2019–20 Cymru Premier
The 2019–20 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2019-20) (known as JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) was the 28th season of the Cymru Premier (formerly known as The Welsh Premier League), the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992. Thirteenth-time champions, The New Saints were the defending champions, having won their eighth consecutive title in 2019. The season commenced on 16 August 2019 and concluded in March 2020, a few weeks earlier than the scheduled end date of 25 April 2020.[1] Teams played each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league split into two groups after phase 1 matches were completed on 17 January 2020 – the top six and the bottom six.
| Season | 2019–20 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 16 August 2019 – 19 May 2020 |
| Champions | Connah's Quay |
| Relegated | Airbus UK Broughton Carmarthen Town |
| Champions League | Connah's Quay |
| Europa League | The New Saints Bala Town Barry Town |
| Matches played | 132 |
| Goals scored | 388 (2.94 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Chris Venables (24 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Barry Town United 7–1 Carmarthen Town (18 January 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Airbus UK Broughton 0–12 The New Saints (30 November 2019) |
| Highest scoring | Airbus UK Broughton 0–12 The New Saints (30 November 2019) |
← 2018–19 2020–21 → All statistics correct as of 1 May 2020. | |
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On 13 March 2020, all games were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] On 19 May 2020, the league was cancelled. Connah's Quay Nomads F.C. were declared the champions, for the first time in their history. They were given the league's bid to the 2020–21 UEFA Champions League.[3]The New Saints and Bala Town finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, earning the league's two places in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round.
The 2019–20 Welsh Cup was postponed and could not be completed by the UEFA deadline of entering European qualification. Therefore, the 4th-placed finished team, Barry Town, earned the preliminary round spot that would have normally gone to the winners of the European play-offs which would now not take place.[4] The bottom two teams at the date of suspension were relegated.
Teams edit
Twelve teams competed in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season, and one team each promoted from the Cymru North and Cymru South.
The two bottom placed teams from the 2018-2019 season, Llandudno, and Llanelli Town, were relegated to Cymru North and Cymru South, respectively, for the 2019–20 season.[5]
Airbus UK Broughton, champions of the now defunct Cymru Alliance and Penybont, champions of the Welsh Football League Division One were promoted to the Cymru Premier. Airbus UK Broughton returned to the Cymru Premier after two years in the now defunct Cymru Alliance, while Bridgend-based Penybont were making their first appearance in the Cymru Premier having only been formed in 2013. By replacing Llanelli Town, the South Wales-based clubs remained at four.
Stadia and locations edit
| Aberystwyth Town | Airbus UK Broughton | Bala Town | Barry Town United |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park Avenue | Hollingsworth Group International Airfield | Maes Tegid | Jenner Park Stadium |
| Capacity: 5,000 | Capacity: 1,600 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 3,500 |
| Caernarfon Town | class=notpageimage| Locations of the 2019–20 Cymru Premier teams | Cardiff Metropolitan University | |
| The Oval | Cyncoed Campus | ||
| Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 1,620 | ||
| Carmarthen Town | Cefn Druids | ||
| Richmond Park | The Rock | ||
| Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 3,000 | ||
| Connah's Quay Nomads | Newtown | Penybont | The New Saints |
| Deeside Stadium | Latham Park | Kymco Stadium | Park Hall |
| Capacity: 1,500 | Capacity: 5,000 | Capacity: 3,000 | Capacity: 2,034 |
Personnel and kits edit
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Front shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town | Matthew Bishop | Marc Williams | Acerbis | Aberystwyth University |
| Airbus UK Broughton | Steve O'Shaughnessy | Paul Harrison[6] | Umbro | Gardner Aerospace |
