2021–22 Cymru Premier
# 2021–22 Cymru Premier

The 2021–22 Cymru Premier (Welsh: Uwch Gynghrair Cymru 2021–22) (known as the JD Cymru Premier for sponsorship reasons) was the 30th 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. Due to Wales losing a European place, the format of the play-offs changed, with the prize now being a place in the Scottish Challenge Cup.

## Teams

Twelve teams competed in the league – the same twelve teams as the previous season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cymru North and Cymru South leagues were unable to be played the previous season, therefore no teams were able to be promoted. As every team already in the premier league had been granted a Tier 1 license, there was no need for any team to be relegated.

### 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 | Antonio Corbisiero | Jack Thorn | Acerbis | Aberystwyth University |
| Bala Town | Colin Caton | Chris Venables | Macron | Aykroyd's |
| Barry Town United | Gavin Chesterfield | Kayne McLaggon | Macron | RIM Motors |
| Caernarfon Town | Huw Griffiths | Dion Donohue | Errea | Gofal Bro Cyf |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | Christian Edwards | Chris Baker | Errea | Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| Cefn Druids | Andy Turner | Michael Jones | Errea | Wrexham Lager |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | Craig Harrison | George Horan | Nike | Educate Group |
| Flint Town United | Neil Gibson | Alex Jones | Macron | Essity |
| Haverfordwest County | Nicky Hayen | Dylan Rees | Joma | West Wales Properties |
| Newtown | Chris Hughes | Craig T. Williams | Errea | Control Techniques |
| Penybont | Rhys Griffiths | Kane Owen | Macron | Nathaniel House of Cars |
| The New Saints | Anthony Limbrick | Chris Marriott | Legea | SiFi Networks |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cefn Druids | Jayson Starkey | End of caretaker spell | 27 May 2021 | Pre-season | Niall McGuinness | 27 May 2021 |
| Aberystwyth Town | Gavin Allen | Resigned | 2 June 2021 | Pre-season | Antonio Corbisiero | 2 June 2021 |
| Cefn Druids | Niall McGuinness | Resigned | 24 September 2021 | 12th | Andy Turner (caretaker) | 24 September 2021 |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | Andy Morrison | Resigned | 28 September 2021 | 6th | Craig Harrison | 29 September 2021 |
| Haverfordwest County | Wayne Jones | Resigned | 5 December 2021 | 10th | Nicky Hayen | 31 December 2021 |

## League table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | The New Saints (C) | 32 | 25 | 5 | 2 | 86 | 26 | +60 | 80 | Qualification for the Champions League first qualifying round |
| 2 | Bala Town | 32 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 67 | 37 | +30 | 59 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Newtown | 32 | 15 | 6 | 11 | 50 | 35 | +15 | 51 | Qualification for the Europa Conference League first qualifying round |
| 4 | Caernarfon Town (O) | 32 | 13 | 4 | 15 | 46 | 53 | −7 | 43 | Qualification to Scottish Challenge Cup play-offs |
| 5 | Flint Town United | 32 | 12 | 6 | 14 | 51 | 53 | −2 | 42 | Qualification to Scottish Challenge Cup play-offs |
| 6 | Penybont | 32 | 10 | 10 | 12 | 49 | 57 | −8 | 40 | Qualification to Scottish Challenge Cup play-offs |
| 7 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 32 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 35 | 38 | −3 | 42 | Qualification to Scottish Challenge Cup play-offs |
| 8 | Aberystwyth Town | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 38 | 45 | −7 | 40 | |
| 9 | Connah's Quay Nomads | 32 | 15 | 11 | 6 | 44 | 18 | +26 | 38 | |
| 10 | Haverfordwest County | 32 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 45 | 46 | −1 | 38 | |
| 11 | Barry Town United (R) | 32 | 8 | 7 | 17 | 31 | 47 | −16 | 31 | Relegation to Cymru North or Cymru South |
| 12 | Cefn Druids (R) | 32 | 2 | 3 | 27 | 22 | 109 | −87 | 9 | Relegation to Cymru North or Cymru South |

* ↑ Teams play each other twice (22 matches), before the league is split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six).
* ↑ Connah's Quay Nomads were deducted 18 points for fielding an ineligible player in six matches.

## Results

13 August 2021 – 26 February 2022

### Matches 1–22

| Home \ Away | ABE | BAL | BAR | CAE | CMU | CDR | CQN | FTU | HAV | NTW | PYB | TNS |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Aberystwyth Town | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 |
| Bala Town | 2–2 | — | 3–3 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 6–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–4 |
| Barry Town United | 1–1 | 0–0 | — | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Caernarfon Town | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–4 |
| Cardiff Metropolitan University | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | — | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 |
| Cefn Druids | 0–1 | 3–5 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–3 | — | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–5 | 0–3 | 1–4 |
| Connah's Quay Nomads | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | — | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Flint Town United | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | — | 4–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Haverfordwest County | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | — | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| Newtown | 1–2 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 5–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | — | 3–1 | 1–4 |
| Penybont | 4–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 7–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | — | 1–1 |
| The New Saints | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 5–3 | 5–0 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | — |

