Mold decision sees manager leave

Mold Alexandra’s decision to opt out of promotion to the Huws Gray Alliance has led to manager Dave Abraham tendering his resignation.

The club performed exceptionally well to finish second behind Chirk AAA in the Welsh National League Premier Division, six points ahead of both Hawarden Rangers in third and Gresford Athletic in fourth.

But the committee made the decision to opt out of promotion to the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance, the second tier of Welsh club football, based on the club’s current financial position, infrastructure and staff levels.

Chairman Barry Couchman indicated that there had been early contact from interested parties in the vacant managerial position, and a decision would be made on the succession at “the right time”.

He said: “We’ve had some calls and we will make a decision at the right time, whether that is a few weeks or a few days.

“Clearly some players will leave but that is football. Now we have to rebuild and that will start with pre-season.

“The club is strong, and we have a good youth setup in place now. Moving forward remains one of the club’s aims but it’s about doing it at the right time. Of course we would have liked promotion, but we have to think about the whole club and the position it is in.”

A lengthy statement from the committee highlighted all the work they had done and were planning to do for the club and the surrounding community, but stressed now wasn’t the right time to step up a level.

It said: “The management committee of Mold Alex have critically reviewed the readiness of the club to accept the promotion but, after a great deal of thought and discussion, took the very difficult decision not to do so.

“However, the committee are keen [to stress]that progression to The Cymru Alliance remains a target for the club, but that it should be at a time that finances, infrastructure and personnel are all sufficiently developed to both fully support a second tier senior side and deliver the ambitious development plans that the club is actively pursuing.

“As a result of the decision not to accept promotion to the Cymru Alliance League, [first] team manager Dave Abraham has resigned his position. We would like to thank the managers, coaches and players for their tremendous effort over the last two seasons, and recognise that they will be very disappointed, and that this is a very difficult position for them to accept.

“But, although this may initially be seen as a retrograde step, the decision was made in the best long term interests of the club.”

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Tuesday football round-up

A sole Kenny Lunt goal secured Bala’s ninth Welsh Premier League win in a row as the Lakesiders continue to build almost unstoppable momentum ahead of the end-of-season play-offs.

The game won’t go in to the record books as a thriller, but the hosts won’t care as they continue their incredible run since going down 6-3 to Gap Connah’s Quay in the final match before the mid-season split that ended their chance of a place in the Championship for the second half of the season.

With 15 minutes left, Lunt beat the offside trap as well as visiting ‘keeper Mike Lewis for what turned out to be the winner.

It could have been different though. Glyndwr Hughes, making his 375^th and final appearance for the Seasiders, had a chance from six yards out after Ashley Morris had saved from Mark Jones, but blazed over.

They also had a goal ruled out for offside and hit the crossbar in the dying moments, but Bala held on to end the visitors’ season with a defeat.

There was also plenty of Welsh League action, where Haverfordwest County got their Division One promotion challenge back on track with an 8-0 whitewashing away at struggling Tata Steel.

Steffan Williams netted a hat-trick to help his side along, while Ritchie Lewis scored a brace and Lee Bevan, Rob Morgans and an own goal compounded a terrible evening for the hosts, who are all but relegated as a result as the teams around them all have games in hand.

The victory leaves the Bluebirds fourth, tied on 46 points with Cambrian & Clydach and AFC Porth, and just three points behind current leaders Taffs Well.

Second placed West End missed the chance of going top after being held to a 1-1 draw at home by Barry Town. A Nickie Jones penalty cancelled out the hosts’ opener, while they also hit the bar twice as they chased an away win.

Bridgend Town also continued their mini revival at the bottom with a 2-1 win at Pontardawe Town.

In Division Two, both Croesyceiliog and Goytre netted five times at home to Caldicot Town and away at Ely Rangers respectively. Caerau Ely also won by the odd-goal-in-seven, winning 4-3 at Briton Ferry.

In the Huws Gray Cup semi-final, Caersws beat Llandudno 2-0 to set up a final clash with Conwy Borough, while Llanrhaeadr picked up a point at the bottom of the table as they held Guilsfield to a 0-0 draw at home.

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Welsh League and Huws Gray/Welsh Alliance round-up

Haverfordwest’s hopes of a Welsh League title and return to the Premier league look severely perilous after being held to a scoreless draw by Aberdare Town.

The result leaves County fourth, trailing leaders Taffs Well by six points, and they need to get back to winning ways quickly having only won one of their last six in all competitions if they are to realise their aim of a promotion back to the big league.

The Wellmen are five points clear of Cambrian & Clydach and AFC Porth after a 3-1 victory at Tata Steel, Tyrone Topper helping them with a stunning brace.

Cambrian kept up the chase with a victory over fierce rivals Monmouth Town. Steve Turner and Josh Ryall scored their goals, as they remained on the same points as AFC Porth, who edged Caerleon by the odd-goal-in-five in a 3-2 win.

