Flint Town United 1-1 The New Saints: Kai Edwards nets equaliser against ten-man Saints
Kai Edwards snatched a late equaliser for Flint against The New Saints in a pulsating game of football at the Essity Stadium.
The match between the top two sides in the Cymru Premier lived up to its billing with the game played at a ferocious pace.
Ryan Astles had given the league leaders the opening goal when he tapped in from Ryan Brobbel’s cross just before halftime. Leo Smith’s second yellow card saw Flint gain the momentum in the second half and after a spell of relentless pressure the hosts grabbed their equaliser when Kai Edwards pounced in the dying embers.
The two sides were able to carve out chances throughout the ninety minutes, with both teams hitting the frame of the goal at least once but a draw was the fair result on the night. TNS will certainly come away knowing they’d been in a contest and received eight yellow cards in an intense evening.
Dan Davies was the brightest spark in the game’s opening. His direct running down the TNS right was causing problems for Sam Hart and he fashioned the first chance of the match by jinking inside and curling past the post.
Declan McManus should have given TNS the lead after ten minutes. The Saint’s main route of attack was coming from their midfielders finding space in the inner channel and Danny Redmond popped up in the box from the left. His low cross found an unmarked McManus whose first-time shot was somehow deflected behind.
Flint began to find their footing in the game as the main battle came in the midfield. Neither side was able to fashion out any clear cut chances and shooting opportunities were limited to long-range. Jon Routledge and Leo Smith seeing efforts pushed away.
Half an hour in and TNS would have gone ahead had it not been for some heroic Flint defending. Ryan Astles nodded a downward header from a corner but Rushton was down smartly to save. A rook of Flint bodies enveloped the ball to stop a succession of shots before the ball was looped back into the goalmouth for another melee before finally being cleared.
The growing sense of a TNS goal was becoming inevitable and when Dan Davies skipped inside and rocked the near post with a shot it was only a matter of time. The breakthrough came when a short corner routine gave Brobbel space to pick out Astles in the box who had the easy task of tapping into the net from five yards out. TNS went into halftime with a deserved lead.
It seems TNS would continue their supremacy into the second half. Ten minutes in, Routledge ran unopposed into the Flint box and clipped the ball back to Declan McManus. The number nine did well to get a shot away with the ball behind him and struck the post.
Leo Smith’s two yellow cards in four minutes saw the game turn on its head however. Although Flint had held their own in the game they had been unable to carve out any chances. This changed immediately when from the resulting free-kick Michael Wilde’s header crashed against the TNS goal’s frame and bounced away.
Flint’s first real chance of open play should have seen them draw level. Jake Phillip played a sumptuous through ball to Alex Jones, but the Silkmen’s captain was unable to get the ball over Harrison with his toe-poke.
Moments later Flint came even closer when some last-ditch defending, this time from TNS saw the score remain the same. Ben Nash found himself open from a great free-kick and nodded the ball towards goal. Harrison made a terrific save with his feet and TNS cleared the ball off the line.
Flint were mounting wave after wave of pressure but TNS were able to catch them on the break. McManus had seen his shot from a half chance saved well and Jordan Williams evaded Kai Edwards to surge towards goal before Jon Rushton once more produced a fine save.
Flint’s man-advantage finally paid off in added time. Ben Nash’s shot was not dealt with by the TNS defence and when the ball fell to Kai Edwards the former Saints man pounced with a striker instinct to slot the ball into the back of the net. Cue mass Flint celebrations and desolation from the TNS players who had defended so resolutely since the sending off.
The result sees TNS remain seven points clear of the Silkmen and unbeaten this season. Flint become only the second side after Penybont to take points from the Saints and will remain in second place unless Newtown beat Caernarfon by four clear goals on Saturday.
Flint Town United: Jon Rushton (GK), Jake Phillips, Sam Hart, Ben Maher, Ben Nash, Kai Edwards, Jack Kenny (Mark Cadwallader 65’), Alex Jones (C), Michael Wilde, Ross Weaver (Ollie Nugent 72’), Conor Harwood
Goal: Edwards 90+1’
Yellow cards: Kenny 1’
The New Saints: Paul Harrison, Chris Marriott (C), Keston Davies, Ryan Astles, Jon Routledge, Ryan Brobbel, Declan McManus (Blaine Hudson 88’), Danny Redmond, Louis Robles (Jordan Williams 81’), Leo Smith, Dan Davies
Goal: Astles 42’
Yellow cards: Redmond 34’, Smith 57’, Brobbel 61’, Keston Davies 89’, Astles 90+2’, Williams 90+4’, Marriott 90+4’
Red Cards: Smith 61’
