NEWTOWN have been dealt a major blow ahead the end of season Europa League play-offs.

Ahead of the league season finale at home to traditional rivals Aberystwyth Town on Saturday (5.15) it was confirmed it would be top scorer Jason Oswell’s final game of the season.

Oswell has amassed 22 goals so far this season, including three hat-tricks, and is now on the cusp of winning the golden boot award but this Saturday will represent his final game before he heads to Africa for the next month.

Oswell is in the final year of a physiotherapy degree and long committed to spending a month in Uganda where he will link up with a charity called Knowledge for Change, helping children with neurological conditions and children in the community.

During his stay in the country, the Robins striker will also be going into schools to raise awareness of basic things such as hygiene.

Oswell said: “I am going for four weeks, and it will be a life changing opportunity, working with people who have very limited resources in a poor area.”

Newtown manager Chris Hughes insisted the loss of their talisman for the play-offs would galvanise the rest of the club to maintain their unbeaten 2017.

“We secured our play off place, it’s a great achievement and considering so many people were writing us off before Christmas it is a testament to our dressing room.

“It was a pleasing win, we passed and controlled the game at Airbus and to score seven goals is a great achievement for any team.

“It will be a tough game against Aberystwyth on Saturday, all games against them are, but we are confident and want to end the play-off conference unbeaten.”

Hughes could look to rest several players but insisted his squad had depth to cope without Oswell in the play-off semi-finals against Bangor City.

“We will go out and do our jobs on Saturday and then we will look ahead to the play-offs,” said Hughes.