This Saturday, four clubs will compete in the JD Cymru Premier play-off semi-finals as the teams battle for a place in the 2022/23 Scottish Challenge Cup.
The New Saints have already qualified for next season’s Scottish Challenge Cup after winning the league title.
In recent years the prize for winning the play-offs has been a place in the Europa League qualifiers, but since Wales has lost a spot in Europe for the coming season, the reward has had to be altered.
Its looking likely that this year’s format will be a one-off occurrence as Wales are set to reclaim their 4th European ticket for next year.
Flint Town United (5th) v Pen-y-bont (6th) | Saturday – 14:30
A 3-2 defeat at the hands of The New Saints in last weekend’s JD Welsh Cup final meant that Pen-y-bont’s efforts of European football came to a disappointing end.
But Pen-y-bont could yet claim a place in next season’s Scottish Challenge Cup, which would be a silver lining on a campaign which has fizzled out after a promising start.
Flint Town United will be standing in their way, a team that’s won three of their four league meetings with Pen-y-bont this season and drawing the other encounter.
The Silkmen picked up 10 points against Pen-y-bont this season, which was 24% of their total point tally of 42.
Neil Gibson’s gang have had a week to prepare for the semi-final following their 1-1 draw with Newtown, while Pen-y-bont fell to their eighth consecutive defeat in the cup final on Sunday.
Caernarfon Town (4th) v Cardiff Met (7th) | Saturday – 17:15
It’s been three years since Cardiff Met won 3-2 at the Oval in the play-off semi-final, before beating Bala Town in the final to secure their place in Europe for the first and only time in their history.
Since that victory, these two teams have met six times with Caernarfon Town winning five of those fixtures.
Of the four clubs competing this year, Cardiff Met are the only team who have experience of winning the JD Cymru Premier play-offs.
This will be Caernarfon Town’s third appearance in the JD Cymru Premier play-offs with the Cofis losing at home in both previous attempts (vs Cardiff Met and Newtown).
After 13 years at the club, Cardiff Met manager, Dr Christian Edwards has announced that he will leave his role at the end of the season, and the Cofis will want to make sure that Saturday’s match will be his last with the students.
