By Rob Cole
ANDY LEGG plans on bringing the good times back to Llanelli Town and is targeting a bid for promotion to the JD Cymru Premier League.
The former Swansea City, Cardiff City and Wales midfielder finished his playing career with Llanelli and is now in charge of the club for a second time after being appointed manager in November 2020.
Welsh domestic football is currently suspended due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but it hasn’t stopped Legg from thinking big.
The 54-year-old wants his team to hit the ground running when the action returns.
The man who managed Llanelli to a Europa League win over Scottish side Motherwell in 2009 wants famous results of that ilk to be the norm at Stebonheath Park once again.
“I’ve only recently gone back to Llanelli. We had two or three training sessions before we had to break up again for lockdown,” said Legg, who also turned out for Notts County, Birmingham City and Peterborough United. “I’ve got seven new players in and they’re all young lads.
“If this season does go ahead, I haven’t got too much pressure on me. I need to build the team, get them back playing, and ultimately, I want to get the club back to where it was when I left.
“They were in Europe every year and competing for trophies. They won the Welsh Cup and were second in the league. They deserve to be in the top-flight in Wales.
“It is a Premier League club and I’d like to see it back there.”
Legg wants to take Llanelli out of Cymru South and back to the Premier League where they were relegated from in 2019.
He feels it is vital west Wales has Premier League representation for the good of Welsh football.
“Carmarthen, Port Talbot and Neath are all clubs the west and south west of Wales has lost from the Premier League so there needs to be a revival,” he said.
“Those clubs need to get back to where they were. That’s the ambition for Llanelli – to gel a young team together this year, push for promotion next season, and hopefully get back there.
“We can’t do anything at this moment in time. We can’t train so everyone is just waiting for the point where we can get back playing. Until then, there is not much we can do.
“It’s still up in the air, but we had some guidance from the Football Association of Wales that we could start in the second week of March.
That would allow us a week or two of training before we start the games. If the numbers do keep decreasing, then we’ll have a chance.
“The players want to get back playing football and enjoying themselves again. They are a bit frustrated because there is only so much running they can do on their own. It’s a battle of wills at the moment.
“We have to try and hang in there and when things change, hope they change quickly.”
