MIKE HARRIS can’t say he wasn’t warned as Michael Wilde led Connah’s Quay Nomads to the Cymru Premier title.

When Wilde was released by The New Saints back in 2016, the experienced striker told Park Hall owner Harris that he would do everything in his power to end the Oswestry-based side’s top-flight dominance.

And four years on, Wilde achieved that goal as Nomads were crowned champions on a points-per-game basis.

The 36-year-old said: “When I was leaving TNS I had a conversation with Mike, who I thanked for the opportunity of playing at the club over so many years. But I then said ‘I will be back and I’m going to make sure we take that title off you’.

“We’ve been chipping away by winning the Welsh Cup and the League Cup, but this is the one we wanted and it’s the icing on the cake.

“When you leave a team like TNS, who have won so many titles, you need to have the ambition to end their dominance and that is one of the things that attracted me to Connah’s Quay.

“The intensity and desire of the manager and the group of players at the club made it an attractive proposition.”

And Wilde ranks Nomads' title success as his most satisfying victory.

Wilde is certainly no stranger to lifting league titles, winning four with The New Saints after a hat-trick with Chester as they climbed the English pyramid after reforming.

Four years since the last of his titles with Saints, Wilde is back in the winners' enclosure after Nomads were awarded the top-flight trophy on a points-per-game basis.

It's the first time Nomads have won the Welsh top-tier, and Wilde reckons it's up there with his most special title triumph.

"It feels good," declared Wilde. "It's the most satisfying win. The first one is always special, but there is so much expectation on TNS and they've been so dominant for so many years, so to track them down step by step is a lovely feeling.

"The dominance of TNS is at the heart of it. There's a real appreciation value from everyone for what we've done. People realise that we've knocked possibly the best team in Cymru Premier history off their pedestal.

"It was always going to take something special to end the TNS dominance of the league."

There were still six games remaining when the league was abruptly ended due to the coronavirus crisis.

Saints' owner Mike Harris argues that a winner-takes-all play-off between Scott Ruscoe's men and Nomads should have taken place rather than award Andy Morrison's side the title on a points-per-game basis.

Wilde continued: "We believed that results would have seen us win the league and the gap could have been as many as six or seven points.

"We were confident, in a great head space and we've gone on to do the double, so there shouldn't be any negativity or criticism."

Nomads headed into the second phase of the season trailing Saints by four points after a 2-1 defeat at Park Hall.

Fast forward seven weeks and four league games later, Morrison's men were four points clear at the top of the table, taking 10 from a possible 12 as Saints picked up just two draws from the same amount of fixtures.

That narrow defeat in Oswestry proved the catalyst for Nomads impressive run of form after the split, which included a League Cup final victory over STM Sports.

Reflecting on that January defeat, Wilde said: "Even before the game there was a huddle and a few words, we were saying 'will we get a better chance?'

"We gave everything we had and on reflection we realised that night that we had everything we needed to be champions.

"It was then up to us to be narrow minded in our thought process and go game by game, even half by half, to get the results we wanted.

"We controlled our results and the rest took care of itself."

Winning the title means a first ever foray into the Champions League for Nomads, who have certainly made an impact on the Europa League over the past four years.

Wilde is no stranger to Europe's biggest club competition, the experienced striker netting a hat-trick during his last adventure as Saints defeated B36 Tórshavn in the summer of 2015.

"To qualify for the Champions League at 36 is great," said Wilde. "I have little goals that I want to tick off and playing in Europe is one of those.

"I've missed playing in the Champions League for the last four years and I can't wait for the chance to play in the competition again."