NEWFA Challenge Cup Final: Mold on course for trophy treble after late goals rush

NEWFA MACRON MEN’S SENIOR CHALLENGE CUP SEMI-FINAL
Gresford Athletic 1 (Gallagher-Keenan 33)
Mold Alexandra 4 (Warren 77 & 81; J Roberts 87 & 90+3)

It will be Flint Mountain versus Mold Alexandra in the NEWFA Challenge Cup Final.

With the national WBS League Cup and Northern version of the trophy already secured, Alex set themselves up for a cup treble with a 4-1 victory over fellow Cymru North club Gresford on Tuesday night at the Hollingsworth Group Stadium.

Alex trailed 1-0 at half time and it was only in the closing quarter-hour that they secured the victory.

An early warning for the Colliers saw Mold hit the woodwork with an ambitious Danny Warren effort in the eighth minute.

Gresford responded with some good attacks and in the 33rd minute took the lead.

Some brilliant work from Charlie Mann led to a pass into Toby Gallagher-Keenan, who slotted home.

Athletic captain Joshua Griffiths was then called upon to keep hold of the lead, doing excellently to head the ball off the line to deny Alex in the 44th minute,

Half-time: 1-0

Mold came out strongly for the second half, and in the 54th minute, a tackle from Mann in the box led to a penalty for the Alyn Park men.

Josh Roberts stepped up, but Adam Taylor got down fantastically to stop the spot-kick and retain Gresford’s lead.

Taylor then pulled off another great save in the 68th minute from a dangerous Mold corner.

However, after waves and waves of attacks, Alex did find their equaliser, as Warren’s 76th-minute corner was blasted across the box and straight into the roof of the net.

Mold pushed again and edged in front on 81 minutes through that man Warren, who curled a shot into the net from 18 yards out for his 34th goal of the season.

Gresford were now all over the place and Alex capitalised, Roberts making up for his earlier missed penalty by heading in the third in the 87th minute.

Just to top things off, in the 93rd minute, Roberts found his second goal from a free-kick. It was Roberts 25th goal this season and made ultra sure that Mold were in the final..