Credit: PA ImagesA man has been charged in connection with the collapse of the first Ammanford school stabbing trial a teenage girl was detained for 15 years for stabbing two teachers and a fellow pupil during the school knife attack The 14-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was previously found guilty of the attempted murder of teachers Fiona Elias, Elizabeth Hopkin and another pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire She was convicted after a second trial which began in January has been charged with the offence of refusing to answer a question relating to the qualification to serve on a jury He appeared at Swansea Magistrates' Court on 23 April and will appear at the court again on 14 May The first trial involving the girl collapsed in October 2024 because of what the judge described as a "great irregularity in the jury" Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.. The council says its finances are now 'robust By Ian Lewis · 2 May 2025 Ammanford Town Council has moved to address a damning report by Audit Wales into its finances over the past decade The council has been criticised by Wales’ Auditor General for “serious failures in governance and financial management” over a period of 10 years was a follow up audit report covering the years 2018/19 to 2023/24 The audit claimed the council’s failure to account for almost £800,000 collected from local taxpayers between 2016-17 to 2020-21 resulted in past officers and members failing to ensure proper standards of management and governance It also highlights that the council failed to submit accounts on time in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 while records for 2021-2022 were discovered during the audit after the auditor had initially not seen evidence of these records The council was previously led by Plaid Cymru but is now under Labour leadership and says its "financial procedures are now robust said in his report that “the council has not maintained proper and complete accounting records” and has been “unable to provide contractual documentation or supporting documentation to evidence that it has followed its standing orders and financial regulations.” He added that “adequate information has not been provided to councillors regarding the approval of payments made” and he has been “unable to confirm whether the payments made were done so under proper authority.” Mr Crompton recognised that the council has admitted its faults and said in the report: "I consider it important to note that the standards required to be disclosed by the Annual Governance Statement are the minimum standards that the electors of Ammanford Town Council should expect to be upheld I draw attention to the fact that the council has failed to meet these standards and has provided negative responses to many of the aspects of proper governance covered by the Annual Governance Statement even though its failings and deficiencies have been brought to its attention by both internal and external audit the council’s past officers and its members have failed to ensure that it has established proper standards of financial management and governance." The report also found that despite the council having "failed to meet the statutory timetable for each year the council has now prepared accounts up to and including the 2023-24 financial year but needs to publish the accounts online." Ammanford Town Council discussed the audit report at its full town council meeting on Monday which saw councillors vote in favour of the recommendations set out by Mr Crompton Ammanford Town Council's new chair of finance Cllr Calum Higgins said: “As a councillor elected after these events and makes specific recommendations for improving monitoring of accounts These improvements are now in place and we know where every penny is being spent "We have new staff who produce transaction reports for every meeting and we will be on time for this year’s audit. Last year our new staff worked through the backlog of receipts and invoices to bring the council up to date meaning we can now concentrate on moving the town forward This is a fresh start for Ammanford Town Council and we will now continue to improve the town’s facilities and parks.”  In a statement Ammanford Town Council added: "Residents are understandably extremely concerned; we therefore wish to provide some important clarification Previous concerns raised about financial accountability were due to the lack of completed audits between the financial year’s 2015-16 and 2023-24 the council were made aware of many issues and focused on completing the 2015-16 and 2017-18 audits however this work was not finalised as required by the permanent clerk appointed in December 2019 and the council as a whole We want to reassure the public that £800,000 has not 'gone missing.' The previous administration failed to ensure that correct accounting procedures were followed and failed to continuously monitor the council’s finances "Audit Wales have worked with Ammanford Town Council to finalise the earlier years of account and interim Officers have ensured completion of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 years of account This information can be found on our website the council received a detailed end-of year report (2024-25) from the council’s responsible financial officer showing all funds from this financial year have been accounted for and financial procedures are now robust The council added: "The current Ammanford Town Council are fully committed to serving the people of Ammanford with the highest standards of care and responsibility Every penny gathered through the local precept is used to enhance our community and we are determined to ensure that public funds are managed effectively and for the benefit of all." LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}} Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Former assistant head teacher Darrel Campbell restrained the teenage school girl who was on Monday sentenced for the attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil at Amman Valley School Alex Ross looks back at the shocking incident I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Once at the forefront of the south-west Wales’ decimated mining industry Ammanford is a small and fairly unremarkable Welsh market town nestled at the foot of the towering Black Mountains But in April last year, the town was flung into the national spotlight after a teenage girl pulled out a knife and started attacking two teachers and another pupil during morning breaktime at Amman Valley School the now 14-year-old girl was detained for 15 years after being found guilty of their attempted murder at Swansea Crown Court It was an incident that shocked the nation and raised fears over the safety of children and teachers in schools Speaking to the BBC, a former assistant head teacher who restrained the girl during the attack at the 1,800-pupil school likened the event to "something out of a horror movie" Darrel Campbell took hold of the girl while she still had a knife in her hand He said: "I've had countless sleepless nights The incident is like it happened yesterday She said she was going to kill [the pupil] I grabbed her right hand which held the knife I put her into a headlock and dragged her back when a public address system at the school announced a “Code Red” alert with children placed into lockdown as sirens from arriving emergency vehicles flickered outside Seeing that something serious had happened Dozens of parents turned up outside the school gates desperate for news as rumours spread quickly that a teenage pupil had gone on the rampage with a knife inside the school It wasn’t until 3pm when the parents were reunited with their children and details began to emerge of what happened inside the school who was 13 at the time cannot be named for legal reasons pulled out a knife from her pocket after being questioned over her uniform by teacher Fiona Elias while outside a school hall I am going to f****** kill you,” the girl said as she stabbed Ms Elias but the girl managed to push past them and attack another schoolgirl before Mr Campbell restrained her in a neck hold to end the violence where the girl was found guilty of the attempted murder of the two teachers and school girl a jury heard how both attacked teachers thought they were going to die “I thought she was going to kill me – she went for my neck and there wasn’t anything I could do to stop her,” said Ms Hopkin who has been a governor at Amman Valley School for 34 years said: “It is a complete shock for the community the pupils are such lovely children and I can’t understand why this issue has happened The trial heard how the girl had been previously caught with a knife in her backpack during a search in school toilets a year before the attack Mrs Elias said she was excluded before being allowed back in school on the condition regular bag checks were done on her she settled back in really,” the teacher said “More should have been done,” a parent not wanting to be named told The Independent The attack comes amid rising fears over knife crime Mr Campbell told the BBC: "I'd like to think it was an isolated incident I'd like to think it would never happen again in any school in Wales An investigation by The Independent last year revealed four attacks were happening on children or teachers each week with rural police force areas such as Lancashire and West Mercia among the worst for the number of incidents former children’s commissioner for England warned that knives and knife attacks were an “urgent crisis” while calling on the Labour government to drive intervention through community-based pilot schemes She told The Independent: “Hardly a week passes without seeing the horrific consequences of serious violence and knife crime There can be a chilling sense of inevitability for many of the most vulnerable children that they can fall through the gaps and become at risk of involvement in violence or exploitation “We need to be much quicker to support the most vulnerable children and their families and mental health support as early as possible Latest Home Office figures show there were 50,500 offences involving a sharp instrument in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024 Separate Ministry of Justice figures show that in the year ending March 2023, 17 per cent of people cautioned and convicted for possession of a knife or weapon were aged 10 to 17. Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson told The Independent: “The evidence shows too many young people are still getting these weapons online, so we are introducing stronger age verification checks and significant fines for tech executives who fail to swiftly remove knife crime content on their sites.” Back in Ammanford, life continues for students and parents at Amman Valley which boasts Welsh rugby stars Shane Williams and Hannah Jones as among its former pupils. Local Senedd member Adam Price, who is a former pupil at the school, told The Independent: “What we need is a full national inquiry into school safety in schools - this was a disturbing incident, and the consequences could have been worse. “We need to realise that this could happen anywhere.” A 14-year-old girl has been detained at Swansea Crown Court for 15 years for the attempted murder of two teachers and another pupil at a school in Ammanford, south Wales, in April last year Play Brightcove videoDean Thomas-Welch reports A teenage girl has been detained for 15 years for stabbing two teachers and a fellow pupil during a terrifying school knife attack attacked teacher Mrs