Relegation threatened Carmarthen Town have boosted their survival hopes by re-signing former strikers Luke Bowen and Mark Jones from Welsh League rivals Port Talbot Town and Afan Lido.
Bowen departs his hometown club after three seasons to return to Richmond Park where he had a brief spell in 2013/14 following a stint playing in Australia, Jones re-joins Carmarthen after leaving the club 12 months ago to make a surprise switch to Aberystwyth Town.
The Old Gold have struggled in front of goal this season and scored just 16 goals in 22 games during Phase 1, winning just three games along the way.
Despite playing Welsh League Division One football this season, both players are of Welsh Premier League calibre with a proven track-record playing in the top-flight and Carmarthen’s latest additions significantly boost Mark Aizlewood’s attacking options.
Carmarthen currently lie bottom of the JD Welsh Premier League, 10 points adrift of Aberystwyth who sit above the relegation zone but there is still no guarantee that the maximum of two teams will be relegated/promoted.
Relegation will be decided on whether teams finishing in the top two of the Cymru Alliance and Welsh League Division One feeder leagues successfully achieve WPL licensing criteria which is based on ground facilities, finance and club infrastructure. Caernarfon Town (Cymru Alliance) and Haverfordwest County currently lead their respective leagues and both declared their intent to again a domestic licence.
11th-placed Prestatyn are three points ahead of Carmarthen but the north Wales side have seen their form drop off considerably and the resignation of successful manager Neil Gibson last week along with rumoured financial uncertainty leaves the club in crisis going into Phase 2. Unless that is a dramatic turnaround in fortunes for the Prestatyn it is hard to see them moving out of the bottom two, leaving Carmarthen and Aberystwyth as the remaining likely candidates to take a second relegation place.
Both Luke Bowen and Mark Jones have formerly played for Aberystwyth Town, now wearing the colours of the Old Gold could they come back to hurt their former club?
How Carmarthen might line-up in Phase 2:
