‘We hold ourselves accountable’: TNS determined to win Nathaniel MG Cup after shock JD Welsh Cup exit

After The New Saints were knocked out of the JD Welsh Cup a fortnight ago, the club are more determined than ever to win this season’s Nathaniel MG Cup.

Having claimed the domestic treble of trophies in 2024/25, that feat is no longer possible for TNS this term following the 2-1 defeat to Cardiff Met last month.

Forward Isaac Jefferies says that the team can’t dwell on that loss for too long, and instead do everything they can to win every other trophy available to them.

“We were all disappointed to be knocked out of the Welsh Cup. However, it’s one of those things that we can’t sit back and dwell on. We can only beat what’s in front of us, so we’re looking forward to what’s to come in the future so that we can win everything else that’s available to us.”

The 20-year-old completed a loan move to Oswestry on deadline day in the summer, jumping at the chance to play regular first team football for the first time.

“I didn’t know much about the move until the end of the window. When it came up, it was a no brainer for me. To play full-time senior football was what I needed to get out of U21 football, and I haven’t looked back since I’ve been here. 

“The games mean a lot more when there’s actually three points on the line and you need those wins. With U21 football your aim is to develop more than anything, whereas with TNS, winning is everything.”

As soon as Jefferies set foot inside Park Hall, he was instantly aware of what success looked like for the Saints.

“I 100% got the feeling that wins and trophies were so key to this club when I joined. It’s important for us to keep our standards high. People can say TNS is this, TNS is that, but the reason why we keep winning trophies is because we set and maintain those high standards every day. 

“We hold ourselves accountable for those standards, and if they drop, we will get them back to where they need to be.”

The Saints host Llandudno in the Nathaniel MG Cup semi-final on Saturday (KO 14:00), having won the competition in each of the last two seasons and 11 occasions in total.

They have not had an easy passage through to this stage, having knocked out JD Cymru North high-flyers Airbus UK Broughton and top-flight duo Connah’s Quay Nomads and Caernarfon Town.

“Every game we’ve gone into so far in this competition we’ve dominated,” Jefferies says. “We’re looking to do that again on Saturday and then in the final. The competition is definitely winnable, so we’re going to go into the game full of confidence.”

However, this isn’t Jefferies’ first experience in the competition. Last season, he played every game in Cardiff City’s run to the semi-finals before they were beaten by Aberystwyth Town on penalties.

“It was good to have that exposure to this competition while I was in Cardiff’s U21 team. It was good to have that experience playing against men rather than boys our age at the time.

“Before then, we only really faced senior teams in preseason or when you go out on loan, but that experience does really help the younger lads in academy football.”

Saturday’s opponents Llandudno are unbeaten in the JD Cymru North this season, and have already knocked top-flight opposition out of the JD Welsh Cup, so Jefferies knows how tough the test will be.

“I’ve never played against Llandudno before, but they are in the same stage of the competition as we are so they’ve got to be good enough to get to this point. They haven’t had a free pass to get to this stage. They’ve beaten good teams in order to get to this point. Now they’re up against us and I think it will be a good game.”