Back-to-back wins for The New Saints

The 5-0 victory against Flint Town United, combined with the 3-0 win on Saturday just gone at home to Cardiff Met FC, means that it’s not only the first back-to-back JD Cymru Premier wins for the reigning champions since September 7/14, but it’s also back on track as far as the bigger picture is concerned.

Of course, the focus is always about what we do, however, the two wins combined with results elsewhere means that the table is looking much more palatable than it was even a week ago.

With every team above us failing to collect maximum points, we have climbed from sixth to third. In addition, if The New Saints win their three games in hand, we will be in pole position.

 

Two clean sheets on the bounce 

Another important statistic is the fact that we haven’t conceded either in the last couple of outings. We have to go back to the start of the season when we last kept the opposition at bay in consecutive games.

From August 22 through to September 17, we kept six consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

With a playing career that saw him compete at the highest level in English football as a defender, not conceding will always be something that Craig Harrison will be especially keen to achieve in every game.

 

Five goals and four names on the scoresheet 

At the other end of the pitch, the five scored will also be a big positive for Craig Harrison and Chris Seargeant. While competing in three domestic competitions, there’s also the UEFA Conference League campaign that the club is still involved in.

With goals from Aramide Oteh (2), Adrian Cieslewicz, Dan Williams and Jordan Williams, the management team will be pleased with not only with the eight in two games but also that they have been spread throughout the team. Danny Davies and Oteh got their names on the scoresheet in the previous win against Cardiff Met.

 

Jake Canavan MOTM 

In the last two games both Man Of The Match (MOTM) awards have gone to midfielders, indicative of the great work that is being put in by the ‘engine room’ players.

Dan Williams’ performance against Cardiff Met FC last Saturday saw him receive the MOTM accolade – and a bottle of Henstone Distillery dry gin to go with it – and yesterday it was the turn of Jake Canavan.

In his post-match interview with club media, Craig Harrison mentioned Canavan especially, and rightly so, as his performance was exceptional.

Since joining from Burnley, he has impressed both with The New Saints and when out on loan. Only just out of his teens, the Liverpool-born midfielder has become an integral part of a highly competitive squad at Park Hall.

 

Third game of the season against the Silkmen

Having already played Flint Town United in the JD Cymru Premier and the Nathaniel MG Cup, yesterday’s encounter was the third time that we have gone head-to-head since the start of August.

With 5-0, 4-1 and 5-1 results all going the way of The New Saints, the Silkmen’s manager, Lee Fowler, commented in his Sgorio post-match interview that, “I’m glad we don’t have to play them again.”

No doubt a serious statement, but also one that was delivered with a tinge of humour in typical Fowls style.

It was great to see both Fowler and Steve Evans back at Park Hall.

Although the former’s spell as a player in 2014 was brief, Evans’ time as both player and coach spanned many years, ensuring that he is up there in the ‘legend’ bracket.

As for the manager’s comment, well, we are both still in the JD Welsh Cup…

 

Lead image: Brian Jones.