JD CYMRU PREMIER REVIEW
RYAN Astles bagged the third goal for The New Saints to keep them five points clear at the top of the JD Cymru Premier table, but the giant defender was more impressed by his side keeping another clean sheet.
Unbeaten in their opening seven games, the 3-0 win at Aberystwyth was set up by two first-half goals from Scottish striker Declan McManus.
“That’s what we are here for as defenders, to keep clean sheets,” said Astles. “We like to score the odd goal, but clean sheets are important.
“We know we are going to score, so if we can keep a clean sheet it means we are going to win the game. We’ve got two massive games coming up so we can go into them full of confidence.”
Those two massive matches begin at Deeside Stadium on Saturday in the grudge match against reigning champions Connah’s Quay Nomads.
Already 10 points clear of their arch rivals, a win over the Nomads would push them further out of the running for a hat-trick of titles before they face the even tougher test of tackling unbeaten Bala Town at home three days later.
Former Wales international David Edwards was the hero for Bala at Flint Town United as his 92ndminute goal earned the visitors a 2-1 victory that moved them into second place. Edwards’s seventh goal of the season completed a second-half revival for Bala.
Michael Wilde had given Flint the perfect start when he headed home the opening goal on the half-hour mark and it could have been 2-0 before the break had his shot not hit a post.
Flint picked up four yellow cards in the second half as the pressure mounted before Chris Venables headed home a cross from Lassana Mendes to level matters in the 74th minute. There were four minutes of added time and Edwards made the most of them.
Ben Fawcett ruined Craig Harrison’s first game in charge as boss of Connah’s Quay as he bagged a goal two minutes from time to earn Haverfordwest County a 1-1 draw against the reigning champions. That made it three games without a win for the back-to-back title winners and saw them drop to seventh in the table.
At the end of a week that saw former manager Andy Morrison leave the club, Harrison stepped into the hot seat and saw his side take the lead with a 34th-minute penalty from Callum Morris. Then Fawcett popped up to equalise late on.
Newtown burst Barry Town United’s bubble as they went to Jenner Park and came away with a 3-0 win. Aaron Williams scored a first-half penalty, then added another two after the break to ensure his side headed home with the points.
Nathan Wood sent Penybont into the break 1-0 ahead in their home clash with Caernarfon Town, although it could have been more had Kane Owen not missed an earlier penalty. Cai Jones levelled things up for the visitors in the 68th minute and it ended 1-1.
Cardiff Met found themselves having to come from behind against bottom side Cefn Druids but ended up winning 4-2 at Cyncoed. Ben Wynne gave the Ancients a seventh-minute lead before Emlyn Lewis and Adam Roscrow hit back in quick succession for the students.
An action-packed first half saw Wynne make it 2-2 before Lewis Rees put the home side ahead again. The fourth goal for Cardiff Met was an own goal in added time.