WELSH CUP: Pritchard outstanding as Flint progress but Tier 3 Trearddur can feel proud of their efforts

JD WELSH CUP QUARTER-FINAL – SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2026

Flint Town United 3 (Stephenson 4, Wynne 15, Hughes 87)
Trearddur Bay 0
ATTENDANCE: 558

Trearddur Bay keeper Paul Pritchard proved once again that even at the age of 41 he is one of the best stoppers around in North Wales football.

The former Welsh Premier League glovesman made a series of superb saves to keep the score down in his Tier 3 club Trearddur Bay’s 3-0 Welsh Cup defeat at top-flight Flint.

However, the lowest ranked team left in the competition did create chances of their own and certainly gave a great account of themselves at the Essity Stadium.

The Beach Boys can feel very proud of reaching the last eight of the national knockout for the first time.

Flint qualified for their first Welsh Cup semi-final in more than 70 years and will now be aiming to repeat their success of 1953-54, when they lifted the trophy for the only time in their history.

They threatened very early on Saturday when Josh Jones delivered low and hard from the right byline and only heroic defending from Thomas Lennon and the sharpness of Pritchard prevented a goal.

The Silkmen took the lead on four minutes. Recent signing Osebi Abadaki used his pace down the left and fed the ball towards the near post where Darren Stephenson applied the finish.

Abadaki was also involved in the second home goal after 15, cutting in from the left and finding Ben Wynne, who drilled an accurate shot past Pritchard into the bottom right-corner.

Trearddur Bay almost pulled one back when Lennon’s long ball from the back released Welsh Cup top-scorer, 10-goal Tom Hilditch, who was denied by quick-off-his-line keeper Jack Flint.

Elliott Reeves blasted wide before a Jake Canavan effort from halfway only just cleared the bar.

Reeves’ header was tipped over by Pritchard before at the other end Liam Armstrong’s great connection clipped the outside of the post.

Pritchard really excelled after the break, with Bay in no mood to go under.

The keeper produced a great save from Wynne, then Flint did well to cling onto a Hilditch strike from 20 yards.

Abadaki cut in from the left and hammered a fierce near post shot, but Pritchard got down brilliantly to thwart him.

Flint finally put the tie beyond doubt when Ben Hughes made it 3-0 on 87 minutes after being released on goal by Canavan’s accuracy.

However, Pritchard had the last word with a magnificent close range stop when Hughes went for his brace.

FLINT TOWN UNITED
Jack Flint, Ben Woollam, Sidi Fofana (c), Jack Thorn, Elliott Reeves. Ben Wynne, Joshua Jones, Osebi Abadaki, Max Purvis, Jake Canavan, Darren Stephenson. Subs used: Ben Hughes, Evan Smith, Callum Ferguson, Levi Morrison.

TREARDDUR BAY
Paul Pritchard, Anthony Marshall, Thomas Lennon, Liam Armsrong, Sean McCaffery, Tom Hilditch, Christoph Azimale, Ryan Pryce, Sion Edwards, Harri Jones, Sebastian Samuel. Subs used: Morgan Rowlands, Les Davies.