LLANGEFNI Town have taken on all-comers to emerge as the standout candidate for an elusive promotion to the Huws Gray Alliance.

After a number of near misses in recent seasons, manager Chris Roberts looks to have finally assembled a squad capable of lasting the distance this time around after turning down an offer from a second-tier side this summer.

Their start was not the easiest, not by any stretch of the imagination. All five of their first Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Division One games were away from home against sides who are expected to challenge for honours at the end of the campaign, but Cefni managed to emerge from these difficult fixtures unbeaten and they have not looked back since.

This was already a talented squad who ran Conwy Borough extremely close last season before fading late on, and with some high-profile arrivals during the summer it has only strengthened their claims and it is going to take a huge effort from one of the chasing pack to dethrone them even at this early stage.

Roberts deserves enormous credit not only for his loyalty to his hometown club despite a tempting challenge offered elsewhere, but also examining what exactly went wrong during the run-in last season and acting accordingly.

The signing of Alan Mark Owen has proved to be a pivotal one and he provides a presence up front that was sorely lacking at times last term, and the acquisition of experienced forward Kevin Lloyd has given them an extra bit of quality in the final third that has been another major contributing factor in their recent success.

They are also involved in multiple cup competitions thanks to their unbeaten start, but Roberts will have to ensure that promotion remains the primary objective and resist chasing success in a cup competition and potentially sacrificing their advantage over third tier rivals who are not pursuing multiple trophies.

This is undoubtedly an ambitious club that is looking to finally reach the HGA and compete with some of the most prestigious sides operating outside of the JD Welsh Premier League, and although there is still a long way to go Roberts and his management team would have bitten your hand off if you had offered them this position during the summer then they would have bitten your hand off.

At times they have turned on the style, but they have also ground out positive results when not at their best and this is probably even more encouraging as they look to avoid the complications that have hampered their ability to see the season out in years gone by.

The signs are extremely encouraging, but Cefni are now there to be shot at and it will be up to Roberts to keep motivating and making the right decisions to enable his side to finally get to the promised land.