The New Saints defeat Penybont 4-0 to move six points clear at the top of the JD Cymru Premier table

Match Report

Goals: D. Davies (11), Oteh (53), Brobbel (63), Clark (88)
Yellow cards: McGahey (34), D. Williams (59), Chris Seargeant (84)
Substitutions: Clark for Marshall (68), Clarke for Oteh (76), Phillips for Brobbel (81), Holden for Smith (81)

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

The New Saints moved six points clear at the top of the JD Cymru Premier table following a 4-0 victory over Penybont.

Leading 1-0 at the break thanks to a Danny Davies header, second-half goals from Aramide Oteh, Ryan Brobbel and Ben Clark made it a convincing win at Park Hall for Craig Harrison’s side.

The victory was The Saints’ seventh league win in a row as they took another big step towards securing a recording-extending 17th domestic title come the end of the season. 

The Saints had their first opening with five minutes on the clock, as Aramide Oteh got onto the end of Danny Redmond’s chipped pass into the penalty area.

Visiting goalkeeper, Mike Lewis, was out quickly to deny him though, and the ball was scrambled clear.

However, just six minutes later the deadlock was broken, and it was Danny Davies who made the score 1-0. He headed home from the centre of the penalty area following a pinpoint cross from Adam Wilson, giving his side the perfect start at Park Hall.

It was almost two for Craig Harrison’s side in the 31st minute, and it was goalscorer, Davies, involved again.

His driven cross from the right reached Wilson on the edge of the six-yard box, but the on-loan Bradford City man fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

In the 38th minute, there were chances at both ends of the pitch, as Connor Roberts first denied Chris Venables, before an even better save from Lewis prevented Brobbel from doubling the TNS lead seconds later. 

The league leaders started the second-half strongly though, and just eight minutes after the restart, they were celebrating their second of the afternoon.

Wilson’s cross from the right evaded everyone inside the penalty area before reaching Oteh at the back post, and the former Walsall man turned the ball home from close-range to score his 15th goal of the season.

Harrison’s side would take an even stronger grip on the game in the 63rd minute when a free-kick was awarded on the edge of the ‘D’ following a foul on Wilson.

Ryan Brobbel stepped up to take it and the Northern Ireland U21 international curled a trademark effort past Lewis and into the top corner of the net.

It was almost 4-0 in the 67th minute when Danny Redmond got on the end of Brobbel’s defence-splitting pass. A superb save from the goalkeeper denied the TNS captain though, and the ball went behind for a corner.

The visitors could’ve pulled a goal back with 12 minutes to go, but Connor Roberts kept out Ben Morgan’s defected effort with a strong right-hand to preserve his clean sheet.

Capitalising on a misplaced pass, substitute, Ben Clark did score his side’s fourth goal with two minutes of the 90 to play.

Surging past Morgan on the edge of the box, the Academy graduate sent a powerful strike in off the near post to round off a good afternoon’s work for the league leaders.

With the victory, The Saints increased their lead at the top of the table to six points with a game in hand, and took an important step towards retaining their title.

That game in hand takes place this coming Tuesday (February 11), when the league leaders face Caernarfon Town at The Oval.