European qualification points up for grabs as Newtown host Penybont

The visitors sealed a place in the final of the JD Welsh Cup last weekend and will be bidding to deny TNS a league and cup double.

Should TNS complete the double or Penybont end second in the table and win the the cup then third place would be enough for Europe.

Manager Chris Hughes said the Robins must keep going as the season enters its final throes.

Victory under the lights at Latham Park could see them leapfrog Bala into second position with Hughes pointing to the table to underline the tight competition in the championship conference.

“If you take TNS out, who’ve won the league by a fair way this year, and look at all the other teams, they’re all good sides and there’s not much between them,” added Hughes.

“It’s another tough game, and when you’re in the top six, this is what you sign up for,” he said.

Jake Walker in action for Newtown against Penybont earlier in the season. Picture by Tom Houghton.

“You’re playing against top teams every week and there’s not much time, there’s no let up, and Penybont will be no different.

“Obviously they’re a good team, we’ve had two really tough games against them in the first phase so we’re well aware of what they’re about."

Hughes praised his side for their performance in a 4-0 drubbing of Caernarfon Town in their last outing and insisted a similar level would have to be reached tonight.

“I’m really pleased with how we’ve responded," said Hughes. "To go up to Caernarfon which is a difficult place to go and with the performance we put on, I was really pleased with that, but what can’t happen now is that the next one’s the ‘flat one’, because that has to be the standard that you set.

Past action from Newtown v Penybont. Picture: David Evans

“We managed to get the two things together, a perfect performance and a perfect result, but we can’t have a flat one now against Penybont, we’ve got to keep our foot on the accelerator and keep going.

“It’s probably not the first time we’ve played like that this year, but we have to make sure we carry that on, while also understanding that we need to be respectful of the opposition, as we always are.

"We’ll be organised and we’ll make sure that come the evening we’ll have a plan of how we want to play in and out of possession and we’ll try and impose ourselves onto Penybont.”

Hughes insisted he would not be looking at other results but expected a tight table come the end of the campaign.

He said: “It might come down to a refereeing decision or it might come down to a moment of quality in those games against each other, we just need to make sure that we do everything we can – we take care of ourselves and our performance levels and if they’re right then we know the results will follow.”