IT promises to be an exciting end to the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League Premier Division season with five teams still in with a realistic chance of securing the crown.

With the expected influx of Lock Stock Welsh Alliance sides such as Prestatyn Sports and Kinmel Bay due to their inability to meet the Football Association of Wales’ new criteria for Tier 3 and 4 next term, this represents a good chance for those trying to secure the championship before things get much tougher next season.

Rhuddlan Town are in pole position after a memorable campaign to date that has seen them go unbeaten from their 14 contests so far to enjoy a nine-point cushion at the summit.

Wayne Hughes has assembled a formidable squad at this level that has come up with the goods on a consistent basis, and in Mathew Beach and Jordan Bellham they possess two of the most prolific players anywhere in the region.

The emergence of energetic full-back Josh Parry has been another massive boost for the set-up, who have big plans for the future thanks to the fine work behind the scenes of chairman Tony Hepton and other volunteers.

Abergele find themselves in second position after losing just twice in 15 games so far this season, but they have drawn five of those fixtures and lost crucially to Town last week that has hampered their chances of claiming the coveted silverware considerably.

Regardless of where they end up finishing, it has been a season of encouragement from a Gele perspective which they can build on, with established players such as James Hay and Jack Hoult providing the club which a good foundation from which to build going forward.

Perhaps Rhuddlan’s biggest challengers are Llanfairfechan Town, who currently lie 13 behind with three games in hand heading into the business end of the campaign.

Town have been a real force this season and boast one of the best players in the league in Sean Devereux, but their fortunes will depend on whether they can win their games in hand and if Town’s relentless march to the title suffers a major blip.

The surprise package of the season so far has been Bro Cernyw, who sit in third after a sensational run of results that has propelled them right into contention.

Whether they can claw back the deficit between now and the end of the season remains to be seen, but they deserve a tremendous amount of credit for even making it into the discussion at this stage of the campaign.

Tom Lewis’ Llansannan were expected to challenge and are currently 15 behind with three games in hand.

There is plenty suggest a bold bid could be made but they will also be reliant on help from elsewhere. They are challenging on multiple fronts and in experienced forward Geraint Jones they have one of the most consistent marksmen in the division.

This experience is surrounded by a wealth of impressive youngsters and a supremely gifted goalkeeper in Luke Jones, so better things could still be in the offing next term.