JD Cymru North: Rhyl’s hopes of fourth-place finish still on course after victory in final home game

JD CYMRU NORTH – APRIL 7, 2026

CPD Y Rhyl 1879 1 (Parry 65)
Gresford Athletic 0

Rhyl 1879 could yet finish fourth in their first season at Cymru North level.

The Lilywhites occupy that position after last night’s win over Gresford, which leaves them on 46 points from 29 matches.

Tonight (Wednesday), fifth-place Newtown were caned 6-0 at Holywell Town and have 45 points from 28 matches.

Rhyl’s final game of 2025/26 is at Penrhyncoch on April 18, while Newtown have to host newly-crowned champions Llandudno this Saturday before travelling to relegated Ruthin Town (18/4) in their last match.

If the Lilywhites can end on a high with three points at Cae Baker, it could secure them what would be an excellent fourth-place.

Paul Moore’s men rounded off their home schedule with a narrow 1-0 success over Gresford Athletic on Tuesday evening.

Jack Parry’s 11th goal of the season on 65 minutes was sufficient to seal the honours in front of 336 at the Hops and Barley Community Stadium.

A contest that never truly caught fire ultimately delivered the result the osts were after.

There was a welcome return for Mo Ali following international duty with Somalia, while Dan Wood was back on familiar turf after his January switch to the visitors. Captain Reece Fairhurst and Archie Jones would both be unavailable with both Ben Lawrence and Ben Lightfoot out with injuries.

Home keeper Alex Swindell produced an early save before Gresford captain Paul Johnson was forced off injured after 15.

Rhyl soon threatened from a Morgan Murray free-kick that required a full-stretch stop from Lewis Dutton.

Chances remained at a premium, though Jason Foulkes came close with an effort over the bar, and Jake Morris twice tested Swindell before the break, including a sharp strike in stoppage time that the hosts keeper tipped over brilliantly.

HALF-TIME: 0-0

The second half followed a similar pattern, though the Lilywhites began to apply more pressure.

A flowing move on 50 minutes saw Murray and Parry combine, only for the keeper to deny what was arguably the best chance of the match up to then.

Set-pieces also looked promising, with Rocco Hewitt heading wide from a Sam Duffy corner, while Duffy himself was denied in unfortunate fashion when his goal-bound header struck Parry on the back when destined for the net.

The breakthrough finally arrived on 65 minutes, and it was worth the wait, Parry cutting in from the edge of the box before unleashing a superb strike into the top corner.

From there, Rhyl managed the game effectively without ever fully asserting dominance.

Gresford pushed without creating anything clear-cut, while late efforts from Duffy and a Murray free-kick failed to add to the scoreline.

In truth, it was a match that will not live long in the memory, but one that ensured Rhyl ended their home season on a positive note.