Welsh Premier League
Season2011–12
ChampionsTNS
RelegatedNeath
Champions LeagueTNS
Europa LeagueBangor City
Llanelli
Cefn Druids (via cup)
Matches played192
Goals scored608 (3.17 per match)
Biggest home winLlanelli 9–2 Newtown
Biggest away winNeath 1–5 Llanelli
Aberystwyth Town 0–4 Bala Town
Newtown 0–4 Neath
Prestatyn 0–4 TNS
Newtown 0–4 Airbus
Highest scoringLlanelli 9–2 Newtown

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.

Teams

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

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

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[lower-alpha 1]
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[lower-alpha 2] 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[lower-alpha 3] 32 7 5 20 44 82 −38 23 Spared from relegation[lower-alpha 4]
Source: Welsh Premier
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:
  1. ↑ 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]
  2. ↑ Aberystwyth Town deducted 1 point for fielding ineligible player
  3. ↑ Newtown deducted 3 points for fielding ineligible players.
  4. ↑ 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

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

Home \ Away ABE AFA AIR BAL BAN CMR LLA NEA NEW PTA PRE TNS
Aberystwyth Town 1–1 1–2 0–4 0–2 4–1 1–2 1–1 4–1 0–2 1–3 1–1
Afan Lido 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–2 1–2 0–1 3–1
Airbus UK Broughton 1–1 3–1 1–2 2–4 3–1 1–1 2–2 3–2 1–1 2–1 1–2
Bala Town 3–0 3–1 1–0 1–2 2–0 2–4 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–2
Bangor City 1–1 4–1 2–1 2–1 4–0 3–2 2–1 4–0 3–1 5–3 0–3
Carmarthen Town 2–1 2–5 3–1 0–1 1–2 0–3 2–2 0–1 2–0 2–1 0–1
Llanelli 2–0 4–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 2–0 0–1 9–2 2–0 3–2 0–1
Neath 4–2 1–1 3–0 4–0 2–0 1–0 2–0 5–0 3–2 3–1 1–1
Newtown 1–2 2–1 1–3 0–2 2–1 4–2 0–2 0–4 2–0 1–2 1–3
Port Talbot Town 0–4 2–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 2–0 0–1 1–2 3–1 0–0 2–1
Prestatyn Town 1–0 3–1 2–2 0–1 0–5 6–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 0–2
The New Saints 3–2 3–0 3–1 1–1 3–4 4–0 4–2 3–0 5–0 3–2 2–1
Source: Welsh Premiership Football League
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Matches 23–32

UEFA Europa League play-offs

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

Airbus UK Broughton0–1Aberystwyth Town
Report Thomas 57'
Attendance: 327
Referee: Lee Evans

Semi-finals

Llanelli1–0 (a.e.t.)Aberystwyth Town
Follows 108' Report
Attendance: 281
Referee: Bryn Markham-Jones
Bala Town2–1Prestatyn Town
Sheridan 4'
Hunt 47'		 report Hayes 30'
Attendance: 426
Referee: Dean John

Final

Llanelli2–1Bala Town
Griffiths 4'
Grist 19'		 report Hunt 76'
Attendance: 318
Referee: Huw Jones

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Club Goals
1 Wales Rhys Griffiths Llanelli AFC 22
2 New Zealand Greg Draper The New Saints 21
3 Wales Les Davies Bangor City 15
4 England Ian Sheridan Airbus UK/Bala Town 14
England Lee Hunt Bala Town 14
5 Wales Luke Bowen Neath Athletic 13

References

  1. ↑ "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.
  2. ↑ "Club Licensing Appeals". Football Association of Wales. 27 April 2012.
  3. ↑ "Taffs Well Win keeps Newtown in WPL". Welshpremier.com. 3 May 2012.
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