Cogan Coronation marked the half way point of their league season with a 3-1 win away at Penygraig United last week, with goals from captain Stewart Owadally, Jack Preston, and Mike Fallas, writes Mr Owadally.

It’s taken longer than usual to reach this point, with postponements throughout December and January causing a backlog of fixtures that will mean Cogan face nine matches in April alone.

They also have a South Wales FA Cup quarter-final later in March, and progress in that will cause even more late-season congestion.

The season began with difficulty, with two defeats against Cardiff Cosmopolitan and St. Albans and no goals scored. But the season soon got going, with two league wins – firstly a 1-0 win against Penygraig United at Cogan, and then a 3-1 win away at Tongwynlais in front of a big crowd of around 400 people.

The team then lost only two of the next ten league games, with standout performances in a 6-0 rout of Penrhiwfer and an impressive defensive performance to win 2-1 against the league’s top scorers Fairwater.

 

 

Last weekend’s win took Cogan to 10th, but with between four and seven games in hand on all the teams above them.

Winning all of those games in hand would take the team to fourth, and just three points behind third-place Wattstown.

That progress would be built on solid foundations – with keeper Dylan Priestley-Bell and the Cogan defence boasting the third best defensive record in the league based on goals conceded per game.

The South Wales FA Cup also presents a chance to challenge for silverware.

The March 15th quarter-final sees Cogan host Afan United from Port Talbot, and a good crowd at Cogan Rec would help spur the team onto a semi-final – kick-off is at 2pm.

There have been standout performers across the team, with youth team graduates Will Limbrick, Danny Hansen-Taylor, Josh Nicholls, Rhys Pepper, and Rhodri Lewis all joining last season’s youth team goalkeeper Priestly-Bell and star midfielder Ellis James in the senior team this season.

Jack Preston is top of the goalscoring charts with 13 for the season, while strikers Nuh Essa and November signing Cole Saunders are on 5 and 2 respectively, with lots more to come now that the winter postponements have passed.

There have been some disappointments on the injury fronts, with goalkeeper Jake Keating needing to hang up his gloves due to recurring knee issues, and Joe Taylor suffering a broken leg two weeks ago. But the mood remains positive as the team looks to build on a decent start to the season.

The next 10 weeks could see Cogan playing 18 games – so keep your eye on the club social media accounts for details of fixtures and get down and support local amateur football if you can.

This season, the club has recruited new sponsors online gaming platform Martian Premier League and the GMB trade union, who have joined longer term partners The Bottle Shop, ADCL Humphries & Sons Stonemasons, and Hi-View Scaffolding.

If you are a business owner, the club is asking for sponsors to help with running costs and for the development of the club right from the reception age groups to the men’s teams. To get on board and join the club’s sponsorship team, get in touch via Twitter or Instagram @CoganCoroAFC.