Cymru Premier
Uwch Gynghrair Cymru
Season2022–23
Dates12 August 2022 – 22 April 2023
ChampionsThe New Saints
RelegatedAirbus UK Broughton
Flint Town United
UEFA Champions LeagueThe New Saints
Europa Conference LeagueConnah's Quay Nomads
Penybont (via Welsh Cup)
Haverfordwest County (via Play-offs)
Matches played192
Goals scored590 (3.07 per match)
Biggest home winThe New Saints 11–0 Aberystwyth Town
2 December 2022)
Biggest away winAirbus UK Broughton 0–8 The New Saints
31 December 2022)
Highest scoringThe New Saints 11–0 Aberystwyth Town
2 December 2022)
Longest winning runThe New Saints (12 games)
Longest unbeaten runThe New Saints (22 games)
Longest winless runAirbus UK Broughton (32 games)
Longest losing runAirbus UK Broughton (22 games)
Highest attendance1,826 Newtown vs. Haverfordwest County (13th May 2023)
Lowest attendance103 Cardiff Metropolitan University vs. Flint Town United (3 September 2022)
Average attendance305 (data missing for six matches - exlcudes playoff matches)

The 2022–23 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2022–23) (known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) was the 31st season of the Cymru Premier (formally known as the Welsh Premier League), the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992.

The winners (The New Saints, their second consecutive league title win and fifteenth overall) qualified for the 2023–24 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. The runners-up (Connah's Quay Nomads), third-placed team (Penybont), and Europa Conference League play-off winners (Haverfordwest County) qualified for the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round.[1] The bottom two teams (Airbus UK Broughton and Flint Town United) were relegated to the 2023–24 Cymru North.

Teams

Twelve teams contested the league – the top ten teams from the previous season, and one team each promoted from the second tier leagues, the Cymru North and Cymru South. The New Saints entered the season as defending champions.

Airbus UK Broughton, winners of the 2021–22 Cymru North were promoted to the league. Due to 2021–22 Cymru South champions Llantwit Major's failure to achieve a tier one licence, runners-up Pontypridd Town were promoted in their place.[2] In June 2022, Pontypridd Town changed their name to Pontypridd United.

The two bottom placed teams from the 2021–22 season, Cefn Druids[3] and Barry Town United,[2] were relegated to the Cymru North and the Cymru South respectively for the 2022–23 season.

Team changes

Stadia and locations

Team Location Stadium Capacity
Aberystwyth TownAberystwyth Park Avenue5,000
Airbus UK BroughtonBroughton The Airfield1,600
Bala TownBala Maes Tegid3,000
Caernarfon TownCaernarfon The Oval3,000
Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityCyncoed Cyncoed Campus1,620
Connah's Quay NomadsConnah's Quay Deeside Stadium1,500
Flint Town UnitedFlint Cae-y-Castell1,000
Haverfordwest CountyHaverfordwest Bridge Meadow Stadium2,100
NewtownNewtown Latham Park5,000
PenybontBridgend Bryntirion Park3,000
Pontypridd UnitedTreforest USW Sports Park1,000
The New SaintsEngland Oswestry Park Hall2,034

Personnel and kits

Team Head coach Captain Kit manufacturer Front shirt sponsor
Aberystwyth Town Wales Anthony Williams England Jack Thorn Acerbis Aberystwyth University
Airbus UK Broughton Wales Jamie Reed England Steve Tomassen Umbro Gardner Aerospace
Bala Town England Colin Caton Wales Chris Venables Macron Aykroyd's
Caernarfon Town Wales Richard Davies Wales Dion Donohue Errea Gofal Bro Cyf
Cardiff Metropolitan University Wales Christian Edwards Wales Chris Baker Errea Cardiff Metropolitan University
Connah's Quay Nomads Wales Neil Gibson England George Horan Nike Educate Group
Flint Town United Wales Lee Fowler Wales James Owen Macron Essity
Haverfordwest County Wales Tony Pennock Wales Dylan Rees Joma West Wales Properties
Newtown Wales Chris Hughes Wales Craig Williams Errea Control Techniques
Penybont Wales Rhys Griffiths Wales Kane Owen Macron Nathaniel Car Sales
Pontypridd United Wales Andrew Stokes Wales Clayton Green Joma UPVCDIRECT.CO.UK
The New Saints England Craig Harrison England Chris Marriott Legea SiFi Networks

