Canton Football Club is a Welsh football team based in Canton, Cardiff, Wales. The club plays in the Ardal Leagues South West, which is tier three of the Welsh football pyramid.
| Full name | Canton FC |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Ground | Cardiff International Sport Stadium SSI Pitch, part of the Cardiff International Sports Campus |
| Chairman | Dean Bowden |
| Manager | Daniel Tanhai |
| League | Ardal SE League |
| 2023–24 | Ardal SW League, 9th of 16 (lateral league transfer to SE) |
History
editThe club was established as Canton Liberal FC in 2006, named after a local social club, and initially played in the Cardiff & District League. In their first four seasons they won each divisional title.[1] They were champions of the Premier Division in the 2012–13 season,[2] joining the South Wales Amateur League Division Two, where they were champions in 2014–15. They joined the newly formed South Wales Alliance League for the 2015–16 season, and were again league champions, gaining promotion to the Premier Division for the 2016–17 season.
Canton finished third in the South Wales Alliance League Premier Division in the 2021–22 season missing out on promotion by one point.
Christopher Dye became the first player to make 500 appearances for the club, spanning 13 seasons.
Promotion to the third tier
editThe club finished second in the South Wales Alliance Premier Division at the end of 2022–23 season, and earned promotion to the Ardal South-West, the third tier in the Welsh pyramid. During that season Canton had the strongest defence in the league, conceding 31 goals in 28 games, which was better than the league winners Cardiff Corinthians. Canton scored a total of 87 goals, which was second best in the league. They also reached the final of the J.Owen Cup but were well beaten 1–0 by Cardiff Cosmopolitan.
During the club's 2022—23 awards ceremony, vice captain Brian Camilleri won the Manager's Player award for the season, featuring for the first team 33 times throughout the season, contributing to three goals and one assist accompanied by seven clean sheets. Kofi Rowe won the Player's Player award, finishing top scorer for the club and also winning the South Wales Alliance League Golden boot in the lague campaign with 29 goals overall and 9 assists. Captain Bo Cordle finished with the highest amount of assists for the club for the second season in a row with 21 in all competitions, 17 of those in the league, along with 17 goals in all competitions. Cohen Riella won the Golden Glove award for the season with 10 clean sheets altogether. He also scored a goal and provided three assists while playing in goal.
In July 2023, the club changed its name to Canton, dropping Liberal from the title.[3]
Current squad
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Technical staff
edit| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Club Chairman |  Dean Bowden
|
| Manager |  Daniel Tanhai
|
| Assistant manager | Sam O'Sullivan
|
| Coach | James Wood
|
| Coach | Neil Thomas
|
| Reserve Manager | Mark Tucker
|
| Youth Team Manager | Craig Robinson
|
| Youth Coach | Christopher Dye
|
| Coach | Nathan Murphy
|
| Kitman |  Ezra Harper
|
| Kit Ladie | Freya Tanhai
|
Honours
edit- South Wales Alliance League Division One: – Champions: 2015–16
- South Wales Amateur League Division Two: – Champions: 2014–15
- Cardiff & District League Premier Division: – Champions: 2012–13[4]
- Cardiff & District League Division One: – Champions: 2009–10
- Cardiff & District League Division Two: – Champions: 2008–09
- Cardiff & District League Division Three: – Champions: 2007–08
- Cardiff & District League Division Four: – Champions: 2006–07
- South Wales Alliance League (W John Owen) Cup: – Runners-up: 2022–23
References
edit- ^ "Canton Liberal are backed to make step up to Senior League". Wales Online. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Canton Liberals". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ^ Club Statement on name change Twitter, 30 July 2023
- ^ "Leaguewebsite.co.uk has now closed".