Carmarthen Town interim-manager Neil Smooths believes his side could have turned their fortunes around if they had more time.
Carmarthen succumbed to relegation on Friday night after a 1-1 draw with Aberystwyth left them mathematically unable to climb out of the bottom two.
The Old Gold are now anxiously awaiting the outcome of Thursday’s FAW Domestic Licence appeal hearings to see if they will be saved from the drop.
Long serving coach Smothers took over the side for Phase 2 of the season in difficult circumstances after manager Mark Aizlewood was found guilty of fraud.
In Phase 2, Carmarthen’s form drastically improved as a steady return of five wins and two draws in their next nine games saw the club battle against the thread of relegation.
A win over Aberystwyth would’ve forced the relegation scrap onto the final day of the season but the draw leaves Carmarthen five points adrift of safety with only one game remaining.
“The league table doesn’t lie, we’ve had a decent second half of the season but didn’t do enough before the split and gave ourselves too much to do and unfortunately, we’ve ran out of games,” said a clearly disappointed Smothers following the draw at Aberystwyth.
“With the run we’re on now and understanding that we’re developing with the boys, so who knows whether we could have turned it around.
“It’ll take a bit of time to sink, it’s a club I’ve been at a long time and it’s very, very disappointing not just for me but for everybody involved with the club.
We’ve got a massive amount of responsibility for where we are and we can’t hide that.”
Carmarthen could face a reprieve from demotion to the Welsh League should either Bangor City, Connah’s Quay or Welsh League champions Llanelli fail in their Domestic Licencing appeals.
The three clubs failed to meet the extensive criteria on their first attempt and must satisfy the FAW’s Domestic Licensing panel this week to ensure their Welsh Premier League status for next season.
JD Welsh Premier League results
Aberystwyth Town 1 Carmarthen Town 1; The New Saints 3 Connah’s Quay 1; Cardiff Met 4 Bala Town 3; Llandudno 2 Barry Town 3; Newtown 3 Prestatyn 0; Bangor City 1 Cefn Druids 0.
| Pos. | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
| 1 | The New Saints (C) | 31 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 80 | 29 | 51 | 73 |
| 2 | Connahs Quay | 31 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 27 | 19 | 57 |
| 3 | Bangor City | 31 | 18 | 3 | 10 | 47 | 31 | 16 | 57 |
| 4 | Bala Town | 31 | 15 | 4 | 12 | 36 | 46 | -10 | 49 |
| 5 | Cardiff Met | 31 | 12 | 6 | 13 | 43 | 38 | 5 | 42 |
| 6 | Cefn Druids | 31 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 41 |
| 7 | Barry Town United | 30 | 15 | 4 | 11 | 38 | 31 | 7 | 49 |
| 8 | Newtown | 31 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 49 | 50 | -1 | 40 |
| 9 | Llandudno | 31 | 9 | 8 | 14 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 35 |
| 10 | Aberystwyth Town | 31 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 42 | 53 | -11 | 34 |
| 11 | Carmarthen Town (R) | 31 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 35 | 61 | -26 | 29 |
| 12 | Prestatyn Town (R) | 30 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 27 | 67 | -40 | 17 |
