Who else but that man, Greg Draper
In a game that, on paper at least, was going to be extremely close, we got off to the perfect start as Greg found the back of the net in the opening minutes to break the deadlock.
A typical Draper goal, in the right place at the right time, after having already secured the JD Welsh Premier League (JD WPL) Golden Boot for the second season on the bounce, the popular striker made it 37 goals in all competitions during 2018/19.
Ryan Brobbel, set and match
If Greg’s opener was game, then Brobz made it set and match as he found the net with two superb free-kicks. These goals were the icing on the cake, not just for the day but for the season, as the Northern Ireland U21 international wrapped up a tremendous year in a TNS FC shirt.
We all know how strong the squad is, there’s no need to elaborate on that, of course, so to win the accolade of both the fans and your fellow professionals (Supporters’ and Players’ Player Of The Season awards) as Brobz has done, says it all.
The JD WPL Player Of The Season for 2017/18 was Jamie Mullan. Surely, we have another serious contender this time round as well?
Blaine Hudson, MOTM
With so many quality individual performances on the Cefn Druids pitch, it was always going to be a difficult choice for the Man Of The Match award. However, with another brilliant game at the heart of the defence, it was Blaine Hudson who rose to the top of the pile on this occasion.
With 20 clean sheets from 32 league games alone, this one on the final day of the season went a long way to ensuring that the side ended 2018/19 on a high.
In football the spotlight is often on the players that score the goals, but let’s not forget that it’s a team game, as we focus not just on Blaine but the rest of the defence as well for their superb contribution to the campaign.
The JD Welsh Cup returns to Park Hall
After an absence of two years, the historic and impressive trophy will now be residing once again at the home of the champions of Wales. The last time that we won the competition was in 2016, beating Airbus UK Broughton 2-0 at Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground.
The mountain has been climbed, as we end the season with the twin peaks of success
During the valley experience last autumn, when the team had exited the Nathaniel MG Cup to Cambrian & Clydach BGC and was in third place in the JD WPL behind Connah’s Quay Nomads and Barry Town United, many had written off the dominance of The New Saints in the domestic game.
However, just as you can’t keep a good man down you most certainly can’t suppress 23 of them, as the squad not only turned the corner but did so in style.
The climb to the top has seen the team unbeaten in all competitions since November 23, 2o18, with the run witnessing 19 wins and 3 draws in 22 games.
The JD Welsh Premier League and the JD Welsh Cup. The twin peaks of success, indeed.
Lead image courtesy of Brian Jones, as our goalkeeper and captain, Paul Harrison, proudly displays the JD Welsh Cup.