At the other end of the table, Goytre United's recent renewed vigour continued as they recorded a vital 2-0 win at Cwmbran Celtic with Josh Clark and Craig Steins finding the net.

Elsewhere, Jordan Cotterill netted a hat-trick as Barry Town won 4-1 at Bryntirion Athletic, with TJ Nagi getting the fourth. Jack Delve hit Bryntirion’s reply.

In Division Two, leaders Goytre were held to a 0-0 draw at Caerau Ely, while there were huge victories for Undy Athletic and Briton Ferry Llansawel, winning 6-1 at Ammanford and 7-0 at home to Ely Rangers respectively.

Cwmaman Institute’s miserable and winless season continued as Danny Edwards, Luke Young and Declan Flanagan goals condemned them to a 3-0 defeat at Newport YMCA.

In Division Three, second-placed AFC Lwydcoed edged an 11-goal thriller 6-5 at bottom side Treharris Western Athletic, while top side Cardiff Met went down 2-1 at Pontypridd Town in third.

Elsewhere, Bridgend Street and Chepstow Town fought out a hugely entertaining 3-3 draw.

The arctic weather which has recently hit North Wales almost decimated the Huws Gray Alliance league programme for a second week running, with only three games surviving on Saturday.

Neither leaders Rhyl nor nearest challengers Cefn Druids were in action, but there was an early goal flourish at Caersws who fought out a 1-1 draw with visitors Buckley Town at the Recreation Ground.

The hosts took a dramatic first minute lead thanks to a great strike by Mark Jones, but from the restart, Buckley hit back when former Bangor City marksman Alan Bull netted to immediately equalise.

Despite the efforts of both sides, defences dominated and neither managed to add anything to the scoreboard.

A Christian Jenkins goal was enough to give Penryncoch all three points at Flint Town United, with the home side blowing the chance to salvage a point following a late penalty miss by Aaron Edwards.

In the only other game to survive, Conwy Borough thumped visitors Llanrhaeadr 6-1. Toby Jones led the way with a brace, with debutant Teddy Whelan, Danny Desormeaux, Lloyd Ellams and Scott Beckett completing the rout. Joe Vaughan netted a late consolation for the visitors.

The weather has already taken its toll on the Easter Monday programme, with all scheduled games postponed.

Caernarfon Town and Denbigh are locked together at the head of the Welsh Alliance after they won yesterday against Llanberis and Gwalchmai respectively.

Llangefni had yet another bad day at the office as the basement club made it 16 defeats in 19 league games this season with a 5-0 home defeat against Glantraeth.

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Haverfordwest suffer promotion blow at hands of Goytre United

Haverfordwest’s possible Welsh Premier League return was derailed slightly on the weekend, while the entire Huws Gray Alliance schedule was wiped out by the north Wales weather.

Haverfordwest, who are chasing the Welsh league Division One title, went down 1-0 at home to relegation-threatened Goytre United in one of the day’s shock results.

An unstoppable Joe Clarke free-kick on 35 minutes won the day for the visitors, who showed guts and determination throughout to limit the title challenger’s chances.

The Bluebirds are now four points behind leaders Taffs Well having played the same number of games and are just one ahead of Monmouth, but the third-placed side have three games in hand.

The result moves United above Bridgend Town and Tata Steel in to 13^th in the table. They are now five points clear of basement side Caerleon, although the Gwent club have a game in hand.

Tata Steel fought out a goalless draw at AFC Porth, Christian Orchard missing a penalty for the home side after 38 minutes to help the visitors earn a vital point in their own battle against relegation. That draw moves them three points ahead of Caerleon, whose game at home to Taffs Well was called off.

Barry Town came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Aberdare. The visitors had established a cushion through Lewis Hitchcock and Richard French, kitted out in Barry’s away strip after forgetting their own, but Jordan Cotterall and Lewis Cosslett levelled matters.

Three games also survived in Division Two, including Undy Athletic and Ely Rangers both registering 4-0 away wins at Cardiff Corinthians and Cwmaman Institute respectively.

Cwmaman’s defeat made it 89 goals conceded in 23 games with just 18 finding the back of the opposition's net. They have managed only two draws in what has been a dismal league campaign.

The other match saw Penrhiwceiber Rangers and Briton Ferry Llansawel fight out a 1-1 draw.

The only game to be played in Division Three saw Cardiff Grange Harlequins triumph 2-0 away at Newcastle Emlyn.

In the Huws Gray Alliance, Rhyl were forced to put the champagne on ice as their hopes of wrapping up the title and securing a return to the Welsh Premier League were thwarted by the postponment of their home match against nearest rivals Cefn Druids.

Leading by 15 points with just five matches remaining, the Lilywhites required only a solitary point against the Druids to seal the league title.

But after the club fought to get the game on, the league ordered it to be called off despite the local council and police declaring the roads safe for supporters.

