MATCH OF THE NIGHT: 3 sent off as Holywell and Llandudno share spoils in Cymru North crunch clash

JD CYMRU NORTH – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28

Holywell Town 1 (Lindfield 85)
Llandudno 1 (Cadwallader 20 pen)

REPORT: SHAUN BEST

An 85th minute equaliser from Craig Lindfield ended Llandudno’s 11-match winning run and ensured the Seasiders dropped points in Cymru North for only the second time this season.

However, Tudno remain unbeaten and top of the table – everyone would want to swap places with them at the moment.

Friday night’s crunch clash at Bartons North Wales Stadium was watched by a crowd of 732.

The hottest ticket in town saw fans still queuing outside the stadium as the match kicked off.

Within the first three minutes, a coming together by the touchline saw tempers and tensions boil over.

When the dust settled, both sides were reduced to ten men, with Town’s Ieuan Hewitt and Llandudno’s Callum Stephens receiving their marching orders.

The visitors quickly asserted their dominance. Mark Cadwallader attempted to meet Adam Stephens’s low cross with a backheel, but he couldn’t get enough of a touch to guide the ball into the net.

Moments later, Thomas Bibby felled Stephens in the box and the referee pointed to the spot.

Cadwallader stepped up and slammed his spot kick into the roof of the net and over the dive of John Danby in the Holywell goal for his 14th goal of the season. Town’s players swarmed the referee to complain of possible encroachment in the box to no avail.

Stephens was thriving in the extra space he was afforded and was a constant thorn in Holywell’s side.

Danby rushed out to narrow the angle from the frontman and punched the ball clear. Stephens then opted not to play Cadwallader in and went for goal himself, only to be thwarted by a well timed Ryan Austin block.

The hosts began to show signs of life in the second half, as Lindfield tested goalkeeper Michael Jones from distance. Team-mate Jake Cooke had to be alert to clear a Llandudno attack off the line, before Danby smothered at the feet of Stephens in the penalty area.

Holywell substitute Jack Sconce saw Jamie Breese in space, but played his through ball a little too far ahead of the frontman.

After Town’s captain Ryan Edwards and Fabrizio Murtas both fired shots into the car park, Lindfield came up trumps for the hosts. The forward expertly brought down Cooke’s cross into the box, with his first touch taking the ball past Jones and leaving an empty net to fire home an equaliser – and his 13th goal this term.

Holywell were reduced to nine men late on after Guto Williams picked up a second yellow for a clumsy foul. That made it back-to-back sendings off for Williams.

From the resulting free kick, Ben Maher almost caught Danby out. Although the veteran goalkeeper saw the ball late, he still managed to claw the ball to safety and both sides had to be content with a point apiece.