Cup final awaits Trethomas Bluebirds as they prepare for Denbigh Town clash

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Trethomas Bluebirds face Denbigh Town in the final of the FAW Amateur Trophy on Saturday April 29.

Second only to the Welsh Cup, the FAW Amateur Trophy would be the biggest win in both sides’ history.

The final will be played in Latham Park, Newtown – with both clubs are expected to take hundreds of fans for the 12pm kick off.

The Bluebirds will most likely start the game as underdogs, despite the club competing for both this trophy and promotion to the Ardal South.

Denbigh Town are also looking to secure league promotion in the Ardal North West League, currently sitting third with a game in hand over league leaders Bangor 1876 FC – a side Trethomas beat 2-1 in this competition earlier in the year.

The side from north Wales are also competing in the Ardal North League Cup, with a potential treble on the cards.

Both sides come into the game in good form. Trethomas Bluebirds picked up a huge three points on the road over league rivals Abertillery Bluebirds in midweek, meaning their title challenge in the Ardal South East is still very much alive.

Denbigh are also third in their league, and until their 4-2 loss over Llay Welfare FC on Wednesday night, were on an unbeaten winning streak that went back to December 30, 2022.

Both sides have the highest goals scored record in their respective leagues, meaning the final has every chance of being a blow-for-blow encounter with whoever scores last claiming the spoils.

When it comes to cup form in general, it’s almost a year to the day when the Bluebirds beat Cardiff Draconians 1-0 to win the Ardal South Cup and secure their first ever piece of cup silverware.

For Denbigh, this will be their first cup final appearance since 2016, when they lost out to Cymru Premier giants The New Saints.

From 250 sides down to just two, whoever wins will take huge confidence heading into the final stretch of the season.

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Who to watch

For Trethomas, the obvious goal scoring threat comes through striker Levi Rees. He has six goals in this competition with a further 12 in the league. The Bluebirds midfield will look to find him whenever they get the chance.

Arguably their most inform player at the moment however is Gareth Tedstone. The 31-year-old has been superb this season, with six of his goals coming in his last four matches. He has also been provider on six occasions, making him a dual-threat forward.

Unfortunately, Trethomas will be without Alex Newman-Jones for the final after the midfielder was sent off against Llandrindod Wells in the semi-final.

For Denbigh Town, they will be hoping Nathan Brown continues his good form coming into this final. The forward is second in the league standings for goals scored with 17. Brown also leads his team in assists meaning Trethomas will want to shut this danger man down early if they want to win this game.

Captain Paul Fleming has also grabbed himself 13 goals this season and will look to link with Brown whenever possible to provide another forward outlet.

Trethomas Bluebirds v Manchester United

Expectations

Trethomas Bluebirds manager Mark Dunford told Caerphilly Observer: “I’m so proud with the way the boys dealt with Abertillery in the week. We’ve always said that promotion is our priority and to see them perform like that on a Tuesday night with a cup final on the weekend was incredible.

“The final itself will be a huge honour for me to coach and I’m really excited. At the end of the day this is why I do this job.

“We’ve had a difficult run to get here and beaten some quality sides. If the boys play well then we win it’s as simple as that.

“It’ll be the biggest win in the club’s history and the boys know that but we’re still treating it as just another game. Focus is key.”

The game will be streamed for free on Red Wall Plus from 12pm Saturday.