Match of the Day 2: Rainbird double earns Corwen a welcome win

ARDAL NORTH EAST – DECEMBER 20, 2025

Corwen 2 (Rainbird 52, 63)
Llanfair United 1 (Morris 88)

Report: Gavin Billington

Recent signing James Rainbird marked his full Corwen debut with a brace of goals which secured the hosts their first win since late October.

Rainbird, 20, is a former Newtown player who certainly impressed his new club with Saturday’s performance.

The recent wet weather had almost led to the game being switched to the 3G surface at Maes Tegid in Bala.

However, the pitch at the War Memorial Park passed an inspection, meaning Corwen could sign off for 2025 at home.

The closest the hosts came to breaking the deadlock in the opening period was when a free kick in Corwen’s half was floated into the United penalty area, where the ball dropped in front of Oliver Crimp, who sent his volley over the bar.

In the closing stages of the half a cross from Llanfair’s Harvey Morris came off Harry Pooler, who went close to scoring an own goal, but the ball was cleared off the line before being played back in and goalkeeper Evan Parry averted the danger with a solid claim..

After the interval, on 52 minutes Corwen started a quick move from a throw in, Lewis Wills playing the ball onto Rainbird, who fired beyond goalkeeper Sion Williams to open the scoring.

Just after the hour mark, Rainbird’s corner curled into the box and went in off the bar to double Corwen’s lead.

Paul Griffiths looked for a way for his side to get back into the game when he looped a shot at goal, but his effort dropped wide of the post.

Three minutes later Corwen’s Crimp got onto the end of a corner, but his free header was nodded off the line by Nyasha Mwamuka.

As the game entered the final 15 minutes a rapid Llanfair attack led to the ball dropping nicely for Morris in the penalty area, but he blasted over the bar.

In the 88th minute, the ball landed to Morris again in a crowded Corwen box, where he powered a shot into the top corner to halve the deficit.

In the last action of the game Mwamuka floated a free kick into the Corwen box, which went out for a goal kick, and that was the end of the action.