2022-23 League A

The 2022-23 League A was the 27th season of League A, the top tier of professional Walloonian football since its full professionalisation in 2004. The provisional fixture list was released on 15 June 2022. As of this season, clubs are now able to make five substitutions per game at 3 different times instead of 3, bringing League A in line with other popular European football leagues. There was a mid-season break due to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, with the last match before the World Cup played on 13 November and the first match after the World Cup played on 26 December 2022. During the World Cup, WFA officials organized a separate tournament for League A teams to compete in while other WFA leagues continued as usual, calling it the League A Trophy. The tournament was eventually won by Wrexham Dragons over rivals Wrexham City in the final.

The season was contested by eighteen teams- the top sixteen from the previous season, plus the top two teams from the previous season's League B, which were Merthyr Tydfil and Bala FC. Merthyr Tydfil returned to League A after a twelve-year absence, having last been in League A in the 2010-2011 season where they finished last place. Bala returned to League A on their very first attempt. They replaced Aberavon Town, relegated after a two-year stint in the league, and Llangefni University, relegated after 3 seasons. In addition, Aberystwyth Seasiders won a playoff to stay in League A against Royal Flintshire.

The league was won by a resurgent Monmouth Welshmen, relying on the expertise of winger Gareth Bale (signed from Real Madrid) and hometown hero and star striker Selwyn Ward, each in their last season before retirement. They officially clinched the league title with one game remaining and finished on 75 points. In second place was Men of Harlech; a poor start to the season ultimately costing them the league. They recovered in January largely thanks to the midyear signing of Derec Harries from Holyhead Town boosting their attacking options. Rounding out the top five were Wrexham City, hurt by the midyear loss of star centre-back Andreas Llywelyn to Barcelona; Gwyndaf Llewelyn, who dismissed two managers during the course of the season; and Swansea United, with new manager Zachary Farr proving enthusiastic but inconsistent. In addition, Wrexham Dragons also clinched a spot in the OFC Champions League play-off round by finishing sixth.

Monmouth Journeymen were the first team relegated, doing so after a 3-3 draw away with Neath Town. The remaining relegation spots were decided on the final day of the season, as 15th-placed Merthyr Tydfil and 16th-placed Holyhead Town sat equal on 35 points with 17th-placed Aberystwyth Seasiders one behind at 34. In addition, 14th-placed Pembrokeshire United sat on 37 points, safe from automatic relegation but not safe from the playoffs depending on results elsewhere. They defeated Rhondda City, finishing on 40 points and ensuring their League A status for one more year. At half-time on the final day, Holyhead Town were 1-0 up against Llanelli Northerners and Aberystwyth Seasiders were 2-1 up against Swansea United, while Merthyr Tydfil was down 1-0 to Bala. If these results had held, Merthyr would have been automatically relegated and the Seasiders would have gone to the playoffs. Midway through the second half, Merthyr overcame their deficit through a Lewis Moore brace, while Holyhead allowed Llanelli's Jack Pennoyer to equalize and Maxwell Baker to take the lead, meaning that Holyhead would have been automatically relegated instead of Merthyr Tydfil. Merthyr Tydfil held on to clinch a 2-1 lead, ensuring their safety, but the Seasiders were automatically relegated after Swansea's Rhys Cooper-Jones equalized, and set up a game-winning assist to Dylan Lawrence. Neither Holyhead nor Llanelli could find a winner, so Holyhead went to the playoffs, eventually losing 2-1 on aggregate to Aberavon Town, securing their relegation.

