Football

Six top weekend performances on the North Wales football scene

Jake Eyre produced a great performance for Gresford at Llandudno. Picture: Gresford FC Twitter account

Brymbo 5 Queen’s Park 2
Welsh National League Premier Division

Billy New was on target for Brymbo. Pic: Brymbo FC Twitter page


Without a doubt the best performance of the weekend across the leagues with Brymbo halting Queen’s Park’s 14-match winning streak dating back to January.

Going into the game, the Park were top of the Premier with a 100% record, while the Steelmen had lost calamitously 6-4 at home to Cefn Albion seven days earlier and been held by Holywell Town in midweek.

Brymbo were definite underdogs, but they stormed into a 3-0 lead and although the Park pulled it back to 3-2, two late goals sealed it for the Tanyfron men, for whom Ben Kearney was the star, plundering a hat-trick.

Bala Town 3 The New Saints 1
Cymru Premier

Bala celebrate a goal against TNS. Pic: Naomi Jones BTFC


When you’ve not achieved a single league win over an opponent in 32 attempts stretching back 10 years, it must be easy to think that the magical moment will never come.

But the jinx was finally broken on Friday night as Bala claimed their first-ever Welsh Premier victory against The New Saints.

Going back to 2009/10, the Lakesiders’ record versus the full-timers was drawn 11, lost 21 in league outings, although Colin Caton’s men did famously beat Saints in the 2017 Welsh Cup final.

Town still badly wanted to lay this league ghost, though, and they did it, coming back from 1-0 down at half time to win 3-1 thanks to a Chris Venables double and Louis Robles single.

Llandudno 1 Gresford Athletic 4
Cymru North

Jordan MacCarter was on target for Gresford in a fine 4-1 win. Pic: Gresford FC Twitter


Seven days after being heavily criticised by their management for a dire display in a 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Llangefni Town, Gresford travelled to Llandudno as second favourites.

Tudno were in the Welsh Premier last season and had beaten Corwen 3-1 in their Cymru North opener, but Gresford were a different proposition to a week ago as they stormed to a 4-1 triumph at Maesdu Park.

First-half goals from Joe Culshaw, Jake Eyre and Jack Chaloner put the Colliers into a commanding interval lead and Jordan MacCarter added a fourth after the break.

Glan Conwy 3 Mynydd Llandegai 4
Welsh Alliance Division One

Trailing 3-1 with 10 minutes to go, Mynydd Llandegai produced a remarkable fightback to beat their hosts 4-3.

Glan had won all three previous home games – beating Prestatyn Sports, Llandudno Albion and Bodedern Athletic, while Llandegai had lost three times on their travels, including 5-1 and 4-1 thrashings.

So the form book pointed very much to a Glan win and it looked to be heading that way before Mynydd’s magnificent turnaround, Damien Smith and Osian Jones with two goals apiece.

CPD Llansannan 2 Rhuddlan Town 2
Vale of Clwyd and Conwy Premier

Rhuddlan fought back from two-down to get a draw


Travelling to one of the title favourites with eight players missing was not really the recipe for a positive result for Wayne Hughes’ Rhuddlan.

Yet despite trailing 2-0 at half time to a Leon Gierke double, Town turned the tables dramatically after the break, an Ian Davenport pair earning them a brilliant point which could have ended up all three, although the general consensus was a draw proved a fair result.

Halkyn & Flint Mountain 2 Llangollen Town 1
Welsh National League Division One

New to a higher league with two losses behind them, Halkyn & Flint Mountain had a tough task taking on a Llangollen outfit which had won their opening pair of games.

However, goals from Jack Aitken and Sean Williams (pen) secured the first three points of the season for the newly-named hosts, who were known as just Flint Mountain last term.

Stand in goalkeeper Matty Howard also saved a first half Llangollen penalty. Although the visitors pulled back a late reply, it was only a consolation.

Halkyn & Flint Mountain are up and running!

davejones

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