Another win and a solid performance
The 2-0 victory against Pontypridd United means that is now nine wins on the bounce in the league and with just the 0-0 draw on opening day, The New Saints leads the way at the top by four points and with a game in hand.
Invariably, in the post-match interview we ask Craig Harrison about the performance and you can check out his thoughts in more depth via the video.
Overall, he was pleased though, and rightly so as he saw his side dominate possession, win the game and secure another clean sheet.
Danny Redmond
Always one of the most consistent performers, this time Danny Redmond added a goal to his name.
It was a key one as well, because the visitors had held firm for thirty-eight minutes and would have fancied themselves to be level at the break.
However, from close range, Redmond found the back of the net as the deadlock was broken.
Declan McManus
Within three minutes the lead had been doubled, as Declan McManus scored with a super strike.
That’s ten from his last eight starts in the league or ten from ten in all competitions going back to the victory against Connah’s Quay Nomads on August 26.
When you consider that he didn’t find the net in the first seven games of the season, that’s an impressive turnaround.
Clean sheet
Having conceded just four goals in ten games, the club leads the way with that statistic as far as the league is concerned.
The clean sheet against Pontypridd United was the seventh so far in the JD Cymru Premier.
Naturally, when you consider figures like that, then credit has to go the way of Connor Roberts and the defenders in front of him.
However, it really has been a team effort when it comes to defending.
It’s quite common, whenever there’s a corner or a free-kick, to find eleven TNS players in the penalty area.
Early days, but…
Across the league we often hear the reference to it still being early days, and in some ways that’s still true.
However, after The New Saints play Caernarfon Town on Tuesday, we will be in the second-third of the campaign.
Although The New Saints is on an excellent run of form, so too is Connah’s Quay Nomads, hence the gap between first and second is just four points.
The lead over third (Bala Town) and fourth (Penybont FC) is eight points and with the aforementioned game in hand, if we win that then it becomes seven, eleven and eleven ahead of the chasing pack.
Lead image: Brian Jones.