This season saw the previous League A record for managers replaced during a single season broken, with a grand total of 12 managers leaving their positions during the course of the season. On the 30th of May, the day the season officially started, four managers left their clubs due to the end of their contracts, three of which were by the manager's choice to not renew the contract (Dewey Harlech at Men of Harlech, Wynn Thomas at Brecon Daffodils, and Seth Lloyd at Flintshire), and one by mutual consent between the manager and the club chairman to not renew (Owen Hughes at Llanelli Northerners). Lloyd, Thomas, and Harlech eventually signed deals at Llanelli, Flintshire, and Brecon, while Hughes took the post at Burnley in England's EFL Championship. Harlech was replaced by José Figueira, the previous manager of Auckland City. On the 6th of September, after a mediocre start to the season, Swansea United parted ways with 5-time League A winner Walter Llywelyn, a move that many called "surprising" because Swansea's start had not been as poor as some other clubs who had kept their managers (W2 D4 L4). Pembrokeshire United allowed Swansea to speak to their manager, Zachary Farr, who left the club to join Swansea four days later. Replacing him at Pembrokeshire was the Spanish Carlos Corberán, who had been the manager of Huddersfield Town in England. After a poor run of form culminating in a 5-1 loss to Wrexham Dragons, Holyhead Town parted ways with Sion Jenkins, replacing him with Alwyn Jones. The first manager sacked after the World Cup break was Aberystwyth's Guto Evans, who had promoted the club to League A for the first time in its history. He was replaced by Jenkins. Gwyndaf Llewelyn were the next to sack their manager, the Italian Rafael Valentino, after inconsistency had threatened to lead them into the midtable and who was openly critical of the club's ownership and transfer policies. He was replaced by his assistant, Osvaldo Caparelli, on an interim basis for the rest of the season. However, Caparelli too was sacked after losing 6-0 to Swansea, eventually being replaced by Walter Llywelyn. Three weeks earlier, Pembrokeshire parted ways with Corberán after drifting the club into the relegation zone. The club convinced the crafty Alun Conway to leave his post at Cefn Druids in Wales to be Corberán's replacement.

Teams

Team	Location	Ground
Aberystwyth Seasiders	Aberystwyth (Maesglas)	Seasider Stadium
Bala FC	Bala, Brynmawr	Bala FC Stadium
Brecon Daffodils	Brecon, Templeton	Moonlight Avenue
Colwyn FC	Old Colwyn, Maesteg	Pride Field
Flintshire FC	Flint, Templeton	Burrow Park
Gwyndaf Llewelyn FC	Aberystwyth (Cardigan)	Independence Bowl
Holyhead Town	Holyhead, Brynmawr	Essence Field
Llanelli Northerners	Llangefni, Llanelli	Mirage Centre
Men of Harlech FC	Harlech, Brynmawr	Apex Arena
Merthyr Tydfil FC	Merthyr Tydfil, Brynmawr	Crimson Park
Monmouth Journeymen	Mynwy, Porthcawl	Emerald Stadium
Monmouth Welshmen	Mynwy, Porthcawl	Whitchurch Park
Neath Town	Neath, Ferndale	Anomaly Park
Pembrokeshire United	Pembroke, Templeton	Voyage Centre
Rhondda City	Rhondda, Porthcawl	Lotus Ring
Swansea United	Swansea, Brynmawr	Founders Park
Wrexham City	Wrexham (Eastport)	Cipher Stadium
Wrexham Dragons	Wrexham (Westport)	Fortune Park

Personnel and kits

Team	Manager	Captain	Kit manufacturer	Shirt sponsor (chest)	Shirt sponsor (sleeve)
Aberystwyth Seasiders	(WLN) Sion Jenkins	(BRA) Rodrigo Lewys	Hummel	Cazoo	32Red
Bala FC	(USA) Scott Phillips	(WLN) Idris Llewelyn	Adidas	Old Spice	Aon
Brecon Daffodils	(WLN) Dewey Harlech	(WLN) Bryne Penrose	New Balance	Mint Mobile	Steam
Colwyn FC	(WAL) John Rhys	(WLN) Arthur Gwyn	Adidas	The Coca-Cola Company	General Electric
Flintshire FC	(NZL) John Goodison	(WLN) Rhion Crowder	Puma	Air Walloonia	JD
Gwyndaf Llewelyn FC	(WLN) Walter Llywelyn	(ITA) Giorgio Chiellini	Nike	Emirates	Fun88
Holyhead Town	(WLN) Alwyn Jones	(WLN) Osian Bevan^	Adidas	Amstel	JD
Llanelli Northerners	(WLN) Seth Lloyd	(CRO) Dejan Lovren	Puma	Denix	Dafabet
Men of Harlech FC	(POR) José Figueira	(TON) Feleti Vaenuku	Nike	Verizon Wireless	JD
Merthyr Tydfil FC	(WAL) Dylan Bennett	(WAL) Lloyd Evanson	Hummel	Delta Air Lines	Dafabet
Monmouth Journeymen	(SUI) Patrick Bierbaum	(WLN) Jack Lanman	Macron	Black & Decker	Robinhood
Monmouth Welshmen	(ARG) Santiago Maldonado	(WLN) Selwyn Ward	Adidas	Emirates	Air Walloonia
Neath Town	(WLN) Isaac Reuben	(WLN) Rhodri Webb	Puma	Carling	CoinDeal
Pembrokeshire United	(WLN) Alun Conway	(NGA) Yusuf Makinwa	Under Armour	MasterCard	Betway
Rhondda City	(WLN) Owen Yale	(WLN) Delwin Evens	Puma	Etihad Airways	Nexen Tire
Swansea United	(USA) Zachary Farr	(WLN) Ieuan Davies	Under Armour	TeamViewer	Kohler
Wrexham City	(WLN) Tom Kerry	(WLN) Seimon Owen	Nike	Apple	Dafabet
Wrexham Dragons	(SCO) Kenneth MacCullagh	(SCO) Stanley King	Puma	Mazda	Renergetic

