[NCM Media].

WPL Weekend Scoreboard: Morrison Remains Upbeat Despite The New Saints Defeat

The New Saints might have wrestled back top-spot in the JD Welsh Premier League but even if the 3-0 scoreline might suggest otherwise, Connah’s Quay are not done yet.

Aeron Edwards scored twice and Blaine Hudson was also on target as The New Saints restored their place at the summit.

The result gives Scott Ruscoe’s side a one-point advantage at the top of the table, but Nomads manager Andy Morrison warned the title race isn’t over: ”We’re eleven games in, we’re a point behind them and it’s a lot closer than what it’s ever been.”

Edwards’ spectacular opener – a venomous 25-yard strike which capped of a driving run and an exchange of passes with Greg Draper – arrived in the 26th minute somewhat against the run of the play with Connah’s Quay starting positively.

Edwards added his second in the second-half when he raced onto Chris Marriot’s splitting pass from and lifted the ball over Jon Danby to finish.

Eight minutes later the game was put beyond doubt when Blaine Hudson headed home from a Saints corner.

Touted as the game of the season to date, it was a frustrating night for Connah’s Quay, who saw their winning seven-game run snapped.

The Nomads started brightly and pushed The New Saints hard throughout the duration but were unable to make their mark.

Callum Morris saw chances go begging and Ryan Wignall, Andy Owens and Rob Hughes were also unable to capitalise on opportunities.

With the game still at 1-0, Danny Holmes had the perfect opportunity in front of the gaping goal when Paul Harrison failed to hold onto a free-kick but the Saints were quickest to react, desperately scrambling the ball clear from inside their six-yard box.

It was immediately after that chance, Chris Marriott released Aeron Edwards to score The New Saints’ second goal.

“We had an unbelievable chance at 1-0 to get back into the game and 15 seconds later, it’s 2-0,” reflected Andy Morrison.

“I’ve been here many times, I’ve come away with 0-0 draws and TNS have been on another planet to my teams and my group players, and I’ve not come away kidding myself thinking at 0-0 was close to them.

“The reality tonight is, we aren’t a million miles away from them now and if we can keep asking a question of them and if we can keep pushing towards January and keep it tight, we can bring in better quality, add to the group and add to the quality of what we’ve already got.

“I’ll never try and sugar-coat a 3-0 defeat but the fact is that we’ve caused them more problems than they’ve ever been caused here and on another day it could have been so different,” he added.

“Eleven games into the season, we’re one point behind TNS. It’s not about being a point behind them or being five points behind them – it’s about where are you a club, where are you as a group of players? How close are you? Are we they there yet? No, we’re not. Are we closing the gap? Yes, we definitely are.”

Three late goals secured Barry Town a 5-2 win over 9-men Llanelli [Barry Town United FC]
It’s as you were for the rest of the top-six with third-placed Barry Town, fourth-placed Bala Town and fifth-placed Newtown all recording wins.

Cardiff Met, sixth, could managed a draw at Cefn Druids but remain in the top-half after Caernarfon Town were defeated at home by Newtown.

Fit-again Adam Roscrow scored his first goal of the season for the Met, who were forced to take a share of the spoils when Naim Arsan fired in a spectacular equaliser for the Ancients early in the second-half.

Caernarfon, looking for their first win in four in the WPL, collapsed in the second-half as Luke Boundford, Nick Rushton and Neil Mitchell all fired the Robins to victory.

Barry Town led twice against Llanelli before the dismissal of Joe Clarke left the Reds facing an uphill struggle. The Jenner Park side rallied late on with three goals in the final 11 minutes as bottom-placed Llanelli finished with 9-men.

Llandudno’s poor run continued after Declan Walker converted an 80th minute penalty to put Aberystwyth within two points of the top-six.

Llandudno sit above the bottom-two teams on goal difference as Carmarthen Town continue to occupy 11th-place following their 2-1 home defeat to Bala Town.

Keiran Smith netted the winner for the Lakesiders after Carmarthen’s Declan Carroll replied to cancel out Steve Tames’ opener.

WPL WEEKEND SCOREBOARD
Friday: Barry Town 5-2 Llanelli, Caernarfon 0-3 Newtown. Saturday: Carmarthen 1-2 Bala Town, Cefn Druids 1-1 Cardiff Met, Llandudno 0-1 Aberystwyth, The New Saints 3-0 Connah’s Quay.

