After just under a year at the helm, Newtown have sacked Scott Ruscoe as the 46-year-old man becomes the third manager to lose his job in the JD Cymru Premier this season.
Newtown are in 9th place, and Callum McKenzie will be in temporary charge at the start of a key period for the Robins with their next three games against other teams from the lower half.
There are seven rounds of matches left until the league split, and as it stands there are several big names sitting in the bottom half who are hoping to steal a place in the Top Six for the second phase of the season.
Bala Town, Newtown and Connah’s Quay are three clubs that have consistently competed in the top half over the last decade, and it is surprising to see those teams lurking in the bottom half.
Historically, 31 points is the amount needed to claim a place in the Top Six, and the front runners, Pen-y-bont have already reached that target, while the New Saints and Haverfordwest County are not too far behind.
There’s just five points separating six clubs in the middle of the table, which means that this weekend’s matches between Barry Town United and Connah’s Quay, and Cardiff Met and Bala Town are crucial fixtures in the race to reach the Top Six.
Friday, 8 November
Aberystwyth Town (12th) v Newtown (9th) | Friday – 19:45
The great mid-Wales derby, the ever-present derby, and now the managerless derby… there are several elements that bind these two clubs together.
The season is getting worse and worse for Aberystwyth Town after the Black & Greens slipped to the bottom of the pile following a heavy defeat at Briton Ferry Llansawel last weekend.
Aberystwyth Town have lost 11 of their last 12 league games and are in real danger of dropping out of the JD Cymru Premier for the first time ever.
Newtown are the only other club that have been ever present since the formation of the JD Cymru Premier in 1992, and things are not all rosy there either.
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 doesn’t look as promising this year as the Robins have only won one of their last eight league fixtures and fallen from third to ninth place.
However, Newtown are on a seven-match unbeaten run against Aberystwyth Town (W6, D1), including a 4-1 victory at Latham Park on the opening weekend of this season.
League form:
Aberystwyth Town: ͏❌❌✅❌❌
Newtown: ͏❌✅❌❌➖
Saturday, 9 November
Briton Ferry Llansawel (11th) v Caernarfon Town (6th) | Saturday – 14:30
Briton Ferry’s boys will be full of confidence after handing Aberystwyth Town a 4-0 drubbing last Saturday night, lifting them from the bottom of the table.
It was the Reds’ first home win at Old Road this season, and manager Andy Dyer will be keen to build on that this weekend.
The mood is certainly not so optimistic in the Caernarfon Town camp as the Cofis have failed to win in five games and lost heavily at home against Pen-y-bont last Saturday.
After qualifying for Europe over the summer for the first time in their history, the Canaries will be determined to secure their place in the Top Six once again this season.
Zack Clarke was the hero for the Cofis in the reverse fixture against Briton Ferry Llansawel in September, scoring a hat-trick as Caernarfon won 3-2 at the Oval.
League form:
Briton Ferry Llansawel: ➖❌❌❌✅
Caernarfon Town: ✅❌❌➖❌
Pen-y-bont (1st) v Flint Town United (10th) | Saturday – 14:30
Pen-y-bont continue to set the standard this season, and after hitting five against Caernarfon Town last Saturday, Rhys Griffiths’ team remain four points clear at the top of the table.
Pen-y-bont failed to reach the Top Six last season, but after an excellent start to this campaign they have more or less booked their place this year after losing just once in their last 21 league matches (0-1 vs Briton Ferry Llansawel).
Flint Town United have lost their last three league matches and are one of the three clubs struggling to avoid the drop towards the bottom of the table.
This will be the Silkmen’s first trip to Pen-y-bont since August 2022, when the Bryntirion boys won 2-1 thanks to player-manager Rhys Griffiths’ winning goal, which was his last goal in the league.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ͏✅✅➖➖✅
Flint Town United: ͏✅➖❌❌❌
Barry Town United (5th) v Connah’s Quay (8th) | Saturday – 14:30
This will be a crucial encounter in the race to reach the Top Six, as a win for Connah’s Quay would lift them above their opponents, Barry Town United.
Barry Town United start the weekend in 5th place and are aiming to secure a place in the Top Six for the first time since the 2020/21 season.
After a slow start to the campaign, the results are gradually improving for the Nomads who have only lost one of their last six league games (vs TNS).
It was Barry Town United who were celebrating after the corresponding match at Cae-y-Castell in September with the league’s top scorer, Ollie Hulbert netting twice to win the match for the Dragons (CQ 1-2 BTU).
League form:
Barry Town United: ❌✅✅✅❌
Connah’s Quay: ͏➖➖✅❌✅
Cardiff Met (4th) v Bala Town (7th) | Saturday – 17:15 (Live online)
This is set to be a key battle in the race for the Top Six as well, as Cardiff Met try to break seven points clear of 7th placed Bala Town.
Cardiff Met will be determined to reach the Top Six for the third consecutive season, but after winning just one of their last six league games they will need to raise the standard if they are to make the cut.
Bala Town have secured a place in the Top Six in each of the last 10 seasons, but the Lakesiders have slipped to the bottom half after a run of six league games without a win (D5, L1).
Over half of Bala Town’s league games have ended in draws this season (8/15), but Colin Caton’s crew will need to change those draws into wins if they want to rise to the top half before the split.
Eliot Evans scored the only goal of the game for the Archers in the reverse fixture at Maes Tegid in September, and all the recent meetings between the two clubs have been tight affairs with only 13 goals scored in the last 12 matches between the teams.
League form:
Cardiff Met: ͏❌❌➖✅❌
Bala Town: ❌➖➖➖➖
Sunday, 10 November
The New Saints (2nd) v Haverfordwest County (3rd) | Sunday – 14:30
After five consecutive wins in the league, The New Saints have climbed to 2nd place and the champions are now hot on the heels of front runners Pen-y-bont.
The Saints are the top scorers in the league this year with the Oswestry outfit scoring an average of three goals per game.
Haverfordwest County have gone on a run of eight league games without defeat for the first time since the 12-team format was introduced in 2010.
Haverfordwest County have the best defensive record in the league so far having kept nine clean sheets in 15 games and conceded just six goals.
But the Saints have won their last seven contests against Haverfordwest County and look to open a gap between themselves and the Bluebirds.
A win for either team would lift them above 31 points, which is the usual amount needed to secure a place in the Top Six.
League form:
The New Saints: ✅✅✅✅✅
Haverfordwest County: ✅͏➖✅➖✅
The highlights of the games will be available on Sgorio’s social websites and the best of the weekend’s action on S4C on Monday night.
