After many clubs enjoyed a weekend off, the JD Cymru Premier returns in midweek with matches across Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are the key games to watch.
JD Cymru Premier – Penybont v Haverfordwest County (Tuesday, 7:45pm)
JD Cymru Premier leaders Penybont will hope to return to winning ways when they host third-placed Haverfordwest County on Tuesday night.
Bont led 2-0 away at The New Saints in their last outing, but a second half collapse saw them lose 3-2 – meaning TNS are now just a point behind Rhys Griffiths’ side with a game in hand.
Haverfordwest have lost just one of their last 10 league games – also against TNS – and have the best defensive record in the JD Cymru Premier this term, conceding only eight goals in 17 matches and keeping 10 clean sheets. They drew 0-0 against Bala Town last time out.
Penybont have the second-best defence in the league and have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches against Haverfordwest, so it was perhaps no surprise that the reverse league fixture between the two sides finished goalless in August.
The two sides then met again in the Nathaniel MG Cup third round a month later, with Owen Pritchard scoring the decisive goal in a 1-0 home win for Bont.
JD Cymru Premier – Bala Town v The New Saints (Wednesday, 7:45pm)
Should Penybont drop points on Tuesday night, The New Saints could move top of the JD Cymru Premier table when they travel to Bala Town 24 hours later.
In the 10 days since their crucial league win over Bont, TNS have lost to Djurgarden in the UEFA Conference League before squeezing through to the Nathaniel MG Cup final with a 2-1 win away at Barry Town United.
Two stoppage time goals saw Bala earning a stunning 3-2 victory at Park Hall at the end of September – as they became the first team to win away at TNS since March 2022 – but they have not won in the JD Cymru Premier since then, drawing their last six matches in a row.
It is a run that has seen Colin Caton’s side slip to eighth in the table, two points adrift of a sixth-place Caernarfon Town, and they risk not finishing in the top half for the first time since 2013/24.
While Bala won the reverse league meeting against TNS, Craig Harrison’s side earned revenge with a 3-1 victory in the Nathaniel MG Cup quarter-finals last month.
JD Cymru Premier – Flint Town United v Aberystwyth Town (Wednesday, 7:45pm)
Key points are up for grabs in the relegation battle as 10th-place Flint Town United host bottom-of-the-table Aberystwyth Town on Wednesday.
Flint climbed out of the relegation zone with a vital 2-1 home win over Briton Ferry Llansawel in their last outing and another victory could see them move six points clear of danger if Ferry lose to Newtown on Tuesday.
Aberystwyth may still be on a high from booking their place in the Nathaniel MG Cup final on Saturday, as they triumphed over Cardiff City on penalties. They will hope it can give their league form a boost as they have won just one of their last four games and conceded 12 goals in that period.
Elliott Reeves scored twice to earn Flint a 2-0 victory over Aber in the reverse league fixture at Park Avenue in September.
