Flashback to Halloween 2009 – Llangeinor 1 Holyhead Hotspur 6 (Welsh Cup)

FLASHBACK

WELSH CUP ROUND THREE – OCTOBER 31, 2009

Llangeinor 1 (D Jones)
Holyhead Hotspur 6 (K Owen, Dean Garmey 2, Viviers OG, Caughter, M McGinness)

Twelve years ago today Holyhead Hotspur reached the last 16 of the Welsh Cup with a fantastic 6-1 victory in South Wales against village outfit Llangeinor.

Having knocked Welsh Premier Newtown out in the previous round on penalties, Campbell Harrison’s men travelled to the Bridgend area confident of doing well against their Welsh League Division Two hosts.

However, a 6-1 outcome was probably beyond the Holy Islanders’ wildest dreams.

The result left Hotspur as the Cymru Alliance League and Anglesey’s sole flag bearers in the national cup.

A good crowd of more than 150 saw Llan, in the last 32 for the first time, battle hard. They created an early chance for top scorer Darren Jones that wasn’t accepted before three goals in five minutes from the visitors made the rest of the tie purely academic.

After Kenleigh Owen opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, midfielder Dean Garmey bagged a brace.

They changed ends at 3-0 but Llan introduced some young substitutes for the second half who brought new zest to the home effort, resulting in Chris Rees engineering a seventh goal of the season for Jones.

If a Matt Heycock effort on the hour hadn’t hit the woodwork, the tie would have come alive, but an own goal from Matt Viviers made it 4-1.

Hotspur added two more before the end from the experienced Gareth Caughter and a then 19-year-old Mel McGinness.

Holyhead Hotspur media officer Gareth Davies said after the game: “After we went 4-1 up Llangeinor didn’t have a GHOST of a chance. It was quite a SPOOK-tacular victory in the end. Seriously, Llangeinor were great people, the game was played in the right SPIRITS.”

In the next round, Holyhead were drawn away to Llanelli of the Welsh Premier and lost 4-0 at Stebonheath Park.

Hotspur’s best Welsh Cup effort came in 2006-07, when they reached the quarter-finals.