Elias during the morning break using her father’s multi-tool attempting to restrain the girl but was injured herself The teenager then moved on to stab another girl before being restrained by staff Ms Hopkin was airlifted to hospital after being stabbed in the neck while Mrs Elias suffered stab wounds to her arms and hands The injured pupil was stabbed in the shoulder The perpetrator had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent and a further count of possession of a bladed article on a school premises – but denied attempted murder Judge Paul Thomas KC sentenced her to 15 years' detention the judge said he did not believe she had shown genuine remorse for her actions “I think you enjoyed the reaction and the publicity,” he said “I don’t think you are genuinely sorry for what you did; you have said you are but I don’t think that’s how you really feel The girl maintained throughout her week-long trial that she never intended to kill her victims a notebook found at her home contained cruel drawings of Mrs Elias and reference to the girl she attacked along with an admission that she would "commit the crime of a lifetime" The jury also heard she had told friends she was going to “do something stupid that could get me expelled” which could involve Mrs Elias on the day of the attack the court heard the teenage girl took a knife to school every day and she had been suspended from school earlier that term after Mrs Elias found a knife in her bag CCTV footage played in court showed the girl talking to Mrs Elias and Ms Hopkin in the yard of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman before removing the knife from her pocket and launching the ferocious attack on both teachers she was accused of yelling “I’m going to f*****g kill you” the teenager would turn the knife on a fellow pupil running at them and stabbing them in the shoulder The attack ended when staff at the school wrestled the knife from the girl and restrained her Some 1,500 pupils at the school were placed into lockdown as police rushed to the scene and paramedics treated the victims the girl made a series of unsolicited comments in the back of a police vehicle telling officers “I stabbed her – oopsies” “I’m pretty sure this is going to be on the news so more eyes will be looking at me,” she said “are they dead?” and “how am I going to face my family after what I’ve done?” the girl told jurors she was sorry for the incident and could not remember large parts of what happened It doesn’t feel like something I would do,” she said the judge told her: “You will have been told by those representing you that you will have to be kept in a secure place as you have been for nearly a year already “What you did at school almost a year ago to the day has caused a large number of people a great deal of people harm and upset You came to school that day planning to do that “I say this was planned – you knew you can’t take a knife You had it open in your pocket to attack Mrs Elias.” The judge said he believed she had intentionally carried out the attack during the school break “You wanted as many as possible to see what you planned to do,” he said what you thought (the other pupil) might have done to you none of that comes within a million miles of what you did or tried to do.” the judge said if she had been an adult the most likely outcome would have been a life sentence said the defendant’s maturity level was “low” which was clear from psychiatric reports written ahead of sentencing who she described as “a very complex young girl” insisting that the doodling the girl had done throughout the trial was a way to help her cope and that she was not being “disrespectful” The defendant sat through the teachers’ victim impact statements without looking up teacher Fiona Elias - who has worked at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman for 24 years - told the court the day had begun as usual "There is something so special at the school that I feel I have become part of the furniture," she said “I've been there so long that I joke I should be buried on the historic school lawns.. that joke became chillingly close to reality “What started as a normal school day became something unimaginable I'll never forget the moment I saw the tip of the blade; that moment comes back to me often as I drift off to sleep It's a moment that plays over and over She said she continues to feel guilty over the incident she said: "Your motive was clear….you intended to kill me I have had mixed feelings about you as a person I found myself thinking about your family and how they must have felt "Whilst your name and face have been anonymised I am the victim of an attempted murder in my workplace.” Ms Elias said she was not “ruling out” meeting the pupil in the future but first wanted to know she was making progress describing her as showing “very little remorse” during the trial She said she “sincerely hopes” the teenager will engage with the interventions provided and find a “way out of this dark chapter” there are opportunities open to you – please take them.” Teacher Liz Hopkin also read a statement in court saying: “I remember the day you attacked me with perfect clarity I remember the sheer disbelief that you were capable of such violence “It was luck I was outside that break time and I was put where I was needed most I was glad I was there to protect Fiona and to stop you from murdering her I was sure I was going to die when you stabbed me multiple times “You are not a murderer because I held you back and stood in your way I don't want the events of that day to define you I hope you find a way forward and a way to live differently.” deputy chief prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service in Wales which caused a great deal of distress to the victims “These sorts of incidents are fortunately rare but that makes them all the more surprising and distressing when they happen the defendant denied she intended to kill the two teachers and the pupil that she stabbed The Crown Prosecution Service was able to present strong evidence that she had intended to kill and I’m pleased that the jury agreed and was sure of her guilt.” Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know.. Nia Tyler used her love of singing to rebuild her life and new career after a stroke at 20 By Ian Lewis · 1 May 2025 who suffered a stroke aged just 20 and used music and singing as part of her recovery is using her voice to support others living with the impact of stroke has shared her story as part of Stroke Awareness Month which this year is seeing the Stroke Association highlighting new research showing that more than a third of stroke survivors can sing better than they can speak soon after their stroke — a finding that shines a light on the transformative role music can play in recovery Nia’s life was like most people in their early twenties — busy Singing was always in the background as a hobby and passion she said "it was just something I did for fun Nia was starting her third year at university and at the end of freshers week on the Saturday she woke up that morning with an horrendous headache drove straight to her in Surrey where she was studying and stayed with Nia they made the decision to travel back home to Ammanford They told me I had a blood clot on the brain and started injecting me with blood thinners immediately." It was later suggested that the contraceptive pill may have been a factor — but there was no way to prove it She said: "I was basically living in my parents’ living room “I could barely walk to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.” “but having your mother bathe you at 20 isn’t exactly where you expect to be.” step by tiny step — she beganrebuilding her life “I think it was two years after the stroke when it really hit me,” she said “I couldn’t function like a normal person anymore My mental health was the worst it’s ever been there was one thing that slowly brought her back to life and that was her love of music “Singing has always been therapy for me,” she said it was like reclaiming a piece of herself Nia said music has become her career with performances at private events corporate functions - sometimes singing in the background sometimes centre stage - she even competed in the first Welsh series of The Voice She now works with Cardiff-based Forget Me Not Chorus singing in carehomes with people living with dementia and Nia said: "It’s one of my favourite things even people who struggle to speak still light up when they sing.” the Stroke Association is encouraging people to raise their voice to help stroke survivors get the vital support they need after the devastating impact of a stroke where people can sing wherever they like - at home to raise vital funds to support stroke survivors and their families In Stroke Association-funded research on group-based singing intervention for improving the health of people with aphasia researchers found that group singing can help people with communication difficulties after stroke by creating a safe space and strong bonds between people the researcher who led the study at the University of Exeter said: “Singing-based rehabilitation may have positive effects on both social confidence and wellbeing providing social and emotional support for people with aphasia and their loved ones.” associate director for the Stroke Association in Wales said: "There are now over 70,000 stroke survivors in Wales The impact of a stroke can be completely life-altering We believe everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke but to do this Singing can be a powerful tool in stroke recovery for those who experience communication difficulties Because music and singing are processed in a different part of the brain to spoken language some people with communication problems find that they can sing easily He added: "Now we need singers to show their support to stroke survivors and their families If you’re part of a choir or singing group you could dedicate a song to stroke survivors and donate some of the proceeds Children at school could vote for a song to prepare and come together to sing at a special assembly for Stroke Awareness Month you’ll help make a lasting difference to stroke survivors and their families." 240 people will wake up to the catastrophic impact of a stroke By raising your voice for stroke survivors this May, you can help stroke survivors and their loved ones to find strength through support. Sign up to Sing4Stroke athttps://www.stroke.org.uk/singing Darrel Campbell speaks to ITV Wales' Swansea correspondent Dean Thomas-Welch A teacher who wrestled a knife from a schoolgirl after she stabbed two teachers and a pupil admits he struggled to sleep after the ordeal Darrel Campbell was patrolling the yard at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, last April when the then 13-year-old girl launched a terrifying attack with a multi-tool knife she had smuggled into school. Teacher Elizabeth Hopkin was airlifted from the school after being stabbed in the neck while her colleague Fiona Elias suffered stab wounds to her arms and hands and was also rushed to hospital A female pupil was attacked and stabbed in the shoulder as staff at the school struggled to contain the perpetrator Close to 1,500 pupils were locked down in their classrooms as the girl was led away from the scene while hundreds of concerned parents gathered at the school perimeter CCTV footage showed Mr Campbell placing the girl in a headlock and wrestling the knife from her grasp who has worked at the school for more than 40 years told ITV Wales how he acted on instinct as soon as he