Cymru Premier: Pontypridd United excited to 'make history'
- Published
Pontypridd finished second in the Cymru South last season but were promoted after champions Llantwit Major were refused a Tier One licence.
Manager Andrew Stokes says newly promoted Pontypridd United aim to stay in the Cymru Premier for "many seasons."
Pontypridd will make their debut in Welsh football's top-flight on Saturday when they host Flint Town United.
Stokes took over in the summer after the departure of Jonathan Jones, who led the side to promotion
"We're all excited - we'll be making history when we take to the field," Stokes told BBC Radio Wales Sport.
"Collectively as a club we want to set our stall out and set our ambitions high that in the next 12 months we want to maintain our status and show we're coming up not to be a one season team - we want to be there for many seasons.
"We're under no illusions of the challenge and we have to give respect to this league.
"We're quietly confident that if we can get everybody fit and available on the pitch that we can surprise a lot of teams.
"But first and foremost, game by game, we know we have to turn up and stay to our level because this league is unforgiving if we're not."
The club have undergone many changes over the years, most notably a move away from their traditional Ynysangharad Park home.
The University of South Wales Sports Park is now their base and during the summer the club also changed its name from Pontypridd Town to United.
"A lot of hard work has been done throughout the years to try and get the club into the position that it is," Stokes added,#
"Unfortunately to try and get to the level where we're at now in the top-flight we had to move and we had to embrace the move in terms of getting the better facilities that we required to be at this level.
"We felt that the name change was a new way of trying to unite everybody because we are under no illusions that we have left that town area.
"But we want to engage the new ambition of the club going forward."
Pontypridd will make their Cymru Premier debut as the league celebrates its 30th anniversary - Saturday's opponents Flint were among the 20 founder members in 1992.
Newport County duo Joe Woodiwiss and Lewys Twamley have joined the club on six month loans and Stokes says the league is
"This league is getting stronger year by year and the quality of the coaches within it and the players coming into the league," Stokes added.
"It wasn't the case with the league before when older aged players would join at the end of their careers.
"It's all about the young blood coming through and also the links that we have with Newport is fantastic.
"They can see our vision and we'll look after players and don't forget these lads coming on loan are young pros with a point to prove and they want to use the experience to push them on to play at the highest level they possibly can.
"It's a win-win for us."