Friday night reports from the Cymru North – big wins for Buckley and Denbigh

JD CYMRU NORTH REPORTS – AUGUST 15, 2025

Buckley Town 3 Ruthin Town 2

Buckley fought back from two goals down to claim their first league win of the season and send heartbroken Ruthin tumbling to a third successive defeat.
Having both lost their opening two Cymru North fixtures, Friday night’s combatants were anxious to get off the mark at The Globe.
And it was Ruthin who had the better of the first half, Dan Holland blasting just over from 25 yards in the early stages.
Izaack Lambert put the visitors ahead in the 19th minute when he nodded in at the back stick from a brilliant inswinging Holland corner.
It should have been two when an unmarked Thomas Dougherty met a Holland free kick into the box, but headed wide.
Ruthin earned a penalty on 34 minutes when Ethan Davies was bundled over by home captain Daniel Burgess in the box and Harry Martin made no mistake from the spot.

Half-time: Buckley Town 0 Ruthin Town 2

The second half was a different story, the hosts pulling a goal back within three minutes of the restart when Brad Knight finished brilliantly from a Max Moore flick on.
It was all-square in the 54th minute when Moore found the net with his first goal of the campaign.
Liam Ellis was allowed to advance too comfortably across the front of the box, Connor Littler then fed the ball to Moore who from the sharpest of angles applied a lethal finish.
Unfortunately for the hosts, their manager Asa Hamilton was then ordered from the bench for dissent.

Bucks pressed for a third and an Ellis delivery from the right looked like it might have dropped in, but in fact landed on top of the net.
Ruthin thought they had regained the lead when sub Tomos Salisbury finished from close range, but he was adjudged offside.

It was now anyone’s game; Ruthin missed a couple of good chances before in the 89th minute the Bucks bagged the decider, new signing Luke Mariette heading in a near post corner from Oliver Blayney.
Six minutes into added time, Ruthin’s misery was complete when Dougherty was red-carded for an off-the-ball offence.

Gresford Athletic 0 Denbigh Town 5
Report: Ollie Beech

Dazzling Denbigh went nap on a sparkling night for Dewi Llion’s side at the Hollingsworth Group Stadium in Broughton.
A brace from both Nathan Brown and Aidan Higgins along with a late header by Alfie Vaughan sealed a big win for the visitors, whilst Elijah Beattie and his backline kept a clean sheet for the first time this season.
Town began brightly and within 15 minutes had the lead with a real touch of fortune. After forcing a corner the resulting set piece was delivered by Brown, curling over the goalkeeper who couldn’t claim it and the ball ended up in the back of the net.
The hosts looked to respond 10 minutes later when a dangerous free-kick found Elliot Orton who headed just wide via a deflection. The resulting corner was pushed back towards goal but turned on to the post by a Town defender.
Just two minutes after Gresford went close and continued to press, Town broke brilliantly via Higgins who rushed forward and squared the ball to Brown to drill into an empty net for his fifth goal in as many games this season. Brown has now netted 75 goals in 115 appearances for Town since 2022-23.
Near the half hour mark, Higgins found Beaumont on the overlap, but the defender’s strong effort across goal somehow cannoned off the near post and across the goalmouth.
Gresford continued to have glimpses at goal with Jake Roberts’ volley pushed away by Beattie before the onrushing Tom Smith only had to nudge the ball home on the rebound but Beaumont made a superb tackle to deny him.

Half-Time: Gresford Athletic 0-2 Denbigh Town

Nine minutes into the second half Denbigh were handed the chance of possibly wrapping up the game.
Brown’s effort was parried away by Lewis Dutton and both Luke Johnston and Matthew Worrall raced to the rebound, only for the ‘keeper to take out both of them and concede a penalty. Higgins fired into the bottom left corner.
It was 4-0 when Keiron Roberts laid the ball to Higgins, who ran through the entire Gresford midfield and backline before lashing past Dutton for an early goal of the season contender just before the hour.
Higgins almost had his hat-trick when slipped in by Jones but fired over just right of centre on the edge of the box. Finally, after some pressure, Town did have a fifth when Sam Duffy’s cross from the right was nodded home by Vaughan to mark his first start of the season.