^ Club captain Derec Harries was transferred to Men of Harlech mid-season, leaving Bevan as a temporary captain. The club officially remained captainless through the rest of the season.

Managerial changes

Team	Outgoing manager	Manner of departure	Date of vacancy	Position in table	Incoming manager	Date of appointment
Llanelli Northerners	(WLN) Owen Hughes	Mutual consent	30 May 2022	Pre-season	(WLN) Seth Lloyd	6 June 2022
Men of Harlech	(WLN) Dewey Harlech	End of contract	30 May 2022	Pre-season	(POR) José Figueira	9 June 2022
Brecon Daffodils	(WLN) Wynn Thomas	End of contract	30 May 2022	Pre-season	(WLN) Dewey Harlech	25 June 2022
Flintshire FC	(WLN) Seth Lloyd	End of contract	30 May 2022	Pre-season	(WLN) Wynn Thomas	30 June 2022
Swansea United	(WLN) Walter Llywelyn	Sacked	6 September 2022	6th	(USA) Zachary Farr	10 September 2022
Pembrokeshire United	(USA) Zachary Farr	Signed by Swansea United	10 September 2022	4th	(SPA) Carlos Corberán	14 September 2022
Holyhead Town	(WLN) Sion Jenkins	Sacked	21 October 2022	15th	(WLN) Alwyn Jones	7 November 2022
Aberystwyth Seasiders	(WLN) Guto Evans	Sacked	30 January 2023	18th	(WLN) Sion Jenkins	3 February 2023
Gwyndaf Llewelyn	(ITA) Rafael Valentino	Mutual consent	26 March 2023	4th	(ITA) Osvaldo Caparelli (interim)	26 March 2023
Flintshire FC	(WLN) Wynn Thomas	Mutual consent	2 April 2023	9th	(NZL) John Goodison	19 April 2023
Pembrokeshire United	(SPA) Carlos Corberán	Sacked	3 April 2023	16th	(WLN) Alun Conway	9 April 2023
Gwyndaf Llewelyn	(ITA) Osvaldo Caparelli (interim)	Sacked	24 April 2023	7th	(WLN) Walter Llywelyn	27 April 2023

League table

Pos	Team	Points	Qualification or relegation
1	Monmouth Welshmen (C)	75	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League
2	Men of Harlech	68	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League
3	Wrexham City	65	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League
4	Gwyndaf Llewelyn	60	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League
5	Swansea United	58	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League
6	Wrexham Dragons	47	Qualification to 2023-24 OFC Champions League qualifying round
7	Brecon Daffodils	46
8	Rhondda City	45
9	Colwyn FC	44
10	Llanelli Northerners	44
11	Neath Town	43
12	Flintshire FC	42
13	Bala FC	41
14	Pembrokeshire United	40
15	Merthyr Tydfil	38
16	Holyhead Town (X, R)	36	Qualification to 2023 promotion playoffs
17	Aberystwyth Seasiders (R)	34	Relegation to 2023-24 League B
18	Monmouth Journeymen (R)	29	Relegation to 2023-24 League B

Team of the Season

The Team of the Season was chosen by independent League A executives via a secret ballot the day following the league's conclusion.

