The 12 JD Cymru Premier clubs have all met twice, which means that the first phase of the season has come to an end and the league has been split in two.
For the rest of the season the Top Six clubs will compete for the championship and prepare for the European play-offs.
The Bottom Six clubs will fight to stay in the league and aim for 7th place in order to grab the last ticket into the end of season play-offs.
It’s a two-horse race for the championship this year, with The New Saints six points above Connah’s Quay at the summit with 10 league games left to play.
In the Bottom Six, Cardiff Met start the second phase three points clear of the rest in the race for 7th place, while Llanelli Town are far behind at the bottom of the table, 15 points below the safety of 10th place.
But squeezed between those two clubs, there is a tussle between Briton Ferry Llansawel, Haverfordwest County, Bala Town and Flint Town United as only four points separate the four clubs in the battle to avoid the drop.
TOP SIX
Pen-y-bont (3rd) v Caernarfon Town (4th) | Saturday – 14:30
This year, the club that finishes 2nd will step straight into Europe, and therefore in the second phase, Pen-y-bont will aim to close the gap of nine points between themselves and Connah’s Quay.
Caernarfon Town are 13 points behind the Nomads, but the Cofis have a great opportunity to reach Europe via the Welsh Cup, as Richard Davies’ side faces Colwyn Bay in the quarter-finals next Saturday, 31 January.
Pen-y-bont have lost two of their young stars during the January transfer window with Gabriel Kircough joining Forest Green, and 2024/25 Golden Boot winner, James Crole signing for Newport County.
James Crole scored 31 goals in 58 appearances for Pen-y-bont, and Rhys Griffiths has moved quickly to fill the void by signing striker, Ethan Cann from Llanelli.
Ethan Cann was a standout in the second-tier last season but has failed to continue the form into this campaign with only two league goals for Llanelli, but Griffiths will hope that the 23-year-old can raise his standards again with higher quality around him.
But Pen-y-bont have certainly not been at their best recently, winning just one of their last six games (Llanelli 0-1 Pen-y-bont), while Caernarfon Town will be confident after ending Connah’s Quay’s run of eight consecutive wins in their last outing.
The head-to-head record was level in the first phase with Pen-y-bont beating the Cofis 2-1 at Parc Maesdu, before Caernarfon hit back with a 2-0 win at the Dragonbet Stadium in October.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ͏ ❌➖➖✅➖
Caernarfon Town: ͏ ❌➖❌✅➖
The New Saints (1st) v Barry Town United (5th) | Saturday – 14:30
The New Saints have won the championship for four consecutive years, and Craig Harrison’s crew start the second phase six points clear at the top of the table.
The Saints have won five of their last six games, and with the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup to come at the end of February, the Oswestry outfit will look to complete a domestic double for the fifth successive season.
Barry Town United will be the Saints’ opponents in that final on the 28th of February, and with TNS unbeaten in 15 games against the Dragons, Craig Harrison will be determined to continue that run to gain the psychological advantage ahead of the final.
Steve Jenkins’ side have confirmed their place in the Top Six for the first time in five years, and it’s an exciting time for the club with the Nathaniel MG Cup final and the European play-offs on the horizon.
The New Saints (0.9 goals per game) were the only club to concede fewer goals than Barry Town (1.1 goals per game) in the first phase, and no one has kept more clean sheets than the Saints’ goalkeeper, Nathan Shepperd (12), and Barry Town’s, George Ratcliffe (9).
League form:
The New Saints: ✅✅❌✅✅
Barry Town United: ➖✅❌❌✅
Colwyn Bay (6th) v Connah’s Quay (2nd) | Saturday – 17:15 (Live online)
Colwyn Bay have managed to claim a place in the Top Six in their first season after securing promotion, and the Seagulls are guaranteed a place in the European play-offs in April.
On top of that, Colwyn Bay have a huge game against Caernarfon Town in the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup next Saturday.
But after back-to-back defeats, Michael Wilde will be hoping for a positive result this Friday, to raise his squad’s confidence before the all-important battle against Caernarfon Town next weekend.
Connah’s Quay are enjoying a remarkable run, with the club unbeaten in their last 14 league games (W11, D3), which is their longest unbeaten run in the league since September 2022 to January 2023 (15 games unbeaten – W10, D5).
