By Chris O'Brien
July 27 2005

The draw for the Welsh League Cup preliminary round and first round has been made. A passionate North Welsh derby between Bangor City and Rhyl is the pick of the ties, whilst Grange Harlequins kick-off their life as a top-flight club against Caernarfon Town at Leckwith.

The draw for the Welsh League Cup has been made, with a huge North Welsh derby taking all the headlines. Bangor City and Rhyl will kick-off their seasons in passionate fashion as they commence battle in the first round of the beleaguered competition.

Bangor City, having kicked off their season with an Intertoto Cup defeat at home to FC Dinaburg, will be desperate to appease fans with success in Wales’ fourth competition. However, they will find it difficult against a Rhyl side that won the competition in 2004 and were runners-up last season with a shock final defeat at the hands of Carmarthen Town. It promises to be a thriller for the supporters.

The holders face a tough trip to Port Talbot, whilst league winners Total Network Solutions are also on the road as they head to Welshpool. Meanwhile Aberystwyth Town, another team desperate for silverware success, travel to Stebonheath Park to face Llanelli.

All these ties are first-round affairs on August 20th, but before any of these sides have even kicked a ball in anger there are the preliminary stages to get through. Grange Quins kick-off life in the top flight with a tie against Caernarfon Town at their Leckwith home. The Cefn Druids, maintaining their top flight status only by fluke, entertain Airbus United Kingdom.

Some interesting ties in all, but the competition again looks set to prove unpopular with the supporters. Other than the North Wales derby, crowds for these early rounds will surely be low again and with no European football at stake, many clubs have resorted to fielding fringe, reserve and even youth players in this out-of-favour tournament. With the league, Welsh Cup, Premier Cup and Europe for many, this competition has only minor significance for most involved.

The complete draw in full is as follows:

Preliminary round / Saturday 13 August
Grange Quins v Caernarfon Town
NEWI Cefn Druids v Airbus UK

First round / Saturday 20 August
Bangor City v Rhyl FC
Connah's Quay Nomads v Newtown AFC
Cwmbran Town v Haverfordwest County
Grange Quins/Caernarfon v Caersws FC
Llanelli AFC v Aberystwyth Town
Porthmadog FC v NEWI Cefn Druids/Airbus UK
Port Talbot Town v Carmarthen Town
Welshpool Town v T.N.S.