The New Saints continued their winning start under new manager Anthony Limbrick with a rampant 6-0 victory over Barry Town.
Playmaker Ryan Brobbel starred as he added to his first-half brace with two shrewd finishes in the second period, while Adam Roscrow and Ryan Astles also got on the scoresheet.
As the Saints ran riot at Jenner Park, here are five main talking points:
Sublime Brobbel display
Since his return from injury, Brobbel has been like a new signing for the Saints, scoring an impressive eight goals in his last four appearances.
The playmaker was sharp from the start and opened the scoring with a clever finish inside the box, before grabbing a second with a superb effort into the top corner.
There was no let-up from the Saints talisman in the second period, as he finished an intricate move to secure a hat-trick, before finding a fourth from a devastating counter-attack.
As the Saints secured a comfortable win, it was Brobbel’s sublime performance that took the game away from Barry Town.
Scoring return to Jenner Park for Roscrow
After Brobbel gave The New Saints the lead in the first-half, young midfielder Ben Clark’s superb delivery found Roscrow to finish emphatically for the second.
The striker will have fond memories of Jenner Park, where he scored a brace for Cardiff Metropolitan University in the Nathaniel MG Cup Final in 2019.
Roscrow netted his second goal since signing for the Saints and will be looking to cement a starting place in Limbrick’s side.
Set-piece threat
Despite the Saints’ typical intricate build-up, they also showed another side to their game with a constant threat from set-pieces.
Early in the second period, Ryan Astles was on-hand to score from a superb corner delivery, netting his third of the season.
Chances also came for his centre-back partner Blaine Hudson, who hit the woodwork and had a goal disallowed as The New Saints went close to adding a seventh.
Strength-in-depth
A key factor in the Saints’ success is their strength-in-depth, introducing talented players to the fray from the bench.
In the second-half, Limbrick was able to call on Keston Davies and Tom Holland to provide fresh legs in defence and midfield.
Also, to have the luxury to bring on the likes of Greg Draper, Jamie Mullan and Leo Smith, who are all established Cymru Premier players, is a huge plus for the Saints.
Huge games coming up
The New Saints face a very tough test in their next fixture, as they play host to this season’s surprise package in Penybont.
Rhys Griffiths’ side have been excellent this campaign and have proved they can compete with the title contenders, beating Connah’s Quay Nomads 2-0 at the Deeside Stadium this month.
For Barry, they look to bounce back quickly and put their heaviest home defeat since January 2004 behind them, but face a difficult trip to the champions Connah’s Quay Nomads.
(Featured Image: Will Cheshire)
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