Connah’s Quay Town lift Two Counties Cup after thrilling win on penalties over Ruabon Rovers

NORTH EAST WALES FOOTBALL LEAGUE TWO COUNTIES CUP FINAL

Ruabon Rovers 4 (Swarbrick 20 & 97, Price 34, Pritchard 120)
Connah’s Quay Town 4 (Williams OG 60, Reynolds 67 & 117, Wynne 101)
(after extra time – Town won 4-3 on penalties)

Congratulations to Connah’s Quay Town on securing their first trophy – the Two Counties Cup on offer within the North East Wales Football League.

Taking on Ruabon Rovers in a thrilling final at Queensway Stadium, Wrexham, the match went all the way to penalties before Town prevailed.

After a cautious start from both teams, the game burst into life on 20 minutes when Town’s keeper Dan Cooper slipped, Andrew Swarbrick capitalised and slotted the ball into an empty net to give Ruabon the lead.

Rovers were a constant danger, stopping Connah’s Quay playing their passing game and persistently pressing.

Their reward was to go two-up before half time through Lee Price.

HALF-TIME: Ruabon Rovers 2 Connah’s Quay Town 0

Connah’s Quay started the second half with a little more conviction and on 60 minutes halved the deficit when Josh Williams diverted the ball in to his own net.

It was now Town’s time to turn the screw and they got back on terms when Lee Reynolds equalised.

With the match now heading into extra time, Kyle Amos received a second yellow and Town were down to 10 men.

FULL-TIME: Ruabon Rovers 2 Connah’s Quay Town 2

The thrills and spills continued into the added half-hour, with both teams going toe-to-toe.

Man of the match Swarbrick got his second on 97 minutes and Ruabon’s third before substitute Jamie Wynne levelled on the 100-mark.

Reynolds then knocked in his second to put Town in the lead for the first time with just three minutes to go, but a wonder goal from Matt Pritchard on 120 made it 4-4.

Quay’s Lee Butterworth went down the other end and had the ball in the net for Town to surely win the game, but after a lengthy discussion with his linesman, the goal was disallowed by the referee and so the final went to penalties.

AFTER EXTRA TIME: Ruabon Rovers 4 Connah’s Quay Town 4

At 4-3 on spot-kicks to Quay and one miss each, Town’s keeper Cooper, diving to his left, saved the 10th penalty to win the Counties Cup for Connah’s Quay in their first season.

TEAMS

Connah’s Quay Town
Dan Cooper, Lee Butterworth, Ryan Edwards (Jake Leonard 46), Ben Howarth, John Leonard, Lee Reynolds, Jake Reilly (Lee Jones 83), Ryan Hewitt, John Coady, Kyle Amos, Kyle Reid (Jamie Wynne 87).

Ruabon Rovers
Ryan Roberts, Michael Jones, Niall Broe (Ryan Williams 99), Josh Williams (Dave Jackson 115), Shaun Valentine, Adam Jones, Richard Griffiths (Matt Pritchard 59), Andrew Swarbrick, Lee Price, Chris Bennion, Mark Jones.