Barry Town United 5 Robbie Patten 4′ Jonathan Hood 43′ Chris Hugh 78′ Clayton Green 89′ Kayne McLaggon 90’+3
Llanelli Town 2 Joe Clark 6′ Lenny Evans 50′

Barry Town United
1. Mike Lewis, 21. Macauley Southam-Hales, 3. Chris Hugh (2. Paul Morgan 90′), 4. Luke Cooper, 5. Curtis Watkins, 8. Troy Greening, 6. Robbie Patten, 10. Jordan Cotterill (29. Clayton Green 85′), 39. Thomas Fry, 9. Momodou Touray, 16. Jonathan Hood (7. Kayne McLaggon 72′) Subs not used: 17. Marcus Jones, 11. Drew Fahiya, 14. Evan Press, 25. Joseph Baker (gk)

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Hugh 38′

Llanelli Town
25. Oliver Davies, 7. Chris Jones, 15. Chris Thomas, 17. Carlos Indja, 24. Anthony Nelson, 23. Joe Clark, 28. Jordan Jones, 8. Jordan Davies (18. Resat Islam Khaton 85′), 21. Lenny Evans, 10. Jordan Follows (22. Tristan Jenkins 81′), 11. James Loveridge Subs not used: 1. Kai Rees (gk) (Only three subs available)

Red Cards: Clarke 58′ Thomas 82′
Yellow Cards: None

Attendance: 548 Referee: Bryn Markham Jones

Caernarfon Town 0
Newtown AFC 3 Luke Boundford 47′ Nick Rushton 61′ Neil Mitchell 71’

Caernarfon Town
1. Alex Ramsey, 2. Joe Williams, 17. Ryan Williams (16. Kevin Roberts 77′), 5. Gareth Edwards, 8. Jamie Crowther, 23. Ross Stephens, 7. Gareth Evans, 10. Darren Thomas, 15. Ben Maher, 19. Sion Bradley (4. Clive Williams 68′), 11. Danny Brookwell (9. Jamie Breese 27′) Subs not used: 18. Dion Owen, 22. Nick Bould (gk)

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: None

Newtown AFC
1. Dave Jones, 6. Jay Denny, 5. Kieran Mills-Evans, 4. Ben Bailey, 3. Callum Roberts, 23. Alex Fletcher, 7. Neil Mitchell, 11. Joe Kenton, 10. Steve Leslie (20. Tom Goodwin 83′), 8. Nick Rushton, 9. Luke Boundford (14. Ethan Jones 83′) Subs not used: 17. Sam Phillips, 24. Jake Cook, 13. Jack Perry (gk), 25. Will Evans

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: None

Attendance: 1011 Referee: Cheryl Foster

Carmarthen Town 1 Declan Carroll 40′
Bala Town 2 Steve Tames 17′ Kieran Smith 74′

Carmarthen Town
1. Lee Idzi, 12. Jordan Vickers, 4. Dave Vincent, 15. Lewis Baldwin (6. Lee Surman 77′), 11. Tyrrell Webbe, 3. Jordan Knott, 16. Mael Davies, 7. Declan Carroll, 18. Liam Thomas, 9. Luke Bowen, 17. Sean Hanbury (5. Craig Hanford 75′) Subs not used: 19. Jay Woodford, 20. Danny Thomas, 21. Neil Smothers

Red Cards: Bowen 67′
Yellow Cards: Bowen 60′ & 67′ Baldwin 67′ Vincent 71′ Vickers 83′

Bala Town
1. Ashley Morris, 2. Andrew Burns, 3. Sean Smith, 5. Stuart J Jones, 4. Stuart Jones, 17. Danny Gosset, 25. Chris Venables, 8. Nathan Burke, 10. Ian Sheridan (9. Mike Hayes 80′), 7. Steven Tames, 77. Henry Jones (11. Kieran Smith 47′) Subs not used: 6. Anthony Miley, 16. Ryan Valentine, 23. Vaughn Charles (gk)

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: S.Jones 67′ Venables 71′ Tames 76′

Attendance: 247 Referee: Dean John

Cefn Druids 1 Naim Arsan 48′
Cardiff Met University 1 Adam Roscrow 29′

Cefn Druids
1. Michael Jones, 3. Naim Arsan, 6. Nathan Peate, 7. Matty Owen, 8. Alec Mudimu, 9. Dean Rittenberg, 11. James Davies, 14. Ryan Kershaw (21. Ilan Ap Gareth 69′), 15. Aaron Simpson, 16. Iwan Cartwright, 22. Arkadiusz Piskorski (10. Jordan Evans 59′) Subs not used: 5. Moussa Samassa, 19. Fisnik Hajdari, 33. Virgil Moutaud