Team of the Season

Kieran Whitehead (MMW)

Bruno Silva (HAR) | Rúben Ferrero (BRE) | Josef Singh (GWY) | James McGarry (WRC)

Hunter Allen (WRD) | Seimon Owen (WRC) | Sam Nevitt (HAR)

Archer Jackson (MMW) | Selwyn Ward (MMW) | Gareth Bale (MMW)

Monthly Awards

Carling Manager of the Month
August: Walter Llywelyn (Swansea United)
September: Tom Kerry (Wrexham City)
October: Santiago Maldonado (Monmouth Welshmen)
November: Guto Evans (Aberystwyth Seasiders)
January: José Figueira (Men of Harlech)
February: Scott Phillips (Bala)
March: Rafael Valentino (Gwyndaf Llewelyn)
April: Santiago Maldonado (Monmouth Welshmen)
May: Santiago Maldonado (Monmouth Welshmen)

Carling Player of the Month
August: Stanley King (Wrexham Dragons)
September: Rhys Cooper-Jones (Swansea United)
October: Gareth Bale (Monmouth Welshmen)
November: Sergey Yevgenyevich (Wrexham City)
January: Derec Harries (Men of Harlech)
February: Selwyn Ward (Monmouth Welshmen)
March: Feleti Vaenuku (Men of Harlech)
April: Clyde McLaren (Gwynadf Llewelyn)
May: Archer Jackson (Monmouth Welshmen)

Carling Goal of the Month
August: Wynn Couch (Gwyndaf Llewelyn vs. Colwyn)
September: Derec Harries (Neath Town vs. Holyhead Town)
October: Gareth Bale (Rhondda City vs. Monmouth Welshmen)
November: Joseph Wyn (Gwyndaf Llewelyn vs. Pembrokeshire United)
January: Ben Thompson (Swansea United vs. Wrexham City)
February: Niko Tuigamala (Men of Harlech vs. Wrexham City)
March: Pawl Beddow (Brecon Daffodils vs. Bala)
April: Callum Sharp (Monmouth Welshmen vs. Bala)
May: Maxwell Baker (Llanelli Northerners vs. Holyhead Town)

Relegation play-offs

Team 1	Agg.	Team 2	1st Leg	2nd Leg
Holyhead Town (A)	1-2	Aberavon Town (B)	1-0	0-2

Aberavon Town won 2-1 on aggregate, promoting themselves to League A for the 2023-24 season while Holyhead Town were relegated to League B.

Season statistics

Top goalscorers

Rank	Player	Club	Goals
1	(GHA) Kokoú Djansi	Bala	16
1	(RUS) Sergey Yevgenyevich	Wrexham City	16
3	(SAM) Iosefa Alovili	Brecon Daffodils	15
3	(SAM) Tavite Maiava	Swansea United	15
5	(WLN) Selwyn Ward	Monmouth Welshmen	14
6	(USA) Maxwell Baker	Llanelli Northerners	13
7	(WAL) Gareth Bale	Monmouth Welshmen	12
7	(WLN) Derec Harries	Holyhead Town / Men of Harlech	12
7	(SCO) Stanley King	Wrexham Dragons	12
7	(FIJ) Tito Vodowaqa	Wrexham City	12

Top assisters

Rank	Player	Club	Assists
1	(SCO) Hunter Allen	Wrexham Dragons	14
2	(WAL) Brennan Johnson	Men of Harlech	12
3	(AUS) Archer Jackson	Monmouth Journeymen	10
3	(WLN) Rhodri Webb	Neath Town	10
5	(WLN) Rhion Crowder	Flintshire	9
5	(USA) DeAndre Cunningham	Colwyn	9
5	(WLN) Owain Shepherd	Colwyn	9
5	(SCO) Callum Sharp	Bala	9
9	(WLN) Sam Nevitt	Men of Harlech	8
9	(WLN) Connor Robson	Swansea United	8
9	(WAL) Gareth Bale	Monmouth Welshmen	8
9	(SAM) Niko Tuigamala	Wrexham City	8
9	(WLN) Niclas James	Rhondda City	8

Clean sheets

Rank	Player	Club	Clean sheets
1	(TON) Feleti Vaenuku	Men of Harlech	13
2	(FIJ) Adi Maharaj	Rhondda City	12
3	(WLN) Gwyndaf Dawes	Wrexham City	11
3	(WLN) Kieran Whitehead	Monmouth Welshmen	11
5	(SAM) Iakopo Tuputala	Gwyndaf Llewelyn	9
6	(AUS) Christian Barrett	Wrexham Dragons	8
7	(WLN) Griffin Price	Brecon Daffodils	7
7	(WLN) Arthur Gwyn	Colwyn	7
9	(CAN) Darren Samson	Swansea United	6
9	(WLN) Dewey Jones	Pembrokeshire United	6