became aware the girl was wielding a knife and she was just staring,” he told ITV News She turned and looked across at another group of pupils and let out a horrific scream It was at that point that I saw the knife in her hand "I sprinted after her and managed to grab her hand with the knife and put her into a headlock and restrain her until further help came and I had to do something to stop her from inflicting more injuries guilty of the attempted murder of Ms Elias the court heard how the schoolgirl had followed Ms Elias into the yard after being asked to leave a school hall stabbing Ms Elias and Ms Hopkin while shouting “I want to kill you” The jury heard the girl brought a knife to school every day Officers also found a notebook belonging to the pupil which contained cruel drawings of Ms Elias and an admission that she wanted to commit the "crime of a lifetime" Mr Campbell admits the knife attack has had an impact on his mental health and says trips away to the family's holiday home in Aberaeron have helped him to take his mind off that day “I’ve had quite a few sleepless nights because of it,” he said “I’m very lucky that I do have Aberaeron to escape to I have found it very comforting to be able to come here on most of our weekends to relax and be away from the hustle and bustle of Ammanford.” Following the teenage girl's guilty verdict Fiona Elias said: "This verdict should be seen as a clear message for pupils across the country I would not want any individual to go through the nightmare I have endured during the last nine months.” With the girl due to be sentenced today at Swansea Crown Court Mr Campbell says he’s keen for justice to be served with instances of violence towards teachers in schools on the rise in that she has probably ruined her life,” he admits “But I also feel that for the future of education and the profession “There is no easy answer to the problem of school violence the education authorities and headteachers need to come together to thrash things out they are not there to be bouncers or security guards.” Haverfordwest County AFC head to the Recreation Ground on Saturday to take on Ammanford in the JD Welsh Cup third round’s televised tie The Bluebirds come into the game having lost just one of their last 10 matches in all competitions That defeat came in our most recent fixture as we were edged out 2-1 by reigning champions The New Saints at Park Hall despite taking the lead through Ben Fawcett currently find themselves 11th in the JD Cymru South with five wins and nine defeats from their 14 league matches to date Their most recent outing was a 2-0 loss at home to Caerau Ely last Friday The Boars are currently the third highest scorers in the second tier has found the net nine times so far in 2024-25 The Bluebirds were victorious over current JD Cymru South leaders Trethomas Bluebirds in the second round running out 5-3 winners on penalties after the tie had ended goalless at LHP Stadium in Carmarthen Ben Fawcett and Dan Hawkins were all on target from 12 yards for the Town Our hosts booked their place in the last 32 with one of the upsets of the second round as they defeated JD Cymru Premier side Aberystwyth Town 1-0 at Park Avenue thanks to an early goal from Callum Thomas The two sides met at the same stage of last season’s competition with County running out 2-0 winners at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium thanks to second-half goals from Ricky Watts and Martell Taylor-Crossdale There will be two familiar faces in the Ammanford dugout on Saturday with former Bluebirds defender Wyn Thomas currently the first team manager while ex-County boss Sean Cresser is part of the coaching staff at the Rec the Town will be without captain Dylan Rees after his red card in the last round while fellow defender Luke Tabone is away on international duty with Malta where he played the entirety of their 2-0 friendly victory over Liechtenstein on Thursday evening before the Reds take on Andorra in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday 19 November Assistants: Johnathon Bebee-Bryant and Connor Thomas If you’re not able to make it to The Rec tomorrow, you will still be able to follow the action live by tuning into S4C (Sky channel 104, Freeview channel 4). The match will also be broadcast on Sgorio’s digital platforms of Facebook, YouTube and S4C Clic with Welsh and English language commentary available There will also be live, play-by-play updates on our X (formerly Twitter) page Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium Bridge Meadow Lane Haverfordwest Pembrokeshire SA61 2EX The game will be broadcast live on TV and also online Haverfordwest County AFC’s JD Welsh Cup third round tie with Ammanford has been selected for live television coverage which will take place at the Recreation Ground on Saturday 16 November The fixture will be shown live on S4C and BBC iPlayer as well as on Sgorio’s digital platforms of S4C Clic This will be the second time in as many seasons that the two sides will battle it out in Welsh football’s blue riband cup following the meeting at the Ogi Bridge Meadow last term which saw the Bluebirds run out 2-0 winners County were victorious over JD Cymru South leaders Trethomas Bluebirds in the second round while Ammanford defeated Aberystwyth Town 1-0 at Park Avenue Immediately following the broadcast will be Cymru’s UEFA Nations League encounter with Türkiye which gets under way at 5pm and marks a double header of football on S4C Ahead of tomorrow’s JD Welsh Cup third round tie at the Recreation Ground we’ve taken a closer look at Ammanford with Meet the Opposition The club was founded as Betws between 1945 and 1946 under some unusual circumstances a chicken was donated with the revenue going towards the startup of the club Betws started in the Carmarthenshire