Menai Bridge and St Asaph reach the NWCFA Intermediate Cup final

NWCFA INTERMEDIATE CUP 2022-23 SEMI FINALS

Menai Bridge 3 Meliden 1

Callum Graves struck at the double as Menai Bridge advanced to the Intermediate Cup final at the expense of North Wales Coast East Premier outfit Meliden at Treborth, Bangor.

North Wales Coast West Premier team Bridge took an early lead in the fourth minute, when a miss-hit clearance fell into the path of Graves, who played a square pass to the back post, leaving Sion Hogan with a tap-in.

Visiting manager Deej Hobson compared the 3G surface to Meliden’s home ground in his pre-match interview on the club’s Facebook page.

His side appeared to enjoy taking on the artificial pitch, playing out from the back, although the forwards did not provide many problems for Bridge goalkeeper David Clarke.

Tigers had chances to double their lead, with both Callums, Graves and Thomas, in attack putting the ball in the back of the net, however both were denied by the offside flag.

Substitute Lewis Clayton should have added to his 6 goals in this competition but saw his six-yard-strike rebound off the foot of the post.

Graves made it 2-0 in first-half injury time, the forward capitalising on a weak back-pass to round Joseph Newell and pass into the empty net.

Elliot Breaks came close to getting on the scoresheet, only for his shot from 25 yards to hit the side-netting.

Tigers made it three on 56 minutes, Hogan returning the favour from the first goal to set up Graves for his second with a side-footed finish from 12 yards.

A major turning point came just after the hour mark when first-half substitute Clayton was shown a red card following an off the ball incident.

Meliden naturally began to enjoy more possession as Menai dropped deeper to defend the lead, and came close when Clarke was forced into a good save with his feet.

The visitors pulled a goal back on 72 minutes when Matthew Griffiths took advantage of a scramble in the area to smash the ball into the roof of the net from close range.

Meliden themselves went down to 10 men on 78 minutes, Lucas Edwards’ tackle adjudged to be worthy of a red card.

Menai were able to withstand any further pressure, and a further dismissal for Meliden happened in injury time as Joseph Roberts was shown a second yellow card.

Tigers manager Aaron Rowlands dedicated the win to his predecessor Sean Brett, who was tragically killed just over a year ago, with this match falling on the anniversary of the emotional memorial match against Aberffraw.

Kinmel Bay 1 St Asaph City 3 (aet)

Despite the wide league position difference between these sides in the North Wales Coast East Premier the pair produced a knife-edge cup tie where favourites St Asaph were in real danger of going out before eventually winning the day.

Kinmel Bay took a seventh-minute lead when Cole Rich headed home from an Oliver Gray delivery.

St Asaph missed a chance to equalise when Josh Brown hit the bar from a penalty, while Bay had a second goal disallowed.

In the 92nd minute Saints won another penalty which Brown converted to force extra time.

Fitness and strategy from both teams kept standards high right through the added half-hour where City added two goals from Ellis Blench (108 minutes) and Daniel Williams (113).

For Kinmel Bay the whole team were superb, stunning performances from Connor Morris, who spent much of the match in mid-air, Ash Wood; Olly Gray and keeper Elijah Beattie.