Wednesday Bridgend Town travelled to Caldicot looking for a win that would secure them 5th place in the table, they came away with a 1-0 victory over the Gwent club, and in doing so leap frogged both Lido and Cambrian & Clydach in the table.

They still have one game remaining against Cwmbran Town in their final game at Treforest, before they move back to Bridgend next season and play their games at the Brewery Field. But recent revelations about their plan to merge with Merthyr Tydfil, makes it uncertain as to which league they might be playing in next season.

View updated league table.

Tony

 
The under 19's brought an end to the league campaign, and the league's last match saw the under 19's sweep aside a West End side that had conceded 66 goals in their previous 13 games, and tonight they added another 7 to that total as we beat them 7-1.

The win moved us up one place to finish the season in 3rd place behind Llanelli and Carmarthen.

Lido's goal scorers were, Jonathan Hood (2), Carl Payne (2), Cory Thomas, Josh Cockings, Daniel Symmons.

View final league table.

Tony

 
Lido Squad:
R McCreesh, R Williams, A O'Keefe, C Evans, J Williams, C Thomas, L Shrimpton, M Chunuonsee, 
C Payne, S McCourbrey, A Carpenter.

Subs:
A Benyon, S Morgan, K Reynolds, V Lewis.

Lido took the lead on 18 mins with a goal from Carl Payne, we were 2-0 up on 33 minutes with a goal from Scott McCourbrey.

The points look safe as we went 3-0 up on 39 mins with a 2nd of the game from Scotty.

Half Time Cwmbran 0-3 Afan Lido.

It took just 5 minutes for Lido to add a 4th goal, it came on 50 mins and it was Carl Payne's 2nd of the game.

5-0 on 60 minutes, and it's a first senior hat-trick for young Carl Payne, the celebrations were cut short as Cwmbran scored within a minute of Payne's hat-trick, score 5-1.

It took only 3 mins more to make it 6-1 and a 2nd hat-trick of the game, this time Scotty made it 4 hat-tricks this season, and 21 league goals.

First sub of the game on 64 mins, Adam Benyon on for Aaron O'Keefe.

Second sub of the game on 78 mins, Karl Reynolds on for Lee Shrimpton.

Cwmbran score a 2nd goal on 79 mins to make it Cwmbran 2-6 Afan Lido.

On 84 mins we score again to make it 7-2 and it was that man again who just can't stop scoring, no not Ronaldo but Scott McCourbrey his 4th of the game.

Third sub of the game on 84 mins: Steve Morgan on for hat-trick hero Carl Payne.

The final whistle blows for full time and it's a comfortable 7-2 win for Lido.

Man of the match: Scott McCourbrey.

View final squad stats for the entire season

Tony

 
This is the final squad line up for the 2008/09 season.

R McCreesh, R Williams, J Williams, C Evans, A O'Keefe, L Shrimpton, M Chunuonsee, C Thomas,
A Carpenter, S McCourbrey, C Payne, S Best, A Beynon, D Lancey, K Reynolds.

Tony

 
With the disastrous news from the FAW that there will only be a welsh premier consisting of just 10 teams, they have come to some bit of sense regarding transfer windows.

In their wisdom the FAW have decided to scrap the transfer windows for the welsh league, Cymru Alliance, and the remainder of the welsh pyramid. This is good news for Afan Lido and all other non WPL clubs as it means we can sign players all year round, and a good chance for many clubs to sign fringe WPL players disillusioned with the lack of first team football.

We all remember the position we were in at the end of the January transfer window when we lost 3 key players and were unable to replace them as the window had shut.

Tony

 
Saturday brings down the curtain on a long and eventful season, we play relegated Cwmbran Town who have won only 3 games all season and have only 1 win in their last 15 games.

They have managed just 1 home win all season against Newport YMCA which came back on January 3rd and they managed a 4-1 win. They have also taken 4 points from 4 draws.