| Bala Town | Colin Caton | Chris Venables | Macron | Aykroyd's |
| Barry Town United | Gavin Chesterfield | Jordan Cotterill | Macron | RIM Motors, LDS Motor Factors |
| Caernarfon Town | Huw Griffiths | Nathan Craig | Errea | Gofal Bro Cyf, Parc Gwêl y Fenai |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | Christian Edwards | Bradley Woolridge | Errea | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Carmarthen Town | Kristian O'Leary | Lee Surman | Kappa | Gravells Seat, Castell Howell Foods |
| Cefn Druids | Stuart Gelling | Neil Ashton | Errea | Wrexham Lager |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | Andy Morrison | George Horan | Nike | Gap Personnel |
| Newtown | Chris Hughes | Craig T. Williams | Errea | Control Techniques |
| Penybont | Rhys Griffiths | Rhys Wilson[7] | Macron | Nathaniel House of Cars |
| The New Saints | Scott Ruscoe | Paul Harrison | Legea | RUK Group |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connah's Quay Nomads (C) | 26 | 16 | 8 | 2 | 47 | 19 | +28 | 56 | 2.15 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | The New Saints | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 69 | 27 | +42 | 52 | 2.00 | Qualification to the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Bala Town | 26 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 53 | 23 | +30 | 49 | 1.88 | |
| 4 | Barry Town United | 25 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 35 | 29 | +6 | 42 | 1.68 | Qualification to the Europa League preliminary round |
| 5 | Caernarfon Town | 26 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 36 | 38 | −2 | 38 | 1.46 | |
| 6 | Newtown | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 30 | −5 | 35 | 1.40 | |
| 7 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 25 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 30 | 29 | +1 | 35 | 1.40 | |
| 8 | Cefn Druids | 25 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 35 | 1.40 | |
| 9 | Aberystwyth Town | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 36 | 55 | −19 | 27 | 1.04 | |
| 10 | Penybont | 25 | 5 | 6 | 14 | 29 | 48 | −19 | 21 | 0.84 | |
| 11 | Carmarthen Town (R) | 25 | 4 | 6 | 15 | 28 | 49 | −21 | 18 | 0.72 | Relegation to Cymru North or Cymru South |
| 12 | Airbus UK Broughton (R) | 26 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 28 | 67 | −39 | 17 | 0.65 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Matches won; 5) Play-off.
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Teams play each other twice (22 matches), before the league splits into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last 10 matches.
Results edit
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.
Matches 1–22 edit
Season statistics edit
- As of 22 December 2019
Scoring edit
Top scorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Venables | Bala Town | 15 |
| 2 | Greg Draper | The New Saints | 13 |
| 3 | Kayne McLaggon | Barry Town United | 10 |
| 4 | Henry Jones | Bala Town | 9 |
| Eliot Evans | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 9 | |
| Jamie Insall | Connah's Quay Nomads | 9 | |
| Louis Robles | Bala Town | 9 | |
| 7 | Dean Ebbe | The New Saints | 8 |
| 8 | Michael Bakare | Connah's Quay Nomads | 7 |
| James Davies | Cefn Druids | 7 | |
| Luke Bowen | Carmarthen | 7 | |
| Andy Owens | Airbus UK Broughton | 7 |
References edit
- ^ "Key Dates 2019/20". Welsh Premier League. Retrieved 23 June 2019."Five on Friday to kick off 2019/20 Season". Welsh Premier League. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "STATEMENT: COVID-19 :: Cymru Football". Cymru Football. 13 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: Welsh football season ends with Connah's Quay champions". BBC Sport. 19 May 2020.
- ^ "FAW Board decide to curtail National Leagues season". Football Association of Wales. 19 May 2020.
- ^ "FAW Championship". soccerway.com. 18 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Programme Preview – The New Saints FC v Airbus UK Broughton". TNSFC. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
- ^ Jones, Jordan (2019-05-16). "Penybont recruit four new players for upcoming Welsh Premier League season". YClwb Pêl-Droed. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
- ^ "Top Scorers - Welsh Premier League - Football". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
External links edit
- Official website
- League rules 2019-07-19 at the Wayback Machine