Pembrokeshire football is almost ready to reopen its doors to the new season as clubs are almost ready for an exciting season of football.
Pembrokeshire football is getting ready for its first set of silverware, The Jubilee Cup, this year in memory of the late Brian Hawkins.
The Jubilee Cup is the annual curtain raiser for clubs in the Pembrokeshire Divisions. Played between the previous Senior League champions and Senior Cup winners, the date is set for 22nd August as two brilliant sides will look to battle it out for their first taste of silverware this season: Goodwick United and Hakin United.
Both of these sides are notable for their success in Pembrokeshire's Divisions.
Hakin will be in full stride come the new season as they have just come off the back of winning the West Wales Cup in a 3-2 victory against Tenby. However, Goodwick will look to reclaim their mark of success by starting the season strong, having won the league undefeated for back-to-back seasons.
That's not the end of it though, as more clubs look for a first real taste of competitiveness to start the season.
Monkton will face local rivals Pennar Robins in the Weaver Callan Memorial Cup semi-final. This first semi-final should be an enthralling game between two competitive sides. Pennar are looking to bounce back from a decent season in the top division by managing a win against rivals Monkton Swifts, who are also looking to come back from their narrow loss against Tenby AFC in the West Wales Cup semi-final.
As always, the rumour mill south of the bridge is already in full swing with key players for Pennar being linked with Goodwick and Hakin. Monkton have also been linked to re-signing a couple of key players who departed last summer. Hakin have had the departure of Jack Britton, but players will be queuing up to play for Scott Davies' revitalised team. Likewise with Goodwick, likely to be a freshen up with the departure of Chris O'Sullivan, with midfield stalwart Luke Hayward heading back to Johnston, but there are a handful of signings coming in sure to keep the team fresh ahead of their new campaign.
The other semi-final is a rivalry lower down as we see Hundleton FC face Pembroke Borough, which should be an enthralling game between two similar sides looking to get promoted this season.
All games will be played at Monkton Lane on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th August, with the final being played on Saturday 9th August.
It doesn't stop there though, as Goodwick feature again in the John Bailey Memorial tournament. The draw has been made for this year's tournament with all matches played at Phoenix Park with an 18:30 kick-off. The semi-finals take place on Monday 11th August with Goodwick United facing Letterston, and Tuesday 12th August with Merlins Bridge taking on Fishguard Sports. The final will be held on Friday 15th August.
Merlins Bridge will be looking for a first taste of silverware this season as they battle it out in the other semi-final against Fishguard Sports, who recently came off a great season doing the Division Two double. They will also be looking to secure a well-fought season in the top division. Merlins Bridge have been linked to a whole new team, and if they pull them all off, then they could be in for a strong season.
There's also the Eddie Merry Memorial Tournament to look forward to. The draw has been made for this year's tournament with the semi-finals taking place on Monday 4th August, with Merlins Bridge facing Goodwick United at Tregroes Park, Fishguard (kick-off 18:30), and Tuesday 5th August, with Fishguard Sports taking on Camrose at Tregroes Park, Fishguard (kick-off 18:30). The final will be held on Friday 8th August at Tregroes Park, Fishguard (kick-off 18:30).
Another tournament to look forward to is the Luke Harding Memorial Tournament, which is an honour to be part of again this year. Working with #TeamHarding and the clubs Luke played for, this tournament raises money for good causes in his memory. The semi-finals take place on Saturday 16th August with Letterston facing Fishguard at Maes y Môr, Solva (kick-off 14:00), and Sunday 17th August with Goodwick taking on Solva at The Village Green, Letterston (kick-off 14:00). The third/fourth play-off will be on Saturday 23rd August at Phoenix Park, Goodwick (kick-off 14:00), with the final on Sunday 24th August at Tregroes Park, Fishguard (kick-off 14:00).
As all clubs are starting to strengthen their pre-season squads, we look forward to what should be a very competitive and exciting season from all divisions this year in Pembrokeshire and wish good luck to every club out there.
Fixture List
Weaver Callan Memorial Cup
Semi-finals: Monday 4th August & Tuesday 5th August - Monkton Lane
Monkton Swifts, Pennar Robins, Pembroke Borough and Hundleton
Final: Saturday 9th August - Monkton Lane
Eddie Merry Memorial Tournament
Semi-final 1: Monday 4th August - Merlins Bridge v Goodwick United, Tregroes Park, Fishguard (18:30)
Semi-final 2: Tuesday 5th August - Fishguard Sports v Camrose, Tregroes Park, Fishguard (18:30)
Final: Friday 8th August - Tregroes Park, Fishguard (18:30)
John Bailey Memorial Tournament
Semi-final 1: Monday 11th August - Goodwick United v Letterston, Phoenix Park (18:30)
Semi-final 2: Tuesday 12th August - Merlins Bridge v Fishguard Sports, Phoenix Park (18:30)
Final: Friday 15th August - Phoenix Park (18:30)
Luke Harding Memorial Tournament
Semi-final 1: Saturday 16th August - Letterston v Fishguard, Maes y Môr, Solva (14:00)
Semi-final 2: Sunday 17th August - Goodwick v Solva, The Village Green, Letterston (14:00)
3rd/4th Play-off: Saturday 23rd August - Phoenix Park, Goodwick (14:00)
Final: Sunday 24th August - Tregroes Park, Fishguard (14:00)
The Jubilee Cup
Thursday 22nd August - Goodwick United v Hakin AFC