The Crows will start next season 2 divisions below their former status only a few season's ago when they were ever present in the welsh premier, but the withdraw of their main backer started their rapid fall through the pyramid. Last season they finished in 14th place 11 points clear of relegation, but this season they face relegation for the 2nd time in 3 season's.

Last season we drew both games against Cwmbran, 1-1 at the Marston and 0-0 in Cwmbran, this season we also drew 1-1 at the Marston, so we will be looking to record our 1st victory over them in 4 attempts.

Our form going into the final game has seen us lose just once in our last 6 outings, that being against Cambrian & Clydach, with 3 draws and 2 wins both in our last 2 games, a comprehensive 5-1 win at Dinas Powys and a good 2-0 win away to Bridgend last time out. And if I were a betting man I would fancy us to make it 3 wins on the trot and a decent end to the season, though our final points tally will be at least 23 points off top spot, and a likely final league position of 7th, that's if we win of course.

Tony

 
The Council agreed that from the start of the Season 2010/11, the size of the League would be reduced to Ten Clubs.

The Council also agreed that each of these ten clubs would have to hold a valid FAW Domestic Club Licence for the Season. The clubs will be assessed between August 2009 and April 2010 for the Domestic Licence, with the decision taken by an Independent Body, who are sworn to Confidentiality and Independence agreements.

Furthermore, it was also decided that there would be just one Welsh Premier League. This means that those clubs who are not licensed, or those who do not gain entry into the re-structured Welsh Premier, would enter into the Cymru Alliance or Welsh League Division 1.

Club Licensing was introduced by UEFA for the UEFA Club competitions in 2003/04 Season and with a number of clubs continuing to improve in all aspects of the Licence, it notably contrasts to others, who have made very little progress. It was thus decided in an FAW Council Meeting in December 2005, that the FAW would introduce its own Licence for the Welsh Premier League, a decision which was commended by UEFA.

In his Preface in the FAW Domestic Licensing Manual, FAW President Peter Rees says; "The FAW is pleased to support the concept of Domestic Club Licensing, considering that it will enhance and improve a wide range of aspects of football at the highest level in the Principality."

In the 2008/09 Season, 72% of the 53 UEFA Member Nations implemented a Domestic Licensing system for entering domestic competitions. Some of those who Wales joined in the minority, who didn't have a system, were some of the top Nations such as England, Italy, Spain and France where standards are very high anyway. The Football Associations in Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland all have an obligatory Domestic Licensing system for their Top League , which was also the reason for re-structuring in recent years.

The Clubs will be assessed on six Criteria Subjects, which are Sporting (Youth structure and Player Medicals), Infrastructure (Stadium), Personnel and Administration, Legal, Financial and Codes of Practice, which include Child Protection and Club Charters.

WPL Website

 
We made 3 games unbeaten with a 2-0 win over Bridgend Town today in Treforest.

We took the lead on 33 mins from man of the match Adam Carpenter, and held the lead at half time.

It was over half an hour before another goal was scored and it came from Carl Payne on 77 mins to make it 2-0, and give us a 2 goal cushion we were saw out the rest of the game.

Our final game of the season is next Saturday away to already relegated and bottom on the table Cwmbran Town.

Lido Line up.
R McCreesh, R Williams, C Evans, J Williams, L Shrimpton, C Thomas, M Chunuonsee, C Payne,
S McCourbrey, A Carpenter.

Subs:
J McEvoy, S Best, A Benyon, V Lewis.

View league table

Tony

 
Afan Lido were only a minute away from winning the MacWhirter youth cup over welsh youth cup winners Llanelli last night at the Marston in front of over 200 spectators.

Lido took the lead through Niall Lewis, and we held that lead until the 90th minute when Llanelli equalised and forced the game into extra time.

Neither side could calve out a winning goal and the trophy was decided on penalties, which Llanelli won 3-2.

Tony

 
Due to a complete lack of interest in voting for the Afan Lido player of the season, I have now deleted the poll on the forum.

