Goals from Daniels and Clark send The New Saints nine points clear at Latham Park

Match Report

Goals: Daniels (61), Clark (90+2)
Yellow cards: Hudson (3), Craig Harrison (6), J. Williams (45+3), Daniels (70)
Substitutions: D. Davies for Cieslewicz (75), Baker for Holden (85)

Match report by Sam Wood
Lead image: John Smith/FAW

The New Saints moved nine points clear at the top of the JD Cymru Premier following a 2-0 win against Newtown.

Goals from Josh Daniels and Ben Clark gave their side victory at Latham Park on an afternoon in which The Saints were certainly made to work hard for their win.

With their victory on the road, Craig Harrison’s side also became the first team to qualify for the JD Cymru Premier’s Championship Conference in the 2023/24 season.

The first chance of the game arrived in the second minute, but Newtown goalkeeper, Andy Wycherley, pulled off a good save to deny Ben Clark.

Despite the promising start, the opening half proved to be a quiet affair, with both sides struggling to create chances in front of goal.

With 30 minutes on the clock, Rob Evans had an opportunity for the home side, but his effort from 25 yards went wide of Connor Roberts’ right-hand post.

Eight minutes later, Jason Oswell had another opportunity for the Robins down the left-hand side, but his curling effort was well wide of the target.

Craig Harrison’s side had a chance of their own four minutes before the break, but Rory Holden’s free-kick from the right was straight into the hands of Wycherley.

It took a while for things to get going again following the restart, but TNS went agonisingly close to the opening goal in the 57th minute, when Ryan Brobbel’s edge-of-the-box strike went behind off the crossbar.

Two minutes later, Brobbel was involved again, but on that occasion, his free-kick deflected behind for a corner.

In the 61st minute, however, the league leaders got their rewards for the sustained pressure, as Josh Daniels scored the go-ahead goal.

The chance appeared to have gone when his initial strike was blocked, but the former Shrewsbury Town man followed up with a great strike into the bottom corner.

After a spell of dominance, the game settled back into the same pattern as the first-half, with limited chances falling the way of either side.

Nine minutes from time, Robins’ captain, Shane Sutton, had a chance to equalise, but his powerful, first-time strike inside the TNS box went straight into the hands of Roberts.

But the points were sealed for the visitors in the second minute of stoppage time, when Ben Clark collected the ball in space 25 yards from goal and bent a superb effort into the back of the net.

The 2-0 victory, combined with Connah’s Quay Nomads’ 3-1 defeat against Cardiff Metropolitan University, means that Craig Harrison’s side move nine points clear at the top of the JD Cymru Premier table.

It’s a succession of cup fixtures up next for The New Saints, the first of which sees Trethomas Bluebirds visit Park Hall in the third round of the JD Welsh Cup next Saturday (November 11).