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Owen 78′ Peate 81′

Cardiff Met University
25. Alex Lang, 2. Dylan Rees, 14. Joel Edwards, 22. Liam Black, 5. Emlyn Lewis, 3. Kyle McCarthy, 7. Eliot Evans, 8. Chris Baker, 9. Adam Roscrow, 24. Sam Snaith (15. Rhys Thomas 80′), 11. Will Evans (21. Harry Owen 75′) Subs not used: 23. Tim Parker, 18. Rhydian Morgan, 20. Matt Neale, 16. Guto Williams, 30. Max Manson (gk)

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Rees 64′ Black 90’+2

Attendance: 262 Referee: Rob Jenkins

Llandudno FC 0
Aberystwyth Town 1 Declan Walker 80′(p)

Llandudno FC
1. Shaun Pearson, 18. Mark Connolly, 4. Mike Pearson, 6. Kai Edwards, 8. Danny Hughes, 19. Zyaac Edwards, 5. Leo Smith (21. Toby Jones 66′), 14. Alun Webb (15. Alfons Fosu-Mensah 80′), 9. John Owen, 10. George Harry, 11. Steve Thomas Subs not used: 2. Ieuan Hewitt, 20. Osian Jones, 17. Telor Williams, 7. Matthew Williams

Red Cards: Z.Edwards 79′
Yellow Cards: Z.Edwards 48′ & 79′

Aberystwyth Town
1. Terry McCormick, 2. Wes Baynes, 3. Stefan Edwards, 4. Alan Goodall, 5. Ryan Wollacott, 8. Paolo Mendes, 9. Porya Ahmadi (27. Joe Phillips 68′), 10. Declan Walker, 14. Ryan Edwards (7. Geoff Kellaway 85′), 17. Matthew Jones, 24. Ashley Ruane Subs not used: 12. Leigh Jenkins (gk), 6. Jack Rimmer, 15. Lee Jenkins, 18. Nashawn Blake, 22. Niall Coleridge

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Ahmadi 8′ Baynes 51′

Attendance: 226 Referee: Gavin Townsend

The New Saints FC 3 Aeron Edwards 26′ 58′ Blaine Hudson 66′
Connah’s Quay Nomads 0

The New Saints FC
1. Paul Harrison, 2. Simon Spender, 3. Chris Marriott, 4. Tom Holland, 5. Benjamin Cabango, 6. Jon Routledge, 8. Ryan Brobbel (21. Kurtis Byrne 90′), 9. Greg Draper (17. Dean Ebbe 66′), 12. Blaine Hudson, 14. Jamie Mullan, 23. Aeron Edwards (10. Daniel Redmond 68′) Subs not used: 18. Josh Hmami, 19. Ben Clark, 20. Joash Nembhard, 22. Kane Lewis

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: None

Connah’s Quay Nomads
1. John Danby, 2. John Disney, 3. Laurence Wilson, 6. Danny Harrison, 7. Ryan Wignall (14. Jack Kenny 79′), 8. Callum Morris, 10. Andrew Owens, 12. Declan Poole (22. Michael Bakare 46′), 15. Danny Holmes, 16. James Owen, 21. Rob Hughes (11. Nathan Woolfe 72′) Subs not used: 9. Michael Wilde, 28. Jon Rushton, 23. Joe Sullivan, 25. Dominic Elsey-Mchugh

Red Cards: None
Yellow Cards: Hughes 55′ Morris 64′ Wignall 79′

Attendance: 225 Referee: David Morgan

1 The New Saints 11 8 1 2 35 7 28 25
2 Connah’s Quay Nomads 11 8 0 3 26 11 15 24
3 Barry Town United FC 11 7 1 3 17 15 2 22
4 Bala Town 11 6 2 3 20 17 3 20
5 Newtown 11 6 1 4 18 13 5 19
6 Cardiff Metropolitan University 11 5 1 5 16 13 3 16
7 Caernarfon Town 11 4 3 4 9 12 -3 15
8 Aberystwyth Town 11 4 2 5 12 19 -7 14
9 Cefn Druids 11 3 2 6 14 15 -1 11
10 Llandudno FC 11 2 2 7 7 18 -11 8
11 Carmarthen Town AFC 11 2 2 7 10 23 -13 8
12 Llanelli Town AFC 11 2 1 8 11 32 -21 7

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