David v Goliath

One of the Chirk AAA officials was telling me before the game that they were 50-1 to beat The New Saints.

The Colliers had a game plan.

They made the visitors work hard and, on this occasion although Goliath won through in the end, he was pushed all the way by David.

As a cup tie it had everything, with the underdogs taking the lead, the favourites missing a penalty and then equalising two minutes later before it was finally decided by the spot kick lottery.

 

Gwion Dafydd

Craig Harrison went for a strong starting XI, but there was still room for a senior debut as Gwion Dafydd was in from the off.

Since signing from Caernarfon Town, the youngster has impressed, trained with the squad and has now made his first senior start for The New Saints.

Gwion was the S4C post-match player interviewee as well.

 

Keston Davies

We had an in-depth chat with Keston recently, when we stayed overnight in Cardiff ahead of a game the next day.

One of the personal targets that he had set himself for this season was to score more goals.

Well, he got off the mark just when we needed it at Holyhead Road.

With Chirk 1-0 up and The New Saints rattling the crossbar from the penalty spot, it was Keston’s header that hauled us back in the game.

A Chris Marriott corner was met at the far post by the ex-Swansea City defender, as he powered home and levelled the score.

 

Connor Roberts

With no extra-time the game went straight to penalties, which isn’t what most teams want, especially The New Saints with our track record in recent seasons.

However, the past counted for nothing, as we won 4-2 courtesy of a 100% conversion statistic, with Adrian Cieslewicz, Adam Wilson, Jon Routledge and Ryan Brobbel all slotting home comfortably.

We have to give a specific mention to Connor Roberts though, because when it comes down to spot kicks, knowing that he’s between the sticks does give you confidence.

It was his save from Adam Williams – from Chirk’s first kick – that put The New Saints in the driving seat from the off.

 

The impressive statistic continues

The last time The New Saints tasted defeat in the JD Welsh Cup was on March 6, 2018.

Although it was hanging in the balance for a while yesterday, in the end the run continues.

Before we think about the third round though, there are some big games (aren’t they all) coming up, including a visit to Maes Tegid on Saturday.

It’s always a tough place to go, and with the Lakesiders enjoying excellent results of late, it promises to be another good game.

 

Lead image courtesy of Brian Jones.