The 2011–12 Welsh Premier League season was the 20th season of the Welsh Premier League, the highest football league of Wales since its establishment in 1992. Bangor City were the defending champions, but lost their title to The New Saints in a meeting on the final game of the season.
| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Champions | TNS |
| Relegated | Neath |
| Champions League | TNS |
| Europa League | Bangor City Llanelli Cefn Druids (via cup) |
| Matches played | 192 |
| Goals scored | 608 (3.17 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Llanelli 9–2 Newtown |
| Biggest away win | Neath 1–5 Llanelli Aberystwyth Town 0–4 Bala Town Newtown 0–4 Neath Prestatyn 0–4 TNS Newtown 0–4 Airbus |
| Highest scoring | Llanelli 9–2 Newtown |
← 2010–11 2012–13 → | |
Teams edit
Haverfordwest County were relegated to the 2011–12 Football League Division One at the end of the 2010–11 season after finishing at the bottom of the table. The club thus ended a fourteen-year tenure in the league. They were replaced by 2010–11 Football League runners-up Afan Lido, who returned to the Premier League after six seasons.
Originally, Bala Town as 11th-placed team were going to be relegated as well; however, they were eventually spared as 2010–11 Cymru Alliance champions Connah's Quay Nomads were denied a Premier League licence.[1]
Stadia and location edit
| Team | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth Town | Park Avenue | 5,500 |
| Afan Lido | Marston Stadium | 4,200 |
| Airbus UK Broughton | The Airfield | 2,100 |
| Bala Town | Maes Tegid | 3,000 |
| Bangor City | Nantporth | 3,000 |
| Carmarthen Town | Richmond Park | 3,000 |
| Llanelli AFC | Stebonheath Park | 3,700 |
| Neath | The Gnoll | 7,000 |
| Newtown AFC | Latham Park | 5,000 |
| Port Talbot Town | Victoria Road | 2,500 |
| Prestatyn Town | Bastion Road | 2,500 |
| The New Saints | Park Hall | 2,500 |
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The New Saints (C) | 32 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 75 | 31 | +44 | 74 | Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Bangor City | 32 | 22 | 3 | 7 | 72 | 45 | +27 | 69 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Neath (R) | 32 | 18 | 8 | 6 | 60 | 36 | +24 | 62 | Relegated[a] |
| 4 | Llanelli (O) | 32 | 18 | 5 | 9 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 59 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 5 | Bala Town | 32 | 14 | 7 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 49 | |
| 6 | Prestatyn Town | 32 | 8 | 4 | 20 | 41 | 63 | −22 | 28 | |
| 7 | Airbus UK Broughton | 32 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 48 | 50 | −2 | 39 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 8 | Aberystwyth Town[b] | 32 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 44 | 50 | −6 | 33 | |
| 9 | Port Talbot Town | 32 | 8 | 9 | 15 | 39 | 51 | −12 | 33 | |
| 10 | Afan Lido | 32 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 32 | |
| 11 | Carmarthen Town | 32 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 33 | 67 | −34 | 32 | |
| 12 | Newtown[c] | 32 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 44 | 82 | −38 | 23 | Spared from relegation[d] |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Cefn Druids, playing in the 2011–12 Cymru Alliance, will qualify for the first qualifying round of the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, even though they lost to The New Saints (themselves qualifiers for the UEFA Champions League), in the final of the 2011–12 Welsh Cup.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Neath were relegated on 27 April 2012, after failing in their Domestic and UEFA Competitions Licensing appeal, meaning they were relegated from the Welsh Premier League. Newtown would have been relegated otherwise.[2]
- ^ Aberystwyth Town deducted 1 point for fielding ineligible player
- ^ Newtown deducted 3 points for fielding ineligible players.
- ^ Haverfordwest County would have replaced Newtown AFC should they have finished second in a feeder league, and thus gaining promotion. A win for Taffs Well in a game Vs Caerau Ely meant this could not happen, sparing Newtown's relegation.[3]
Results edit
Teams played each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league was split into two groups at the end of round 22 – the top six and the bottom six. Clubs in these groups played each other twice again bringing the total fixture count to 32.
Matches 1–22 edit
Matches 23–32 edit
|
Top six |
Bottom six
|
UEFA Europa League play-offs edit
Teams who finished in positions fourth through eighth at the end of the season participated in a play-off to determine the second participant for the 2012–13 UEFA Europa League. As Neath failed to win their appeal against an FAW Domestic licence, Aberystwyth Town took their place (See Relegation Section)
Quarter-finals edit
| Airbus UK Broughton | 0–1 | Aberystwyth Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Thomas  57' |
Semi-finals edit
| Llanelli | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Aberystwyth Town |
|---|---|---|
| Follows 108' |
Report |
| Bala Town | 2–1 | Prestatyn Town |
|---|---|---|
| Sheridan 4' Hunt 47' |
report | Hayes 30' |
Final edit
Top goalscorers edit
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Rhys Griffiths
|
Llanelli AFC | 22 |
| 2 |  Greg Draper
|
The New Saints | 21 |
| 3 | Les Davies
|
Bangor City | 15 |
| 4 |  Ian Sheridan
|
Airbus UK/Bala Town | 14 |
| Lee Hunt
|
Bala Town | 14 | |
| 5 | Luke Bowen
|
Neath Athletic | 13 |
References edit
- ^ "Connah's Quay see Welsh Premier hopes dashed". www.dailypost.co.uk. Liverpool Daily Post. May 2011. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2011.
- ^ "Club Licensing Appeals". Football Association of Wales. 27 April 2012.
- ^ "Taffs Well Win keeps Newtown in WPL". Welshpremier.com. 3 May 2012.