## Season statistics

### Top scorers

| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Declan McManus | The New Saints | 24 |
| 2 | Aaron Williams | Newtown | 17 |
| 3 | Jordan Williams | The New Saints | 15 |
| 4 | Michael Wilde | Flint Town United | 14 |
| 4 | Kayne McLaggon | Barry Town United | 14 |

**Hat-tricks**

| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Michael Wilde | Flint Town United | Cefn Druids | 4–0 (H) | 21 August 2021 |
| Aaron Williams | Newtown | Barry Town United | 0–3 (A) | 2 October 2021 |
| Declan McManus | The New Saints | Haverfordwest | 6–0 (H) | 6 November 2021 |
| Nicky Rushton | Newtown | Aberystwyth | 2–4 (A) | 10 December 2021 |
| Ben Ahmun | Penybont | Aberystwyth | 4–0 (H) | 21 January 2022 |
| Mello | Connah's Quay | Cefn Druids | 5–0 (H) | 15 March 2022 |
| Alhagi Touray Sisay | Haverfordwest | Aberystwyth | 0–6 (A) | 15 March 2022 |
| Will Evans | Bala | Penybont | 0–5 (A) | 2 April 2022 |
| Jazz Richards | Haverfordwest | Cefn Druids | 1–6 (A) | 9 April 2022 |
| Jordan Williams | The New Saints | Flint Town | 7–0 (H) | 15 April 2022 |

**Hat-tricks**

**Notes**

(H) – Home team (A) – Away team

### Top assists

    As of 1 May 2022

| Rank | Player | Club | Assists |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Rob Hughes | Caernarfon Town | 13 |
| 2 | Chris Marriott | The New Saints | 10 |
| 2 | Nick Rushton | Newtown | 10 |
| 2 | Mathew Jones | Aberystwyth Town | 10 |
| 5 | Adrian Cieślewicz | The New Saints | 9 |
| 6 | Ryan Brobbel | The New Saints | 8 |
| 6 | Daniel Redmond | The New Saints | 8 |
| 6 | Kane Owen | Penybont | 8 |
| 6 | Paul Rutherford | Bala Town | 8 |
| 6 | Ben Fawcett | Haverfordwest County | 8 |

### Monthly awards

| Month | Manager of the Month | Manager of the Month | Player of the Month | Player of the Month |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Month | Manager | Club | Player | Club |
| August | Anthony Limbrick | The New Saints | Clayton Green | Barry Town |
| September | Colin Caton | Bala Town | David Edwards | Bala Town |
| October | Chris Hughes | Newtown | Kayne McLaggon | Barry Town |
| November | Antonio Corbisiero | Aberystwyth Town | John Owen | Aberystwyth Town |
| December | Chris Hughes | Newtown | Jordan Williams | The New Saints |
| January | Anthony Limbrick | The New Saints | Harry Franklin | Aberystwyth Town |
| February | Craig Harrison | Connah's Quay | Mike Hayes | Caernarfon Town |
| March | Nicky Hayen | Haverfordwest County | Chris Venables | Bala Town |

### Annual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| - | - | - |
| Manager of the Season | Anthony Limbrick | The New Saints |
| Player of the Season | Declan McManus | The New Saints |
| Young Player of the Season | Mael Davies | Penybont |
| Goal of the Season | Kyle McCarthy | Cardiff Met University |

Team of the Season :

| Goalkeeper | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) | Oliver Byrne (Connah's Quay Nomads) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Defenders | Mael Davies (Penybont) | Mael Davies (Penybont) | Mael Davies (Penybont) | Danny Davies (The New Saints) | Danny Davies (The New Saints) | Danny Davies (The New Saints) | Nathan Peate (Bala Town) | Nathan Peate (Bala Town) | Nathan Peate (Bala Town) | Dion Donohue (Caernarfon) | Dion Donohue (Caernarfon) | Dion Donohue (Caernarfon) | Kane Owen (Penybont) | Kane Owen (Penybont) | Kane Owen (Penybont) |
| Midfielders | Daniel Redmond (The New Saints) | Ryan Brobbel (The New Saints) |
| Forwards | Lifumpa Mwandwe (Newtown) | Lifumpa Mwandwe (Newtown) | Lifumpa Mwandwe (Newtown) | Lifumpa Mwandwe (Newtown) | Lifumpa Mwandwe (Newtown) | Declan McManus (The New Saints) | Declan McManus (The New Saints) | Declan McManus (The New Saints) | Declan McManus (The New Saints) | Declan McManus (The New Saints) | Will Evans (Bala Town) | Will Evans (Bala Town) | Will Evans (Bala Town) | Will Evans (Bala Town) | Will Evans (Bala Town) |

### Fair Play award

The winner for each respective division's FAW Fair Play Table was to be given £1,000 prize money and the FAW Fair Play Trophy.

The winners of the Nationwide Building Society Fair Play Award for the 2021-2022 Cymru Premier season are Connah's Quay Nomads