Chairman Paul Higginson said the club was “very disappointed” with the decision, but that they are confident of having the league won by the time of the re-arranged fixture.

“The ground and weather here are fine to play,” he said on the day. “We were advised at about 10.30 that Cefn Druids had applied for a postponement due to being unable to travel.

“We were able to get here but we don’t know the circumstances around Cefn.”

League secretary Chas Rowland explained the decision to call off the fixture was on the grounds of safety, saying: “The roads are treacherous in North Wales and so travelling would have put people’s lives at risk.

“Unfortunately, [an entire league program being called off] isn’t an uncommon thing. It’s happened this season and it certainly happened last season.”

The Rhyl-Cefn Druids fixture was the last to fall on Saturday (March 23) morning.

In the only game played in the Welsh Alliance, Holywell romped to a 10-0 victory at Nefyn United. Ian Griffiths bagged a hat-trick for the Wellmen, with Steve Thomas, Sam Jones, Paul Williams, Graeme Williams, Ashley Durham, Mark Orme and Tony Roebuck getting the others.

The result moves them within three points of league leaders Caernarfon Town, with a game in hand, and this thrashing followed on from a mid-week 7-1 drubbing of Llandudno Junction.

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Welsh Cup quarter-final predictions

TNS head to Haverfordwest tonight (March 1) to kick off the weekend’s Welsh Cup quarter-final action, with the remaining three games taking place tomorrow (March 2).

With three former Welsh Premier League (WPL) sides re-living their glory days throughout this Cup run, they will be hoping to give the Welsh League and Huws Gray Alliance a presence in the final four.

Five of the current top six in the Welsh Premier League stand in their way of lifting the age-old trophy, and with the furore surrounding the “first major trophy” comments made about Swansea City’s Capital One Cup victory last weekend, it’s a chance for Wales’ major Cup competition to fight its own corner.

Haverfordwest County v TNS

Friday night’s encounter sees the defending champions and WPL leaders TNS head to west Wales for a potentially tricky encounter with Welsh League Division One high flyers Haverfordwest County.

The Bluebirds are looking to make their first semi-final since the memorable 2004/05 season, and will be hoping to pull off a real shock at Bridge Meadow Stadium.

They have lost only three of their last 15 games in all competitions stretching back to September, scoring 41 and conceding 21 in that period.

TNS have also been in pretty solid form as of late. They are unbeaten in four since losing the Word Cup final to Carmarthen Town on penalties in January, but were also unbeaten in six before that since a league defeat, again to Carmarthen, in November.

They have kept 14 clean sheets this season in all competitions, and will be looking for a 15^th tonight. They may not get it, but it should be fairly comfortable for the Premier League side and they shouldn’t have too many scares.

Prediction: Haverfordwest 1-4 TNS

Flint Town United v Barry Town

Saturday sees six-time winners Barry Town make the long trip north to face Flint Town United of the Huws Gray Alliance, meaning there will be at least one non-WPL side in the last four.

Flint despatched Cardiff side Caerau Ely in the last round in a match surrounded by controversy after two postponements, a switch to south Wales, appeal, and switch back up north.

In their six matches since in all competitions, they have won three, drawn one and lost two, so will be hoping to avoid making those stats symmetrical tomorrow.

Barry are expecting a large following for this tie, and will be hoping to continue a run of form that has seen them lose only once in five matches.

Their last three matches have each seen at least five goals, so this could contain more, but then how many times is that predicted and the opposite follows?

Prediction: Flint Town United 1-2 Barry Town

Bangor City v Airbus UK

This all-WPL tie (third v second) sees one of the tournament’s most illustrious sides face one with almost no tournament history.

Bangor have won the cup eight times, and finished runner-up on nine occasions – more than any club excluding the “big three” (Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham). They won three on the bounce from 2008-10, and will be hoping for a trophy shot after their league challenge fell away.

Their win over Carmarthan Town in their last match was their first league victory in 10, and they will be hoping for another resurgent display.

Airbus UK would love to add a trophy to their continual improvements in the WPL, and will be in touching distance of a maiden Cup win should they triumph at The Book People Stadium.

Their form has been a little disjointed of late, with no real run of form being established. This gives them the unpredictable nature that Cup football thrives on, and could see them progress.

Prediction: Bangor City 1-2 Airbus UK

Carmarthen Town v Prestatyn Town

The final quarter final is another all-WPL affair, with Carmarthen looking to make it two Cup wins in one season after their Word Cup triumph over TNS on penalties back in January.

The Old Gold lost Jonathan Hood to Caerau this week, and find themselves seven points worse off than their opponents in the WPL Championship table with eight wins, six draws and nine defeats.

They needed extra time to knock Bala Town out in the last round, and added to that penalty win over TNS, this looks like it may also go the distance.