League before being elected to the Welsh League when in 1952 they reached the final of the West Wales Amateur Cup losing 3-2 to Atlas Sports from Fforestfach at the Vetch Field due to other teams in the league playing under the name of Betws and the side wanting to avoid confusion over identification of previous seasons The mid 1960’s were the club’s most successful period finishing as champions during the 1965-66 season and finishing runners-up to Cardiff City in the following two seasons were founded in 1992 after a merger between Ammanford Town and Ammanford Athletic – upon which they were immediately placed in Division One The Town reached the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup in 1999 where they were defeated by Conwy United 1-0 over two legs This was also a strong domestic season for the club as they were promoted back to Division One at the third time of asking Ammanford spent the next two decades moving through the Welsh pyramid system before becoming founding members of the JD Cymru South in the 2019-20 season the Town have been around the mid-table mark other than last season where they finished third behind runners-up Llanelli Town and champions Briton Ferry Llansawel Ammanford have had very mixed form so far this season They have lost their last two against Pontypridd United and Caerau Ely but before these results won three games on the bounce including a fantastic 1-0 away win against Cymru Premier side Aberystwyth Town which put them into the next round of the JD Welsh Cup however they are the third highest scorers in the league with 26 goals to date Wyn Thomas was appointed first team manager this summer after the resignation of long-standing boss Gruff Harrison Thomas was already part of the club’s management team under Harrison where he had a player-coach role and was part of the side who finished third in the JD Cymru South last season Thomas had a distinguished career in Welsh football starting off at Aberystwyth Town while also having spells at Carmarthen Town scoring three goals over a three-year period between 2003-2006 Thomas was part of the coaching staff at the Seasiders when they qualified for the UEFA Europa League in 2014 before moving to Swansea University where he helped guide the Students to the JD Cymru South title in 2019-20 with Haverfordwest County AFC being promoted in their place due to them not obtaining the Tier One licence Since Thomas took over towards the back end of August he has won six of his 12 matches with the Town 22-year-old Morgan Clarke was given the armband this season after veteran Luke Harris left for Morriston Town in the summer The midfielder started his career at Swansea City where he played for the both their under-18 and under-21 sides before moving to the Town in 2021 Clarke played a sporadic role during his first few seasons but really made the central midfield position his own during the 2023-24 season where he made 36 appearances across all competitions for the Town which included a hat-trick in a 5-4 away win over Taffs Well in the Welsh Blood Service League Cup Clarke has been ever-present for Ammanford in the league making 14 appearances and registering one assist so far while also making a 30-minute cameo in the previous round of the JD Welsh Cup against Aberystwyth Town Lewis Reed has been the go-to man for goals this season scoring nine times and providing five assists in the league for Ammanford The forward started his career at Llanelli Town where he made six appearances over a 19-month period before moving east to Port Talbot Town Reed then joined Pontardawe Town where he had a very successful season scoring 17 goals in 30 appearances for the club helping them to record a ninth place finish The 22-year-old was then picked up by Ammanford at the start of last season where he was a key figure in helping the Town finish in third place scoring 25 league goals as he finished as the third highest goal scorer in the league behind only Luke Bowen of Briton Ferry and Alex Bonthron of Cwmbran Celtic Kai Whitmore was one of a few players who have moved from the JD Cymru Premier over the summer to challenge themselves in the English Football League (EFL) with the midfielder signing for Newport County after his contract with the Bluebirds expired Whitmore started his career with Ammanford where he played 10 games before being moving to the JD Cymru Premier in January 2022 when he joined Penybont His time at the Bont was successful as he featured in all 32 league games in the 2022-23 season helping the side to achieve a top three finish and booking their place in the then-UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers Whitmore made the decision to join the Bluebirds – who had also qualified for Europe – later that summer playing a pivotal role in the ties woth KF Shkëndija and B36 Tórshavn The midfielder made 32 appearances across all competitions during his time at the Ogi Bridge Meadow Stadium which included a brace against Aberystwyth Town in a 3-0 west coast derby win against the Seasiders Whitmore made the best start possible to his Exiles career scoring a fantastic effort from distance on his home debut against Doncaster Rovers as he won man of the match in a 3-1 comeback win against Grant McCann’s side but returned to action in October and scored his first FA Cup goal two weeks ag in the 4-2 defeat at home to Peterborough United – which was his first start in over two months Haverfordwest County AFC booked their place in the last 16 of the JD Welsh Cup with a thrilling 10-9 penalty shoot-out win at Ammanford after the tie had finished 1-1 in normal time Goalkeeper Ifan Knott kept his cool to score the winning penalty having earlier saved Adam Orme’s spot-kick to level the shoot-out after Ben Ahmun’s penalty had been saved by Luke Martin The Bluebirds