Managerial changes

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Pontypridd United Wales Jonathan Jones Resigned 9 May 2022[4] Pre-season Wales Andrew Stokes 16 May 2022[5]
Aberystwyth Town England Antonio Corbisiero 12 May 2022[6] Wales Anthony Williams 28 May 2022[7]
Haverfordwest County Belgium Nicky Hayen Signed by Belgium Club NXT 15 June 2022[8] Wales Tony Pennock 1 July 2022
Flint Town United Wales Neil Gibson Resigned 16 June 2022[9] Wales Lee Fowler 17 June 2022[10]
Cardiff Metropolitan University Wales Christian Edwards 30 June 2022[11] Wales Ryan Jenkins 29 June 2022[12]
The New Saints Australia Anthony Limbrick Sacked 28 July 2022[13] England Craig Harrison 4 August 2022[14]
Connah's Quay Nomads England Craig Harrison Signed by The New Saints 4 August 2022[15] Wales Neil Gibson 4 August 2022[16]
Airbus UK Broughton Wales Steve O'Shaughnessy Sacked 24 September 2022[17] 12th Wales Jamie Reed 19 October 2022[18]
Cardiff Metropolitan University Wales Ryan Jenkins Resigned 30 January 2023[19] 4th Wales Christian Edwards 30 January 2023
Caernarfon Town Wales Huw Griffiths Sacked 18 March 2023[20] 8th Wales Richard Davies 24 April 2023
Airbus UK Broughton Wales Jamie Reed 13 April 2023 12th England Mark Allen 21 April 2023

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1]
1 The New Saints (C) 32 26 5 1 112 17 +95 83 Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round
2 Connah's Quay Nomads 32 17 10 5 45 23 +22 61 Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 2]
3 Penybont 32 16 10 6 51 32 +19 52[lower-alpha 3]
4 Cardiff Metropolitan University 32 16 4 12 41 49 −8 52 Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-offs
5 Bala Town 32 12 8 12 51 37 +14 44
6 Newtown 32 12 5 15 49 56 −7 41
7 Haverfordwest County (O) 32 14 5 13 49 44 +5 47 Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-offs
8 Pontypridd United 32 12 5 15 41 52 −11 41
9 Caernarfon Town 32 12 3 17 51 54 −3 39
10 Aberystwyth Town 32 11 5 16 41 73 −32 38
11 Flint Town United (R) 32 9 8 15 41 53 −12 35 Relegation to Cymru North or Cymru South
12 Airbus UK Broughton (R) 32 0 2 30 18 100 −82 −4[lower-alpha 4]
Source: Cymru Premier
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Goals scored; 5) Matches won.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ↑ Teams play each other twice (22 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).[21]
  2. ↑ The 2022–23 Welsh Cup also qualified for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round. Since the cup winners, The New Saints, qualified based on league position, the Europa Conference League spot was passed to the third-placed team.
  3. ↑ Penybont were deducted six points for fielding ineligible players against Airbus UK Broughton on 3 January 2023 and Cardiff Metropolitan University on 17 February 2023.[22]
  4. ↑ Airbus UK Broughton were deducted six points for fielding ineligible players against Caernarfon Town on 2 September 2022 and Pontypridd United on 11 February 2023.[23][24]

Results

Matches 1–22

Home \ Away ABE AIR BAL CAE CMU CQN FTU HAV NTW PYB PON TNS
Aberystwyth Town — 2–1 1–4 2–1 0–4 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–2 0–3 2–1 0–2
Airbus UK Broughton 1–2 — 0–6 0–3 0–2 1–2 1–3 1–2 4–4 0–3 0–4 0–8
Bala Town 3–0 2–1 — 3–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 1–1 3–0 0–5
Caernarfon Town 2–1 3–1 1–5 — 5–1 0–2 2–0 2–1 2–3 0–2 2–0 0–1
Cardiff Metropolitan University 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–3 — 2–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 0–0 3–0 0–7
Connah's Quay Nomads 3–0 1–0 1–0 3–3 2–0 — 2–0 1–0 3–1 2–0 1–0 1–1
Flint Town United 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–1 0–0 — 0–1 1–4 1–1 4–1 1–8
Haverfordwest County 3–1 3–0 1–4 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 — 2–3 2–1 1–1 1–3
Newtown 6–1 2–1 0–2 2–1 0–1 0–0 0–2 2–0 — 2–3 4–2 0–0
Penybont 3–1 2–0 2–0 5–1 1–3 0–1 2–1 3–2 3–0 — 1–1 0–0
Pontypridd United 2–1 1–0 2–1 3–1 0–1 0–5 0–1 3–2 1–4 0–1 — 0–2
The New Saints 11–0 7–0 3–0 3–0 4–0 2–1 6–2 3–1 4–1 1–0 2–0 —
Source: Cymru Premier
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–32

