It promises to be a significant weekend in the Cymru Premier, with big games to be played at both ends of the table.
The top two will meet at Park Hall as champions The New Saints look to tame the Dragons and bring Barry Town United’s perfect start to an end.
The rest of the teams in the Top Six will all play at home and will be hoping to close the gap on the top two (Connah’s Quay, Cardiff Met, Caernarfon Town and Llandudno).
At the other end, Holywell Town will take on Trefelin, with both clubs aiming for their first victories of the season.
Friday, 4 September
Caernarfon Town (5th) v Flint Town United (14th) | Friday – 19:45
Caernarfon Town are one of four teams level on 12 points after six games (along with Cardiff Met, Llandudno and Pen-y-bont), but Richard Davies will be more than happy with that, considering the Cofis have already faced several of the big clubs, including Connah’s Quay, Pen-y-bont, The New Saints and Colwyn Bay.
Flint Town United have endured a difficult start to the season, picking up just one point from a possible 18 so far, but all six of their games have been close, with the Silkmen yet to lose by more than a single goal this season.
This will be the first meeting between the teams since the Welsh Cup final in April, when Caernarfon Town comfortably won 3-0 at Rodney Parade to lift the trophy for the first time in their history.
Looking at the head-to-head record, the psychological advantage certainly lies with Caernarfon, as they have not lost in their last six games against the Silkmen (winning 5, drawing 1).
League form:
Caernarfon Town: ͏❌͏✅✅✅❌
Flint Town United: ͏❌❌❌➖❌
Connah’s Quay (3rd) v Haverfordwest County (12th) | Friday – 19:45
With five wins on the bounce, the Nomads are going from strength to strength and threatening to challenge at the top of the table.
Callum West has been a standout performer for Connah’s Quay this season (4 goals, 5 assists), and he scored both goals in Monday’s derby victory over Flint Town United, including a superb goal from the halfway line.
There was huge relief for Haverfordwest County on Bank Holiday Monday as the Bluebirds finally scored their first goals of the season and secured their first points with a 2-1 home victory over Trefelin.
However, no team has scored fewer goals than Haverfordwest County this season (2 – 0.33 goals per game), while no team has scored more than Connah’s Quay (17 – 2.83 goals per game).
Connah’s Quay also scored six goals in their two games against Haverfordwest County last season – winning 3-1 at the Bridge Meadow in September, before an entertaining draw at Cae-y-Castell in October (CQ 3-3 Hav).
League form:
Connah’s Quay: ͏✅✅✅✅✅
Haverfordwest County: ͏❌❌❌❌✅
Llandudno (6th) v Ammanford (13th) | Friday – 19:45
Despite the 2-0 away defeat to Colwyn Bay in the Conwy derby, Llandudno remain in the Top Six after winning four of their six games since promotion.
Llandudno are on an incredible run of 23 consecutive home victories at Maesdu Park, and Jordan Hadaway will expect that record to continue on Friday.
Ammanford have not adapted quite as well as Llandudno since gaining promotion over the summer, with Wyn Thomas’ side still waiting for their first victory in the top flight.
Ammanford have received three red cards in their last two games, and they will need better discipline if they are to secure a result on Friday in the first-ever meeting between these two clubs.
League form:
Llandudno: ͏✅✅❌✅❌
Ammanford: ͏➖❌❌➖❌
Briton Ferry Llansawel (11th) v Airbus UK (9th) | Friday – 19:45
Briton Ferry Llansawel have slipped into the Bottom Six after losing three of their last four games, while receiving a red card in each of their last two matches.
Airbus UK gave Holywell Town a thrashing on Monday to make it three wins in six games for the newcomers (Airbus 6-2 Holywell).
This marks the beginning of a crucial period for Llansawel, as they face three teams below them in the table during September (Haverfordwest, Trefelin and Holywell).
But it promises to be a challenging month for Airbus, as they take on three of the league’s strongest clubs (The New Saints, Connah’s Quay and Pen-y-bont).
