CONNAH’S QUAY NOMADS have the chance to prove they are the second best team in the top-flight - and continue to set new records - against Barry Town United tomorrow.

Nomads broke their highest-ever points tally for a Welsh Premier League season when they beat Bala Town 4-1 last week to move on to 61, while moving on to 75 goals for the season, already 29 more than the Flintshire side managed last term.

“They are huge milestones for the club,” said director of football Jay Catton. “Over the last few years we’ve been on a steady progression, looking to improve on and off the field and the result gives us our record points tally in a Welsh Premier League season, which is a huge testament to all of the players.

“And to nearly double our goal tally shows how we’ve improved in that aspect of the game as well as maintaining our core beliefs.”

Barring a truly bizarre set of results, Nomads have secured second spot from Barry Town United, but Gavin Chesterfield’s men have had the upper-hand in meetings between the two sides.

Nomads suffered a 2-0 defeat at Jenner Park back in September, before back-to-back draws either side of the league splitting in two.

But with Nathan Woolfe back with a bang from his loan spell at Airbus, Nomads have plenty of attacking threat, whilst maintaining their defensive resolve.

Woolfe, who scored a hat-trick in the victory over Bala at Maes Tegid after replacing the unwell Michael Bakare, said: “It means a lot to have gone out on loan and then come back to my parent club and showing what I can do.

“The main thing was the result, we wanted to try and finish second.”

Scott Ruscoe will ring the changes to his title winning The New Saints as he looks to get players ready for the Welsh Cup final against Nomads next month.

Saints wrapped up the title with two games to spare by beating Barry Town United 4-0 last weekend, and Ruscoe is ready to rotate his triumphant players.

Ahead of tomorrow’s televised home clash with Caernarfon, Ruscoe said: “Billy Whitehouse will play and there are a few other boys who need minutes, so it will be a different side to the win at Barry Town United.

“I’ve told Jack Bodenham he’s going to be playing in the next three games. I haven’t told anyone else that, but he will be.

“If that’s a little carrot to him then great, because he deserves it. He will probably be feeling a little bit of injustice at coming out of the team, but so did Tom Holland, who has been great for us all season.”

Bala Town assistant boss Stephen Fisher is refusing to dwell on the events of the past few weeks with the Lakesiders still in the hunt for a Europa League place.

A trio of heavy defeats to the league’s top-three, TNS, Connah’s Quay and Barry Town United, have set alarm bells ringing with Bala slipping to sixth spot.

But Bala are guaranteed a place in the end of season play-offs, and Fisher is focusing on the upcoming fixtures with Newtown this afternoon and Caernarfon next week, ahead of the start of the knockout matches.

“No matter what’s happened over the last few weeks, all we can focus on now is what’s ahead of us,” said Fisher. “What’s gone is gone.

“We’ve got two tough league games coming up, which we want to win, and then we’ve potentially got two cup finals.

“Regardless of what’s gone on and whether people think we’ve had a good season or a bad season, us as a team think we could have done better and we’ve underachieved a little bit.

“But we could still end up in Europe. If we tweak a few things and get the next few games right, we could find ourselves in Europe again.”