Storm Brian fails to dampen JD Welsh Premier spirits

Storm Brian battered Wales over the weekend, but the JD Welsh Premier League battled on to produce some significant results which have kept the league table tighter than ever with ten games played.

Prestatyn 4-2 Bangor City

Prestatyn Town claimed the scalp of JD Welsh Premier giants Bangor City on Friday evening, beating them 4-2 at the Motion Finance Stadium.

The Citizens came into the fixture looking to end a disappointing run of results in which they had lost to Barry Town and Cardiff Met, but the Seasiders heaped further woe on Kevin Nicholson’s side in a pulsating fixture.

Neil Gibson’s Prestatyn found the opening goal via a Jack Kenny effort inside the first two minutes, however Town’s lead was short lived after a 7th minute Dean Rittenburg goal brought things level.

Despite the full time result it was Bangor who looked the more impressive side in the first half, with their slick style and organisation paying dividends in the 20th minute when Steven Hewitt controlled a 25 yard effort well to send Bangor 2-1 up.

Losing their lead proved to be a catalyst for Prestatyn who fought back to make it 2-2 at half time thanks to a finish from Reece Fairhurst, who was able to tap in a Stead corner after Ben Maher’s header attempt rebounded off the post.

The second half would go on to belong to Prestatyn as they unleashed a counter-attacking style on Bangor, who were reduced to 10 men after Shaw earned two yellow cards.

The home side finally began to pull away from Bangor when an impressive 25 yard shot from Maher curled into the top right corner of the Bangor net, in an effort widely proclaimed to be a goal of the season contender.

Although Bangor pressed hard for an equaliser, their loss was confirmed in the 90th minute when Kenny pounced on a mistake to secure his brace and a major result for Prestatyn in their search for top six qualification.

Aberystwyth 1-2 The New Saints 

Aberystwyth were looking to push on after finally securing their first win of the season against Llandudno, but they were undone by league leaders TNS in a credible but expected result at Park Avenue.

Neville Powell’s side got off to a good start, leading 1-0 via a 15th minute Declan Walker strike. Aberystwyth almost held this scoreline until the interval, but Greg Draper, who had rolled a shot wide in a clear chance for the Saints earlier on, beat keeper Mullan with a rebound shot to send the score to 1-1.

A spirited second half was played out by both sides, but a second goal from Draper in the 50th minute made all the difference and was enough to send TNS home with a hard fought three points.

Cardiff Met 2-0 Newtown 

Cardiff Met continued their fantastic JD Welsh Premier League form with a 2-0 win over Newtown to keep the Students second in the table behind TNS.

Coming off the back of a dramatic late win at Bangor, Met established themselves as the dominant side creating a number of good opportunities in the Newtown final third.

Their breakthrough came via a penalty when Luke Boundford was found guilty of handball, giving Adam Roscrow the chance to send Met ahead from the spot which he duly did.

And hot shot Roscrow wasn’t finished there, getting his brace in the second half to help pull away from a determined Newtown side. He got on the end of a Eliot Evans cross to double Cardiff’s lead on 63 minutes.

Despite the efforts of the Robin’s front line, Christian Edwards’ side held on the for the win to go just one point behind TNS and edge ever close to their second top six qualification in a row.

Connah’s Quay Nomads 1-1 Llandudno 

Connah’s Quay Nomads failed to capitalise on Bangor’s loss as they played out a 1-1 draw with Llandudno in front of live Sgorio cameras.

Andy Morrison’s side were scintillating in the first half, going ahead via Nathan Woolfe who headed home a cross from in-form Ryan Wignall.

The Nomads dominated much of the first 45 minutes but Llandudno held their own, deservedly getting back into the encounter in the second half when a trademark long range strike from Danny Hughes got the equaliser.

In torrid conditions, both sides searched for the winner but Andy Morrison and Alan Morgan were forced to settle for a point at full time. It will be seen as a better result for Llandudno, who had previously lost their last four games in the JD Welsh Premier.

Bala Town 2-0 Barry Town United 

Les Davies was the hero at Maes Tegid as his brace secured Bala’s second consecutive win as they continue to recover from a poor run of results.

Barry arrived at Bala hoping to cause another upset after their 1-0 win over Bangor in recent weeks, but Davies put the Lakesiders in front when he capitalised on a through ball sent by strike partner Michael Hayes.

Davies, or ‘Y Truck’ as his nickname goes, struck again in the 23rd minute finishing from the edge of the Barry area after good work Colin Caton’s men.

Barry were to go home empty handed after a professional performance from Bala who are now poised to climb the table and get back amongst the top four.

Cefn Druids 0-0 Carmarthen Town 

This game was the only Welsh Premier match to not conjure a single goal in what was a true stalemate at the Rock.

The result keeps Cefn Druids in the race for the top six, whilst Carmarthen’s situation becomes even more drastic as they sit bottom of the league with just one win from ten.

Featured Image: NCM Media

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