Holding Their Nerve

Following the rebrand of the Novria Cymru Premier, it’s good to see some clubs buying into and benefitting from old, successful narratives.

I’ve followed the Cymru Premier for some time now, as regular followers of AnalystsBar will testify. It started with scout reports on Bala Town’s Will Evans and led to blogs on Gabe Kircough and Callum West, as well as helping select the England C side that faced Wales C twice in the last two internationals.

And I’ve loved the boldness and bravery of this new rebrand of Welsh football. The short film The Nerve certainly hit home for me and twitched the fibres of my Welsh heritage, despite being nearly three hours away from Wales. I bought the t-shirt. Or, more specifically, bought the streaming package of every single Welsh Prem game and subscribed to The Concourse.

With this reimagining of domestic Welsh football has come the age-old problem of how to shift TNS and their dominance at the top of the domestic game, as a bigger league and improved investment into some of the most likely challengers looked to shake things up a bit.

At the time of writing, I’ve been a little underwhelmed at how sides have approached this challenge from a recruitment perspective, watching players I’m very familiar with from my scouting roles in the English pyramid move across to the pêl-droed promise land. Seems it's not just the bridges that take their toll in Wales.

But there is one aspect of this season that has proven worthy of watching the hours of streamed games I’ve seen so far.

The division has steadily evolved into a crucial developmental trampoline for promising young players, either on loan or those looking to reignite a promising career after release. And it is those players that have most embodied the new era best, rather than perhaps the bigger fanfare signings that have raised eyebrows or generated the most clicks.

No position exemplifies this better than between the sticks of the Cymru Premier, as the league offers distinct advantages for young shot-stoppers in contrast to traditional English academy setups or inconsistent loan moves across the steps of the English lower league system.

Don’t believe me? Just look at Manchester United’s recent purchase of young goalkeeper Kit Margetson having spent a highly successful loan spell playing senior football in the Cymru Premier for Connah's Quay Nomads from Swansea City. His performances under intense first-team pressure immediately caught the eye of Manchester United’s senior goalkeeping scouts who monitored him directly in Welsh domestic matches, ultimately resulting in his transfer to Old Trafford.

Goalkeepers at clubs outside the "big few" face a high volume of shots, crosses and physical aerial challenges. This builds aggressive box command, cross-collection dominance and shot-stopping repetition under stress in games that matter to the vocal and growing attendances at Cymru Premier games. These goalkeepers are playing alongside seasoned semi-pro and professionals whose win bonuses, club livelihoods, regional pride and local reputations depend on the keeper's performance. This helps instill a mature, resilient mentality that cannot be replicated easily in U21 football.

Here are my three standouts:

Daniel Higgs (18) Penybont on loan from Cardiff City

Higgs is in his second spell with Penybont following an earlier loan in 25/26 where he played six games as a temporary stop-gap. But Higgs is very much first choice now, and his early season performances certainly show that. Higgs possesses a sharp, athletic ability that helps him overcome the lack of physical dominance he’ll undoubtedly benefit from in a few years time, as a string of reflex saves against Llandudno helped secure three points. He possesses a level of concentration that should be commended, too. Playing for one of the more dominant sides, Higgs can find himself out of action for periods but has impressed me with how sharp his decision making is when brought back into play, either to perform defensive tasks or to use his feet to distribute safely.

Equally impressive is how quickly he overcomes the occasional error, demonstrating an impressive mental strength that will be needed to have a successful season but also a lengthy career. You could see this most recently against Colwyn Bay where an untidy 1v1 could’ve easily led to a penalty if it wasn’t for the linesman’s flag, but was able to regain his focus and produce a series of close-range saves to maintain Penybont’s unbeaten start to the season.

Jack Flint (21) Flint Town

More physically developed - and able to use this to be more box-dominant than Higgs - Jack Flint has needed every inch of his 6ft 4 frame to stem the tide of attacks his side have faced so far this season. An athletic shot-stopper but also confident 1v1, Flint Town must be delighted to have retained their goalkeeper from last season due to his significance in their finish just outside the relegation zone by one goal.

This year, goalkeeper Flint was able to keep Caernarfon at ‘bay’ almost singlehandedly with repeated assaults to his left-hand post before finally being beaten at the stroke of half-time. Despite succumbing to a 3:0 defeat, Flint continued to defy the attacking onslaught with a breathtaking tip over the bar in the latter stages. It was a similar story against Connah’s Quay Nomads where shots rained in through a crowded penalty area and, though he is likely to be disappointed not to deal with the shot that led to the opening goal (scored by former blog focus Callum West), Flint could do little with West’s second but heroically prevented a hattrick with an impressive double save.

That’s not to say he’s the finished article. I’d like to see a wider variety of distribution from him other than his impressive long kicking (though accept this is probably decided for him) and there is a tendency to push shots into central areas rather than finding safer solutions. With little defensive intensity in front of him so far this season, Jack Flint is likely to have another busy year but one that could end with some interesting personal decisions…

Arron Davies (20) Cardiff Met University

A recent arrival into the Cymru Premier following his release from Port Vale, Davies looks (and certainly has the name of) a veteran of the league. With only a loan spell at Stafford Rangers behind him, Davies has hit the ground running, facing tough challenges in the form of TNS and Barry Town in his first four games. Though both games resulted in loss, Davies demonstrated important qualities in both matches when facing quality opposition.

What is clear is Davies is happy to leave his line to help recycle the ball and is composed under the pressure of the press. This calmness under pressure also translates to his inside his six yard box, where quick reactions have seen him win 1v1 duels and even save both a penalty and the resultant rebound against Barry before being beaten by the follow up.

There’s a mental strength that should be commended, too. Playing TNS is hard enough, but when you are down to 10 men, 4:0 down and have already conceded two Goal Of The Season contenders, it’d be easy to wither away and consider other ways to spend your weekend. Yet Davies consistently thwarted the rampant TNS with a string of saves for the best part of twenty minutes, including a dramatic tipover and close-range block.

Like with Jack Flint there are still areas of development, including the need to ensure initial saves aren’t pushed into on-coming traffic. Davies escaped being punished for this against Ammanford in the latter stages of a game he was largely a spectator for, but it will be these subtle aspects that help define his next steps given how confidently he’s taken these initial ones into regular men’s football.

While I sit back and enjoy this revamped and revolutionary season of Welsh football, with its new scheduling, innovations and platforms, I can’t help but think that it could be the form of these young goalkeepers and their ability to hold their nerve under pressure that will help set the tone for the league.

---

About The Author

As well as being an active Goalkeeper Coach Analysts Bar Co-Founder is a Technical Scouting and Talent ID professional with experience is supporting clubs both in England and overseas, currently working as a First Team scout at National League level.

Away from football Colin is an Educational Consultant as a former Head of English as well as a regular guest on BBC Radio Nottingham's 'In The Game'.

Written by Colin Sisson | @colin_sisson

Editor: Richard Ogando | @notts_stats

Get in Touch

Enquiries: analysts.bar@gmail.com 

X: @AnalystsBar