‘Cemented’ – Cambrian United hat-trick hero sends clear message after Llandudno victory

Alex Bonthron could hardly have made a stronger case for a starting spot after firing a perfect hat-trick as Cambrian United beat Llandudno 4-3.

The 33-year-old had been waiting for his first Cymru Premier goal of the season after starting Cambrian’s opening four matches without finding the net.

Since then, Bonthron had been coming off the bench and was an unused substitute against Penybont.

But Liam Williams put his faith in the experienced forward for Saturday’s home match with Llandudno and was rewarded with three goals in a thrilling victory.

Bonthron scored with his left foot, his head and his right foot, with Liam Eason supplying the assist for all three.

“I’ve been unlucky not to start the last few games, to be honest,” Bonthron said to Rhondda Radio.

“I think I cemented my place now after a nice three goals.”

Bonthron stars as Cambrian bounce back

The hat-trick came as Cambrian produced the perfect response to their heavy 9-1 defeat to Caernarfon Town.

Eason had opened the scoring with a free-kick before turning provider for Bonthron, who struck twice in the first half.

His first was a left-footed finish before he completed the second part of his perfect hat-trick with a header in the 38th minute.

Bonthron then completed the set early in the second half, finding the net with his right foot to put Cambrian in a commanding position.

It was a remarkable turnaround for a player who had not previously scored a top-flight goal this season. Now he has three.

Llandudno fight back to set up dramatic finish

Cambrian looked in control for much of the first half, but Llandudno made sure the visitors had to work for all three points.

Kieran Lloyd pulled one back shortly after Bonthron’s third before Callum Stephens made it 4-2 in the 72nd minute.

Marc Williams then scored Llandudno’s third with 10 minutes remaining to set up a tense finish.

Bonthron admitted Cambrian struggled to cope with Llandudno’s direct approach after the break.

“I thought we completely controlled the first half,” he said.

“It fell apart a bit in the second half; they got into the game a bit. We just couldn’t deal with the long balls.

“The early goal in the second half should have killed it. They just got back into the game; as soon as they got back into the game, they had their guts behind them.

“They kept lumping it in our box and we couldn’t deal with it. Three points are three points.”

Liam Eason earns praise after three assists

While Bonthron was the obvious headline-maker, manager Williams was keen to highlight the contribution of Eason.

The forward opened the scoring and then provided the assists for all three of Bonthron’s goals.

Williams believes Eason’s creative contribution can sometimes go under the radar.

“He’s in great form, scoring in every game,” Williams said.

“I think he had two or three assists. It’s another part of his game that goes unnoticed sometimes.

“A good performance from him and the same for Alex.”

Williams was also delighted with Bonthron’s response after finding himself on the bench in recent weeks.

“Excellent,” he said. “He’s come back in. He’s been on the bench the last few weeks. A great response from him.”

Cambrian climb above Llandudno

The victory moves Cambrian up to seventh in the Cymru Premier, with Saturday’s result seeing them overtake Llandudno.

For Bonthron, the priority now is to make sure the win is the start of something rather than a one-off response to the Caernarfon defeat.

“We bounced back really well after such a heavy defeat last week,” he said.

“We’ve just got to carry that on now and put in a good performance against the champions.”

Bonthron joined Cambrian in January and scored five goals in 12 Cymru South appearances.

The forward has also had a spell in the Cymru Premier with Llanelli Town, while spending much of his career in the lower divisions with clubs including Croesyceiliog and Cwmbran Celtic.

After finally opening his Cymru Premier account, he now has three goals from one afternoon and a very clear message for his manager.