Can Penybont end The New Saints' title dominance?

The Cymru Premier reaches the halfway point of the season this Saturday with the final round of phase one fixtures being played.

The split sees the top six teams competing in the Championship Conference while the bottom six will be battling it out in the Play-Off Conference.

The top of the table looks familiar, with champions The New Saints – who have won the title for the last three seasons – leading the way once again.

TNS have also had a historic run in the Europa Conference League this season, having become the first Welsh domestic club to feature in the group stages of a European competition.

But on the domestic front Craig Harrison's side have not had it all their own way this season.

The Saints – who were unbeaten throughout the last league season and won the title by a margin of 33 points – have already lost five games this campaign.

Penybont are the pretenders to TNS' crown and Rhys Griffiths' side ended the Saints' 48-game unbeaten league run with a 2-1 victory in September.

Bont, who were promoted to the top flight in 2019, have occupied top spot at various points during the first half of the season.

Going into the final round of phase one games, Saints are only a point ahead of Penybont having come from behind to beat Newtown 2-1 last Saturday.

With the prospect of the tightest title race since 2021, when Saints lost out to Connah's Quay, BBC Sport Wales spoke to both camps.

Rhys Griffiths, Penybont manager

"I still think it's too early for us to talk about it," Griffiths said when asked about a two-horse title race.

"I know people don't want to hear that but I just feel if there are four, five games to go and we're in the same situation we are now, then I might say 'OK, it's on, let's see what we can do in the run-in'.

"The pressure will be on them (TNS) at that point massively.

"There's no doubt they've had a lesser season on the domestic front – they've got a normal title contender season.

"But it shouldn't take away from what we've done, because in recent years no-one else would still be challenging them, so we've done really well to do that.

"As we stand now we're just taking one game at a time. Ultimately we believe in ourselves."

Mike Harris, The New Saints chairman

"I'm always confident about our club but nothing's guaranteed," said Harris, whose club have been Welsh champions a record 16 times since 2000.

"Penybont are a good side and they're going to be in there – they're the stalking horse and they are going to want to give it all they've got.

"We've got two games against them and those two games will decide the league this season.

"We'll drop points I'm sure going forward – they will drop points going forward.

"But those two games when we play them, I hope the Welsh public get attached to it and come and watch."