It was a weekend of rest for most of the JD Cymru Premier clubs, but things are picking up again with five league games to be played in midweek.
There are five rounds of games to go until the split in the league and there are only six points separating the five clubs between 5th and 9th place.
It will therefore be a crucial battle between Connah’s Quay and Caernarfon on Tuesday night, with only two points separating the two teams in the middle of the table.
Historically, 31 points is the amount needed to claim a place in the Top Six, and Pen-y-bont and The New Saints have already passed that target, whilst Haverfordwest County and Cardiff Met are not too far behind.
After a late defeat against The New Saints in their last game, frontrunners Pen-y-bont will be hoping to avoid another stumble in a tough game against Haverfordwest County.
And at the bottom of the table, Aberystwyth Town will aim to close the gap of four points between themselves and Flint Town United in the battle for survival.
Tuesday, 3 December
Connah’s Quay (7th) v Caernarfon Town (6th) | Tuesday – 19:45
Connah’s Quay and Caernarfon played in Europe over the summer after finishing last season in the top half, but both clubs are far from securing their place in the Top Six this year.
Two points separate the teams in 6th and 7th place, but Caernarfon have a game in hand on the Nomads.
Connah’s Quay’s tails are high having won three of their last four fixtures, including a comfortable 3-0 away win at Newtown on Saturday.
Almost a month has passed since the Cofis last played on the 9th of November in a 1-0 victory at Briton Ferry Llansawel, ending a run of five games without a win.
The teams have already met twice this season, with Connah’s Quay winning at home in the Nathaniel MG Cup, and Caernarfon winning at home in the league.
League form:
Connah’s Quay: ͏✅❌✅❌✅
Caernarfon Town: ❌❌➖❌✅
Briton Ferry Llansawel (11th) v Newtown (9th) | Tuesday – 19:45
After a stunning victory against The New Saints two weeks ago, Briton Ferry Llansawel became the fourth team to beat the champions in the league this season.
But like the other three clubs before them, Briton Ferry Llansawel failed to win their following game, losing 2-1 against Flint Town United three days later (Pen-y-bont – beat TNS then lost vs Briton Ferry Llansawel, Bala Town – beat TNS then drew vs Briton Ferry Llansawel, Caernarfon Town – beat TNS then lost vs Newtown).
Newtown have reached the Top Six in five of the last six seasons, and although they finished 7th in the 2020/21 season, they went on to win the play-offs and progress to Europe at the end of that campaign.
But the situation does not look so promising this year as the Robins are on a run of six games without a win in all competitions and have fallen five points below the Top Six spots.
One goal from Aaron Williams was enough to seal the victory for Newtown in the first ever game between the two clubs in September, and Callum McKenzie will be desperate for a similar result to gain his first points for the club since his appointment as manager.
League form:
Briton Ferry Llansawel: ❌✅❌✅❌
Newtown: ͏❌❌➖❌❌
Pen-y-bont (1st) v Haverfordwest County (3rd) | Tuesday – 19:45
The two strongest defences in the league will meet at the SDM Glass Stadium on Tuesday as Pen-y-bont try to hold on to their place at the top of the table.
These two clubs finished in the bottom half last season, but the teams have raised the standard this year and look extremely comfortable in the top half.
It was a heavy blow to Rhys Griffiths’ hopes of stealing the championship from the clutches of the Saints when Danny Redmond scored after 89 minutes to seal a dramatic three-points for the Oswestry outfit in their last game (TNS 3-2 Pen).
It was Pen-y-bont’s first defeat away from home in the league since December 2023, which was their last visit to Park Hall (TNS 3-0 Pen).
Haverfordwest County have the best defensive record in the league (conceding 8 goals in 17 games), but only the bottom two have scored fewer than the Bluebirds (20).
Only 28 goals have been scored in Haverfordwest’s 17 league games this season (an average of 1.6 goals per game) which shows how tight the Bluebirds’ matches have been this year.
Tony Pennock’s side are aiming to secure a place in the Top Six for the first time since the league was cut to 12 teams, as the Bluebirds have not finished higher than 7th since the 2004/05 season when they managed to reach 4th place.
31 points is the usual amount needed to reach the Top Six, and a point for Haverfordwest County on Tuesday would be enough to reach that target.
But Haverfordwest have not scored in their last four meetings with Pen-y-bont, with the Bryntirion boys winning 1-0 on three occasions, and the last league game between the teams ending goalless.
And since their promotion back to the JD Cymru Premier in 2020, Haverfordwest County have lost all five of their away league matches at Pen-y-bont.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ͏➖➖✅✅❌
Haverfordwest County: ✅➖✅❌➖
Wednesday, 4 December
Bala Town (8th) v The New Saints (2nd) | Wednesday – 19:45
Bala Town have secured a place in the Top Six in each of the last 10 seasons, but the Lakesiders are in danger of missing the mark this year after a run of eight league games without a win since their surprise victory against The New Saints in September.
Bala Town’s last six league games have ended in a draw, while The New Saints are the only team that has not had a single draw this season.
In September, Bala Town scored two goals after 92 and 97 minutes to secure their first ever away win against The New Saints (TNS 2-3 Bala).
But the Saints got their revenge in mid-November, winning 3-1 at home in the quarter-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
It is a very busy period for the champions who are preparing for their third match within a week after playing in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night (TNS 0-1 Djurgarden) and in the semi-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup on Sunday night (Barry 1-2 TNS).
The New Saints won 7-0 at Maes Tegid in April 2019, but since then the champions have only won five out of their 10 away games against Bala Town (drawn 4, lost 1).
League form:
Bala Town: ➖➖➖➖➖
The New Saints: ✅✅✅❌✅
Flint Town United (10th) v Aberystwyth Town (12th) | Wednesday – 19:45
It will be a key game in the battle to avoid the drop between Aberystwyth Town, who are at the bottom of the table, and Flint Town United who are currently four points above them in the safety of 10th place.
Last weekend, Flint Town United managed to defeat Briton Ferry Llansawel, securing their first victory in the league since the beginning of October, and their first three points at the Essity Stadium since September.
Aberystwyth Town will have had a big confidence boost after beating Cardiff City on Saturday to claim their place in the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup for the first time in their history.
Elliott Reeves was the hero for Flint in the reverse fixture at Park Avenue in September, scoring twice to secure the Silkmen’s first win since their promotion back to the top-flight (Aber 0-2 FTU).
League form:
Flint Town United: ͏❌❌❌❌✅
Aberystwyth Town: ͏✅❌❌✅❌
The highlights of the games will be available on Sgorio’s social websites.
