Dai Sport

The New Saints look set to persist with their legal challenge to the Football Association of Wales despite their original appeal being rejected by the High Court. Saints - who were challenging the FAW's use of an unweighted points-per-game format to determine the Cymru Premier season – have confirmed they are now considering an appeal, which would add to the steep costs they have already committed to their cause, but underlines the determination of chairman Mike Harris. The club missed out on the league title to rivals Connah’s Quay by virtue of that decision after the season had been curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Former Cardiff City players Gareth Ainsworth and Joe Jacobson are at Wembley Stadium this evening, where both will be dreaming of promotion to the SkyBet Championship. Wycombe Wanderers manager Ainsworth, nicknamed ‘Wildthing’ since his days with Wimbledon, will lead the ‘Chairboys’ out before the League One play-off final against Oxford United, while experienced Cardiff-born Jacobson looks certain to be in the starting line-up. Ainsworth, the longest serving manager in the top four divisions of English football having been appointed in 2012, had ambitions to become a rock star when he was growing up - and almost went in that direction.

The TV contract for the Guinness Pro14 looks likely to change hands again next year after current right holders Premier Sports cancelled their existing deal with production company Sunset+Vine. With the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic hitting organisations on and off the field, subscription service Premier Sports has opted to take its production of the tournament in-house. That suggests they will struggle to hold onto the TV rights when their three-year deal ends with a number of other broadcasters including Sky Sports, S4C, ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC considering their options for when the sport returns and the bidding begins.

Dafydd James has revealed he was offered a contract to play for Pontypridd in the Welsh Premiership two years ago at the age of 43. The former Wales and Lions star had just played in a testimonial game for Ponty stalwart Dafydd Lockyer and had been named man-of-the-match, playing for a Lockyer Select XV against the Sardis Road current first team XV. James – who also figures in the World Rugby Classic from Bermuda to be shown on S4C on Monday night – was forced to retire from full-time professional rugby in 2009 because of a neck injury.

Steve Cooper insists “heart and soul” will decide the Championship play-off race involving his Swansea City side and rivals Cardiff. The Swans head coach was left defeated but not demoralised by his club’s 1-0 home defeat to Leeds United on Sunday – a contest settled by former Swan Pablo Hernandez’s last-gasp winner. Cooper admitted it was a missed opportunity – his team would have gone above Cardiff and into sixth place had they held on for the draw – but thinks the outcome will not be settled by ability alone or the fact they only have a few days’ rest before facing Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

This should have been the month Melissa Courtney-Bryant was competing at her first Olympic Games in Tokyo. Instead, she has had to test her resilience and ingenuity as she looks ahead to the re-scheduled Games in 12 months’ time as she told Jenny Nesbitt. The past four months have been challenging for us all, but what has it been like for elite athletes? For Melissa Courtney-Bryant, everything was seemingly going to plan. As January rolled into February, the Welsh middle distance runner returned from a stint at high altitude training in the running mecca of Iten, Kenya.

When Jesse Patton of Ystalyfera RFC became the latest Welsh rugby player to be banned for steroid use it helped give Wales an unwanted victory over England. There have now been more positive drugs cases in Wales (registered players – 83,000) in the last seven years, than in England (registered players 382,000) as Paul Jones reports. Welsh rugby was back in the dock last week after bans on three more players found guilty of drug taking were announced by UK Anti-Doping. It took the number of players currently serving UKAD bans in Wales to eight. That compares to 13 in England, one in Scotland, eight in Rugby League and six in UK Athletics.

Conor Gallagher wants to show Frank Lampard he’s ready to be Chelsea’s next cab off the rank by steering Swansea City towards the Premier League. The 20-year-old – on loan at the Liberty Stadium from Stamford Bridge - has been in impressive form lately as the Swans have moved to the cusp of the play-off spots. A point or more at home to Leeds United today would be enough to nudge the club into sixth place, above Cardiff City, and will be another opportunity for Gallagher to show Chelsea manager Lampard that he is ready for the Premier League – either for his parent club or for another 12 months in Wales.

The latest stage of the Football Association of Wales’ pyramid restructure was met with mixed reaction after the new third tier was officially unveiled. A statement released by the FAW confirmed the alignment of the still yet-to-be-named league that will serve as a feeder league to the Cymru North and Cymru South and will sit above the new Tier 4 regional leagues. A total of 64 teams were selected from a hopeful pool of 75 clubs, who satisfied Tier 3 requirements. Among those to miss out completely are former Welsh League champions Aberdare Town, who must now compete in Tier 4, despite earning a certificate.

Cardiff Devils have confirmed a fifth player signing for the 2020-21 Elite League ice hockey season. Defenceman Sam Jardine, a former Toronto Marlies player, returns for his second season as a Devil after putting up six goals and 14 assists for 20 points in 63 games last season. He led the Devils and finished second in the entire Elite League in plus/minus with a +24 rating.