Town exit Cup to last minute goal

Denbigh Town 1 – 2 Cambrian & Clydach

Denbigh succumbed to a cruel last minute goal against their opponents from South Wales in this 3rd Round JD Welsh Cup tie. Denbigh took an early lead which they held they until an 86th minute equaliser which was swiftly followed by a sending off, a penalty save and then the winning goal being scored in the 93rd minute.

On an afternoon which saw torrential downpours and then intermittent sunshine, the game was played on a pitch which became heavier as the match progressed. Denbigh recalled Lewis Sirrell to midfield and Craig Vernon between the sticks. With Tony Davies and Sam Downey suspended and Dan Lloyd cup tied, Bailey Jackson and Stuart Vernon both started in full back positions.

Like Denbigh, the South Walians play in Tier 2 of Welsh Football and stood in 4th position in the Welsh League which is the southern equivalent of the Huws Gray Cymru Alliance. They are on a roll in Cup games having recently reached the final of the MG Nathaniel Cup having beaten Welsh Premier League champions TNS in the semi final.

It was Denbigh who started the brighter and they took the lead on 4 minutes when Jake Walker nodded a header down for Pat Hinchcliffe to fire home from close range.
The Town continued to press for the second and Scott McHarrie played a great ball to Mark Roberts whose effort went just wide. Stuart Vernon was linking well down the right wing with Pat Hinchcliffe and when Hinchcliffe made a great weaving run he laid the ball back for Jordan Barrow to cross. Jake Walker met the cross but his header went just wide of the target.

Cambrian & Clydach had their moments when they won a free kick just outside the penalty box which Cameron Keetch shot straight into Denbigh’s wall and the hosts were able to clear. Tackles were coming in a plenty in the slippery conditions as the game developed into a proper cup tie. Pat Hinchcliffe almost had his second when he beat two men to fire at Dan Bradley but the keeper made a fine save to clear the danger.

Bailey Jackson sent in a superb cross for Jake Walker whose header went just wide and this was quickly followed by a goalmouth scramble in the Denbigh box when the visitors had a great chance to equalise only for Curtis Langton to block and clear to safety. Craig Vernon was called into action just before half time from another Keetch free kick which this time beat Denbigh’s wall but Vernon was positioned well to safely catch the ball.

With Denbigh having had the better of the first half play, the second half saw the Town playing into a strong wind with lashing rain which saw conditions deteriorate. The visitors had more possession but Denbigh’s defence stayed strong with Miles Todd and Curtis Langton dealing well with the aerial threats and limited the chances on Vernon’s goal to a minimum. The hard working Jake Walker was replaced by Sam Jones on 63 minutes and shortly after Lewis Sirrell picked up a knock and was replaced by Tom Jones.

Mark Roberts had a chance to double the lead when he chased a lost cause, retrieved the ball and with Bradley off his line tried a chip which went off target.

When the South Walians made a double substitution on 76 minutes this saw increased pressure on Denbigh’s goal and when Denbigh conceded a free kick on 86 minutes Mark Crutch rose higher than anyone else in Denbigh’s penalty area to head in the equaliser.

Two minutes later and a fierce drive by a Cambrian & Clydach striker was blocked by Miles Todd in the penalty area. The referee adjudged it to be deliberate hand ball and awarded a penalty. Worse still he handed Todd a yellow card, his second of the game and so he had to leave the field and Denbigh were reduced to 10 men.

Clydach’s Dai Thomas stepped up to take the penalty sending a low well struck shot to Craig Vernon’s left hand side. Vernon guessed correctly and dived to his left and pulled off a breathtaking save to force the ball away for a corner

With the game running into injury time the 10 men looked to hang on for extra time and a chance to regroup. However the chance never came as Corey Shepherd and Niall Reed played a deft one two for Shepherd to receive the ball and fire past Craig Vernon from 8 yards to give the visitors a 2-1 lead. A minute later it was all over and a deflated Denbigh were out of the Cup

Town captain, Mark Roberts said after the game “That result was tough to take. It was a very cruel way to lose a game in which we were in control of for most of the 90 minutes following our early goal. Hats off to the lads, they put absolutely everything into the game in some really tough conditions”

Denbigh now move onto their next game – a local derby at Central Park on Friday 14th December against Rhyl which kicks off at 7.30pm

Denbigh Town FC
Craig Vernon, Stuart Vernon, Bailey Jackson, Curtis Langton, Miles Todd, Scott McHarrie, Pat Hinchcliffe, Lewis Sirrell, Mark Roberts (Capt), Jordan Barrow, Jake Walker: Subs – Sam Jones, Tom Jones, Marios Avraam, Sion Jones, Gwydion Owen

Cambrian & Clydach
Dan Bradley, Evan Lloyd, Cameron Keetch, Keiron Coles, Mark Crutch, Dai Thomas, Kyle Jones, Cory Shepherd, Richard French, Mike Jones, Camillo Strinati : Subs – Liam Reed, Liam Edwards, Scott Lewis, Andre Griffiths, Niall Reed

Attendance - 75