Welsh Cup report – Kinmel Bay v Bow: Classic derby tie could have gone either way
WELSH CUP SECOND QUALIFYING ROUND
Kinmel Bay 3 (Beach 40 & 45+1, Brady 47)
Bow 2 (Griffiths 16, Seddon 49)
Kinmel Bay made it an August double over Bow as they followed up their 3-1 league win at Bastion Gardens with a 3-2 Welsh Cup success at Y Morfa on Saturday.
Bow made the better start and took a 16th minute lead when Rob Parry sent a great ball over the defence for the lively Ian Griffiths, who charged into the box who produced a typical cool, calm finish.
The visitors carried on pressing Kinmel Bay all over the pitch, closing down well and being first to every ball, but somehow the home defence, with Ash Lavender between the sticks, limited their opponents to just one goal.
As the half progressed, Kinmel started to come alive and in the 40th minute a lovely corner was flicked on by Connor Morris to captain Mathew Beach, who found the bottom corner to make it 1-1.
Then in first half added time, Oli Gray made a darting run though the middle and was brought down about 25 yards out. Beach asked for a quick free kick to which the referee agreed and while Bow’s defensive wall was setting up he found the net for his second goal of the tie.
Bay went in leading 2-1 but to be fair Bow had the better of the half and were unlucky not to reach the break ahead.
HALF-TIME: Kinmel Bay 2-1 Bow
The visitors made two changes at half time, Griffiths and Parry going off to be replaced by Dean Davies and Liam Brown.
However, it was Bay who were quickest out of the blocks this time, straight from kick-off Jordan Bellham firing a low ball to the near post which Ciaran Brady guided into the bottom corner for 3-1.
This fired life into Bow and they immediately replied with a goal of their own straight from the restart through Ashley Seddon.
Few would have predicted no further goals at this point, but that proved to be the end of the scoring.
Both teams went back and forth battling all the way just like 10 days previously, but the respective keepers made some fantastic saves.
A great cup tie displaying all that;s good about local football.
Kinmel Bay’s next match is away to Rhuddlan Town on Wednesday, 6:30pm KO at Pengwern College while Bow welcome Llandyrnog to Bastion Gardens on the same evening (also 6.30 pm).
Bay are now undefeated in seven matches across all competitions this season and have not lost in 12 taking in the back-end of 2023-24.
TEAMS
Kinmel Bay
Ashley Lavender
Charlie Jones
Mason Richards
Ashley Wood
Daniel Wickerson
Ciaran Brady
Mathew Beach
Nyal Hughes
Connor Morris
Oli Gray
Jordan Bellham
SUBS USED: Dom Holland, Jack Lloyd-Williams, Leon Bower
Bow FC
Cain Folly
Ashley Seddon
Stephen Middleman
Aaron Boyle
Joe Carey
Dean Hughes
Ian Griffiths
Rob Parry
Harley Wood
Dan Sim
Anthony Colquitt
SUBS USED: Liam Brown, Dean Davies.