Luke Williams believes Swansea City striker Zan Vipotnik is fully energised to take on Cardiff City in the Welsh derby this weekend after scoring his first goal for his new club. Vipotnik came off the bench to grab one of Swansea’s three goals in their empathic 3-0 victory over Preston at the weekend.

You know it’s not been a great weekend for a club when the headline screaming out from Sky Sports’ website says: “Is this the worst goalkeeper mistake you have ever seen!?” The answer, of course, depends very much on the length of your memory. If you happen to be under 30, then Ethan Horvath’s horrible error that led to Cardiff City conceding the opener in their 5-0 defeat Burnley may well be top of the pile.

Lawrence Vigouroux believes he has settled in well as the new man between the sticks for Swansea City. The 30-year-old goalkeeper, who joined from Burnley earlier in the summer, has already started in the two competitive matches against Middlesbrough and Gillingham and is preparing for his first home league game against Preston North End on Saturday.

Wales lock Dafydd Jenkins is set to miss the start of the new rugby season with Exeter after undergoing knee and shoulder surgery. Rob Baxter, Exeter’s director of rugby, said Friday it was still a “little bit fluid” when it came to a date for the 21-year-old second row’s playing return, but that he would be unavailable for the English Premiership opener against Leicester on September 21.

Rubin Colwill could make his first Championship start against Burnley on Saturday as Cardiff City test themselves against one of the favourites for promotion. Colwill’s inclusion is only theoretical, though, and certainly not something that can be guaranteed.

If Harry Wilson scores to put Fulham top of the Premier League on Friday night, then expect Craig Bellamy to be just as happy as the Manchester United-haters. The Premier League season will begin at Old Trafford where most eyes will be drawn towards Erik ten Hag.

Steve Williams, the president of the Football Association of Wales (FAW), has resigned with immediate effect. Williams had been suspended in July while an investigation was underway, but he has now chosen to step down before an independent hearing could be conducted.

Glamorgan safely booked a home semi-final slot on Sunday in the Metro Bank One Day Cup as they made it six wins out of eight to top Group B with a 62 run victory over the Yorkshire Vikings at Sophia Gardens. The champions in 2021, Glamorgan had already booked a play-off spot before the final round of games but now happily miss out on a quarter-final game on Friday.

The action continues at Chepstow Racecourse this week with a competitive six-race card on the Flat on Thursday afternoon at the track. Racing gets underway at 2.10 with a seven-runner handicap for apprentice jockeys in class six before the meeting comes to a close with an eight-runner handicap in class six at 5.05 to bring the curtain down on the card.

Hayley Matthews continued her remarkable all-round form as Welsh Fire cruised to a commanding nine-wicket victory over bottom side Southern Brave at the Utilita Bowl. The margin of victory ultimately guaranteed the Fire top spot and progression to the Hundred’s final on Sunday at Lord’s.

Erol Bulut has told his Cardiff City game-changers to take their Carabao Cup spark into the club’s Championship campaign. Mark McGuinness headed home Cardiff’s first goal of their 125th anniversary season to set-up a comfortable 2-0 home win over League One Bristol Rovers that saw them safely through to the second round.

The New Saints manager Craig Harrison has urged his players to move on quickly from their latest Euro heartbreak – and pocket the consolation prize. His team were unable to overcome a one goal deficit from the first leg of their Europa League third qualifying round clash with Moldovan champions Petrocub and were knocked out of the tournament after a goalless draw.

Luke Williams urged his Swansea City side to use their convincing 3-1 victory over 10-man Gillingham in the first round of the Carabao Cup as the benchmark for their forthcoming league performances. Ronald’s solo effort gave the dominant Swans the advantage at half-time.

By Ian Gordon Josh Tarling will make his Grand Tour debut when the Vuelta a Espana begins on Saturday – and a maiden leader’s jersey well within sight. The 20-year-old’s bow in one of cycling’s three major Tours comes just a couple of weeks after he agonisingly missed out on an Olympic medal by little […]

Wales could be back trying to pick their way through the minefield of Olympic football participation again during the lead in to 2028. British Olympic Association bosses hope to field a men’s football team at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

Welsh athletes have returned home, having made a remarkable impression at the Paris 2024 Olympics, achieving their best performance to date. A record 33 Welsh competitors, including 19 Olympic debutants, represented Team GB, bringing home a total of 13 medals—three gold, three silver, and seven bronze.

Wales midfielder Jordan James has finalised his transfer from Birmingham City to French club Rennes for a fee understood to be around £4m. Rennes, under the guidance of manager Julien Stephan, finished 10th in Ligue 1 last season and have captured the 20-year-old on a four-year deal..

Clara Evans ended an unforgettable week with a battling 46th-place finish in the Olympic women’s marathon in Paris. Welsh runner Evans, from Pontypridd Roadents AC, only discovered she was racing the previous weekend after the withdrawal of Charlotte Purdue, but led the Team GB contingent home in a time of 2:33.01.

Glamorgan’s Timm van der Gugten is confident the county can still clinch a home semi-final in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup, despite suffering their first defeat of the tournament. Australian international Peter Handscomb rescued Leicestershire from 59 for five with a superb 103 to set up a winning score against previously unbeaten Group B leaders Glamorgan and keep the defending champions in contention for the knock-out stages.

Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut has insisted defender Mark McGuinness was left out of the defeat to Sunderland because of a tight hamstring – and not because his thumb and index finger are about to pen a deal to join Luton Town for £10m. The former Arsenal player was conspicuous by his absence from the 2-0 home loss but Bulut claimed it does not mean he is on his way out of the club.