Newport County and Wrexham to contest Conference play-off final

English football has been dominated by Welsh teams this season (sort of), with Swansea lifting the League Cup, Cardiff City the Championship and Wrexham the FA Trophy.

And now another side from Wales will win silverware at the home of English football, with Wrexham and Newport County both making the Blue Square Bet Premier (Conference) play-off final as they battle for a place in League Two next year.

Congratulations 2 Wrexham and Newport County on reaching Wembley for Blue Square Play-Off Final. What a season for Welsh club football!

— CCFCSupportersTrust (@CCST1927) April 28, 2013

Wrexham beat Kidderminster 3-1 away thanks to strikes from Brett Ormerod, Joe Clarke and a Neil Ashton penalty to triumph 5-2 on aggregate, while a first-half Christian Jolley goal Newport beat Grimsby 1-0, to win 2-0 over two legs.

So at 3pm next Sunday, the two sides will meet at Wembley Stadium to determine which will move up to the Football League.

It will also mean that the first three trophies of the season will all have been taken back to Wales.

And next year we’ll have two Welsh sides in the Premier League and Swansea City plying their trade in the Europa League.

Swansea City 5-0 Bradford City

Congratulations to the Swans, who are the first Welsh side to win a major trophy in the English system since 1927.

Five nil against a side ranked three tiers below them might not seem like a particularly noteworthy result, but don’t forget the calibre of teams, including three in the Premier League, which Bradford have sent packing on the way to the final.

Swansea have now won their last two visits to Wembley, going one better than bitter rivals Cardiff City managed last year.

They’ll be in Europe next season, which will be fun. It’s great to see both Brian Laudrup picking up where Brendan Rodgers left off at the Liberty Stadium, and Swansea avoiding an outbreak of “second season syndrome”, which often hits promoted teams 12 months into their time in a higher tier than they are used to.

I remember some Cardiff fans predicting Swansea would, after their success in the Championship play-off final in 2011, be in the top flight for four seasons – summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Those jokes ring hollow now Swansea are League Cup champions and firmly established in the Premier League – although Cardiff’s 2-1 win at Wolves today only extends the Bluebirds’ lead at the top of the Championship, and heightening the prospect of a couple of spicy Welsh derbies next season.