Scott Ruscoe reflects on the Cymru Premier season so far

TNS boss Scott Ruscoe says he is disappointed on missing out on football action with the suspension of the JD Cymru Premier yet believes his team will benefit from the extended break.

It was announced before Christmas that all football in Wales would be suspended due to the ‘elite’ status of the JD Cymru Leagues being rescinded. This meant that the JD Cymru Premier would be suspended until further notice.

TNS were due to face Cefn Druids on Boxing Day with a trip to south Wales scheduled three days later to play Haverfordwest away. The extended break will give Ruscoe’s staff some extra recovery time with the manager admitting a couple of his players and staff had become ill over the Christmas period.

Ruscoe told TNS TV: “I’ve always enjoyed playing over Christmas and the new year, people say it’s a distraction or whatever but this year we’ve had an extended break and we’ve missed it a bit.

“Certainly it will give the players a little more time off because we’ve had a couple players who have been ill and a couple of staff who have been ill as well. It’s a really strange time, you sort of get over the fact of everyone being out of lockdown and coming back in and training.

“Then the potential is it might be happening again. It is disappointing, but there is nothing we can do about it really, it is against our control.”

It has been an unusual period for all involved in the club with no fixtures to be concerned of following the short Christmas break.

“Usually you’re planning for the next game and always looking forward to that next game. Even as a player I had a couple of beers on Christmas Day and playing Boxing Day but never more than a couple. This time it was a little different because we weren’t playing around Christmas and we already knew that.

“It’s a shame, because I love being involved in football and love planning life around football, but when things are taken out of your control there is not a lot you can do. You just have to get on with it and abide by the rules.

“So strange times but one with the players getting an extended rest.”

TNS currently sit top of the Cymru Premier, three points clear of Connah’s Quay Nomads who have a game in hand, having only dropped seven points.

“We’ve had a decent start to the season, we had to following on from last season. But what is more impressive is the way that they’re approaching training and games.

“Like I always, your performance will always take care of results, if you play with a team of eights and nines out of ten every week then you’re going to pick up the majority of the points and that is all we can ask for.

“They were in the right frame of mind and that has just gone right through until now and hopefully that will continue if we can get back to playing and starting the league off again.

“Credit has to go with the player because they have been excellent.

“17 games we’ve played, just over half way. I’ve got my fingers crossed that we can finish the league and make sure that we are still in this position come the end of the season. But it is down to the players, their application and attitude has been first class” Ruscoe said.

The New Saints players returned to training yesterday and Ruscoe admitted he was forced into giving the players an extended break due to some players becoming ill over the Christmas period.

“First of all they had five days over the period to be with their families because it is not every year we can do that, so we did give them a little bit of a break.

“Then we gave them a bit of an extended break because we did have a couple of illnesses within the camp so we had to really, just to make sure they stayed away and stayed well and make sure their families stayed as well as can be.

“So more of an enforced one the second one, so they had an extended break” Ruscoe said.

TNS will now await the restart of the Cymru Premier set for the 16th of January away to Flint Town as they continue their charge for the title.

[Featured image: Will Cheshire]