by Dan Cope & Editor
FORMER University of South Wales Men’s 1st defender Joe Evans is looking forward to returning to Treforest – albeit in different colours.
Evans, now a Cardiff Metropolitan University masters student and player, graduated from USW in July. A member of the history-making USW side, he was one of the class of 2018-19 who went unbeaten and won both league and cup last season.
3 years done @UniSouthWales! Big thanks to everyone involved with @USW_FootballCP and @USWFootball. Enjoyed every minute and met some great people. An experience I’ll never forget! 👨🎓 pic.twitter.com/NgcruFMD0n
— Joe Evans (@joe_evans97) July 9, 2019
Evans praised the rivalry between USW and Cardiff Met, saying it was a fixture he had “always looked forward to”.
The ex Cambrian and Clydach Vale man now also plays in the Cymru Premier League with Met, but he said the change of university and club took some adjusting to.
“Both [university] teams have professional environments, however, I had become accustom to things at USW so, I’d say the biggest difference is just adjusting to a new environment and adjusting to a different way of doing things.”
USW head coach Lee Kendall is now in sole charge of the Men’s 1st team following Steve Savage’s appointment as head of sport.
Evans, who played under Kendall in his final year at USW, was full of praise for the Barry Town coach.
“Kends is a great guy. He wanted what was best for us and that was key to why he is so respected by the university.”
Evans wrote himself into the USW history books last season when his goal in the 127th minute against Hartpury clinched the BUCS Championship trophy.
⏱ 127mins – and then this happens… pic.twitter.com/Bhea6FWNor
— BUCS (@BUCSsport) March 27, 2019
With so much success under his belt, he looks back on his time at USW fondly.
“I loved every minute at USW and I met some great people over the course of three years. It’ll be nice to go back and see a few old faces.
“Scoring the winner in the final was a great way to finish my time at USW. I think going to a full time [training] programme was what gave us the edge over the other teams.”
The last time the two sides met was in the reverse fixture at Cyncoed in October, which finished in a tight 1-1 draw. Since that game, Met have won their last three matches, including a 5-0 victory over Bath and they haven’t conceded a goal.
However, USW’s form has been a mixed bag with a draw, a victory and a loss coming in their last three games.
He said: “The game is always one I look forward to, having been with USW in previous years. I know how much they (USW) would have prepared for this fixture.”
Speaking about Met’s current form, the defender said: “Met had a difficult start in the BUCS League, however, we’ve picked up good results over the past few games and things are starting to come together.”
After finishing his time with USW, Evans also left Cambrian alongside fellow USW alumnus David Thomas to join Cardiff Met and is keen to continue to develop as player at Cyncoed.
Evans said: “I wanted to challenge myself in the Cymru Premier League and Cardiff Met is a great environment to be in and develop as a player.”
