Flint edged out in feisty 5 goal thriller

In an all action game which saw 9 bookings (seven for the home side) Rhyl came back from behind twice before grabbing the winner.

No quarter was asked for or given as both sides went for it, in a cracking advertisment for the league, although Flint will be left ruing the fact that perhaps at times they were just too open, which ultimately cost them at least a share of the spoils. A debut was handed to Rob Jones in midfield, following his run out with the Reserves last weekend, and his calm and assured performance bodes well for the future.
With five minutes on the clock, Joe Palmer released Kyle Smyth, and the Flint marksman who is now starting to get back into his goalscoring groove was unlucky to see his effort come back off the post after chipping Rhyl keeper Rory Crowther, who went on to have an excellent match.
The Silkmen opened the scoring five minutes later, when a Palmer corner was met by Chris Budrys. His downward header caused a scramble in the box, and Flint skipper Carl Rodgers was on hand to blast the loosed ball into the roof of the net.
Ex-Flint favourite Stewart Carroll served notice for the visitors on 16 minutes, with a strike from the edge of the box that brought a good save from Nik Lee-Bulmer.
Around the 20 minute mark, the game was threatening to boil over, as tackles were flying in left right and centre, and no less than 4 Flint players entered the referee's notebook in quick succession, with Carroll having been the first to see yellow slightly earlier. Once again, in the heat of the game, the temperament of some of the Flint players has to be called into question, as indiscipline has dogged us over the last couple of seasons, and has still not properly been addressed.
The Lilywhites got back on terms on 24 minutes, when Tom Walsh was allowed too much room in the area to spin and get a shot away, firing past Bulmer in the process.
Crowther made two good saves in quick succession just after the half hour mark. First he got down well to palm away a Budrys effort, then he saved with his feet from almost point blank range to deny Smyth.
But three minutes into the second period, Smyth was not to be denied again, as for the second week in a row he scored a great individual effort. Having picked up the ball just inside the Rhyl half, he ran past three defenders, before coolly shooting low past Crowther from 20 yards out.
Rhyl had a great chance to equalise again on 55 minutes, as Alex Tichener broke through on goal, but Bulmer made a fine one handed save to deny the striker. The Lilywhites were now starting to put the pressure on as they looked for a way back into the match. Player Manager Mark Connolly tested Bulmer again with a long free kick, but the Flint keeper was equal to it. But a couple of minutes later, they did get the break through. Connolly ran into the box, and in the absence of any challenge, hit a shot which Bulmer again kept out, but Gerwyn Jones was first to react to the rebound and steered the ball home to make it 2-2.
Then Flint's Luke Tyson brought another good save from Crowther, as the Silkmen once again tried to take the initiative. On 75 minutes, both sides had a chance to score. First, a Smyth shot was blocked on the line, as the ball was played into him from a Levi Mackin free kick. That missed opportunity, triggered a counter attack move, and Jones almost netted his second of the afternoon, but a quality save from Bulmer denied him.
Crowther managed to pull off a truly remarkable save on 84 minutes. Alan Bull played in Smyth, and Crowther parried his effort, but Budrys was first onto the loose ball and looked for all the world as if he would score , before the Rhyl keeper managed to recover and made a vital save on the line.
That was to prove crucial for the Lilywhites, as on 88 minutes, Walsh was allowed too much space on the back post to poke home the winner.

Match report details provided by Will Price
Line Ups :
Flint Town United - N. Lee-Bulmer, I. Hewitt, J. Palmer (M. Woodward 38), C. Rodgers (c), S. Halewood, L. Mackin (A. Bull 81), C. Li (L. Tyson 47), R. Foulkes, K. Smyth, C. Budrys, R. Jones. Unused Subs - J. Haack, S. Beck
Rhyl - R. Crowther, A. Jones (T. Rowlands 46), S. Downey, P. Marsh, A. Tichener, J. Barrow, G. Jones, M. Connolly, S. Carroll, J. Jeffries, T. Walsh. Unused Subs - J. Jones, C. Durkin, D. Alvarado

Goalscorers :
Flint Town United - Carl Rodgers (10), Kyle Smyth (48)
Rhyl - Tom Walsh (24,88), Gerwyn Jones (66)

Bookings :
Flint Town United - Levi Mackin (18), Chris Li (19), Chris Budrys (21), Stefan Halewood (24), Matty Woodward (78), Carl Rodgers (87), Richie Foulkes (89)
Rhyl - Stewart Carroll (14), Mark Connolly (52)

Flint MOM - Rob Jones (excellent debut performance with quality passing and distribution)