By Chris O'Brien
August 10 2005

Paul Wilkinson will take a Cardiff City XI to West Wales to face Llanelli in the second strings' final pre-season friendly. The Stebonheath Park outfit have been subject to a Spanish revolution over an incredible summer for supporters of the Welsh Premier outfit.

The Cardiff City XI that travels to Stebonheath Park for a pre-season friendly on Wednesday night will be witness to a football revolution on the West Coast that promises to bring European success to the town famous for rugby union.

Under the leadership of new Spanish director of football Lucas Cazorla Luque, the amateur club have transformed from Welsh Premier relegation fodder to a club anxious to become the league's second professional outfit having signed a number of full-time players.

Llanelli have already snapped up Rudy Torres, midfielder Jacob Mingorance and Efren Fernandez from Luque's native Spain. Former Bluebirds Kirk Higgins and Jamie Rewbury are also on the books of the club who have stuttered in and out of Wales' much-beleaguered top division in recent times.

This will be a real test for a Bluebirds side which is expected to be made up of a mixture of reserve and youth team players. Paul Wilkinson has already led City's second-string through an impressive pre-season, registering victories at Team Bath, Chippenham Town, Haverfordwest County and Pontypridd Town and a draw at Merthyr Tydfil.

It promises to be an interesting encounter and a big crowd is expected at Llanelli's home turf, a respectable stadium which has hosted Welsh Cup finals.