee Trundle Lee Christopher Trundle is an English footballer who currently plays for Neath.-Career:Trundle was a late entrant into professional and league football, playing for non-league teams Burscough, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport, Bamber Bridge and Chorley before joining Welsh Premier League club Rhyl in... |
Neath | 15 |
| 5 | Alan Bull |
Bangor City Bangor City F.C. Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992.... |
12 |
| Lee Hunt |
Prestatyn Town Prestatyn Town F.C. Prestatyn Town Football Club is a Welsh association football club based in Prestatyn, Denbighshire.- History :Prestatyn town FC played their first-ever game on Thursday October 20th 1910 when they travelled to Rhyl Amateurs and got off to a flying start, winning 3-2 thanks to goals by Gratton,... |
12 | |
| 7 | Alex Darlington Alex Darlington Alex Darlington is a Welsh association footballer currently playing for The New Saints in the Welsh Premier League. He plays as a Striker.-Career:... |
The New Saints The New Saints F.C. The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League... |
11 |
 Richie PartridgeRichie Partridge Richard Joseph "Richie" Partridge is a retired Irish footballer. Active in senior football between 2000 and 2011, he was capped at Under 18 and Under 21 level by the Irish national team, called up by the senior national team in 2002, and played for nine English clubs before finishing his career in... |
The New Saints The New Saints F.C. The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club , also known as The New Saints or simply TNS is a full-time-professional British football club representing Llansantffraid-ym-Mechain in Powys, Wales and Oswestry in Shropshire, England . They play in the Welsh Premier League... |
11 | |
| 9 | Andy Moran Andy Moran Andy Moran is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Ballaghaderreen GAA Club and is a member of the Mayo senior inter-county team. In 2011 Moran won his first All Star award, being named at full forward on the team.-References:... |
Airbus UK Broughton | 10 |
| Dave Morley Dave Morley David T. Morley is an English football defender who plays for Welsh Premier League club Bangor City.Morley started his career at Manchester City. He made 20 starts for the club's reserve team in 1996–97, and broke into the senior team for the first time the following season... |
Bangor City Bangor City F.C. Bangor City Football Club are a semi-professional Welsh football club from the City of Bangor. The club compete in the Welsh Premier League, being ever present since the league was founded in 1992.... |
10 |