Bluebirds up for the cup (From Western Telegraph)

Bluebirds up for the cup

The Bluebirds' eagerly awaited game against Wrexham at the Bridge Meadow on Tuesday January 18th, will kick off at 7pm.

The club has announced that the usual admission prices of £6, (£4 for seniors and £2 for under 16s) will apply.

There will be additional car parks within walking distance of the Bridge Meadow but fans are asked to note the 7pm start time and to come early to avoid congestion.

The game really is one of the biggest in the club's history. It's a quarter final tie in the FAW Premier Cup, a very lucrative and prestigious competition.

And with Wrexham currently in dire straits financially, there will be no doubt that the Robins will be coming down to the Meadow absolutely at full strength and flat out to win.

This will not be a case of a league club sending down the youth players for a pre-season friendly. This will be a competitive match at a level not seen in Pembrokeshire for many years.

The nearest comparison might be with the titanic clash as far back as 1956-57, when, in the fifth round of the Welsh Cup, the Bluebirds took on a Cardiff City side who were then in the old First Division, and drew 3-3.

A closer parallel to the Wrexham game might be found in a much more recent match, in 1989-90, when the Bluebirds, again in the Welsh Cup, went up to Somerton Park to play the fourth division Newport County and beat them 4-2. On that occasion they came from 2-1 down with half an hour to go to win. Newport may have been on the way down then, but it was still a brilliant win for Ray Davies' side.

It will be interesting to see how big a gulf there is between League One (and let's remember that Wrexham are only at the foot of League One because of a points deduction) and the Welsh Premier.

It's a gulf certainly, the difference between pro and semi-pro. But keep in mind the fact that the Blues' have a very, very tight defence, the third meanest in British non-league football last season.

They have the best sweeper in the Welsh Premier in Deryn Brace, and have Wyn Thomas, Dave Barnhouse and Rob Jones at the heart of a very secure defence.

The Blues will be hoping also that Colin Loss will be back to set the midfield moving, and they will then look to the very lively Tim Hicks and Lee Brown, backed up by Richie Adams, to create the kind of strike force that wasn't there even last season.

At the very least the Bluebirds can give Wrexham a hard game. The stadium, with Dan Duffy's immaculate pitch the pride of the Welsh Premier, will be a fitting venue for a game which promises to be one of the most exciting sporting occasions in Pembrokeshire for decades.

Main sponsor for the match is Eddie's Snooker Bar.