Report: The New Saints 2 Llandudno 0
Boss Craig Harrison praised another steely defensive display as The New Saints moved a step closer to retaining the Welsh Premier League crown.
A 2-0 victory over one of their chief rivals Llandudno at Park Hall came with goals in each half from wing men Jamie Mullan and Adrian Cieslewicz.
It ensured the defending champions remain nine points clear at the top from second-placed Bala Town, who were 3-1 winners against Gap Connah's Quay.
After being kept at bay for much of the first half, Mullan made the breakthrough two minutes before the interval when latching onto Ryan Brobbel's neat flick to crash home his shot from just inside the box.
With the Saints tightening their grip on the game, that advantage was doubled just after the hour when Cieslewicz tapped in after Chris Marriott had seen his shot blocked from a corner.
Harrison praised a well-marshalled display against stubborn opponents, and was particularly delighted to keep another clean sheet in the league.
It was his team's fourth in a row and 16th this season. In 26 league games, they have conceded just 16 goals.
He said: "We take pride in keeping clean sheets, which are so important, and 99 per cent of the time, teams that win the title are the ones who concede fewest goals.
"We are known for our flair and scoring goals which win you games, but it's clean sheets that win you titles.
"Having watched Llandudno deservedly beat Bala the other week, we knew they would be well-organised, would drop deep and would be a threat on the counter.
"They would look to break quickly and take advantage of our mistakes, and in the first 20 minutes they were a threat, but after that I felt we dealt with it well.
"We pushed them further and further back, and when they did regain possession, they were in the middle third."
Brobbel headed straight at goalkeeper Roberts while Greg Draper was denied by a diving save before Mullan made the crucial breakthrough just before the interval.
The Saints never looked likely to relinquish their grip after that, underling their superiority with Cieslewicz netting a second from close range on 62 minutes.
With just six games remaining, they now travel to second placed Bala Town tomorrow knowing that another victory would put them in a virtually unassailable position at the top of the table.
