Vital clash as The New Saints head to the leaders

TNS were replaced as table-toppers by Nomads last Friday, with the Deeside Stadium club currently a point clear of Saints as new leaders.

Nomads have won both of their matches since the league season resumed, while Saints have picked up just a single point, losing at home to Newtown before last Friday’s 1-1 draw at Bala Town.

The division’s current top two know plenty about each other, with this season’s fixtures seeing the points shared from a 1-1 draw at the Deeside Stadium in November before Saints won the return encounter at Park Hall 2-1 last month.

TNS manager Scott Ruscoe said: “You look at every team in detail and see where they can hurt us and they’re no different.

“They play their own way, their own style of football.

"It’s very direct, it’s back to front early, it’s very physical. It’s not easy on the eye, but they get results and they set up and they are disciplined.

“They play for their manager and they’ve come a long way - but, having said, if we’re on our game, we can beat them, no problem.”

Ruscoe admitted he was frustrated after his side’s last match at third-placed Bala ended in a draw.

He said: “It’s two points missed for me really because if you dominate the game that much and you end up in key areas of the pitch but didn’t quite make them work, that’s why I was disappointed, that’s why I was getting frustrated, because all our good work, all our levels of fitness and how we probed them and kept the ball, moved it quickly, with purpose that I asked for, but didn’t really test the keeper enough.”