Prestatyn have been, like Bangor, sliding down the WPL table with only two wins in 10 in all competitions (one of those against West End in the previous round).

They have registered 19 goals in that time, but also conceded 30, and there is little to suggest this game won’t also end in pain for the visitors.

Prediction: Carmarthen 3-2 (after extra time)

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Title hopefuls do battle once more throughout Welsh football leagues

Bangor City made it nine league games without a win on Saturday (February 16), with a 1-1 draw at Port Talbot Town that looks to have blown their chances of a fourth Welsh Premier League title.

Bangor now sit 11 points behind leaders TNS and four behind second-placed Airbus UK, with both clubs having a game in hand, and the Citizens face an uphill task to secure an automatic Europa League spot.

Port Talbot took the lead in the 32nd minute following good work by David Brooks, who got around former Llanelli full back Kris Thomas, making his Bangor debut, and pulled the ball back from the by-line for James Bloom to stab home.

The goal came just after Robbie Booth had spurned a great chance to put Bangor ahead, his drive forcing a fine save from Port Talbot ‘keeper Steven Hall.

Bangor drew level on 57 when Port Talbot failed to deal with a teasing cross into the area from Sion Edwards and Chris Simm was first to react and force the ball past Hall for his 19th strike of the season, and his sixth goal in eight games in 2013.

Bangor did have the ball in the net just two minutes from time but Les Davies was adjudged to have been offside before his header hit the net to keep the winless streak going.

Troubled Llanelli earned themselves a massive boost in their bid to avoid relegation, coming from behind to beat Newtown 2-1 at Latham Park. Luke Boundfield put the Robins in the lead, but Steffan Lloyd levelled for the Reds before the interval, and Craig Moses fired the winner seven minutes from time to earn himself hero status in the town for the foreseeable future.

Outside the top tier in the Huws Gray Alliance League, Robbie James was the hat-trick hero for Cefn Druids as they trounced lowly Ruthin 6-1 and Martin Ziemann also bagged a hat-trick in Guilsfield’s 6-1 romp over Rhayader Town.

Buckley Town were convincing 4-0 victors at Holyhead thanks to goals by Matt Hughes, Carl Lamb, John Leonard and Alan Bull, while Conwy Borough failed to take advantage of Rhyl not playing when they were held 3-3 at home by Penrhyncoch, meaning Rhyl still hold a 13-point gap at the top and now have a game in hand.

The leaders were in action in the second round of the Huws Gray Cup away at Caersws, and tasted defeat for only the second time this season (the other being at TNS in the Welsh Cup). Leading 3-2 in the last minute, Mark Griffiths scored for the home side to force extra time, and they eventually triumphed 5-4 on penalties.

Denbigh are top of the Welsh Alliance, one point clear of Caernarfon Town, after they won 5-3 at Llanberis. A 6-1 thumping of Llandudno Junction kept Carernarfon in the chase as well.

In the Welsh League Division One, West End and Barry Town took advantage of Taffs Well not having a fixture by cutting down The Wellmen’s lead at the top of the table to four points by winning their respective games.

West End gained an impressive 3-1 victory at Tata Steel with Kieron Cullen grabbing a brace, while Barry Town hammered near-neighbours Bridgend Town 5-2 at Jennar Park – TJ Nagi (two), Michael Hartley, Ryan Evans and Jordan Cotterill getting the home side’s goals.

West End have two games in hand over Taffs Well, but Barry have played two games more than the leaders.

Monmouth Town moved level on points with defending champions Cambrian and Clydach with a 2-1 win, Nick Harry and a Dan MacDonald secured the win.

Haverfordwest County join those two sides on 30 points, just five behind Taffs Well, with a 2-1 victory at Porth, in what is becoming a six-team fight for the title.

In Division Two, leaders Goytre lost their 100 per cent record this season with a 1-0 home loss to Dinas Powys.

Ammanford cut the gap on the leaders to 11 points by winning 3-2 at Croesyceiliog, but Goytre do have two games in hand.

Briton Ferry Llansawel and Newport YMCA won to climb to third and fourth respectively after Aberbargoed Buds went down 1-0 at home to Caerau and drop to fifth.

In Division Three, leaders Cardiff Met University didn’t play, but AFC Llwydcoed missed the chance to further close the gap at the top after being held 4-4 at home by Newport Civil Service, meaning the gap is now three points.

Third placed Llantwit Major triumphed 5-1 at bottom club Abertillery Bluebirds, while Risca United climbed above Llanwern in to fifth with 1 2-0 at Bridgend Street, coupled with Llanwern losing by the same scoreline at home to fourth place Pontypridd Town.

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Bangor-Prestatyn thriller opens Welsh Premier phase two

There was a six-goal thriller at the Nantporth Stadium on Saturday (February 9), as ten-man Prestatyn Town hit a 93^rd minute equaliser to draw 3-3 with Bangor City.

