Corwen’s first game of the 2014/15 campaign saw them face a trip to local rivals Ruthin Town. It was the first competitive match at Ruthin since the pitch was moved so it no longer overlaps the cricket field. This was also Corwen’s 3rd visit to Ruthin in 2014, with the previous meetings seeing Corwen win 2-0 in a league match, and Ruthin booking a League Cup Final place after a 2-1 extra time win.

The first real action of the match came in the 22nd minute, when Corwen keeper Jamie Bodden tipped the ball from a Pat Hinchcliffe shot over the crossbar. Despite getting the shot away the referee brought play back for a Ruthin free kick on the edge of the Corwen box. Ilan Hughes took the free kick, but he hit the ball straight at Jamie.

Corwen won a corner after hitting their hosts on the break after Jamie collected the free kick. Scott Evans took the corner, and he found the head of captain Sion Roberts, who saw his effort cleared off the line.

Sion Roberts turned provider shortly afterword’s, as his throw in found the head off Scott Evans, who played in Ioz Jones, who saw his effort go over the cross bar.

With 5 minutes of the first half to play Scott played a ball forward to striker Andrew Roberts, who had keeper Rich Parry running at him, but Andrew could only send his shot narrowly wide of the target.

The 4th minute of stoppage time saw Scott Evans play in Ioz Jones from a free kick, who saw his shot cleared, but only as far as Wil Roberts, who sent his first time shot from the edge of the box over the bar.

Corwen came out of the blocks early in the second half, and Ynyr Jones passed to Scott Evans, whose shot from the edge of the box went over the crossbar.

At the other end Sam Jones tried his luck to from a free kick, but he hit the ball straight at Jamie.

Scott managed to score twice direct from a corner kick last season, and he came agonisingly close to making it a hat-trick, but his effort hit the post on this occasion.

The hour mark saw Jamie punch the ball clear of his goal, but only as far as Hinchcliffe, who saw his effort hit a Corwen defender in the peaty area, and go clear. The deadlock was broken two minutes later, when Llyr Morris unleashed a powerful curling shot at the Corwen goal, which despite Jamie getting something on to the ball, he was helpless from preventing it going into the corner of the net.

After going a goal behind Corwen also had to make an enforced substitution, as Scott suffered a shoulder injury, and he was taken to the hospital as a precaution. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Even though it’s only the first game of the season, Corwen’s equaliser was already a candidate for goal of the season, as Dale Davies crossed to Ynyr Jones, who hit a spectacular left footed volley from the outside the penalty area, to leave Parry completely helpless on the goal line. Ynyr only scored one goal in the whole of the last campaign, and he will do well to better this one if he scores again this season!

Corwen had a couple of opportunities to find a winner in the closing stages, as Ioz hit a shot from distance over the crossbar, and Ioz also came close to heading home a 90th minute winner from a Sion Roberts throw, but he had the ball nicked off his head from the Ruthin keeper.

Gavin Billington