By Matthew Burgess The FAW’s annual club licensing announcement has been met with mixed emotions after the Cymru South’s two leading promotion candidates both failed to achieve the necessary criteria to enable them to compete in the Cymru Premier. Cymru South leaders Llantwit Major and title rivals Pontypridd Town can appeal the initial decision but […]

Women’s sport in Wales is on the precipice of the biggest weekend in its history. Both the women’s national football and rugby teams are looking to ride the wave of support in a blockbuster month to confirm a seismic shift in interest, activism and commercial appeal. On Friday night, Wales host France at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, with the prospect of taking a huge step forward towards qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Helen Ward says she would not swap her 14-year international career for a more lucrative one in the modern era as she prepares to become the newest member of Wales’ 100-cap club. Ward is set to join Jess Fishlock, Loren Dykes and Sophie Ingle as Welsh centurions in Friday’s 2023 World Cup qualifier against France in Llanelli. Chris Gunter, Gareth Bale and Wayne Hennessey have reached the three-figure milestone in the men’s game.

By David Williams Natasha Harding is hoping for a record women’s football crowd in Wales that can help upset France in their World Cup qualifier. Over 4,000 tickets have already been sold for Friday’s game at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli, with confidence growing that Wales can reach their first major women’s tournament under Gemma […]

By Paul Jones Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has hailed his team’s professionalism as they made a significant move into second place in the National League. 

Russell Martin praised the ruthless attitude of Joel Piroe after the striker put Swansea City on the outer fringes of the Championship play-off race. Dutchman Piroe scored his 18th goal of the season in all competitions as the Swans secured a 1-0 win against Millwall at The Den. The result lifted head coach Martin’s side to 14th in the table – level on points with West Bromwich Albion and Preston and only eight points behind Middlesbrough, who occupy the final play-off spot.

Both Cardiff and Swansea are miles away from the promotion picture and their seasons are dwindling to a close. But, there is success for a certain Welshman in Nathan Jones, who is miraculously looking to guide Luton Town to the promised land of the Premier League. Daniel Parker has been finding out about a Welsh managerial great in the making. 

Rhiannon Roberts is determined to top up her feelgood factor when Wales host France on Friday night in their crucial World Cup qualifier. The Liverpool defender has already achieved one successful mission this season by sealing promotion with her club at the weekend after a 4-2 victory at Bristol City. The win extended Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Championship to 19 games and confirmed them as champions.

Michael Obafemi revealed he was driven by the desire to make history after his two-goal raid inked his name into Welsh football folklore. The Swansea City striker bookended a stunning victory for his club against their bitterest rivals and now his name – and his club’s 4-0 win at Cardiff City – will be talked about in Wales for years. Not only did it help Swansea debunk the well-worn statistic that neither club had ever managed a league double over the other in 110 years of trying, but it was Swansea’s biggest derby victory for 73 years.

Michael Obafemi has transformed his character as much as his goal return in the past few weeks at Swansea City. That was the assessment of his head coach Russell Martin after Obafemi drove a bulldozer through a stacked 110-year history between Welsh football’s biggest clubs to leave Cardiff City’s recent revival in ruins. The Swansea striker scored his team’s first and last goals as they totally outclassed their rivals with a 4-0 away win – their biggest Welsh derby victory since 1949.

Wales manager Robert Page has described the prospect of facing England at the World Cup as “mouth-watering”. The Dragons are one match away from making their first World Cup appearance since 1958 following a Gareth Bale-inspired 2-1 victory against Austria last month. Wales will meet Scotland or Ukraine for a place in the finals, with England lying in wait in Qatar on November 29 if Page’s men triumph.

Russell Martin has urged his Swansea City players to grasp the opportunity to become history-makers in the derby at Cardiff City on Saturday. The Swans head coach has suggested the chance to become the first Welsh team to do a league “double” over their rival should be another motivating factor when his team visit the Cardiff City Stadium. Following the Swans’ 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture in October, the visitors have the chance to complete the first league double in the 110-year history of the fixture.

By Harry Corish Rubin Colwill will start on the bench for Cardiff City tomorrow in the South Wales derby after manager Steve Morison insisted he would not get carried away by the hype. Colwill scored his first goal for Wales against the Czech Republic in midweek in an impressive first home start. But despite a […]

Newport County host Exeter City on Saturday in a key fixture at the top end of League Two. It’s a match that may go a long way to determining County’s fate as they chase promotion. But whether they go up, or miss out, Daniel Parker reckons the club is in good hands under shrewd young manager James Rowberry. In the 110-year history of Newport County there have been a plethora of unhappy days. May 31, 2021 was a million miles from the worst, but it still hurt for those with amber blood in their veins.

It’s derby day in South Wales on Saturday. It should feel gripping, but instead it’s all a little slack for Fraser Watson who reckons Cardiff City and Swansea City will indulge in a private battle of sound and fury that might not even be heard anywhere over the Severn Bridge.  Cardiff v Swansea, history on the line, […]

By Paul Jones Robert Page hailed his stand-in strikeforce after Wales preserved their long unbeaten home record with a friendly draw against the Czech Republic. Brennan Johnson starred, Rubin Colwill scored his first Wales goal and Rabbi Matondo showed his pace as Daniel James and Aaron Ramsey sat out the night and Gareth Bale only appeared for the final 10 minutes.

By David Williams Wayne Hennessey will join the exclusive Welsh football 100 cap club when he leads the side in the friendly against the Czech Republic in Cardiff today. It is a landmark that threatened to elude him when Leicester’s Danny Ward took his spot at last year’s European Championships. Some may have thrown in […]

By Graham Thomas Helen Ward believes sport is moving in the right direction when it comes to dealing with pregnancy and motherhood – but that didn’t stop her stressing over seeing her own kids on Mother’s Day. The iconic Wales striker – who is closing in on 100 international caps for her country – was […]

Rabbi Matondo is learning the knuckleball secrets from Gareth Bale a year after a knucklehead decision cost him his place in the Wales squad. Matondo is set to face the Czech Republic on Tuesday, as Wales seek to ride the wave from their stunning Bale-inspired World Cup play-off victory over Austria. But only 12 months ago, Matondo was sent home by manager Rob Page for breaking a hotel curfew, along with Hal Robson-Kanu and Tyler Roberts, and his international future was in doubt.

Wales are one win from “living the dream” at the World Cup and manager Robert Page says they would have to “strip the emotions away” were they to meet war-torn Ukraine for a place in Qatar. Page’s side booked their place in the World Cup play-off final by beating Austria 2-1 on Thursday and will now meet Scotland or Ukraine. That semi-final has been postponed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with June being the most likely option for a new date.