were on top for the majority of the contest in tricky conditions at The Recreation Ground and opened the scoring in the first half through Ricky Watts Owain Jones and Watts had chances to add to the scoreline before the interval and equalised through Euros Griffiths with just 10 minutes remaining to set up a grandstand finish with plenty of decisive spot-kicks from both sides however Knott proved to be the Bluebirds’ hero as we defeated the Boars at the third round stage of the competition for the second time in as many seasons Tony Pennock made seven changes to the side that was narrowly defeated 2-1 by The New Saints last Sunday with Luke Tabone missing while on international duty with Malta and captain Dylan Rees suspended after his red card in the previous round against Trethomas Bluebirds Knott made his second start of the season between the sticks There were starts in midfield for youngsters Harri John and Kyle Kenniford while the experienced Watts and Owain Jones were also in from the off featuring on the bench alongside brother Jacob The Bluebirds started on the front foot and created the first chance of the game with Owain Jones’ left-footed effort drifting narrowly wide of the left post from just outside the area Jones created another chance minutes later as he chased down a high ball but his effort again flew wide of the post with Harri John putting a deep ball into the box which was met by Alaric Jones The Bluebirds were able to make their strong start to the match count when Watts opened the scoring just before the half hour mark After a scramble inside the Ammanford area the ball fell to the midfielder and his first-time left-footed effort passed numerous bodies to find the net Watts looked to add his second of the match not long after with an audacious effort from 35 yards out which was not too far away from nestling into the top left-hand corner of the net The hosts had their first real chance of the game towards the end of the first half through former Hakin United man Adam John with his effort from just outside of the box rolling just wide of the left post Ammanford came out of the blocks quickly looking to grab an equalising goal and the first chance of the second half fell to captain Morgan Clarke who drove infield and released a powerful effort which flew high over the bar The Bluebirds had a fantastic chance to double their lead minutes later when a neat one-two saw Kyle Kenniford play in Owain Jones There were then chances at both ends of the pitch with the Bluebirds defence making a crucial clearance on the line to deny the hosts an equaliser and minutes later Callum Jones rose highest from a corner but was unable to keep his header on target County nearly doubled their advantage when Hawkins chipped a ball into the area which was directed goalwards by Owain Jones but Martin reacted quickly to tip it over the bar Pennock’s men continued to push for a second with Iori Humphreys driving forward but seeing his low effort from the right side of the area gathered Martin substitute Ahmun came close when he directed Alaric Jones’ pinpoint cross over the bar Substitute Ben Fawcett was inches away from scoring his fourth goal in three games when he beat Martin to a bouncing ball and was able to lob it over the goalkeeper but some fantastic defending from Nick Arnold saw the defender sprint back and clear the ball off the line Ammanford were able to equalise ten minutes before time through Griffiths who prodded a loose ball home from a corner to ensure a thrilling finale in front of a crowd of over 400 Lewis Reed could have won the game for the hosts in added time when he was played through but a fantastic save from Knott at his near post kept the game level Hawkins and Jonathan Invernizzi had converted their spot-kicks Ben Ahmun became the first player to be denied as Martin made the save Knott guessed the right way to deny Adam Orme and give Fawcett the chance to draw the Town level Callum Jones and Lee Jenkins were all subsequently on target as a dramatic shoot-out advanced to the goalkeepers The crucial moment came when Martin sent his effort flying over the bar with Knott showing real character to step up and slot the ball into the bottom left corner to secure County’s passage into the last 16 The live Sgorio cameras head to the Recreation Ground on Saturday as JD Cymru South side Ammanford take on top-flight Haverfordwest County in Round Three of the JD Welsh Cup (KO 2.20pm) Local youngster Callum Thomas was the hero for Ammanford in the last round as his solitary goal was enough to seal a 1-0 win to eliminate JD Cymru Premier side Aberystwyth Town The 20-year old opened the scoring inside the opening seven minutes at Park Avenue on what was a special victory for Ammanford manager Wyn Thomas against his former club “I loved my time at Aber,” he said to FAW.cymru this week genuine people and they looked after me when I was a 16-year old coming through the ranks “It was good timing for us because Aberystwyth are obviously going through a bad patch We were playing quite well ahead of the game and I’m always confident that the boys can win every game but you’ve got to put a performance in and that day we defended really well more often than not the result is there too One or two mistakes might cost you a game sometimes but if the performance of each individual is high then more often than not you will come out on top.” The reward for Thomas and his squad is a much tougher test against high-flying Haverfordwest The two teams met at the same stage of the competition last season as the Bluebirds claimed a 2-0 win but Ammanford will have home advantage this time and with it the opportunity to showcase the club to the live Sgorio audience Despite going well in the JD Cymru Premier Tony Pennock’s Haverfordwest side needed penalties