FLASHBACK: The night Wales and Manchester United hero Clayton Blackmore went in goal for Bangor City – and they won!

FLASHBACK – 20 YEARS AGO

Porthmadog 1 (Cook 88)
Bangor City 2 (Jacobs 65, 71)

LOOSEMORES LEAGUE CUP
REPORT: Mike Smith, Citizens Choice website

Twenty years ago this weekend Bangor City travelled to Porthmadog for a League Cup tie.
With key players rested due to recent fixture congestion City might have been apprehensive about their journey to Port, who were at full strength save for absent left-back Mike Foster.
Clayton Blackmore watched from the bench as the recalled Jon Newell played alongside Adam Docker at centre-back whilst 16 year old Anthony Wilson and Peter Wyn Jones filled the full-back berths.
There was also a start for another 16 year old midfielder, Mel McGinness, alongside recent signing Kyle Jacobs. The first half was an largely uneventful affair with Bangor forcing an early opening when Wilson made good contact with Mike Walsh’s corner but his header cleared Richard Harvey’s crossbar.
The home side then had more of the ball but failed to create enough clear cut chances to unsettle the makeshift Bangor defence for whom Docker was outstanding. Porthmadog’s main threat came from former City striker Carl Owen but he failed to convert either of the chances that came his way.
With half time approaching McGinness sent a 30 yard special which brought a good save out of Harvey but the teams left the field with the scoreline blank.
Bangor fans were startled to see a goalkeeping change forced on the visitors as Ian Havard was unable to continue. His replacement in the City goal was player manager Blackmore. There was one other change at the restart with Sion Edwards coming on for former Altrincham utility man James Marsden.

Porthmadog opened brightly and forced a handful of corners but did little to upset the stand in goalkeeper. Les Davies chipped over but it was Bangor, making good use of left winger Edwards, who began to look the more dangerous.
On the hour the Bangor threat became more obvious as leading goalscorer Marc Lloyd Williams replaced the hard working McGinness. Five minutes later City had the lead, 19 old midfielder Jacobs ran on goal before unleashing a powerful long range drive which flew into the Porthmadog net.
The home side responded via a Les Davies freekick which Blackmore held, and a shot from Carl Owen which hit the post. But on 71 minutes it was 2-0 for Bangor as Jacobs fired on target again from distance and saw his shot squirm through the grasp of Harvey into the net.
Former Bangor pair Gareth Parry and Les Davies went close but it was not until the 88th minute that young substitute Mark Cook ran through to slide the ball past Blackmore for his first senior goal. Another Port replacement, Barry Jones, had a late chance to level things but was denied by City’s stand-in keeper.
The whistle blew and the Bangor crowd and players had every reason to be pleased with their efforts in difficult circumstances.

TEAMS

Porthmadog: Richard Harvey, John Glyn Jones, Richard Hughes, Rhys Roberts, Ryan Davies, Paul Friel, Gareth Parry, Gareth Caughter, Chris Evans, Carl Owen, Les Davies. Subs: Mark Cook, Barry Jones, Kevin Roberts.

Bangor City: Ian Havard, Anthony Wilson, Peter Wyn Jones, James Marsden, Adam Docker, Jon Newell, Mel McGinness, Ashley Stott, Paul Roberts, Kyle Jacobs, Mike Walsh. Subs: Clayton Blackmore, Marc Lloyd Williams, Sion Edwards.