Craig Harrison asked for a reaction from his players following their shock 3-1 defeat to Briton Ferry Llansawel earlier in the week and he got it in spades as The New Saints moved to within a point of the top of the JD Cymru Premier table. They were forced to do it the hard way after falling behind to two goals in as many minutes from former Cardiff City academy star James Crole that gave league leaders Penybont a handy half-time lead at Park Hall.

Omer Riza appears happy enough with his trip to Malaysia to meet Vincent Tan – even though he did not return with a signed contact as the new permanent Cardiff City manager. Instead, Riza remains in interim charge of the Bluebirds as they prepare to face Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough on Saturday lunchtime.

Wales striker Liam Cullen is celebrating what he called a “perfect start” under new manager Craig Bellamy, crediting the team’s progress as a stepping stone toward securing World Cup qualification. Swansea forward Cullen netted his first two international goals as Wales bounced back from an early deficit to claim a 4-1 victory over Iceland in the Nations League on Tuesday.

Craig Bellamy hopes his success in leading Wales to Nations League promotion will convince his doubters he is not “the lunatic” some of them believe. The Wales boss – in as forthright and free-flowing a mood as his players had been – extended his unbeaten run to six games to make it the best start by a Wales manager as his side recovered from conceding an early goal to beat Iceland 4-1 in Cardiff.

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Craig Bellamy has discarded various Nations League permutations facing Wales by declaring his solitary focus is on beating Iceland in their final group fixture. Wales can still secure automatic promotion to League A by beating Iceland on Tuesday night if leaders Turkey lose to bottom-placed Montenegro.

Joe Rodon will win his 50th Wales cap on Tuesday after being battered, bruised and cut during the Nations League draw with Turkey. Rodon produced a player-of-the-match performance to shut out the Euro 2024 quarter-finalists in a bruising 0-0 stalemate in Kayseri.

Mold Alex turned into the biggest giant-killers in the third knock-out round of the JD Welsh Cup as they dispatched JD Cymru Premier side Briton Ferry Llansawel 2-1. The JD Cymru North team established a two goal lead in the first half at Alyn Park thanks to goals from Owen Cordner and Emanuel Lawal and then hung on to notch a famous victory. Alex Gammond got one back for the visitors to set up a thrilling final 20 minutes, but Mold held firm.

Karl Darlow dodged lighters thrown towards him and “white noise” at the ear-splitting Kadir Has Stadium to help Wales secure a battling Nations League draw in Turkey. Wales spent large periods of the clash under the cosh, but Darlow’s steady handling and shot-saving ability ensured the tie finished 0-0. Turkey did have the chance to seal matters – and promotion to League A into the bargain – from the penalty spot in the 89th-minute, but Kerem Akturkoglu’s effort struck the outside of the post and went wide.

Joe Allen and Craig Bellamy go back a long way – way before the former was calling the current Wales manager, “Boss”. But going from providing the shots to calling them, is something Allen himself may well do when he hangs up his boots.

Wales midfielder Josh Sheehan feels the ‘Swansea Way,’ has signposted a route from the lower reaches of the Football League to the international highway. Sheehan delivered an outstanding performance last month in a match against Montenegro, helping Wales secure a 1-0 home victory and keep their unbeaten run in the Nations League intact.

Jordan James will be hoping a new manager will provide a fresh start at Rennes after a slow beginning to his career in French football. Wales midfielder James – who is set to feature for Craig Bellamy’s side in Turkey this weekend – has made only three brief substitute appearances for Rennes since moving there from Birmingham City, and not played at all since September 21.

Dan James is determined to make up for lost time on the international stage as Wales seek to silence raucous Turkey supporters in their potential Nations League group decider. Leeds winger James has joined a Craig Bellamy Wales squad for the first time after missing the new manager’s opening two camps with a hamstring injury.

Ben Davies believes Wales can challenge the best with promotion to the top tier of the Nations League in their sights. Only Germany, with 17, have created more big chances in the competition than Wales’ 13 heading into the final round of fixtures.

Luke Williams admitted he was left “gutted” by a controversial penalty decision that brought Swansea’s City mini-revival to an abrupt halt. The Swans head coach was left doubting the call by referee David Webb, deep into injury time, that gave Burnley a penalty which Jay Rodriguez converted for a 1-0 win at Turf Moor.

Cardiff City interim manager Omer Riza has told fans they are going to have to wait for the board’s decision regarding his future after his side’s 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers. Despite his desire to get the job permanently, his future in the dugout is still uncertain with supporters starting to get restless about who will be their next permanent gaffer. A victory might have nudged Riza nearer towards having his name on the office door, but Cardiff went 2-0 down and although they pulled back a goal to suggest they might get something out of the game, they finished by conceding a third.

Omer Riza is a patient man and it appears if you work for Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan then you need to be. Tan seems to regard patience as a virtue, so long as it’s not him who is expected to show any.

Craig Harrison has urged his New Saints side not to get too down-hearted after they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Shamrock Rovers in their latest Europa Conference League tie. TNS had led 1-0 but the Irish side came from behind to beat the Cymru Premier champions at Tallaght Stadium.

Majority owners Jason Levien and Steve Kaplan are moving to sell their controlling stake in Swansea City. Fellow shareholders Andy Coleman, Brett Cravatt, Nigel Morris, and businessman Jason Cohen are set to take over ownership.

Cardiff City’s bubble has burst and interim manager Omer Riza has admitted it did not deserve to float beyond Luton. The Bluebirds lost 1-0 at Kenilworth Road, popping a seven-game unbeaten run and inflicting a second defeat on Riza in his eight-game spell in charge. Whether the result affects his chances of being given the permanent manager’s job remains to be seen, but a slip back down to 21st place in the table – above the bottom three on goal difference – cannot have helped his cause.