Europa Conference League play-offs

Teams placed 3rd-7th enter one-off play-off matches for the third spot in the Europa Conference League first qualifying round. One of the spots is vacated if the Welsh Cup winners finish 7th or higher, with the 3rd-placed team qualifying automatically if the Welsh Cup winners finish in the top two. The higher-placed team gains home advantage.

Bala Town, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Haverfordwest County, Newtown, and Penybont qualified for the play-offs. Since the 2022–23 Welsh Cup winners, The New Saints, qualified for the Champions League first qualifying round based on league position, Penybont's play-off spot was vacated and they directly qualified for the Europa Conference League as the 3rd-placed team.

Semi-finals

5 May 2023 Bala Town2–4 Newtown Maes Tegid
19:45 BST (UTC+01)
  • Newell 37', 73'
 Report
Referee: Mark Petch
6 May 2023 Cardiff Metropolitan University0–0 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		 Haverfordwest County Cyncoed Campus Stadium
17:15 BST (UTC+01) Report Attendance: 561[25]
Referee: Thomas Owen
Penalties
  • McCarthy soccer ball with red X
  • Rees soccer ball with red X
  • Craven soccer ball with check mark
  • Jones soccer ball with check mark
  • Veale soccer ball with check mark
  • soccer ball with check mark Rees
  • soccer ball with check mark Leahy
  • soccer ball with check mark Davies
  • soccer ball with red X Jones
  • soccer ball with check mark Dugan

Final

13 May 2023 Newtown1–1 (a.e.t.)
(3–4 p)		 Haverfordwest County Latham Park
17:15 BST (UTC+01)
  • Davies 24'
 Attendance: 1,826[26]
Referee: Bryn Markham-Jones
Penalties
  • soccer ball with check mark Rees
  • soccer ball with check mark Leahy
  • soccer ball with check mark Davies
  • soccer ball with red X Fawcett
  • soccer ball with check mark Shephard

Season statistics

As of 13 April 2023[27]

Top scorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Scotland Declan McManus The New Saints 26
2 England Aaron Williams Newtown 14
Northern Ireland Ryan Brobbel The New Saints
4 England Ben Clark The New Saints 13
5 Wales Ben Ahmun Pontypridd United 12
Wales Jordan Davies Haverfordwest County

Hat-tricks

PlayerForAgainstResultDate
Wales Sam Jones Cardiff Metropolitan University Aberystwyth Town 0–4 (A) 20 August 2022
Poland Adrian Cieślewicz The New Saints Cardiff Metropolitan University 0–7 (A) 17 September 2022
England George Newell Bala Town Airbus UK Broughton 0–6 (A) 30 September 2022
Wales Ben Ahmun Pontypridd United Airbus UK Broughton 0–4 (A) 29 October 2022
England Louis Robles Newtown Pontypridd United 4–2 (H) 16 December 2022
England Ben Clark The New Saints Airbus UK Broughton 7–0 (H) 26 December 2022
Northern Ireland Ryan Brobbel The New Saints Airbus UK Broughton 0–8 (A) 31 December 2022
Scotland Declan McManus The New Saints Flint Town United 1–8 (A) 10 January 2023
England Zack Clarke Flint Town United Pontypridd United 4–1 (H) 21 January 2023
Wales Ben Ahmun Pontypridd United Airbus UK Broughton 4–0 (H) 11 February 2023
Wales Lloyd Marsh-Hughes Caernarfon Town Airbus UK Broughton 4–0 (A) 31 March 2023
Scotland Declan McManus The New Saints Newtown 5–0 (A) 1 April 2023
Notes

(H) – Home team
(A) – Away team

Most assists

Rank Player Club Assists
1 Northern Ireland Ryan Brobbel The New Saints 16
2 England Daniel Redmond The New Saints 14
3 Guinea-Bissau Lassana Mendes Bala Town 13
4 Wales Kane Owen Penybont 8
5 England Ryan Stratulis Connah's Quay Nomads 7
6 Wales Mael Davies Penybont 6
England Danny Holmes Connah's Quay Nomads
Wales Darren Thomas Caernarfon Town

Attendances

Team Highest Lowest Average
Aberystwyth Town 1120 187 378
Airbus UK Broughton 374 147 232
Bala Town 505 179 236*
Caernarfon Town 674 232 485
Cardiff Metropolitan University 401 103 192
Connah's Quay Nomads 436 166 262
Flint Town United 1050 172 339
Haverfordwest County 560 277 364*
Newtown 514 171 297
Penybont 506 206 296*
Pontypridd United 437 153 288
The New Saints 425 201 289*

Figures taken from FAW Cymru Football app and other club channels. Correct as of 24 April 2023. Excludes Europa Conference League playoff fixtures. *Denotes incomplete record, as missing attendance figures. Figures for Bala v TNS (14/4), Haverfordwest v Airbus (18/3), TNS v CQN (22/4) and Penybont v Cardiff Met (17/2), CQN (18/3) and Newtown (22/4) have not been publicly recorded.

Monthly awards

Month Manager of the Month Player of the Month
Manager Club Player Club
August Ryan Jenkins Cardiff Metropolitan University Sam Jones Cardiff Metropolitan University
September Colin Caton Bala Town David Edwards Bala Town
October Neil Gibson Connah's Quay Nomads Andy Firth Connah's Quay Nomads
November Tony Pennock Haverfordwest County Zeli Ismail Newtown
December Chris Hughes Newtown Ryan Sears Newtown
January Rhys Griffiths Penybont Kostya Georgievsky Penybont
February Andrew Stokes Pontypridd United Mark Cadwallader Aberystwyth Town
March Andrew Stokes Pontypridd United George Ratcliffe Pontypridd United
April Tony Pennock Haverfordwest County Niall Flint Aberystwyth Town

References

  1. ↑ "The New Saints draw at Nomads to secure 15th Welsh title". BBC Sport. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Pontypridd Town promoted to Cymru Premier and Barry relegated". Y Clwb Pêl-Droed. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Cefn Druids Relegated from the JD Cymru Premier League". Cefn Druids. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Jonathan Jones stands down as manager of Pontypridd Town". Y Clwb Pêl-Droed. 10 May 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
  5. ↑ Jones, Harrison (16 May 2022). "Pontypridd Town name Pontardawe boss as their new first-team manager". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  6. ↑ "Corbs resigns as first team manager". Aberystwyth Town. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  7. ↑ James, Aled (28 May 2022). "Aberystwyth Town unveil former Crawley Town, Portsmouth and Cardiff Met coach as manager". Y Clwb Pel-Droed. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  8. ↑ "NICKY HAYEN NIEUWE HOOFDCOACH CLUB NXT" [NICKY HAYEN NEW HEAD COACH CLUB NXT] (in Dutch). clubbrugge.be. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  9. ↑ "Cymru Premier: Neil Gibson leaves Flint Town manager role". BBC. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  10. ↑ "Former Wrexham midfielder Lee Fowler appointed new Flint Town United manager". Deeside.com. 17 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  11. ↑ "Christian Edwards to relinquish Cardiff Met duties at end of season". Y Clwb Pêl-Droed. 13 August 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  12. ↑ "Ryan Jenkins succeeds Christian Edwards as Cardiff Met boss". BBC Sport. 29 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  13. ↑ "Club Statement: Anthony Limbrick". The New Saints. 28 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "The return of the king". The New Saints. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "The return of the king". The New Saints. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  16. ↑ "CLUB STATEMENT: Nomads appoint Gibson as new manager". Connah's Quay Nomads. 4 August 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "Steve O'Shaughnessy: Airbus part company with manager". BBC Sport. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. ↑ "Cymru Premier: Jamie Reed appointed Airbus UK manager". BBC Sport. 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  19. ↑ "CLUB STATEMENT". Twitter. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Caernarfon Town part company with manager Huw Griffiths". BBC. 18 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Cymru Premier". Handbook Cymru. FAW. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  22. ↑ "JD Cymru Leagues statement Penybont". Cymru Leagues.
  23. ↑ "Cymru Premier: Airbus UK deducted three points over ineligible player". BBC. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "Airbus deducted an additional 3 points". Cymru Leagues.
  25. ↑ "Keeper Jones the hero as Bluebirds reach maiden European play-off final". Haverfordwest County A.F.C. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  26. ↑ "Newtown v Harverfordwest County". Football Web Pages. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  27. ↑ "Cymru Football". cymrufootball.wales. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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