to see off the challenge of Trethomas Bluebirds in the previous round and Thomas is looking forward to the challenge of taking on another of his former clubs “It’s going to be a tough challenge because they are full of confidence,” he explained “They’ve obviously found a way of winning When the draw was made we were all together watching it at the club “All I wanted was a home draw because we’re a club that needs local support from the community We’re trying to build a family environment and trying to get more people involved that can help us on weekends “There’s going to be a lot of youngsters there taking part and being involved in what is a big occasion for the football club Thomas stepped up from his coaching role to take charge of Ammanford back in August following the resignation of Gruff Harrison after more than a decade as manager Currently 11th in the JD Cymru South with five victories from their opening 14 games Thomas was keen to emphasise the importance of Harrison’s contribution myself and majority of the changing room wouldn’t be here but it’s because we are here that we’re playing Haverfordwest on Saturday live on television Gruff did a fantastic job and he brought us all together.” Thomas experienced JD Welsh Cup glory in the colours of Llanelli back in 2011 when his side defeated then league champions Bangor City 4-1 but he also remembers the heartache of losing three finals with Carmarthen (1999) Llanelli (2008) and Aberystwyth Town (2014) “I think I’m pretty grounded,” he explained while reflecting his career highs and lows “I played in Europe with four different clubs and representing Wales at semi-pro level was one of the greatest feelings ever and everything went right for us that day.” A JD Cymru Premier legend and a member of the Hall of Fame Thomas made 536 appearances in the top-flight and is one of the most-recognisable figures in the domestic game “I’ve been playing football since I was six when my mother was my manager for the local park side in West Wales,” he explained “Football has given me so much and it’s still giving me things now because I’ve had so much out of the game.” Thomas took his first steps into coaching in familiar surroundings at Aberystwyth Town but it was his time at Swansea University that gave him a different perspective prior to his switch to Ammanford to become part of Harrison’s coaching team “Swansea University was a huge learning curve for me,” he explained “We had students coming from all over the world with different ideas different mentalities and different religions “I just want the players and people involved to know how much I love the game they can feed off that and then they can put their own stamp on the way they want to play and how they play We’ve spoken about the opportunity and the lads know that if they perform then we’re confident that we can give it a good go.” The New Saints come from behind to take Nomads crown in JD Welsh Cup final Project Chwarae: FAW to undertake a review of weather-related postponements in grassroots football Cardiff City defeat Wrexham to lift Bute Energy Welsh Cup Close ModalLearn more from FA WalesSign up to receive all things FAW We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data – view our privacy policy by clicking here © 2025 The Football Association of Wales * We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data – view our privacy policy by clicking here. The incident happened at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman – also known as Amman Valley School – in Ammanford Credit: ITV Cymru WalesWarning this article discusses issues of suicide A teenage girl accused of the attempted murder of two teachers and a pupil during a school stabbing asked police if her victims were going to die Teachers Fiona Elias and Liz Hopkin sustained multiple injuries in the attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman A year 10 pupil was also stabbed in the incident which threw the school into lockdown in April last year The 14-year-old defendant denies three counts of attempted murder The girl had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent and a charge of possessing a bladed article on school premises Today a jury was played body-worn footage of the teenage girl's arrest captured by an officer who sat in the back of a police vehicle with the defendant the teenage girl asks the officer if she knows the pupil who had been stabbed The court heard the footage also captured an exchange between the officer and the defendant in which the teenage girl said she was likely to be on the news you are going to have to deal with me staring at you.” “It's fine I've had loads of eyes on me today I'm ninety per cent sure this is going to be on the news the vehicle is seen parked at a police station “How am I going to face my family after what I have done?” With the officer replying The jury was also shown pages of a notebook that was found at the defendant's home Inside were drawings of Ms Elias and the pupil who was stabbed Passages were also read out in which the defendant had written ‘I want to do something humans are not supposed to?’ and ‘Why do I want to kill others as much as I want to kill myself?’ In one of the final excerpts written under the heading ‘Things about me,’ the girl had written ‘I feel like I’m going to commit a crime of a lifetime.’ The teenage girl denies attempted murder and the case continues Liz Hopkin and a pupil were treated in hospital with stab wounds after the attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman BBC Wales journalist Meleri Williams reports from Swansea Crown Court ShareSaveMan recalls moment car turned into 'ball of flames'Tony Johnson pulled a driver from a burning car after a crash with two vehicles in Bodfari. 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