2010–11_Welsh_Premier_League
2010–11 Welsh Premier League
Football league season
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.[1] The league season began on 13 August 2010[2] and ended on 30 April 2011.[3] The New Saints were the defending champions, but lost their crown to Bangor City.
| Season | 2010–11 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bangor City |
| Relegated | Haverfordwest County |
| Champions League | Bangor City |
| Europa League | The New Saints Llanelli AFC Neath |
| Matches played | 186 |
| Goals scored | 639 (3.44 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Rhys Griffiths (25) |
| Biggest home win | Bangor City 8–1 Port Talbot Town The New Saints 7–0 Carmarthen Town |
| Biggest away win | Haverfordwest County 0–4 Llanelli AFC Neath 0–4 Llanelli AFC |
| Highest scoring | Bangor City 8–1 Port Talbot Town |
← 2009–10 2011–12 → | |
Rhyl 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 licences meaning that no team from the second tier was promoted. Since these three teams failed to obtain licences, the best three teams originally to be relegated, with all three obtaining their licences, were spared from relegation (Bala Town, Haverfordwest County and Newtown).[4] 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town | Park Avenue | 5,500 |
| Airbus UK Broughton | The Airfield | 2,100 |
| Bala Town | Maes Tegid | 3,000 |
| Bangor City | Farrar Road Stadium | 1,500 |
| Carmarthen Town | Richmond Park | 3,000 |
| Haverfordwest County | Bridge Meadow Stadium | 2,000 |
| Llanelli AFC | Stebonheath Park | 3,700 |
| Neath | The Gnoll | 7,000 |
| Newtown AFC | Latham Park | 5,000 |
| Port Talbot Town | Victoria Road | 2,500 |
| Prestatyn Town | Bastion Road | 2,500 |
| The New Saints | Park Hall | 2,000 |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newtown |  Darren Ryan |
Stepped down | 4 August 2010[5] | Andy Cale |
7 August 2010[6] |
| Haverfordwest County |  Derek Brazil |
Sacked | 15 November 2010[7] |  Gavin Chesterfield |
26 November 2010[8] |
| Haverfordwest County | Gavin Chesterfield |
Resigned | 28 February 2011[9] | Derek Brazil |
28 February 2011[10] |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bangor City (C) | 32 | 22 | 4 | 6 | 80 | 44 | +36 | 70 | Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | The New Saints | 32 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 87 | 34 | +53 | 68 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Neath (O) | 32 | 16 | 10 | 6 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 58 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 4 | Llanelli | 32 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 53 | Qualification for Europa League second qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 5 | Prestatyn Town | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 44 | 46 | −2 | 40 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 6 | Port Talbot Town | 32 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 37 | 48 | −11 | 36 | |
| 7 | Aberystwyth Town | 32 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 42 | 54 | −12 | 42 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 8 | Airbus UK Broughton | 32 | 11 | 8 | 13 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 41 | |
| 9 | Newtown | 32 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 35 | |
| 10 | Carmarthen Town | 32 | 10 | 5 | 17 | 39 | 64 | −25 | 35 | |
| 11 | Bala Town | 32 | 10 | 3 | 19 | 41 | 57 | −16 | 33 | Spared from relegation[lower-alpha 2] |
| 12 | Haverfordwest County (R) | 32 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 30 | 77 | −47 | 19 | Relegation to Welsh Division One |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- Winners of 2010–11 Welsh Cup
- Bala Town were spared from relegation after 2010–11 Cymru Alliance champions Connah's Quay Nomads were denied a Premier League licence for the 2011–12 season.[11]
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
| Home \ Away | ABE | AIR | BAL | BAN | CMR | HAV | LLA | NEA | NEW | PTA | PRE | TNS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | |
| Airbus UK Broughton | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 2–2 | |
| Bala Town | 2–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–4 | |
| Bangor City | 2–1 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 8–1 | 2–1 | 4–3 | |
| Carmarthen Town | 2–3 | 1–4 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–3 | |
| Haverfordwest County | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–4 | |
| Llanelli | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–1 | |
| Neath | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Newtown | 0–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–6 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | |
| Port Talbot Town | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 0–2 | |
| Prestatyn Town | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |
| The New Saints | 5–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 7–0 | 6–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 6–1 | 5–2 |
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Matches 23–32
|
Top six
Source: Welsh Premiership Football League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. |
Bottom six
Source: Welsh Premiership Football League Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
As Llanelli AFC had already been assured of a 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.[12] The winners of this play-off would go on to enter the Europa League in the first qualifying round.
Quarterfinal
Aberystwyth 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.
| Aberystwyth Town | 2–1 | Airbus UK Broughton |
|---|---|---|
Stott  60'McCarten 85' |
Report | 21' (pen) Sheridan |
Semifinals
The semi-finals were held simultaneously on 15 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.
| Neath | 2–1 | Aberystwyth Town |
|---|---|---|
| Hughes 34' Fowler 36' |
Report | 89' McCarten |
| Prestatyn Town | 2–1 | Port Talbot Town |
|---|---|---|
| Hunt 84' Hayes 88' |
Report | 29' Surman |
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 League next season as a result.
| Neath | 3–2 | Prestatyn Town |
|---|---|---|
| Bond 1' Hill 55', 84' |
[citation needed] | 25' Hunt 90' Fisher-Cooke |
Including matches played on 18 February 2011; Source: Soccerway
| Rank | Scorer | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie Reed |
Bangor City | 17 |
| Rhys Griffiths |
Llanelli AFC | 17 | |
| 3 | Matty Williams |
The New Saints | 16 |
| 4 | Lee Trundle |
Neath | 15 |
| 5 | Alan Bull |
Bangor City | 12 |
| Lee Hunt |
Prestatyn Town | 12 | |
| 7 | Alex Darlington |
The New Saints | 11 |
| Richie Partridge |
The New Saints | 11 | |
| 9 | Andy Moran |
Airbus UK Broughton | 10 |
| Dave Morley |
Bangor City | 10 |
- "Clubs accept reduced Premier League". BBC online. 13 June 2009. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 24 July 2009.
- "Wales - Premier League fixtures and results". Soccerway.
- "Post-split fixture list released". Welsh Premier League official website. Archived from the original on 3 October 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2011.
- "Shock as Rhyl fail in licence bid". Archived from the original on 6 April 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- "Ryan walks out on the robins". welsh-premier.com. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- "Cale confirmed as Newtown manager". welsh-premier.com. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 7 August 2010.[permanent dead link]
- "Haverfordwest sack Brazil". s4c.co.uk. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- "Gavin Chesterfield takes over at Haverfordwest". walesonline.co.uk. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
- "Chesterfield's reign lasted three months". welsh-premier.com. 1 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- "Brazil makes shock return to Haverfordwest". welsh-premier.com. 1 March 2011. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
- "Connah's Quay see Welsh Premier hopes dashed". Liverpool Daily Post. May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- "Reds book Europa League return ticket". Welsh Premier League. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2011.