This will be the first meeting between the clubs since November 2023, when Briton Ferry won 2-1 at the Airfield in the third round of the Welsh Cup, with Luke Bowen scoring twice for the Reds after Jordan Evans had opened the scoring.
League form:
Briton Ferry Llansawel: ͏➖❌͏✅❌❌
Airbus UK: ͏❌✅❌❌✅
Cardiff Met (4th) v Cambrian United (10th) | Friday – 19:45
Cardiff Met are enjoying a strong start to the season after beating 10-man Ammanford on Monday to make it four wins from six games (Ammanford 0-5 Met).
Cambrian United have also made a decent start to the season, picking up a valuable point at home against Pen-y-bont on Monday (Cambrian 2-2 Pen-y-bont).
However, Liam Eason was sent off in that game against Pen-y-bont, meaning Cambrian will have to adapt their game in the absence of their leading goalscorer.
The teams met last season in the third round of the Nathaniel MG Cup, with Cambrian celebrating on that occasion after beating the Archers on penalties following a 1-1 draw at the M&P Group Stadium.
League form:
Cardiff Met: ͏✅❌❌✅✅
Cambrian United: ͏❌➖✅✅❌➖
Holywell Town (16th) v Trefelin (15th) | Friday – 19:45
One of the biggest games of the weekend will take place at Halkyn Road when the bottom two teams in the table meet for the first time ever.
Holywell Town are the only team still without a point after six games, with John Haseldin’s side losing every game since their promotion over the summer.
It is no surprise that Holywell Town have the weakest defence in the league (conceding 4.3 goals per game), but the north-east side have scored in every game so far, while Trefelin have only scored twice.
After winning the Cymru South championship last season, Trefelin’s results have been disappointing this year, and Andy Hill will be desperate to claim his first victory on Friday.
League form:
Holywell Town: ͏❌❌❌❌❌
Trefelin: ͏❌❌❌➖❌
Pen-y-bont (7th) v Colwyn Bay (8th) | Saturday – 12:30
Inconsistency has caused problems for Pen-y-bont this season, and although the team remain unbeaten, Rhys Griffiths will be frustrated that his side have failed to beat Flint Town United or Cambrian United in their last two games.
The New Saints (3) and Connah’s Quay (4) are the only teams to have conceded fewer goals than Pen-y-bont (5), but scoring is the main issue for the Blues, with seven teams having scored more than them this season (1.7 goals per game).
Colwyn Bay have yet to win away from home this season, but the Seagulls have a perfect home record after beating Llandudno 2-0 on Bank Holiday Monday.
Colwyn Bay have not lost in 90 minutes in their last four meetings with Pen-y-bont, but the Bont came out on top in the most recent encounter, beating Michael Wilde’s side on penalties in the play-off semi-final.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ͏ ✅✅✅➖➖
Colwyn Bay: ͏➖❌✅❌✅
The New Saints (2nd) v Barry Town United (1st) | Saturday – 17:15 (Live online)
The final game of the weekend, and potentially the most important, will be played at Park Hall as the two title contenders meet at Oswestry.
Barry Town United have a perfect record after six games, while The New Saints have won five in a row following their goalless draw at Pen-y-bont on the opening weekend.
There were questions about how Barry Town would cope after losing the services of Ieuan Owen, Ollie Hulbert, Robbie Willmott and Ben Margetson over the summer – but it appears that Steve Jenkins has filled the void effectively with his new signings.
Owen Brain (6 goals) and Elliott Dugan (5 goals) are among the league’s leading scorers, and no team has scored more than Barry Town in their opening six games (17).
But this will be the Dragons’ toughest test yet, as up to now they have not come up against any of the clubs that finished in the Top Six last season.
The New Saints have the best defensive record in the league after keeping four consecutive clean sheets at the start of the season, while Barry Town have kept just one clean sheet in six games.
The Saints have only lost one of their previous 18 meetings with Barry Town United, but that defeat came in last season’s Nathaniel MG Cup final, when Ieuan Owen scored twice to secure a historic victory for the Dragons (Barry 2-0 TNS).
League form:
The New Saints: ͏͏✅✅✅✅✅
Barry Town United: ͏✅✅✅✅✅
