2020–21 Cymru Premier
Football league season
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The 2020–21 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2020–21) (known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) was the 29th season of the Cymru Premier (formally known as the Welsh Premier League), the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992. Connah's Quay Nomads were the defending champions. Teams played each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league split into two groups after phase 1 matches were completed.
| Season | 2020–21 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12 September 2020 – 29 May 2021 |
| Champions | Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Relegated | No relegation |
| Champions League | Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Europa Conference League | The New Saints Bala Town Newtown |
| Matches | 192 |
| Goals | 600 (3.13 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Chris Venables (24 goals) |
| Biggest home win | The New Saints 10–0 Flint Town (3 October 2020) |
| Biggest away win | Cefn Druids 0–7 Newtown (30 April 2021) |
| Highest scoring | The New Saints 10–0 Flint Town (3 October 2020) |
← 2019–20 2021–22 →
All statistics correct as of 26 September. | |
COVID-19 restrictions were put in place by the FAW. Starting Monday 10 August 2020, clubs could train in groups of 15 and contact training was allowed at all levels of football. However, competitive and exhibition matches were not allowed to take place at this time.[1]
On 21 August 2020, The Football Association of Wales received confirmation that the JD Cymru Premier has been granted elite athletic status by the Welsh Government, meaning that the 2020–21 season could commence on 11 September 2020.[2]
Teams
Twelve teams competed in the league – the top ten teams from the previous season, and one team each promoted from the second tier, the Cymru North and Cymru South.
The two bottom placed teams from the 2019–20 season, Airbus UK Broughton and Carmarthen Town, were relegated to the Cymru North and the Cymru South respectively for the 2020–21 season.[3]
Flint Town United, runners-up of the Cymru North were promoted to the league due to champions Prestatyn Town's failure to secure a Tier 1 license.[4] Similarly, Haverfordwest County, runners-up of the Cymru South, were also promoted due to champions Swansea University's failure to secure a Tier 1 license.
Stadia and locations
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town | Aberystwyth | Park Avenue | 5,000 |
| Bala Town | Bala | Maes Tegid | 3,000 |
| Barry Town United | Barry | Jenner Park Stadium | 3,500 |
| Caernarfon Town | Caernarfon | The Oval | 3,000 |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | Cyncoed | Cyncoed Campus | 1,620 |
| Cefn Druids | Rhosymedre | The Rock | 3,000 |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | Connah's Quay | Deeside Stadium | 1,500 |
| Flint Town United | Flint | Cae-y-Castell | 1,000 |
| Haverfordwest County | Haverfordwest | Bridge Meadow Stadium | 2,100 |
| Newtown | Newtown | Latham Park | 5,000 |
| Penybont | Bridgend | Bryntirion Park | 3,000 |
| The New Saints |  Oswestry |
Park Hall | 2,034 |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Head coach | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Front shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town |  Gavin Allen |
Marc Williams |
Acerbis | Aberystwyth University |
| Bala Town | Colin Caton |
Chris Venables |
Macron | Aykroyd's |
| Barry Town United | Gavin Chesterfield |
Jordan Cotterill |
Macron | RIM Motors |
| Caernarfon Town | Huw Griffiths |
Gareth Edwards |
Surridge Sports | Gofal Bro Cyf, Parc Gwêl y Fenai |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | Christian Edwards |
Bradley Woolridge |
Errea | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Cefn Druids | Jason Starkey (caretaker) |
Michael Jones |
Errea | Wrexham Lager |
| Connah's Quay Nomads |  Andy Morrison |
George Horan |
Nike | Mind |
| Flint Town United | Neil Gibson |
Richie Faulkes |
Macron | Essity |
| Haverfordwest County | Wayne Jones |
Sean Pemberton |
Joma | West Wales Properties |
