Scott Ruscoe will lead The New Saints side into their latest European campaign in three weeks’ time, quietly encouraged by his summer transfer activity. With last season’s disappointment and off-field wrangling behind them, Ruscoe has been able to focus entirely on preparing his team for what will be his fourth season in charge. His recruitment has seen three senior players come into the fold: in defence, midfield and attack.

The New Saints will face Liverpool as part of their ongoing preparations for their UEFA Europa League qualifying campaign. The Cymru Premier runners-up have been back in pre-season training for three weeks ahead of their latest European campaign which is scheduled to begin on August 27 and will test their progress against the Premier League champions’ under-23 side. Along with facing the Merseyside club, Saints will also take in preparation games against fellow Welsh European qualifying clubs Bala Town and Barry Town, as well as fixtures with AFC Telford and Wolves under-23’s.

Former Manchester City skipper Andy Morrison is dreaming of meeting Celtic now that he can finally start preparing for Champions League football. The High Court this week gave his Connah’s Quay Nomads side the go-ahead to make their debut in next season’s competition after backing the Football Association of Wales’ decision to declare Nomads Cymru Premier champions after ending the 2019/20 campaign early due to COVID-19. That verdict was challenged by TNS, the champions of the previous eight years, who were four points behind the league leaders when lockdown came. But their bid was rejected by the High Court on Monday.

The New Saints look set to persist with their legal challenge to the Football Association of Wales despite their original appeal being rejected by the High Court. Saints – who were challenging the FAW’s use of an unweighted points-per-game format to determine the Cymru Premier season – have confirmed they are now considering an appeal, which would add to the steep costs they have already committed to their cause, but underlines the determination of chairman Mike Harris. The club missed out on the league title to rivals Connah’s Quay by virtue of that decision after the season had been curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Cymru Premier could be thrown into chaos today if The New Saints are successful in challenging the Football Association of Wales over their method of ending the season. The FAW used an unweighted points-per-game method to determine final placings when they opted to end the campaign early back in May due to the coronavirus pandemic. That decision – which handed Connah’s Quay Nomads the title – is being challenged by The New Saints in the High Court. It’s expected that the judgement of the court will be delivered remotely today.

New Welsh champions Connah’s Quay could be given a fast route through the Champions League qualifiers with ties cut from two legs to just one. The same goes for Wales’ Europa League representatives this summer – The New Saints, Bala Town and Barry Town – with their ties also set to be reduced to one single game. According to a report in appearing in Irish newspaper The Independent, plans for the qualifying rounds of next season’s European competitions are expected to be ratified today by UEFA’s executive committee.

Last week, Connah’s Quay Nomads were crowned new Welsh champions thanks to their performances on the field. Now, argues Matthew Burgess, they are quickly starting to behave like champions, off the field, too. If ever Andy Morrison’s Connah’s Quay side wanted to make a statement of intent following their first ever league title, the signing of Aeron Edwards direct from rivals The New Saints certainly did the trick. Just a week after being awarded the Cymru Premier title, the Nomads declared the off-season open – bolstering their already strong squad whilst simultaneously depleting their closest rivals in the process.

Andy Morrison is hoping Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton get sent to cover his European adventure with Welsh champions Connah’s Quay Nomads – as pay back for 26 years ago. Morrison – whose team were crowned winners when the Welsh domestic season was halted last week – was a team-mate of the BBC’s punditry pair when they were together at Blackburn Rovers. The former defender – who will turn 50 in July, two weeks before Shearer does – was at Blackburn when they crashed out of the UEFA Cup in 1994 to Trelleborg, a bunch of Swedish part-timers.

Football clubs in EFL League Two – including Newport County – have taken the decision to end their season after the current shutdown and now Welsh clubs in the Cymru leagues are considering whether to follow suit. Matthew Burgess looks at their options. The coming week could prove to be a turbulent one even by Welsh football standards. The domestic scene, which is continually littered with administrative disputes and threats of legal challenges between the clubs and its association, must find a workable solution this week amidst the chaos and uncertainty brought by Covid-19 to determine the outcome of the 2019/20 season.

Merthyr Town are teaming up with Championship club Cardiff City in a new youth partnership. The Martyrs and the Bluebirds join forces on Friday when Merthyr will become an advanced development centre for Cardiff’s youth academy. Development sessions will run concurrently with existing training sessions at The MetCoaches Stadium. Merthyr Tydfil-born Cameron Coxe, a 21-year-old […]

Bluebirds Bluebirds’ loan watch. Dai Sport’s Terry Phillips takes an in-depth look at the 12 Cardiff City players currently out on loan – 10 of those are from the Academy  Cardiff City’s scheduled under-23 fixture at Coventry City this week was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch. The Professional Under-23 Development South clash will now be […]

The New Saints have moved top of the Cymru Premier League after surviving a late onslaught against Newtown to win 2-1 on Tuesday night. Joe Kenton sparked a late surge of pressure from Newtown, but Saints stubbornly held onto their lead as they bounced back from their weekend’s Scottish Challenge Cup defeat. The New Saints – without injured trio Simon Spender, Blaine Hudson and Jamie Mullan – led midway through the first period when Ryan Brobbel fired home a free-kick.