CPD Y Rhyl 1879 manager Gareth Thomas has praised the loyalty of his squad members despite the prospect of football this season looking increasingly bleak.

The newly formed club were expected to mount a significant title challenge in NWCFA Tier 4 (East) Premier Division this season, but the current coronavirus pandemic restrictions and lack of clarity for anything below the top two tiers of the Welsh domestic pyramid making this a virtual impossibility for the 2020/21 campaign.

Thomas worked hard during the summer on building a fiercely competitive squad that is littered with players who’ve played at a higher standard, and although a couple have departed the set-up throughout the window for the prospect of some football later this spring, the large majority have kept faith and turned down offers from elsewhere.

The manager said: “These are still strange times and there appears to be no end in sight at the moment.

“We’ve been keeping in touch with players and the coaching staff and forming plans so if we do get the go-ahead further away we can hit the ground running.

“Some players have had approaches from other clubs during the transfer window to go and play in the JD Cymru North, but they’ve turned them down so if anything, it allows us to start planning for football this year and pre-season next year in the event we don’t get any football.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some good news soon and get to see the lads back out on the pitch.”

One player who has decided to take his chances elsewhere is goalkeeper Ryan Roberts, who has penned a deal with second-tier outfit Holywell Town.