'WE’LL take it - but it’s not the way we wanted to win.’

That’s how manager Steve ‘Jerry’ Williams reacted after St Dogmaels retained the Costcutter League title on a ‘points-per-game’ method.

The Football Association of Wales Board ratified a recommendation by the National League Board to curtail the 2019-20 season for Tiers 1 to 4.

In reaching its decision the FAW decided that an unweighted points-per-game method be applied to determine league standings.

Further down the tiers in recreational football the Community Game Board had previously agreed that once a solution was confirmed for the top four tiers, they would follow suit.

For the Costcutter it means Saints, who were nine points clear at the top, are champions with Cardigan Town in second spot and Newcastle Emlyn finishing third.

Asked for his view on the news, Saints boss Williams said: “We’ve been playing well for three or four seasons, reaching semi-finals and finals. We lost the championship by one goal two seasons ago, won it last year and now we’ve got it again.

“Cardigan and Emlyn had to visit School Field. We wanted to play and win the title on the pitch. But these are unprecedented times that we live in,” he said.

In season 2017-2018 Saints lost the championship by one goal on a hugely controversial final day when Lampeter Town claimed the title.

Under highly-regarded management duo Williams and Wayne Jones the north Pembrokeshire aristocrats have bounced back to lift the title 12 months later, led by inspirational central defender Jason Williams, retained it last week.

With public houses shut under lockdown and sizeable gatherings banned it was a low key affair at the weekend.

Loyal supporter John Williams said “You can safely say that one or two in the St Dogmaels camp partake of a tipple on such occasions but it was eerie at School Field.

“I’m sure we’ll make up for it in the future,” he said.

Taking a philosophical view, Cardigan stalwart for many years Seamus Doherty said “The football authorities had to make a decision one way or another.

“We had a lot of games to play and who knows what could have happened. St Dogmaels have been up there from the start and congratulations to them,” he said.

On the same method New Quay are promoted as champions of Division Two with league newcomers Crymych going up in second place while Llandysul Reserves were already Division Three champions before lockdown.

The FAW issued the following statement, saying: "All adult Recreational Football has been curtailed with league standings finalised via the points per game method.

"The points per game method involves dividing the points amassed by a team during the season to date divided by the number of games played during the season. This produces an average points figure to two decimal places and that figure determines the final league standings.”

Geraint Davies, secretary of the Costcutter Ceredigion League, said: ‘Under the current circumstances the decision by the FAW was inevitable and we congratulate St Dogmaels on retaining the First Division title, New Quay on becoming Second Division champions and Llandysul Reserves who had already won the Third Division title.

"We now look forward with fingers crossed to next season which will only begin when we receive the go ahead from the FAW. Let’s hope it will be sooner rather than later."