WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE THE NEW SAINTS 4-1 NEWI CEFN DRUIDS Sat 3 Jan 2008 / Park Hall

John Toner strikes for the third goal.

THE New Saints made it a Happy New Year as their artificial Park Hall pitch ensured they took full advantage of their main rivals’ inactivity.
A 4-1 win over the Druids took them level with second-placed Llanelli and closed the gap on leaders Rhyl to three points.
A double salvo from John Leah and John Toner midway through the second half ensured they ran out comfortable winners, but they were made to battle hard for the points.
The Saints handed a debut to striker Matthew Berkeley and the St Kitts & Nevis Under-20 international was lively in early exchanges.
Toner just failed to connect with his telling left-wing cross and Craig Whitfield ought to have opened the home account minutes later from Jamie Wood’s through ball.
The breakthrough arrived on 19 minutes when centre-half Rob Williams celebrated his return from a loan spell at Caersws by rising at the far post to head past keeper Carl Edwards from Scott Ruscoe’s cross.
Toner was just denied by Edwards, while Joe Price fired a rare Druids’ chance well over the target following a corner.
Berkeley just failed to mark his debut with a goal, hitting the far post with a shot that had Edwards beaten, and Toner’s chip also defeated the keeper but went just over the bar.
Whitfield was off-target again after good hold-up play by Berkeley, who was then denied in a one-on-one with Edwards.
Druids came close to equalising after the break with a shot that flew just wide and Paul Harrison in the home goal reacted well to tip a Geraint Lewis header over the bar on 57 minutes.
The match was virtually settled by the Saints’ double strike inside three minutes, Leah hammering a superb 25-yarder into the roof of the net after being set-up by Berkeley’s run and inside pass.
Toner then got clear of the visitors’ defence to round Edwards and coolly poke the ball over the line.
Evans gave the Ancients a brief toe-hold on 83 minutes, heading in at the near post against one of his former clubs from a cross delivered by on-loan Wrexham defender Chris Marriott, who is to remain with the Druids until the end of the season.
But Michael Wilde celebrated his return from a three-match ban by restoring the three-goal advantage in the dying moments.