It was a thrilling start to phase two of the season, with Andy Parkinson putting the visitors ahead on 13 minutes.

But their task was made more difficult by midfielder Jason Price seeing red for his second bookable offence just 10 minutes later. Levi Mackin equalised for Bangor, but Parkinson again struck to put Prestatyn back in front.

Two goals in as many minutes from Chris Simm and Les Davies looked to have killed off the Prestatyn resistance, but two missed penalties came back to haunt Bangor when Michael Parker struck deep in to injury time to earn a share of the spoils for the away side.

League leaders TNS moved 10 points clear of Airbus UK in the Championship section thanks to a 5-0 hammering of Port Talbot Town at Park Hall Stadium. Joint top scorers Michael Wilde (two) and Alex Darlington both found the net, and two last minute goals from Ryan Fraughan and substitute Greg Draper sealed the win.

Bottom side Afan Lido opened the second phase of the Conference section with a much-needed win away at troubled Llanelli. Two goals in the last six minutes from Luke Borrelli and Chris Hartland secured a 2-0 win, while Llanelli’s Lee Hartshorn and Afan Lido substitute Damon Thomas were sent off.

In the Welsh league, West End took advantage of Barry Town’s heavy 5-0 defeat at home to Taffs Well on Friday night by hammering AFC Porth by the same scoreline at Pri Deri Park.

The result sees them close the gap on Barry in third to just one point, courtesy of Sam Brown and Ashleigh Curtis netting a brace each, and Jordan Davies adding another.

Another late, late strike from Carl Clement earned Tata Steel a vital point at Aberdare Town in their fight against relegation. John Phillips and Chris Miethke put the home side 2-0 up with 20 minutes left. But Miethke saw red almost straight after his strike and Chris Parfitt and Clement capitalised to snatch a point.

The result leaves Tata Steel six points clear of bottom side Goytre United, who shared a 2-2 draw of their own at Caerleon. Stephen Hughes’ 89th-minute goal for Goytre cancelled out Ollie Beckett’s 87th-minute strike for Caerleon, meaning another frantic late finish for the weekend. Michael Waters had earlier put Goytre ahead, but Luke Palmer levelled for the home side.

Elsewhere, Cwmbran Celtic beat Pontardawe Town 2-1 thanks to goals from Owen Llewellyn and Ratesh Patel, while Haverfordwest beat Bryntirion 1-0.

Huws Gray Alliance leaders Rhyl continued their unbeaten league season and moved on to 60 points by putting six past Penrhyncoch at Cae Baker.

Steve Lewis (two), Paul McManus (two), Dave Forbes and Liam Benson were on target, making it 19 wins from 22 league games this season, and 83 goals scored along the way.

Second-placed Conwy Borough kept up their fight to stay with them courtesy of a 3-0 win at Rhydymwyn - Toby Jones, Steven Connor and Josh Griffiths grabbing their goals.

Another 3-3 thriller was fought out between Penycae and Ruthin Town. The home side were trailing 3-1 with just minutes to go, but Ian Oliver Davies and Paul Griffiths netted twice in as many minutes to salvage a draw that keeps them five points ahead of bottom side Llanrhaeadr.

Elsewhere, Cefn Druids won 2-0 at Llandudno, while Buckley Town triumphed by the same scoreline at Rhayader Town.

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Second phase of Welsh Premier in confusion after Connahs Quay points deduction

Connahs Quay Nomads thought they had secured their place in the top six of the Welsh Premier League before the mid-season split with an action-packed 6-3 win over 10-man Bala Town, before it emerged they were to be deducted a point for fielding an ineligible player.

The Nomads introduced Lee Davey as a late substitute in their fixture with Carmarthen Town on January 5, but it has emerged that he had already appeared for Colwyn Bay and Conwy Borough this term – and it is not permitted for a player to appear for three teams in one season.

A statement from the Welsh Premier League on the incident concluded: “The panel decided to deduct the club one Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League point and fine them £250 for fielding Lee Davey as a late substitute in the league match against Carmarthen Town.

“Gap Connahs Quay has seven business days in which to appeal the decision. The club is perfectly within its rights to appeal.

“The Corbett Sports Welsh Premier League is aware that this may impact the beginning of the second phase of the [season].”

Connahs Quay have decided to appeal the decision, meaning there could be a delay to the start of the second phase.

A statement read: "We apologise for any disruption that might occur to our colleagues as we take our right to appeal. We believe we are innocent of the charge brought against us by the FAW as both prosecution and jury.

"We are taking this fight forward and hope you will appreciate that, if we allow this injustice to proceed, we weaken all of the clubs.

"It could easily be you charged similarly next. If the official Welsh FA registrations database is not to be trusted and is dismissed by the FAW as just advisory, then how are clubs to protect themselves in this situation?

"We will avail of our right to appeal until no appeal process is left open to us. Unfortunately this may take some time."

