ANDY MORRISON has already crowned The New Saints as this season’s champions - but that won’t stop Connah’s Quay Nomads from trying to end their rivals’ top-flight dominance.

Saints have reeled off eight successive league titles, and although they are back in fourth at present, Nomads boss Morrison feels Scott Ruscoe’s men will rise to the top by the end of the campaign.

“Let me put the statement out now: TNS win the league,” declared Morrison.

“It’s very hard for anyone else to get near them when it gets to the second phase.

“If you play them twice and don’t see them again...but playing them four times makes it very, very difficult.

“For me they go and win the league and for the rest of us it’s about competing and going all out for that second and third place.”

Nomads are top of the table at present, four points clear of TNS, who have a game in-hand, and Morrison wants his side to keep the pressure on by beating Newtown at the Deeside Stadium tonight.

He continued: “If you get to the last three or four games when the heat is on you can then ask a question, because as it’s shown in European football, when the heat is on TNS they come up short.

“If we could take it to the final two or three games, ask a question and see just how strong they are. I’ve been in the league seven years now and in seven years they’ve never won a game of football when they were the underdogs.

“When they are favourites they go and win, but when they need to stand up they come up short.”

Saints are back in action this evening as they entertain Aberystwyth.