Cardiff Met stunned The New Saints after a clinical performance saw them run out 4-1 winners in the biggest shock of the JD Welsh Premier League season so far.

The Saints arrived in the capital coming off a five-game unbeaten run in which they had failed to concede a single goal, and were searching for a win which would’ve taken back top of the table.

Cardiff Met, who had never previously beaten The New Saints in a WPL meeting, threw the form book out of the window however as they claimed a stunning victory.

It could have been all so different however if Ryan Brobbel’s attempt had been a few inches closer to the target as The New Saints almost took the led inside the opening 20 seconds.

Brobbel fired through a crowded area but saw his attempt rebound off the post, much to the relief of Met goalkeeper Max Manson on his league debut.

With the early warning, Cardiff Met asserted themselves on the game, namely through their young attacking duo of Sam Snaith, 18, and Rhys Thomas, 19, intensely closing down the Saints back line.

And when Eliot Evans picked out Thomas, who turned the ball in from inside six yards, the Met were rewarded for their perseverance.

With The New Saints unable to settle into their usual ruthless possession-based game, Cardiff Met’s lead was doubled on 37 minutes as tenacious Sam Snaith bravely collided with goalkeeper Paul Harrison to send Eliot Evans’ rebounded effort over the line.

On the stroke of half-time, Brobbel was again denied by the woodwork as his scooped shot clipped the Cardiff Met crossbar leaving The New Saints to rue their limited attempts on goal.

The introduction Greg Draper saw The New Saints begin the second period with intent but that early pressure was eased when Snaith – a player competing in the third tier last season – capped off a wonderfully constructed Cardiff Met counter attack.

Met launched forward in numbers outnumbering the Saints five to two after Eliot Evans released the ball out to the left flank. Evans then made a lung-bursting run into the Saints box to receive the return pass, applying a deft touch to allow Snaith to apply a neat finish.

Three goals to the good, The New Saints were stunned and Chris Baker marked his 50th WPL appearance for Cardiff Met by firing home their fourth with a driven shot which was deflected on its way in.

Greg Draper, resigned to substitute appearances all season despite being the league’s leading scorer, continued his own personal battle to stake a claim for a starting place with a late consolation goal on a thoroughly miserable day for The New Saints.

Cardiff Met’s Christian Edwards said his team were fully deserving of the three points: “It’s nothing that our performance deserved from over last four or five games.

“Our squad with key individuals missing can beat any team in this league. Each player played their role and responsibility to the maximum today.

“It’s just another three points and we look forward to Connah’s Quay next week.”

MY VERDICT
This isn’t just a shock for Cardiff Met but a major upset for the entire Welsh Premier League and the ramifications are such, that this result could throw the WPL title race wide open for the first time in years.

As good as Cardiff Met were, The New Saints were abysmal and the management team of Scott Ruscoe and Steve Evans will be all to aware of that. Every team, at all levels of football, will have bad days at the office, where from start to finish, they are second best and well-beaten, and even with all their success and dominance in Welsh football, The New Saints are no exception. They lost 5-1 to Bangor City last season in a similarly poor performance but they quickly recovered and ultimately cruised to win the WPL title.

Saints are only two points off Connah’s Quay and with just a quarter of the season gone, there is still have time and plenty of opportunities to comfortably establish themselves at the top of the table. On the evidence of this performance, Ruscoe cannot continue to ignore Greg Draper and keep him on the bench in favour of Dean Ebbe, who was one of a number of lacklustre players. Draper’s goal record alone suggests he has to now get a run in the team and Scott Ruscoe now has to get his team firing and showing the same desire  which made them champions in the first place.

The next few games have the makings of a real banana skin for The New Saints however, if they don’t immediately pick themselves up. Carmarthen away will be another visit to south Wales in which they will have to work hard to assert themselves. Llandudno are unpredictable and have looked dangerous at times against some of the better sides in the league and current league leaders Connah’s Quay have already beaten the Saints once this season – that game at Park Hall on 20th October could be huge. There’s potential for The New Saints to drop further points and they’ll be under pressure to prevent that the gap at the top of the table increasing.

The top of the Welsh Premier League suddenly got interesting for the first time in as long as I can remember.