| Newtown | Chris Hughes |
Craig T. Williams |
Errea | Control Techniques |
| Penybont | Rhys Griffiths |
Rhys Wilson[5] |
Macron | Nathaniel House of Cars |
| The New Saints |  Anthony Limbrick |
Paul Harrison |
Legea | SiFi Networks |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connah's Quay Nomads (C) | 32 | 25 | 4 | 3 | 70 | 20 | +50 | 79 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | The New Saints | 32 | 24 | 5 | 3 | 84 | 17 | +67 | 77 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Bala Town | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 67 | 42 | +25 | 60 | |
| 4 | Penybont | 32 | 13 | 7 | 12 | 42 | 40 | +2 | 46 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-offs |
| 5 | Barry Town United | 32 | 13 | 4 | 15 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 43 | |
| 6 | Caernarfon Town | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 43 | 67 | −24 | 37 | |
| 7 | Newtown (O) | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 42 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League play-offs |
| 8 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 47 | 46 | +1 | 40 | |
| 9 | Haverfordwest County | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 38 | 56 | −18 | 37 | |
| 10 | Aberystwyth Town | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 47 | 53 | −6 | 33 | |
| 11 | Flint Town United | 32 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 38 | 58 | −20 | 32 | |
| 12 | Cefn Druids | 32 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 25 | 95 | −70 | 16 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Head-to-head points; 4) Goals scored; 5) Matches won.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners
Notes:
- Teams play each other twice (22 matches), before the league splits into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last 10 matches. Due to the cancellation of Cymru North and South seasons, there is no promotion or relegation.
Results
UEFA Europa Conference League play-offs
Teams that finished in positions fourth to seventh at the end of the regular season participated in play-offs to determine the third participant to enter the Europa Conference League first qualifying round.
Semi-finals
| Barry Town | 1–3 | Caernarfon Town |
|---|---|---|
Edwards  44' (o.g.) |
Report | Hayes  41', 50'Bickerstaff 90+5' |
Final
| Caernarfon Town | 3–5 | Newtown |
|---|---|---|
| Kenny 18' D. Thomas 59', 74' |
Report | Rushton 39' (pen.) Mwandwe 45'Davies 80', 82'Breese 86' |
Season statistics
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chris Venables |
Bala Town | 24 |
| 2 | Michael Wilde |
Connah's Quay Nomads | 18 |
| 3 |  Greg Draper |
The New Saints | 14 |
| 4 | Will Evans |
Bala Town | 13 |
| Ollie Hulbert |
Cardiff Met | ||
| Eliot Evans |
Monthly awards
| Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | |
| October | Scott Ruscoe |
The New Saints | Chris Venables |
Bala Town |
| November | Scott Ruscoe |
The New Saints | Will Evans |
Bala Town |
| December | Andy Morrison |
Connah's Quay | Lewis Harling |
Penybont |
| March | Andy Morrison |
Connah's Quay | George Horan |
Connah's Quay |
| April | Andy Morrison |
Connah's Quay | Michael Wilde |
Connah's Quay |
Annual awards
| Award | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Manager of the Season | Andy Morrison[9] |
Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Player of the Season | Michael Wilde[10] |
Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Young Player of the Season | Mael Davies[11] |
Penybont |
| Goal of the Season | Sameron Dool[12] |
Connah's Quay Nomads |
| Save of the Season | Connor Roberts[13] |
Aberystwyth Town |
| Team of the Season[14] | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | |||||||||||
| Defenders | John Disney (Connah's Quay Nomads) |
Ryan Astles (The New Saints) |
George Horan (Connah's Quay Nomads) |
Kane Owen (Penybont) | ||||||||
| Midfielders | Callum Morris (Connah's Quay Nomads) |
Ryan Brobbel (The New Saints) |
 Adrian Cieślewicz (The New Saints) |
Danny Davies (Connah's Quay Nomads) | ||||||||
| Forwards | Chris Venables (Bala Town) |
Michael Wilde (Connah's Quay Nomads) | ||||||||||