With action in the Cymru Premier set for a weekend off for the quarter-finals of the Welsh Cup, the title race will resume on 6 March with Connah’s Quay in prime position to prevent a ninth successive title for The New Saints after this weekend’s 1-0 win against the reigning champions at Deeside Stadium, which puts the Nomads four points clear with seven games to go.
At the end of the first phase of the season TNS had established a four-point lead themselves, but two defeats and a draw since have added just one point to their tally, with the Nomads taking full advantage with wins against Barry Town United and Caernarfon Town before Friday night’s 1-0 victory against the Saints.
The teams are due to meet again on 10 April at Park Hall in what appears to be a must-win clash for TNS, who will still need their rivals to slip up elsewhere to have any chance of retaining their crown.
But that’s not to say it’s already a two-horse race for the title, with third-placed Bala Town only three points behind the Saints still having a key role to play in deciding where the winners’ trophy ends up.
If Bala could put an end to the Nomads’ three-game winning streak when the action resumes in March at Maes Tegid, they would be right in the mix as well, having further away fixtures against both the Saints and Nomads later in the campaign.
While Caernarfon Town can still mathematically reach 56 points, their hopes of the title are all but gone although they’ll still have high hopes of making it into the Europa League places. Newtown still have an outside chance of taking the title, but with 59 points the most they can accumulate they too look to have only the Europa League places to play for.
Barry Town United are on 41 points in fourth place but still have eight games remaining, so will also have a major part to play as the season comes to a climax. They have to take on the Saints and Bala home and away, as well as Connah’s Quay at Deeside Stadium, and can themselves reach 65 points.
However at this stage it does appear to be between Bala, the Saints and the Nomads, who hold the destiny of the trophy in their hands…. six wins and they’ll be playing in the Champions League for the first time in their history at the start of the 2020-21 campaign.
The Nomads’ run-in sees them travel to Maes Tegid on 6 March, host Newtown on 13 March and Barry on 21 March. A week later they’re away at Caernarfon, before their crunch encounter with the Saints at Park Hall.
The Nomads finish their campaign with Bala, at home, followed by an away date at Newtown, by which time the title could be theirs if they don’t drop any points in their previous six games.
But if the Saints can take the three points on 10 April that would still not be enough to claim the title even if they win all their remaining matches. They still need the Nomads to draw at least one of their other remaining games to have any hope of retaining the trophy.
In their run-in the Saints resume at home to Barry on 7 March, then travel to Caernarfon and Newtown, before another key encounter at Park Avenue against the Lakesiders on 28 March.
That’s followed by the Nomads at home and then an away trip to Barry before concluding the campaign against Caernarfon at Park Hall.
After beginning their run-in against the Nomads at Maes Tegid, Bala head to Jenner Park to face Barry on 14 March and host Caernarfon a week later. Next up it’s TNS away, followed by Newtown at home and another pivotal away day against the Nomads at Deeside Stadium on 17 April. The Lakesiders’ campaign comes to end at home to Barry Town.
So, on the surface of it, Connah’s Quay’s have the title within their grasp, but between now and 25 April there are likely to be plenty of thrills and spills as the Saints look to push on to a ninth successive title and the Lakesiders endeavour to be the dark horses in the title race.
The first year of the newly-named Cymru Premier is building up to be a real thriller.