So fans are now awaiting on the result of that appeal to find out who will nab that sixth place, and the fixtures for the second phase can be finalised.

On the field, Bala could have secured their own place in the top half during a frantic encounter with the Nomads, but a red card for defender Conall Murtagh for a two-footed lunge after five minutes made that all the more difficult.

A Ben Collins own goal put Connahs Quay ahead, but Bala equalised when Lewis Codling slotted through the legs of John Rushton after a delightful chip in to the area from Lee Hunt.

An even half, in which Bala squandered numerous chances, was then rounded off by a fine first senior goal by Connahs Quay’s Ryan Edwards from long range.

The Nomads dominated the second half and four Mike Hayes goals out-scored a penalty by Hunt and a Stuart Jones header for Bala.

Carmarthen had pushed Connahs Quay for that sixth place with a 4-2 win over fellow top six hopefuls Newtown, but missed out on goal difference - a mere two goals. Their srikes came via recent signings Geoff Kellaway and Christian Doidge both netting a brace for the Old Gold.

Newtown had twice taken the lead through Luke Boundford and Shane Sutton, but the hosts slowly grabbed control.

If the FAW upholds its decision, then it would be Carmarthen who take that coveted sixth place and a shot at European football next term.

Elsewhere, league leaders TNS ended Aberystwyth Town’s very slim hopes of a top six finish. They triumphed 3-0, with a brace by Alex Darlington and a goal from substitute Kai Edwards, in a game they largely dominated from start to finish.

Third-placed Bangor City shared a 2-2 draw with fifth-placed Port Talbot Town. There were two braces here also, one for either side, with Port Talbot’s Ashley Evans giving them the lead and then later rescuing a point after Bangor’s Chris Simm had scored two goals of his own.

Finally, struggling Afan Lido continued their torrid season, keeping up their average of conceding three goals a game by going down 3-1 at Airbus UK.

Wayne Riley gave Airbus the perfect start on three minutes, before Steve Tomassen and Phil Bolland put the home side three up in just 26 minutes.

Kieran Howard gave the score some respectability for Afan Lido on 75 minutes.

In the Welsh Cup fourth round, Huws Gray Alliance side Flint Town United overcame Cardiff outfit Caerau Ely 3-1, in a game surrounded by pre-match controversy.

After two postponements, competition rules state the tie should be switched to the ground of the away side. After Flint appealed, the FAW sided with them and Caerau reluctantly made the long trip up north for a second time.

They were undone by two goals in two minutes from Sean Beck and Stuart Hughes. Nathan Pete added a third before Keyon Reffell pulled one back and was then sent off in the last minute.

In the Huws Gray Alliance League, Rhyl maintain their 14-point lead at the top after demolishing Rhydymwyn 7-1.  Dave Forbes, Paul MacManus, Tom Rowlands, Mark Evans, Steff Halewood and James Gambino (two) got the goals, with Dan Drazdauskas scoring a consolation for Rhydymwyn.

Conwy Borough are second after a hard-fought win over Penycae, while there was an exciting finish at Llandudno where Ruthin Town came from 4-1 down with 10 minutes to go to draw 4-4 and move off the bottom.

It was also an eventful day in the Welsh League Division One – top two Taffs Well and Barry Town winning seven goal thrillers. Barry came from 3-1 down at half-time to defeat Monmouth Town 4-3, and Taffs Well won by the same scoreline over Haverfordwest County in a game full of incident.

Taffs Well now head to Barry on February 8 for a mouth-watering top of the table dual.

Elsewhere, Darren Griffiths notched five as West End triumphed 7-3 at Bryntirion Athletic, and there were wins for Aberdare Town, Tata Steel, Cambrian & Clydach and Pontardawe Town, in a truly remarkable day for Welsh football that will live long in the memory.

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The New Saints regain top spot with five star show

Welsh football weekend round-up

THE New Saints went back to the top of the Welsh Premier League with an Alex Darlington hat-trick helping them thrash 10-man Port Talbot Town 5-0.

Prestatyn had gone top following their 4-1 home victory over GAP Connah’s Quay on Friday night but Saints underlined their tag as title favourites to go into first place on goal difference as Paul Keddle was sent off for Port Talbot.

Darlington pounced after just five minutes and when he doubled the lead from the penalty spot the result was never in doubt. Chris Seargeant added a third before Darlington completed his first-half treble just prior to the interval. Michael Wilde finished the rout on the hour mark.

Rumours circulated that Llanelli boss Andy Legg and assistant Steve Jenkins had walked out of the club an hour before their home game against Bala was due to kick-off.

However, despite the squad not being paid for the last two months, Legg and Jenkins were in the dugout to see the Reds beaten 4-1 by a side struggling themselves on the pitch.

Mark Connolly, Kenny Lunt and Ian Sheridan put Bala 3-0 up, Martin Rose pulled one back for the hosts, but Lewis Codling sealed the three points in injury-time.