John Disney’s team had won eight league games in a row before their last outing where they had to share the points with Caernarfon (Cfon 2-2 Quay).
The attacking partnership between Harry Franklin and Rhys Hughes has proved fruitful for the Nomads this season with both contributing to over 20 league goals each.
Connah’s Quay have not lost any of their previous five meetings with Colwyn Bay (W4, D1), and Harry Franklin was the star of the show in the last meeting between the teams, scoring twice in a 2-1 win for the Nomads at the Essity Stadium in December.
League form:
Colwyn Bay: ͏✅❌✅❌❌
Connah’s Quay: ✅✅✅✅➖
BOTTOM SIX
Briton Ferry Llansawel (8th) v Llanelli Town (12th) | Friday – 19:45
Llanelli Town are 15 points below the safety of 10th place, and since the formation of the current format in 2010, no team has ever managed to climb out of the relegation zone after starting the second phase of the season at the bottom of the league.
Llanelli Town have only taken one point from their last 12 league matches, and after scoring just 12 goals in 22 games, Terry Boyle has a huge task ahead of him to try and save the Reds.
After beating Haverfordwest County and Barry Town United in their last two games, Briton Ferry are now only three points behind Cardiff Met in the race for 7th place.
Briton Ferry have only lost two of their last eight matches (vs TNS and Connah’s Quay), but Andy Dyer will still be looking over his shoulder as only four points separates his team from the relegation zone.
Llanelli Town only won two league games in the first phase of the season, but one of those victories came away from home at Llansawel, and so Terry Boyle will be desperate for a similar result to give his squad a glimmer of hope at the start of the second phase.
League form:
Briton Ferry Llansawel: ͏➖❌➖✅✅
Llanelli Town: ❌❌❌❌❌
Cardiff Met (7th) v Haverfordwest County (9th) | Friday – 19:45
Cardiff Met and Haverfordwest County are the two clubs that have dropped from the Top Six into the Bottom Six this season, opening the door for Connah’s Quay and Colwyn Bay to take their places.
Cardiff Met had reached the Top Six in each of the last three seasons, but Ryan Jenkins has stated that he isn’t too disappointed, and that the club’s focus is now on trying to secure 7th place.
Cardiff Met have not won in their last five games, while Haverfordwest County have only won one of their last four matches.
Haverfordwest County finished 3rd last season, but the Bluebirds have failed to build on that success, and avoiding the drop will be the first target for Tony Pennock’s team in the second phase.
Haverfordwest County are unbeaten in their last eight league games against Cardiff Met, and eight of the last 10 meetings between the clubs in all competitions have ended in draws after 90 minutes.
League form:
Cardiff Met: ͏✅➖❌➖➖
Haverfordwest County: ✅➖✅➖❌
Bala Town (10th) v Flint Town United (11th) | Friday – 19:45
Ten days after Bala Town’s impressive 4-0 win away from home against Flint Town United, the clubs will meet again at the start of the second phase.
24 hours after making the move from Flint to Bala, forward Cameron Ferguson played a vital part in the victory for Steve Fisher’s team with a strong display, also scoring his first goal in the JD Cymru Premier.
Bala Town have been members of the top-flight for 16 years, and of the current clubs, The New Saints are the only other team that has remained in the league continuously since Bala’s first season in 2009/10.
But after 12 years in the Top Six, the Lakesiders haven’t made the cut this year and the club is in real danger of falling into the second tier after losing 10 of their last 14 games.
Flint Town United have only won one of their last 10 league matches, and they start the second phase in the relegation zone, but a win against Bala Town on Friday would lift them out of the bottom two.
Flint Town United have one point more than they did at this stage last season, but Lee Fowler’s side are one position lower this year and face another tough battle to avoid the drop.
It will be a difficult task for the Silkmen who have not won in their 15 previous contests against Bala Town, since December 2019 (L12, D3).
Llanelli Town (12 goals) were the only club to score fewer goals than Bala Town (19 goals) during the first phase, but 26% of Bala’s goals came in their two games against Flint (5).
League form:
Bala Town: ➖❌❌❌✅
Flint Town United: ➖➖❌✅❌
Highlights of all matches will be available on Sgorio’s online accounts.
