The race to reach the Top Six is heating up as we head into the last eight rounds of matches in the first phase of the JD Cymru Premier season.
The league will be split into two after 22 games, where the Top Six teams will secure their place in the league for next season and claim a spot in the European play-offs, while the Bottom Six will all be battling to avoid relegation.
And this Friday the six teams who are currently situated in the top half will look to take a step closer to securing a Top Six spot as they face the six teams in the bottom half of the table.
Friday, 2 December
Airbus UK (12th) v Connah’s Quay (2nd) | Friday – 19:45
Airbus are the only team who are yet to win a league game this season, and the Wingmakers go into the weekend 17 points below safety.
Connah’s Quay will be full of confidence following their 2-0 win against Taffs Well last Saturday to book a place in the Nathaniel MG Cup final for the third time on the bounce.
Neil Gibson’s gang are on a run of 13 games without a loss in all competitions (won 12, drawn one) and the Nomads will be determined to keep the pressure on The New Saints who remain seven points clear.
New Year’s Day 2016 was the last time Airbus got the better of the Nomads (Air 3-2 CQ), and Connah’s Quay have won 11 consecutive games against their Broughton based neighbours since then.
League form:
Airbus UK: ❌❌❌❌❌
Connah’s Quay: ➖✅✅✅✅
Caernarfon Town (5th) v Newtown (9th) | Friday – 19:45
In their last outing Caernarfon Town became the first team since February to get a result at Connah’s Quay (CQ 3-3 Cfon), but Huw Griffiths will feel aggrieved that the Cofis didn’t leave the Deeside Stadium with all three points since Caernarfon were 3-0 up with 22 minutes left on the clock.
After a shaky start to the season Newtown have swiftly opened a four-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone, and the Robins will now set their sights on closing the four-point gap between themselves and the Top Six.
Since their goalless draw against The New Saints on the opening weekend, Newtown have gone 15 games without a clean sheet in all competitions, but Chris Hughes will take comfort from the fact that his team have won seven on the trot against the Canaries.
League form:
Caernarfon Town: ➖❌✅❌✅
Newtown: ✅✅❌❌✅
Haverfordwest County (8th) v Pen-y-bont (3rd) | Friday – 19:45
After five consecutive defeats Haverfordwest County have finally turned the corner with back-to-back victories against Flint Town United and Airbus UK to climb up to 8th position.
In the top half, Pen-y-bont have kept three successive clean sheets to stay within six points of 2nd placed Connah’s Quay in the race for European qualification.
Pen-y-bont are unbeaten in nine meetings with Haverfordwest County (won seven, drawn two), and Rhys Griffiths’ troop have scored 13 goals in five games against the Bluebirds with 12 different players finding the net – Griffiths himself being the only player to score twice for Bont in that period.
League form:
Haverfordwest County: ✅✅❌❌❌
Pen-y-bont: ➖✅➖❌✅
Pontypridd United (11th) v Cardiff Met (6th) | Friday – 19:45 (S4C online)
Pontypridd United have dropped into the relegation zone after losing four of their last five league games with the only victory coming against bottom of the league side, Airbus UK.
Cardiff Met clinched an impressive three points against Bala Town in their last league encounter, but the Lakesiders got their payback on Saturday, beating the Archers 2-0 to secure a place in the Nathaniel MG Cup final.
Only twice in Cardiff Met’s 14 league games this season have both teams scored in the match (Cfon 5-1 Met, Met 2-1 Aber) as the students have kept six clean sheets and failed to score in the other six fixtures.
It ended 3-0 in the reverse fixture with Sam Jones netting twice for the Archers, but since scoring six goals in August and claiming the ‘Player of the Month’ award, the Cardiff Met striker has failed to bag in 10 league appearances.
League form:
Pontypridd United: ❌❌✅❌❌
Cardiff Met: ✅❌❌✅❌
Bala Town (4th) v Flint Town United (10th) | Friday – 19:45
It was almost a perfect November for Bala Town who beat Aberystwyth in the league, knocked Flint out of the Welsh Cup and saw off Cardiff Met to reach the Nathaniel MG Cup final, all without conceding a goal.
But sandwiched between those victories was a 1-0 league defeat to Cardiff Met which has left Bala Town seven points adrift of 2nd placed Connah’s Quay in the race for European football.
After securing the maximum six points from their opening two games of the season, Flint Town United have struggled of late, winning just two of their last 12 league matches, with both victories coming against Airbus UK.
This will be the third meeting between these two clubs this term, and Bala Town are unbeaten in nine matches against the Silkmen (won eight, drawn one).
League form:
Bala Town: ❌✅➖✅❌
Flint Town United: ❌❌❌✅❌
The New Saints (1st) v Aberystwyth Town (7th) | Friday – 19:45
Despite their goalless draw with Pen-y-bont a fortnight ago, The New Saints remain seven points clear at the top of the table, and the champions have now gone 20 league games without defeat (won 17, drawn three).
Since the start of last season (2021/22), TNS have lost just twice in 46 league games, and one of those defeats came against Aberystwyth Town in November 2021 (Aber 1-0 TNS).
But the Oswestry outfit remain unbeaten in the league this season, and astonishingly, haven’t lost at home to Aberystwyth Town in 29 years (November 1993)!
Aberystwyth Town haven’t won away from home in the league since beating Airbus on the opening weekend (Air 1-2 Aber), losing all five league games on the road since then.
League form:
The New Saints: ➖✅✅✅✅
Aberystwyth Town: ✅❌✅ ❌✅
All goals can be viewed on Sgorio’s online accounts, and the weekend’s highlights will be on Sgorio on Monday night at 9:30 on S4C.
