Abergele deliver the double after final turns into an eight-goal thriller

NORTH WALES COAST EAST LEAGUE REM JONES CUP FINAL 2022-23

Abergele 5 (Hennigan 16 & 28, Hoult 31 & 53, R Thomas 73)
CPD Y Glannau 3 (Hedge 66, H Bellis 71, McGillivray 89)

Dave Jones reports from Cae Sling, Penmaenmawr

North Wales Coast East Division One champions Abergele went a step further than last season and added the REM Jones Cup to their league title.

Losers to Cerrigydrudion in the 2021-22 final, Gele made no mistake today as they saw off the spirited challenge of CPD Y Glannau at Cae Sling, Penmaenmawr.

Nonetheless, it ended up closer than it looked destined to be after the champions took a 4-0 lead in the early stages of the second half.

Y Glannau fought back to 4-2 down and missed a penalty before a fifth from the red and blacks finally settled the issue.

Gele took a 16th minute lead when Greg Hilditch’s pinpoint cross from the right was headed home exquisitely by an unmarked Frankie Hennigan.

The greens almost levelled when stand-in keeper Tomos Brogden was unable to gather a free kick into the box, Harrison Bellis laid the ball back and Joey Fontana volleyed just wide.

Sam Ashton’s long range volley almost made it 2-0 but back-pedalling keeper Brad Wright was able to palm the ball onto the post and out for a corner.

Two goals in three minutes then really put Gele in command.

Jack Hoult cut in from the right side of the box, drove goalwards and Hennigan was there to apply the finish.

Soon after a long ball down the middle saw Hoult outjump the advancing Wright and head in number three.

Hoult nipped in ahead of Wright again near the break, but from a wide angle he could not quite find the net.

HALF-TIME: Abergele 3-0 Y Glannau

Early in the second period Y Glannau earned a penalty, but Harrison Bellis’ kick was superbly saved by the diving Brogden.

And when Hoult caught everyone unawares by scoring from a free kick way out on the right touchline, it was 4-0 and seemingly game over.

Hat-trick seeking Hennigan had a goal disallowed for offside and saw a header tipped over by Wright as Gele looked to put icing on the cake.

But Y Glannau never gave in, netting a deserved goal when a free kick lofted into the box from the left was bundled home by Kyle Hedge.

The 60-goal star Bellis was quite well-marked throughout, but he only needed a slight sight of the net to pounce and did so with a right-foot finish on 71 minutes to make it 4-2.

Glannau were on the up now and must have been wishing they had not missed that earlier penalty, although Bellis did strike it well and it was more down to a cracker of a save from Brogden than anything else.

And Abergele clasped one hand firnly on the trophy when Wright failed to hold a Liam Roberts free kick and substitute Ricci Thomas made it 5-2.

Still, the St Asaph side had no quit in them at all and when Josh McGillivray headed in from close range the deficit was two with a minute of normal time left.

That was to be the end of the scoring. Abergele had won the double but Y Glannau earned themselves a lot of admirers.

A tremendous advert for tier 5 football watched by a very impressive crowd.