Since it was posted on May 1st, only 5 people signed up to the clubs forum and only 4 of them voted (including me)

Also I have made the forum a members viewing only, guests or non registered members will not be able to view any posts or even access the forum unless they have signed up. Don't know why I bothered.

Tony

 
This Saturday we play our penultimate game of the season away to Bridgend Town.

Bridgend have been had a funny season this year, they have on their day been capable of beating any team in the league, also on their off day they have been capable of losing to any team in the division.

They have lost to Goytre and Aberaman, and have also beaten Goytre and Aberaman.

This season is their final season on the road as next season they will be back playing their home games in Bridgend when they will play their home games at the Brewery Field.

Earlier in the season we played out a 4-4 draw at the Marston, and now is not the best time to be playing them as their recent form is the best in division 1, so it's a tall order for our very young side to get anything out of this game, but it's about time for them to have one of their off day's again.

Former Lido player Ian Turner will be playing against Lido for the first time since his January transfer window switch to Bridgend.

Tony

 
6 ex Lido players on are on the verge of a return to the welsh league with Corus Steel.

Former player and manager Paul Evans, Greg Hurley, Steve Parry, Dan Williams, Andy Pearson and Dean Johnston are 1 point away from returning to the welsh league with South Wales Amateur league side Corus Steel. 

Corus top the division and lead former welsh league side Caerau by 3 points, and Tuesday they need just one point from their home game with Bargoed Redz to clinch a place in the welsh league, defeat Tuesday will leave their final match against Caerau on Friday a winner take all at the Corus Sports ground. While if they avoid defeat against Bargoed they will be crowned champions.

They will not have to face a play off with the winners of the South Wales Senior league as Fairwater the champions of that league, have had their application to join the welsh league turned down as their ground does not meet welsh league standards.

Good luck to the near neighbours on their quest to enter the welsh league.

Tony

 
Many of Afan Lido's stars of the future were at today's game between Aberdeen and Celtic ahead of the games against Scotland's BGC.

Our players in the Wales squads for the games are 

U18: R McCreesh, M Beynon, L Borrelli, C Payne, R Whitelock, J Hood, C Harris, E Harris, E Weir.

U16: Dan Symmons, Grant Fisher, Calum Fleming, Connah Williams, Levi Coakes.

U14: Jack Lewis, Foard Cooksley, Lloyd Jones.

Tony

 
Llanelli won the FAW Youth Cup on Thursday evening against a very strong Swansea City side at Stebonheath and it is a real sign that the Academy structure in Wales is going from strength to strength. The result was reward for three and a half years of hard work and investment into the Academy structure at Stebonheath

The Reds defeated their Football League rivals, 2-1 in-front of almost 700 impressed spectators, which not only included the Wales Team Manager John Toshack, but also the two First Team Managers, Roberto Martinez of Swansea and the newly appointed Andy Legg, who had only taken the Llanelli Hot-Seat, just 4 hours earlier!

Llanelli's delighted Chairman Nitin Parekh said that; "The result was reward for three and a half years of hard work and investment into the Academy structure at Stebonheath". The Reds decided to completely restructure their Academy in the summer of 2006, to meet the upgraded UEFA Club Licensing criteria and the decision has really paid off.

The side is Managed by Bob Jeffrey, who as well as being the overall Head of Youth Development at the club, is also the goalkeeping coach for the first team. He is currently on the 'A' Licence coaching qualification (which is a UEFA and Domestic Licence requirement), which guarantees the youngsters at the club an excellent level of coaching.

A noticeable fact from reading through the Player Profiles in the Match Programme was the vast number of players in the Llanelli squad, who had previously been on the books at the Liberty Stadium, but had unfortunately been released by the Swans. The excellent Llanelli Academy now provides an alternative for these players, where they can still develop their footballing careers, under the watchful and expert eye of Jeffrey and his qualified coaching staff, which includes former Reds' player Mike Hurley, who is Jeffrey's Assistant in the Youth Team.

WPL Website

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