Nathaniel MG Cup Final preview: The New Saints v Swansea City

Cymru Premier leaders The New Saints take on wildcard entry side Swansea City in the final of the Nathaniel MG Cup this Saturday at Jenner Park, Barry.

It is the first time that The New Saints have reached the final of the competition, since winning in the 2017-18 season, beating Cardiff Met Uni 1-0 in the final at Park Avenue, Aberystwyth, with Jamie Mullan scoring the winning goal.

The Ostwery outfit began this year’s competition with a 2-1 home win against Cymru Premier rivals Connah’s Quay Nomads, before besting Cymru North side Porthmadog FC 4-1 at home in the next round.

The top-flight side comfortably dispatched Gresford Athletic 9-0 in their home quarter-final tie, before booking their place in the final beating Guilsfield 2-0 away in the final four.

This year’s competition is the debut year of The Swans, with their young side enjoying an impressive run to the final at Jenner Park. They began the campaign with a 4-0 win away to Cymru South side Carmarthen Town.

The South Wales club followed up with a 3-1 home win against Caerau Ely, before knocking out bitter rivals Cardiff City on penalties after the pair played out a 1-1 draw at the Swansea.com Stadium.

Swansea travelled to Cymru South leaders Briton Ferry Llansawel in the quarter-final, beating them 6-0, before another penalty shootout win against Cardiff Met in the semi-final, to book their spot in the final at their first attempt.

Can I watch the final?

The final will take place at Jenner Park, Barry on the 20th of January 2024. Kick off is at 5.30pm.

If you can’t make it to the game, it will be available to watch on the Sgorio YouTube Channel or S4C.

Nathaniel MG Cup final pre-match talk

The New Saints manager Craig Harrison spoke in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, talking about his side’s remarkable form going in to Saturday, with them on a 17 game winning streak.

Harrison stated: “There’s no more important (games) than cup finals as well, the next ones a really big one, it’s a cup final, we’ve not won the MG Cup since 2018 as a club.”

He added, “It’s a cup we’re very fond of as a club, as individuals and as staff, it’s a great opportunity to keep the momentum going if you can go and win a trophy.”

The 46-year-old also spoke on their preparations for their opponents, saying that they had the opportunity to watch them live in the semi-final victory over Cardiff Met.

“They’re going to be technical, going to want to pass through the thirds, keep possession. Obviously, Swansea have a long tradition of playing very good football” said Harrison.

“We’re certainly not going to take the game lightly, we know it’s going to be a tough game.”

Swansea City Under-21’s come in to the game having not lost since December the 4th, with them hoping to maintain their form to lift the first trophy of the season.

The hero of their semi-final shootout win was goalkeeper Remy Mitchell, saving two spot kicks to seal their place in Saturday’s final.

Speaking after the semi-final win Mitchell said: “If we are going to win the final, we are going to have to up our level from tonight. We all know tonight wasn’t our best performance. We’ve got a lot to work on, but the result fortunately went our way, and now we’re in the final and that’s the most important thing.”

“We wanted to stick to our gameplan and not make it a physical game. We always want to play the Swansea Way, keep it on the floor and create chances. At times we did allow it to become a physical game, which is what Met wanted, but we rose to the challenge, and we came through it in the end.”

Who do you think will come out on top in the first final of the season? Let us know in the comments below.

(Featured Image: John Smith/FAW)