Friday night football – Ardal North West: Tigers upset the odds again

ARDAL NORTH WEST

Llangefni Town 1 (Mansoor 10)
Menai Bridge Tigers 3 (Hellfeld 16 & 65, Graves pen 27)

Just like the proverbial buses…..

After going 15 league games without a win from the start of the season, Menai Bridge Tigers have now completed back-to-back victories.

Following up from last Saturday’s stunning 8-2 thrashing of CPD Pwllheli, the Tigers travelled to second-place Llangefni on Friday night and recorded a magnificent 3-1 success.

Aaron Rowlands’ men are now just a point adrift at the basement and with a strengthened squad in recent weeks now look more than capable of staying in Tier 3.

Bridge hinted they were on for a turn in fortunes last month when they drew 2-2 at St Asaph City – their first point since gaining promotion – and then held mighty Rhyl 1879 1-1 at Treborth a week later.

Spirited defeats at Llannefydd and Llanrwst followed before Menai turned a 2-1 half time deficit into an 8-2 drubbing of Pwllheli last weekend.

Friday’s result at Llangefni is sure to have the Tigers camp buzzing entering 2025.

Cefni struck first on 10 minutes through Ifan Mansoor, but with 16 gone Sammy Bzeu flicked on a set-piece and Hellfeld, who joined the islanders from Llanberis in August, headed in for the equaliser.

Tigers took the lead on 27 minutes when Callum Graves netted from the penalty spot.

An exciting second half was in prospect, but in the 65th minute the visitors were in dreamland when Hellfeld nodded in again from a Sion Hogan free kick.

That was the end of the scoring, leaving Tigers to bid farewell to 2024 on a real high.

Llangefni
Gethin Hughes, Aled Williams, Cai Griffith, Dan Thomas, Sion Jones (Alun Roberts 46), Jamie Thomas, Jack Smith, Ifan Mansoor (Osian Jones 62), Aron Hughes-Jones (Cameron Jones 70), Caio Inch, Harry Hughes (Dafydd Jones 62).

Menai Bridge
Caron Hughes, Sammy Bzeu, Tom Parry (Leon Owens 66), Kurt Hellfeld, Craig Roberts (Callum Freeman 80), Paul Rowlands (Callum Thomas 57), Matthew Jones, Jamie McDaid, Kian Owen, Callum Graves, Sion Hogan.

ATTENDANCE: 312
REFEREE: Liam James Martin