Llanyrafon FC are celebrating winning their first trophy with the club captain saying they’re a “club going places”.
The Cwmbran men’s side took on Rogerstone FC at Woodlands Road in Croesyceiliog in the final of the Fire & Ice Junior Cup. The Cwmbran-side won 3-1 with goals coming from Jay Traynor, Wade Strange and Dan Meachen.
Ward Griffiths, captain, said: “It was an absolute honour to lead Llanyrafon to our first ever trophy.
“The team overcame extremely difficult challenges throughout the competition, however, through togetherness and willingness to battle no matter the odds the lads took the trophy home.
“This was a massive achievement for Llanyrafon, showing the club taking steps forward in what we want to achieve and we won’t stop there. We will continue to challenge and look for more trophies and progression.
“This is definitely a club going places.”
Mark Davies, manager, said: “This season felt different, I have been Llanny six years now and we have always been an old boys club.
“This season we had an influx of youth step into the team, which gave us pace and fearlessness, which is hard to defend against no matter what level you play.
“Mix that with the physicality and experience of solid older players we had a 2nd team that had a great spine and the freedom to play football.
“We outplayed teams that were on paper better footballers, top of the league and leagues above us in River Usk, Machen and Maesglas. We had a difficult team every round but as our manager, I felt confident in each match that we had a chance of winning.
“I knew we were going to win the final. The team was full of confidence and we played Rogerstone off the park to lift our first ever trophy
“I am immensely proud of the team and the staff that has made this happen and I got to enjoy it with great friends coming to the end of their careers which was extra special.
“Llanyrafon FC is now a team with fantastic facilities and a club that is being talked about by our peers as a club with a bright future.
“Being the first manager to win a trophy at Llanny feels great and is a memory that will last forever.”
Pre-season training has just started. New players are welcome to join Llanyrafon AFC. Training is every Tuesday from 6.15pm at Southfields.