A second-minute Chris Simm strike gave Bangor a 1-0 win at Carmarthen and Airbus continued their goof form with a commanding 5-1 hammering of lowly Aberystwyth. Steve Abbot was the second scorer of a hat-trick in the Welsh Premier while Wayne Riley and Ryan Wade also found the net.

A Mark Jones own goal five minutes from time gifted Newtown a 3-2 win at Afan Lido. In a crazy second-half, Steve Blenkinsop gave Newtown the lead, Kieran Howard levelled straight away then three minutes later Zac Evans’s penalty made it 2-1 to the visitors.

Paul Evans equalised and just when a draw was looking the likely outcome, Jones turned the ball into his own net.

Barry Town moved back to the top of the first division of the Welsh League thanks to TJ Nagi’s winner against basement boys Tata Steel.

Jason Davies’s first-half strike saw AFC Porth beat Bridgend Town 1-0 to stay in touch with Barry while Swansea side West End blasted seven past Cwmbran Celtic in a 7-2 romp. Darren Griffiths, Sam Brown and Jeff Aspinall all scored twice while Richard Evans got the remaining goal.

Defending champions Cambrian & Clydach eased to a 3-0 win over Bryntirion Athletic 3-0 thanks to goals from Steve Turner, Liam Hutchinson and Tom Walbeoff.

In division two there was a 10-goal thriller as Caerau (Ely) drew 5-5 with Croesyceiliog and, not to be out done, the match at Cwmaman Institute also had 10 goals in it, but the hosts weren’t so lucky as Goytre left with a 7-3 triumph. Meanwhile, AFC Llwydcoed thrashed Bettws 8-0 in division three.

In the Huws Gray Alliance, Rhyl’s 100% record came to an end as they were held to a 2-2 draw at Buckley Town.

The seasiders led 2-0 through Mark Evans and a Paul McManus penalty but the home side fought back with Derek Taylor scoring twice after the break to secure a deserved point.

Rhyl’s nearest challengers, Cefn Druids, took all three points from their clash at Ruthin Town, running out 2-1 victors in a match which had a frantic finale.

Druids opened the scoring in the first period through Warren Duckett then, with four minutes left on the clock, Rhys Darlington added a second but Ruthin hit back with a last-minute effort from Eilir Edwards.

Flint Town went down to a surprise 3-1 defeat at the hands of bottom club Porthmadog whose goals came from Graham Boylan, Chris Williams and Loen Newell. Sam Jones scored Flint’s goal but they were reduced to 14 men in the closing stages.

A Lee Davey brace gave Conwy Borough a deserved 2-0 triumph at Penrhyncoch while top scorers yesterday were Caersws who moved into third place with a 5-0 thrashing of Holyhead Hotspur. Mark Griffiths netted twice and Scott Williams, Iwan Lewis and Neil Mitchell were also on target.

There was a dramatic end to the game at Rhayader where an injury-time strike by Will Thomas gave Guilsfield a thrilling 4-3 win. Luke Evans and Mike Collister (2) were Rhayader’s scorers while Guilsfield’s other goals came from John Harris and Ian Probert.

Rhydymwyn had Lee Reynolds to thank for their 1-0 victory over Llandudno while Rob Fox scored the only goal in Llanrhaeader’s defeat of Penycae.

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McGregor's late show earns leaders a point

A MARK McGregor equaliser in the seventh minute of injury-time rescued a 1-1 draw for Huws Gray Alliance leaders GAP Connah’s Quay at rivals Buckley Town.

The hosts must have thought they’d done enough to close the gap on their opponents at the top of the table but McGregor struck deep into time added on to break Buckley hearts.

Carl Lamb had given the team in third the lead just after the hour mark but in the end it wasn’t quite enough.

Second-placed Rhyl reduced the deficit on Connah’s Quay thanks to a 4-0 win over Penrhyncoch courtesy of two goals from Dave Forbes and one each for Paul McManus and Rus Courtney.

A Darren Thomas brace and a goal from Iwan Williams helped Porthmadog overcome a spirited Caersws 3-2. Neil Mitchell also struck twice for Caersws.

The surprise of the day came at Flint Town United where the home side were undone by two Ruthin goals in the space of six second-half minutes. Jack Crompton and Craig Papirnyk were on target while Flint had Adam Eden sent off late on.

Conwy United were 4-0 winners away at Penycae, Dean Canning was among the goals with a double, Llangefni and Llanrhaeadr fought out a 2-2 draw and there was a very late finish at Guilsfield.

Ed Baldwin, who had already scored in the hosts’ 4-1 win over Rhos Aelwyd, had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering a broken leg. Danny Barton, with two, and Nathan Leonard got Guilsfield’s other goals.

