The New Saints bid to put cup defeat behind them by moving further clear at the top

It’s the first game for Saints since last Friday’s JD Welsh Cup exit at Cardiff Met, their second defeat this month against the team from the capital.

Saints, the Welsh Cup holders, led 1-0 going into the closing stages in South Wales, before a late turnaround saw Cardiff Met emerge as 2-1 winners.

TNS head coach Craig Harrison, asked that he must be expecting a strong response to the Cardiff Met defeat, said: “Yes, definitely, you would do. We’ve got proud people, we’ve got proud professionals, and to have a defeat, with the manner that we did, it hurt. It was hurting from me certainly.

"I’m not too sure we deserved to win the game if I’m honest, but I don’t think we deserved to get beat.

“It wasn’t our finest performance the second half, but we played well first half and should have took more advantage of the territory and the opportunities we had. But it’s gone, it’s done and dusted.

"You can only affect what happens in the future and it’s a great opportunity for everybody to put a marker down again and go, right okay, we need to get back into winning ways.”

Saints are nine points clear at the top of the table after winning 13 and losing just two of their 17 league games so far this season.

With second-placed Penybont not playing until tomorrow, Harrison added: “It’s an opportunity to go 12 points clear with a victory.”

Saints have twice got the better of third-placed Caernarfon in recent weeks, following up a 3-1 away win in the league with a 3-0 victory at Park Hall in the Nathaniel MG Cup quarter-final earlier this month.