TNS 1

Cardiff Met 1

Another frustrating afternoon for the New Saints resulted in sharing the points with a visiting Cardiff Metropolitan

Dean Ebbe’s late equaliser was enough to salvage a point after the South Wales side scored from the spot earlier in the afternoon.

The result puts the Saints three points adrift of Connah’s Quay Nomads who sit at the top of the table.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Scott Ruscoe’s side as the well-organised Cardiff Met side looked to do the double over the defending champions.

The visitors came close early one through Eliot Evans who fired a right footed shot over the bar.

At the other end, Kurtis Byrne came close 10 minutes later with a close range header just wide of the post.

The game failed to life until the second-half with the Saints threatening through Danny Redmond and Ben Cabango.

However the deadlock was broken just after an hour when Adam Roscrow was brought down by Redmond in the box with Roscrow slotting home the resulting kick.

Referee Dean John remained in the spotlight with the dismissal of Met defender Emlyn Lewis for a late challenge.

The defending champions searched for an equaliser for the remainder of the game and were finally rewarded when Ebbe latched onto a Jamie Mullan cross to head past goalkeeper Alex Lang and save TNS a point.

TNS: Harrison, Spender, Cabango, Lewis, Redmond (Draper 81), Holland (Seargeant 81), Routledge, Edwards, Mullan, Cieslewicz, Byrne (Ebbe 74). Subs: Dutton, Hmami, Brobbel, Hudson.

Att - 258