Connah’s Quay manager Andy Morrison is anticipating a tough test against at Aberystwyth Town as the JD Welsh Premier League title race continues tonight.
The Nomads kick-off the weekend’s action at Park Avenue while The New Saints entertain Newtown at the same time, looking to pounce on any slip-up from the leaders (both 7.45).
Morrison’s men returned to the top of the table on New Year’s Day, moving a point ahead of Barry Town and two points ahead of The New Saints.
“We must carry on from the New Year’s Day performance against Bala and maintain those same high standards if we are to get the result we need against a very dangerous Aberystwyth team,” said the Connah’s Quay boss.
“Having watched Aber play ever so well against Newtown, I am under no illusions as to just how difficult of a game this is going to be.
“Again, we will have to wait until the final minutes to name the team as we have so many players playing with knocks and strains and with Aber getting 48 hours more rest than us, we will have to dig extremely deep to get the result we need to stay top of the league.”
The attacking trio of Michael Bakare, Michael Wilde and Andy Owens are likely to once again prove key against an Aberystwyth team desperate to get their top-six hopes back on track.
Aberystwyth’s form stalled over the festive period, with an untimely run of four straight defeats leaving the Seasiders in seventh-place and a point behind Caernarfon Town, with two games before the split.
Three consecutive wins has seen defending champions The New Saints resemble something closer to their best ahead of the visit of Newtown, who have already wrapped up their place in the top-six.
Aeron Edwards scored a brace in the Saints latest win but the midfielder remains focused on sustaining the pressure at the top of the table.
“They always give us a tough game, but we’ve got to be at it like we have in the last few games. Hopefully we can put a few past them and keep pushing on,” he said.
In Saturday’s games, Caernarfon Town can take a big step towards securing a top-six finish in their first season back in the top-flight against visiting Carmarthen Town.
Barry Town are looking to bounce back from defeat and keep their title bid on track at Cefn Druids, Cardiff Met host Bala Town and the league’s bottom-two teams Llanelli and a new-look Llandudno – boosted by a number of mid-season signings – go head to head at Stebonheath.
WEEKEND FIXTURES
Friday: Aberystwyth v Connah’s Quay, The New Saints v Newtown. Saturday: Caernarfon v Carmarthen, Cefn Druids v Barry Town, Cardiff Met v Bala Town, Llanelli v Llandudno.
| 1 | Connah’s Quay Nomads | 20 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 51 | 19 | 32 | 42 |
| 2 | Barry Town United FC | 20 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 33 | 28 | 5 | 41 |
| 3 | The New Saints | 20 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 54 | 12 | 42 | 40 |
| 4 | Newtown | 20 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 24 | 13 | 35 |
| 5 | Bala Town | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 42 | 32 | 10 | 34 |
| 6 | Caernarfon Town | 20 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 2 | 28 |
| 7 | Aberystwyth Town | 20 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 35 | -11 | 27 |
| 8 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 20 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 29 | 31 | -2 | 24 |
| 9 | Carmarthen Town AFC | 20 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 26 | 37 | -11 | 21 |
| 10 | Cefn Druids | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 34 | -11 | 20 |
| 11 | Llanelli Town AFC | 20 | 3 | 3 | 14 | 19 | 64 | -45 | 12 |
| 12 | Llandudno FC | 20 | 2 | 5 | 13 | 16 | 40 | -24 | 11 |