Caernarfon Town secured the win that they needed to secure a top-six spot on Saturday after a spirited comeback saw them beat visiting Carmarthen Town 3-1 at The Oval.
With two games remaining before the league split, Aberystwyth Town’s defeat on Friday meant that the Cofis could get the job done early, but they fell behind on 27 minutes when Carmarthen’s Liam Thomas scored from the spot and take the lead against the run of play.
Caernarfon restored parity two minutes before the break when Cai Jones was on the receiving end of Darren Thomas’ cross and finished from inside the six-yard area.
Following sustained pressure from the restart, Caernarfon eventually went in front in spectacular fashion as Nathan Craig struck a 25-yard free-kick around the Carmarthen wall and into Lee Idzi’s bottom corner with perfection.
With the hosts firmly in the driving seat, Man of the Match Darren Thomas put the result beyond doubt on 86 minutes with another finely taken goal. The winger blitzed past three Carmarthen defenders before unleashing a powerful finish past hapless Idzi to rubber-stamp a top-six finish.
Manager Sean Eardley says his side deserve their top-six place.
“I’m absolutely made for everyone involved at the football club from the board, the committee, the players and management team and of course, the supporters and the people of Caernarfon,” he said following the game.
“We’ve been a great addition to this league – I’ve always had that at the back of mind.
“We’re very aggressive when we’re going forward and we look dangerous, and we’ve shored up games. We’ve shown that away from home at tough places like TNS and Connah’s Quay. I think we add a lot.
“It’ll probably take the weekend to sink in but I’m absolutely over the moon,” he added.
Leon Britton made a winning start on his Welsh Premier League debut as Llanelli claimed a vital win over fellow relegation contenders Llandudno.
The former Swansea midfielder completed 90 minutes after putting pen to paper for the Stebonheath club on Friday and said he enjoyed being back out on the field.
“My hamstrings were hanging on at the end and the last five or ten minutes were a real test of my fitness at the end,” he told Sgorio.
“The boys dug in really well at the end, under pressure but it was a great result. We know it was a massive match going into today, but to get the three points is a massive result.
“It’s great to be back out there, it’s been six months since I played. The last few years have been difficult when I was at Swansea, so it was really nice to get back out there, get a win and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
The win moves Llanelli four points clear of bottom side Llandudno, but they face a scare when George Harry gave the visitors an early lead.
Two goals in the space of six minutes turned the game into Reds’ favour however, with James Loveridge’s scoring a brace to boost the team’s hopes of battling against the drop.
Barry Town United reclaimed second spot after four second-half goals saw them come from behind to win at Cefn Druids.
The hosts led at the break thanks to a James Davies strike in added time after Druids defender Neil Ashton had cancelled Jordan Cotterill’s opener.
A second-half comeback saw Kayne McLaggon fire Barry level before Mo Touray put Gavin Chesterfield’s side back in front with ten minutes remaining.
A late Cefn Druids collapse then saw Jordan Cotterill net twice in added time to complete his hat-trick and move Barry back to within a point of leaders Connah’s Quay.
Another impressive display saw Cardiff Met run out 3-0 winners against Bala Town.
Adam Roscrow scored either side of strikes from Will Evans as the Students completed their fourth win in six games.
WEEKEND RESULTS
Friday: Aberystwyth 1-6 Connah’s Quay, The New Saints 4-0 Newtown. Saturday: Caernarfon 3-1 Carmarthen, Cefn Druids 2-5 Barry Town, Cardiff Met 3-0 Bala Town, Llanelli 2-1 Llandudno
| 1 | Connah’s Quay Nomads | 21 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 57 | 20 | 37 | 45 |
| 2 | Barry Town United FC | 21 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 44 |
| 3 | The New Saints | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 58 | 12 | 46 | 43 |
| 4 | Newtown | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 9 | 35 |
| 5 | Bala Town | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 34 |
| 6 | Caernarfon Town | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 31 |
| 7 | Cardiff Metropolitan University | 21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 32 | 31 | 1 | 27 |
| 8 | Aberystwyth Town | 21 | 8 | 3 | 10 | 25 | 41 | -16 | 27 |
| 9 | Carmarthen Town AFC | 21 | 5 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 40 | -13 | 21 |
| 10 | Cefn Druids | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 39 | -14 | 20 |
| 11 | Llanelli Town AFC | 21 | 4 | 3 | 14 | 21 | 65 | -44 | 15 |
| 12 | Llandudno FC | 21 | 2 | 5 | 14 | 17 | 42 | -25 | 11 |
