After lifting the Nathaniel MG Cup last Friday night, The New Saints’ attention now turns towards the league and there is a possibility that the championship could be won within a week.
There are six rounds of league games left to play, and the Saints have a 12-point advantage over Pen-y-bont, who have gone on a run of four games without a win since the split.
The Oswestry giants will welcome Haverfordwest County to Park Hall on Saturday before heading to the Oval on Tuesday night where they could potentially secure the title.
Things are much tighter at the bottom of the table with only one point separating Newtown and Briton Ferry Llansawel in the battle to avoid the drop.
Aberystwyth Town are now eight points short of safety, and so the Black & Greens are close to the brink before traveling to face Connah’s Quay on Friday night.
TOP SIX
The New Saints (1st) v Haverfordwest County (3rd) | Saturday – 12:15 (Live online)
Craig Harrison’s crew are closing in on the league title as they need a minimum of nine points from their last six games to secure the trophy for the fourth successive season.
Since losing in Europe against Celje in December, the Saints have won 11 consecutive matches, keeping a clean sheet in their last five outings.
The first trophy of the season was secured by the Saints in the Nathaniel MG Cup final last weekend with a 1-0 victory over Aberystwyth Town, and the galvanized greens will now look to go on and claim their first domestic treble since the 2015/16 season.
If The New Saints were to win the two remaining trophies (league and Welsh Cup), then the team that finishes second would claim an automatic place in Europe, and therefore Haverfordwest County will be keen to close the three-point gap between themselves and Pen-y-bont (2nd).
Haverfordwest County are enjoying a strong spell with the Bluebirds on a run of eight games without defeat in the league (W5, D3).
Haverfordwest County have the best defensive record in the league (conceding 14 goals in 26 games) and with 14 clean sheets to date goalkeeper Zac Jones is leading the race for the Golden Glove.
But the Saints have won their last eight contests against Haverfordwest County and the Bluebirds have not won away from home against The New Saints for 20 years.
League form:
The New Saints: ✅✅✅✅✅
Haverfordwest County: ➖✅➖➖✅
Cardiff Met (5th) v Caernarfon Town (4th) | Saturday – 14:30
Cardiff Met will hope to climb back above Caernarfon Town on Saturday as only three points separate the two clubs.
A lack of consistency has been an issue for Cardiff Met this season as the club have not won two games in a row since September.
Maintaining momentum is the goal for Caernarfon Town who have only lost one of their last 10 league matches away from home (Aber 3-1 Cfon).
The recent head-to-head record between the teams is equally balanced, with the clubs having met six times in 2024 (Met won 2, Cfon won 2, drawn 2).
Louis Lloyd has scored three goals for the Cofis against Cardiff Met this season and will be desperate to add to his total of 11 goals to remain at the top of the league’s top scorers list.
League form:
Cardiff Met: ͏❌✅❌✅❌
Caernarfon Town: ✅✅➖❌✅
Pen-y-bont (2nd) v Bala Town (6th) | Saturday – 14:30
Pen-y-bont and Bala Town have both struggled since the split with Pen-y-bont only taking one point out of a possible 12, and Bala Town losing all four of their second phase fixtures.
Following their loss against Caernarfon Town a fortnight ago, Rhys Griffiths conceded that Pen-y-bont were not title-contenders, and that they were battling for the runner-up position.
This is the first time since December 2023 that Pen-y-bont have gone on a run of four league games without a win, and the Blues will need to turn the corner quickly if they want to claim one of the three European spots.
Bala Town have lost four consecutive league matches for the first time since April 2023, and the fixtures aren’t getting any easier for the Gwynedd gang in the Top Six.
Bala Town have qualified for Europe on nine occasions since the summer of 2013, but the spirit of Colin Caton’s squad will need to be lifted if they are to reach the goal again this year.
Pen-y-bont had the better of things in the first phase of the season, winning 2-1 at Maes Tegid in August before drawing 1-1 at Bryntirion in October.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ͏✅❌➖❌❌
Bala Town: ✅❌❌❌❌
BOTTOM SIX
Connah’s Quay (8th) v Aberystwyth Town (12th) | Friday – 19:45
Aberystwyth Town battled bravely against The New Saints in the Nathaniel MG Cup final last Friday, and despite the defeat Antonio Corbisiero will be hopeful that his players can perform as well in the league to try to escape from the depths.
Aberystwyth Town are in an extremely dangerous position, eight points below the safety of 10th place with only six games left to play.
The Ceredigion club have lost six of their last seven games and have failed to score in their last three matches.
Connah’s Quay will be motivated following their recent results, winning three out of four and closing the gap on Barry Town United to five points in the race for 7th place.
Aberystwyth Town have only lost one of their previous four meetings with Connah’s Quay, and the Black & Greens were victorious in their most recent clash, winning 2-1 at the Essity Stadium in the quarter-finals of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
League form:
Connah’s Quay: ͏ ❌❌✅❌✅
Aberystwyth Town: ͏❌❌✅❌❌
Briton Ferry Llansawel (10th) v Barry Town United (7th) | Friday – 19:45
Briton Ferry Llansawel are in a worrying position, just one point above the relegation places with six games left to play.
A lack of consistency has hampered the Reds’ campaign as they have not won two games in a row throughout the season despite beating clubs such as The New Saints, Pen-y-bont, Cardiff Met and Connah’s Quay.
Barry Town United seemed comfortable in 7th place before their loss against Connah’s Quay two weeks ago, and the Dragons will now be looking over their shoulders with the gap closed to five points.
After scoring in his last two games, Barry Town United forward Ollie Hulbert will be keen to add to his 10 league goals and challenge for the Golden Boot.
It ended goalless in the last meeting between the teams on New Year’s Eve, but Barry Town United won 3-1 in their home fixtures against Briton Ferry Llansawel in October.
League form:
Briton Ferry Llansawel: ✅➖❌✅❌
Barry Town United: ➖✅✅➖❌
Newtown (11th) v Flint Town United (9th) | Friday – 19:45
After a miserable run of 14 games without a win, Newtown were finally celebrating after beating Aberystwyth Town a fortnight ago in their last outing.
It was Callum McKenzie’s first win since being appointed manager of the Robins, and Newtown’s first three points since beating Caernarfon Town in October.
Newtown haven’t won at home since 13 September, when they beat Cardiff Met (2-1), and McKenzie will be eager to bring that barren run to an end this Friday.
Flint Town United have not been firing away from home either as the Silkmen are without an away win since their last visit to Latham Park in October, losing their seven away games since then.
Flint Town United won both their fixtures against Newtown in the first phase of the season, and it was an exciting contest at Latham Park in October with the Silkmen winning 4-2 with six different players on the scoresheet that night.
Three points for Lee Fowler’s side would lift them eight points clear of the bottom two and would be a huge step towards securing their place in the league for another season.
League form:
Newtown: ͏ ❌➖❌➖✅
Flint Town United: ͏❌✅❌✅✅
Highlights of all matches will be available on Sgorio’s online accounts.
