2012–13 Welsh Premier League
The 2012–13 Welsh Premier League, known as the Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the 21st season of the Welsh Premier League, the highest football league within Wales since its establishment in 1992. The season began on 17 August 2012.[3]
| Season | 2012–13 |
|---|---|
| Champions | The New Saints |
| Relegated | Llanelli |
| Champions League | The New Saints |
| Europa League | Airbus UK Broughton Bala Town Prestatyn Town (via domestic cup) |
| Matches played | 192 |
| Goals scored | 677 (3.53 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Michael Wilde (25 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Bangor City 7–1 Aberystwyth The New Saints 6–0 Bangor City |
| Biggest away win | Newtown 1–7 Airbus UK |
| Highest scoring | Connah's Quay 6–4 Afan Lido |
| Highest attendance | 846[1] Bangor City 2–1 Connah's Quay |
| Lowest attendance | 76[2] Afan Lido 2–1 Connah's Quay |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → | |
The New Saints successfully defended their title.
Teams
Following a decision by UEFA not to allow Neath F.C. a license to compete both domestically and in continental competitions, it was ruled that they would be relegated no matter where in the league they finished.[4] Bottom club Newtown were spared relegation.
Gap Connah's Quay finished first in the 2011–12 Cymru Alliance to return to the Welsh Premier League after a two-year absence.
Stadia and locations
| 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 |
| Gap Connah's Quay | Deeside Stadium | 1,500 |
| Llanelli AFC | Stebonheath Park | 3,700 |
| Newtown AFC | Latham Park | 5,000 |
| Port Talbot Town | Victoria Road | 2,500 |
| Prestatyn Town | Bastion Road | 2,500 |
| The New Saints | Park Hall | 3,000 |
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The New Saints (C) | 32 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 86 | 22 | +64 | 76 | Qualification for Champions League second qualifying round |
| 2 | Airbus UK Broughton | 32 | 17 | 3 | 12 | 76 | 42 | +34 | 54 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round |
| 3 | Bangor City | 32 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 51 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 4 | Port Talbot Town | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 51 | 52 | −1 | 47 | |
| 5 | Prestatyn Town | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | 62 | 79 | −17 | 40 | Qualification for Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 1] |
| 6 | Carmarthen Town | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 36 | 50 | −14 | 37 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 7 | Bala Town (O) | 32 | 17 | 5 | 10 | 62 | 41 | +21 | 56 | Qualification for Europa League play-offs |
| 8 | Connah's Quay Nomads[lower-alpha 2] | 32 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 62 | 69 | −7 | 40 | |
| 9 | Newtown | 32 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 44 | 54 | −10 | 37 | |
| 10 | Aberystwyth Town | 32 | 9 | 10 | 13 | 37 | 58 | −21 | 37 | |
| 11 | Llanelli (R) | 32 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 41 | 68 | −27 | 36 | Relegation to Welsh Division Three |
| 12 | Afan Lido | 32 | 8 | 3 | 21 | 43 | 79 | −36 | 27 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
- The winner of the 2012–13 Welsh Cup qualify for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League First qualifying round
- Gap Connah's Quay deducted one point for fielding ineligible player.
Llanelli A.F.C.
On 22 April 2013, Llanelli A.F.C. were liquidated by HM Revenue and Customs at the High court in London with debts of £21,000; this did not affect the final league table as the club had already played all their league fixtures prior to the ruling.[5]
Results
Teams will play each other twice on a home and away basis, before the league is split into two groups at the end of January 2013 - the top six and the bottom six. Clubs in these groups will play each other twice again to bring the total fixture count to 32.
Matches 1–22
Matches 23–32
|
Top six
|
Bottom six
|
UEFA Europa League play-offs
Teams who finished in positions third through eighth at the end of the regular season will play-off to determine the second participant for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League.
Quarter-finals
| Bala Town | 1 – 0 | Gap Connah's Quay |
|---|---|---|
Hunt  76' (pen.) |
Report |
Semi-finals
| Bangor City | 2 – 4 | Bala Town |
|---|---|---|
| Jones 57' Hoy 79' |
Report | S. Jones 29' M. Jones 34'Sheridan 43', 47' |
| Port Talbot Town | 1 – 0 | Carmarthen Town |
|---|---|---|
| Brooks 72' |
Report |
Final
| Port Talbot Town | 0 – 1 | Bala Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Irving 89' |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Michael Wilde |
The New Saints | 25 |
| 2 | Chris Simm |
Bangor City | 21 |
| 3 | Andy Parkinson |
Prestatyn Town | 19 |
| 4 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Alex Darlington |
The New Saints | 18 |
| Lee Hunt |
Bala Town | 18 | |
| 6 | Mark Jones |
Afan Lido / Aberystwyth Town | 17 |
| 7 | David Brooks |
Port Talbot Town | 16 |
| 8 | Martin Rose |
Llanelli | 14 |
| 9 | Jamie Petrie |
Gap Connah's Quay | 13 |
| Liam Thomas |
Carmarthen Town | 13 |
References
- "Morley is spot on for Citizens". Welsh Premier League. 18 August 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2012.
- "Lido finally win after ten match losing streak". Welsh Premier League. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- "Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League Fixtures 2012/13". Football Association of Wales. 2012-06-29. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
- "Club Licensing Appeals". Football Association of Wales. 2012-04-27. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
- "Llanelli AFC wound up at London's High Court". Llanelli Star. 2013-04-22.