FLINT TOWN UNITED boss Neil Gibson wants his side to earn the right to stay in Welsh football’s top flight - and not rely on the fact that there’s likely to be no relegation from the Cymru Premier League this season,

The decision not to go ahead with the Cymru North and South campaigns means that the bottom two sides - currently Flint and Cefn Druids - are highly unlikely to go down.

There has been no official line from Welsh football chiefs but Gibson wants his team to show the same battling qualities that earned them a 2-1 win at Penybont on Saturday.

First half goals from Sam Hart and Calum Bratley put The Silkmen in control against a Penybont side who beat them 1-0 at The Essity Stadium two weeks ago.

“We haven’t heard anything on the relegation issue but we want to prove we are worthy to keep our place in the Welsh Premier League,” said Gibson.

“There’s still some people who say we don’t deserve to be after not winning the Cymru Alliance last season.

“But we’re proud to be in this division and we want to keep our place on merit.”

Performances like the one at Penybont will certainly help Flint’s cause.

They are now two points behind 10th-placed Cardiff Met, who were held to a goal-less draw at home by bottom-of-the table Cefn Druids.

Flint’s opening goal at Penybont came direct from a corner in the 36th minute as Hart’s inswinger eluded everyone in the box.

And it was 2-0 six minutes later. Tom Kemp fired in a cross from the right and Bratley planted the ball into the bottom corner.

“It gave us confidence because we knew they were going to come at us in the second half,” added Gibson.

“We coped with the pressure and we wanted to a keep a clean sheet. Conceding so late on in the game wasn’t want we wanted but this was all about the result.

“We had a good week’s training and I think the players and the staff deserve credit for this win. They’ve taken a lot on board this week. We had a game plan and we’ve carried it out.”

Druids’ point in the capital was just as pleasing for the Cefn Mawr club.

Jayson Starkey, the club’s Head of Coaching, was again in charge and after a disappointing display in the 5-0 thrashing at The New Saints last Tuesday, he made changes.

Academy graduates Kieran Smith and Harry Fuller were both given starts down the right hand side with youth players Max Pritchard, Matty Marshall and goalkeeper Ben Edwards also named among the substitutes.

Fuller was delighted to make his Druids bow and tweeted: “Proud to have made my first welsh prem start.”

Druids don’t have a game this weekend with their next match a trip to fellow strugglers Aberysywyth Town, who edged past Newtown 1-0 in the mid-Wales derby thanks to Harry Franklin’s 77th-minute winner.