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gap Connahs Quay maintain advantage at the top

Pacemakers gap Connahs Quay maintained their seven point lead at the top of the Huws Gray Alliance with a clinical 3-0 triumph at Ruthin Town.

The Nomads made light work of their hosts, Mike Robinson opening the scoring before the interval with Mark McGregor and Jamie Petrie completing the scoreline.

Buckley Town crushed Porthmadog 6-2 to step up their title challenge as they moved up to second in the table, with two games in hand over the leaders.

The Trotters were on top from the outset and their reward came as early as the fifth minute, when Gareth Edwards netted before scoring his second ten minutes later, while Anthony Williams, Andy Moran, Matt Hughes and Derek Taylor were also on target to complete the rout.

Meanwhile, Rhyl also put down a marker for their title intent with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Conwy United, with all of their goals coming in a fantastic second half display at Y Morfa.

The Lilywhites' breakthrough came on 60 minutes when Paul Mooney bagged his first of the match, before the floodgates opened seeing Mooney strike again, with Mike Pritchard, James Gambino and an own goal also adding to their tally.

Llandudno cruised to their eighth win of the season, putting strugglers Llangefni to the sword with a 6-0 drubbing at Cae Bob Parry.

Lee Thomas was the hat-trick hero of the day for the visitors, while Joe Morgan, Dean Seager and Darren Gowans were also on target.

Elsewhere, Rhos Aelwydd moved off the bottom of the table thanks to a 4-2 home victory over fellow strugglers Penycae.

Roy Caradus was the star man for the hosts notching up a hat-trick, while Steve Powell also got on the scoresheet.

Finally, there were also wins for Penrhyncoch, who notched up a 2-0 home victory over Guilsfield, and Caersws, who bagged a 4-0 success at Llanrhaedr.

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Lilywhites lose unbeaten home record

THERE were goals aplenty in the Huws Gray Alliance last weekend, but unfortunately for Rhyl, the only one scored in their match saw them lose their unbeaten home record.

A 24^th-minute Steve Morrison strike was all it took for mid-table Llandudno to bring Rhyl’s 10-game run at Belle Vue to an end.

That came on Friday night at the same time leaders Gap Connahs Quay were thumping bottom side Rhos Aelwyd 6-0. A Gary O’Toole hat-trick, along with goals from Mark McGregor, Jamie Petrie and Mike Robinson, completed the rout.

Not to be outdone, Mike Burke of second-placed Buckley Town also hit a treble as his side beat Llangefni Town 4-1 at home. Anthony Lipton got the other goal while Rory Courlander scored a consolation for the visitors.

An injury-time leveller by Jason Wood salvaged a point for Ruthin Town against Cefn Druids, who are now eight points off the lead. They must have thought they’d won it when Mark Harris netted with 10 minutes left but Ruthin were to have the last say.

Flint Town and Penycae went goal crazy in the closing stages of their tussle at Cae-y-Castell. Stewart Carroll’s penalty had put Flint 1-0 up early in the second-half before Ian Williams equalised on 82 minutes.

However, two goals in two minutes, from Shaun Beck and Jamie Watkinson, gave Flint a 3-1 success.

Penrhyncoch came from a goal down to see off Llanrhaeadr 3-1 with Jon Foligno, John Evans and Elwyn Edwards notching the goals. Tom Evans replied.

A solitary Gareth Jones strike was enough for Guilsfield to claim all three points against Caersws and Ian Pattinson, Dean Canning, Eddie Jebb with a penalty and John Owen were all on the mark for Conwy United in a 4-2 win at Porthmadog.

Clive Williams and a Danny Roberts own goal had made it 2-2 at one stage before the visitors pulled clear.

By David Williams

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Late Petrie strike rounds off Gap victory

Gap Connahs Quay took advantage of Rhyl’s postponed game against Penycae to open up a four-point gap at the top of the Huws Gray Alliance.

The league leaders eased to a 3-0 win at Llangefni Town thanks to a Lee Hughes own goal, a Craig Jones’ strike and Jamie Petrie’s late effort.

Andrew Starbrick scored the winner for Cefn Druids as they came from a goal down to see off the challenge of Porthmadog. Druids now sit fifth in the table with only goal difference separating them and Saturday’s opponents.

A Chris Riley goal seven minutes before the interval was enough for Flint Town United to claim the win at Caersws while a second-half Jack Crompton strike gave Ruthin Town all three points at Llanrhaeadr.

Conwy United won by the odd goal in three at home to Guilsfield, John Owen firing home both their goals and following a goalless first-half on Friday night, Buckley Town won 3-1 at Llandudno Town to go level on points with Rhyl.

Mike Burke and Matty Hughes put the visitors into a comfortable position and even though the hosts pulled one back through Lee Thomas, Neil Wynne sealed the triumph.

Saturday’s remaining match between bottom side Rhos Aelwyd and Penrhyncoch was another to fall foul of the weather.

By David Williams

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