The New Saints have secured the championship and are aiming to become the first team to go the whole season without losing a league game since Barry Town United did so in 1997/98.
In the race for the runner-up spot, Connah’s Quay need a minimum of seven points from their remaining five fixtures to secure the second ticket to Europe, but a third placed finish is likely to be enough to qualify as well, as has happened in the last nine seasons.
The club that finishes highest in the Bottom Six (7th place) will compete with the remaining Top Six clubs in the end of season play-offs for the final route to Europe, while the bottom two teams will be relegated into the second tier.
TOP SIX
Caernarfon Town (4th) v Connah’s Quay (2nd) | Friday – 19:45
Connah’s Quay go into the weekend nine points above Bala Town (3rd) and a win at the Oval would be a major step towards securing an automatic place in Europe.
Despite losing their last two games the Nomads are certain to finish in the top three, but Neil Gibson will be determined not to lose three league games in a row for the first time since October 2015.
There are eight points separating Caernarfon Town and Bala Town in the race to reach the top three, but the Canaries will feel confident ahead of the play-offs since the teams around them have struggled recently.
Caernarfon Town won the play-offs in 2021/22, which happened to be the only season where the play-off winners did not qualify for Europe, but instead entered the Scottish Challenge Cup, and the Canaries are still desperate for their first taste of European football.
It ended 1-1 in the latest meeting between the teams at Cae-y-Castell last month, but Caernarfon Town have not won in 15 games against Connah’s Quay, since April 2019 (drawn four, lost 11).
League form:
Caernarfon Town: ➖✅❌➖➖
Connah’s Quay: ❌❌✅✅➖
Cardiff Met (6th) v Bala Town (3rd) | Saturday – 14:30
Cardiff Met have slipped to the bottom of the Top Six after going on a run of nine league games without a win for the first time in three years.
The Archers have not won a league game since beating Bala Town at Maes Tegid on 16 December, taking only four points from a possible 27 since then (one of those vs Bala).
Cardiff Met have not lost in their previous five meetings with Bala Town, conceding only two goals in the process (won two, drawn three), and the Lakesiders have not won at Cyncoed Campus since December 2017.
But Colin Caton’s crew are eyeing a place in Europe, and with Bala beginning the weekend eight points ahead of Caernarfon Town in the race for third place, the Lakesiders have a real chance to return to Europe after a one-year absence.
Since losing 1-0 at home against Cardiff Met in December, Bala have only lost one in nine in all competitions (vs TNS), winning their last seven matches away from home.
League form:
Cardiff Met: ͏❌❌❌➖➖
Bala Town: ➖✅✅❌➖✅
Newtown (5th) v The New Saints (1st) | Saturday – 14:30
The New Saints have completed the double, and so the Oswestry outfit are halfway towards their target of achieving the ‘quadruple’ for the first time in their history.
The New Saints finished 27 points above Connah’s Quay (2nd) in the 2016/17 season when they broke the world record by winning 27 consecutive games (not including penalty victories), and Craig Harrison will be keen to beat their own record again this year with 23 points separating them from the runners-up and five games left to play.
Newtown were the team that ended the Saints’ run of 27 wins in January 2017 with a 3-3 draw at Latham Park, and the Robins will be keen to burst the champions’ bubble once again this year.
TNS have won 25 successive games in all competitions (32 if you include the penalty shoot-out win against East Fife), and it has been over a year since the champions last lost a league fixture (one defeat in 65 league games – 3-2 vs Met).
The relief was evident on Scott Ruscoe’s face after Newtown beat Cardiff Met 2-0 last Saturday, ending their run of eight consecutive defeats.
But the Saints have won their previous seven games versus Newtown with Declan McManus scoring nine goals against the Robins during that spell.
League form:
Newtown: ✅❌❌❌❌
The New Saints: ✅✅✅✅✅
BOTTOM SIX
Haverfordwest County (7th) v Aberystwyth Town (11th) | Friday – 19:45
Halfway through the second phase of the season and Haverfordwest County remain at the top of the Bottom Six despite failing to win any of their five games since the split.
One-point separates Haverfordwest County and Pen-y-bont in the race to finish 7th and reach the play-offs, but the Bluebirds will need to raise the standard if they want to compete for a place in Europe for the second season on the bounce.
There was embarrassment for Aberystwyth Town last weekend as their game at Pontypridd was postponed due to the Black & Greens’ lack of a qualified physiotherapist on the bench.
Aberystwyth Town therefore remain in the bottom two, level on points with Pontypridd United (10th) in the battle to avoid relegation.
Aberystwyth Town are one of the two clubs that have been ever-present in the Welsh Premier League since its formation in 1992 (along with Newtown), and after narrowly avoiding relegation on the final weekend of last season, the Seasiders are playing with fire yet again this year.
Aberystwyth Town won the last game between the teams (Aber 1-0 Hav), but the Ceredigion clan have only won once on their last eight visits to Bridge Meadow.
League form:
Haverfordwest County: ͏❌➖➖➖❌
Aberystwyth Town: ͏➖➖❌✅❌
Pen-y-bont (8th) v Colwyn Bay (12th) | Saturday – 14:30
With five games left to play, Pen-y-bont are only a point behind Haverfordwest County in the race for 7th place, while Colwyn Bay are only one point below the safety of 10th position.
Pen-y-bont will be confident of being able to climb above Haverfordwest County into 7th place after an important away win against the Bluebirds last Friday.
Pen-y-bont finished 3rd last year and reached Europe for the first time in their history, but things have certainly not gone so well this season with the club winning just one of their last nine home games.
After ascending to the JD Cymru Premier for the first time in their history, Colwyn Bay are in danger of slipping straight back to the JD Cymru North at the first time of asking.
Nobody has lost more, won less, or conceded more goals than Colwyn Bay this season, but after losing just one of their last four league games the Seagulls are hoping to pull off a miracle and finish the season firmly.
Colwyn Bay have only won five of their 27 league games to date, and two of those came against Pen-y-bont during the first phase of the season, but Rhys Griffiths’ team got their revenge last month by winning 2-1 away at Llanelian Road.
League form:
Pen-y-bont: ✅❌➖➖✅
Colwyn Bay: ➖➖❌✅❌
Pontypridd United (10th) v Barry Town United (9th) | Saturday – 14:30
Despite the nine-point penalty Pontypridd United are determined to avoid the drop this year, and The New Saints are the only club with a better record than Ponty since the split, and the champions (14) are also the only ones to keep more clean sheets than the Rhondda side (11).
Pontypridd United remain level on points with Aberystwyth Town (11th) after the crucial fixture between the two clubs was postponed last weekend.
Although Barry Town United have not won since the split the Dragons will begin to dream of reaching the play-offs as they are only four points behind Haverfordwest County (7th) following four consecutive draws.
Barry Town United have only lost one of their last eight games, and that defeat came at home against Pontypridd in Jonathan Jones’ first game as the new Barry boss (Barr 0-3 Pont).
These clubs have met three times this season with Ponty winning twice and Barry winning once.
League form:
Pontypridd United: ✅✅➖✅✅
Barry Town United: ➖➖➖➖❌
The highlights of the games will be available on Sgorio’s social websites, and the best of the weekend’s action can be seen on S4C on Monday evening.
