IT'S going to be a tough ask for Guy Handscombe to pick his Cymru North XI later this year.

A two-legged play-off between a JD Cymru North XI and JD Cymru South XI will take place this season to determine which region represents the country in the UEFA Regions' Cup.

However, rules are in place regarding who can be picked for the respective squads.

Players from tier two and below are able to compete, provided they have never played in the JD Cymru Premier and have never been a professional.

They must have been registered in Wales and within their region for a minimum of two years to be eligible and were between 19-40 years old at the date of their first appearance.

Added to this, Handscombe will only be able to pick a maximum of three players from any clubs.

Handscombe was approached before the pandemic to take on the role and he said: "The squad has changed a lot because a lot of players have gone on to play in the Cymru Premier.

"I have been working with the management team of Mark Orme, Sean Colley and Paul Pritchard.

"The plan is to look at as many players as possible."

With the restrictions on who can be selected in place, Handscombe is under no illusions on how hard picking a squad will be, with Dewi Evans offering support with the process.

"Guilsfield are doing very, very well. To pick three from them is going to be very, very difficult," he added.

"I have been around the league for a long time.

"I know what the standard's like.

"It's a unique opportunity for the players, not just us the staff."

Players selected for the north squad will get to train at Wrexham's Colliers Park ahead of the two-legged play-off.

Handscombe hopes to have a potential squad pencilled in by the end of the month, but admits it will be a tough job.

Goalkeeper Ryan Goldston has been a stand out performer for Ruthin Town this season, but he is ineligible.

That's because he played one top flight match for Bala Town against The New Saints.

"A player I have admired a lot is Joe Chaplin at Gresford," added Handscombe.

"But he's been on a pro contract at Colwyn Bay.

"There's still a good pool to choose from.

"Buckley and Ruthin are doing well."

Handscombe has also been impressed with the displays of Llanrhaeadr captain Khyam Wyton this season, describing him as "dependable".

Meanwhile, looking at potential tier three prospects, Handscombe said: "I recently left Corwen, but you have got players like Owen Cordiner and someone who works really, really hard."

Handscombe added: "They have got to understand they're not just representing themselves, but they're representing their clubs.

"We are hoping to have five-or-six training sessions at Colliers Park and we're hoping to take a couple of friendly fixtures in versus teams from across the border."