Bala Town were crowned Nathaniel MG Cup winners for the first time in their history following their penalty shootout victory over Connah’s Quay on Saturday.
Both the Lakesiders and the Nomads will be back in league action on Tuesday night as the first phase of the JD Cymru Premier season comes to a close.
Tuesday, 31 January
Haverfordwest County (8th) v Connah’s Quay (2nd) | Tuesday – 19:45
Connah’s Quay will be looking to bounce straight back after the disappointment of failing to retain the Nathaniel MG Cup for the third consecutive time.
The Nomads had gone on a remarkable run of 21 games without defeat before Saturday, which was also their first defeat in the Nathaniel MG Cup since 2018.
Neil Gibson’s gang are currently 13 points behind league leaders, The New Saints, but it’s the 2nd position that is crucial for the Nomads as that will secure their place in Europe, and a win on Tuesday would lift the Deeside outfit six points clear of Pen-y-bont (3rd) ahead of the second phase.
Haverfordwest County have won only once in their last six outings and will need to turn the corner quickly if they are to compete for 7th spot rather than slide into a relegation scrap.
Connah’s Quay are unbeaten in their last 10 meetings with Haverfordwest County (won eight, drawn two), and despite losing on penalties on Saturday the match had ended goalless which means that keeper Andy Firth has now kept six successive clean sheets.
League form:
Haverfordwest County: ❌➖❌ ✅❌
Connah’s Quay: ➖➖➖✅➖
The New Saints (1st) v Bala Town (5th) | Tuesday – 19:45
Bala Town were bouncing on Saturday after they carved their names on the Nathaniel MG Cup for the first time in their history, and winning the match despite being a man down for half the game following Lassana Mendes’ dismissal in the first half.
It was Mendes’ second red card in two games as the creative midfielder was also sent off against Pontypridd United in the Welsh Cup earlier this month, and the Lakesiders will therefore need to improve their disciplinary record if they are to compete for an European spot.
Since their 0-3 defeat to Dundee in the Scottish Challenge Cup in September, The New Saints have gone 18 games without a loss in all competitions (won 16, drawn two), which includes their comfortable 0-5 win away at Bala Town in October.
The New Saints played out a goalless draw at Pen-y-bont in November, but since then the champions have run riot, scoring a sensational 46 goals in eight games (5.75 goals per game).
The Oswestry outfit only need another six goals to reach their total tally from the end of last season (86), and Craig Harrison’s crew would need to score 22 goals in their remaining 11 games to break their own record for goals scored in a single campaign (101 goals in 2016/17).
The New Saints are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with Bala Town (won seven, drawn four) but Colin Caton’s crew will be full of confidence on the back of their cup success.
League form:
The New Saints: ✅✅✅✅✅
Bala Town: ➖✅❌✅✅
Highlights of all games will be available on Sgorio’s online accounts.
