WELL, it certainly didn’t disappoint did it? No real shocks in the opening weekend of the Lucas Oil Anglesey League, but still plenty to talk about …
Pentraeth Reserves put in a real shift against title favourites Caergybi but couldn’t quite get the result they wanted as they fell to a narrow 4-3 loss at Bryniau field.
Despite the hype surrounding Cybi heading into the game, the visitors failed to really get going and you have to give credit to Pentraeth who really gave them a good game and a bit of a scare.
As always, Gary Jo Owen provided Dale Moffat’s side with the goals (two this time around) and Glenn North and Dewi Thomas added the other two.
Pentraeth had pulled it back to 2-2 at one point in the game following goals from Kenny Williams and a brilliant volley from Nathan Jones. Their third goal came from a Tom Williams penalty, but it was all too little, too late for Danny Jones’ side.
Despite the loss though, Pentraeth Reserves can certainly be proud of the way they performed in this one and it will no doubt give them a huge confidence boost heading into their match vs Llandegfan on Tuesday night. It may have been scrappy for Caergybi to but the positives were there – three points on the board and new signings Dave Webb, Justin Williams and James Owen particularly impressive on the day.
PENTRAETH RESERVES LINE-UP: (4-4-1-1) Lee Williams, Peter Crowe, Dyfed Alston, Bradley Pickavance, Rhys Williams, Tom Jones, Ryan Hughes, Dylan Jones, Nathan Jones, Gwynfor Owen and Kenny Williams.
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Bryngwran Bulls started their campaign in formidable fashion with a 12-1 demolition at Llandegfan. A new look Bulls side which included nine summer signings showed that they had gelled together well by playing some fine attacking football.
Craig Moore was the particular stand-out star on the day. The Llandegfan defence just didn’t know how to contain a man who was top scorer for Trearddur Bay three leagues above during 2017/18.
His pace and fine footwork saw him get off to a flyer on his Anglesey League debut, netting six goals for Bryngwran – including a spectacular overhead kick. Fellow new signing Jerome Sillence bagged four of his own – and two more new boys – Matt Reynolds and Anton Williams were also on the score sheet.
The Bulls were rarely troubled defensively but Llandegfan did get their goal eventually when debutante Kurt Harris netted a great solo goal.
The Bulls march onto the top of the table then and as for Llandegfan, it is clear to see that there is still a lot of work to be done at Lon Ty Newydd.
Line-ups: LLANDEGFAN: (4-3-2-1) Jamie Kiely, Chris Hughes, Craig Childes, Ryan Williams, Dylan Chadd, Cerwyn Griffith, Byron Jones, Dale Rowlands (C), Kurt Harris, Nathan Stenson and Dave Parry. SUBS: James Hall, Geraint Roberts and Liam Jones.
BRYNGWRAN BULLS: (4-3-3) Lee Heywood, Tony Meyer, Tom Verburg, Arwyn Williams, John Jones, Matt Reynolds, Matty Roberts, Iolo Jones (C), Craig Moore, Anton Williams and Jerome Sillence. SUBS: Ioan Thomas and Konner Druce.
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Elsewhere on Saturday, league newcomers Holyhead Hotspur Reserves lost 1-0 at home to Arriva Bangor.
The hosts, made up mostly of very young players, started the game very well and took control of possession. However, Arriva were always looking dangerous on the counter attack and Hotspur keeper Luke Owen had to be at his best to deny them a goal.
Hotspur’s youngsters had the chance to take the lead on 20 minutes after Simon Davies was brought down in the box and they were awarded a penalty. Unfortunately though, Casey Gregg missed the subsequent spot-kick and the teams went into half time level.
The second half proved to be a similar state of affairs as them home team struggled to gain any real momentum. No surprise to hear then that the breakthrough eventually came on 50 minutes as some sloppy play in the Hotspur defence allowed Sammie Williams to score.
The visitors then stood strong defensively to see the game out. Mike Kelly will be somewhat disappointed by the result on opening day but it certainly wasn’t the worst performance by any means and they will no doubt build off of it. Arriva on the other hand will be glad to pick up where they left off last season with yet another three points in the bag.
HOTSPUR RESERVES LINE-UP: (4-3-3) Luke Owen, Chris Corrie, Jordan Hughes, Kris Dunne, Kyle Murphy, Simon Davies, Tom Scott, Harry Lewis, Casey Gregg, Ben Hamilton and Deian Parry. SUBS: Dan Williams, Hayden Williams and Luke Jones.
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Meanwhile, the ever-improving Bodorgan side beat new boys Cefni FC 2-1 in a closely fought match.
In what was a fairly feisty encounter at times (See below!), it was the hosts who came out on top in the end thanks to their neat attacking football, however, Cefni certainly put up a fight but ended up ruing missed chances.
A feisty affair saw Nathan Evans (Bodorgan), Nathan Lewis and Lee Lewis (Both Cefni) dismissed from the field following a brawl.
Bodorgan took the three points thanks to goals from attackers Luke Allaway and Luke Gardiner. It was Nathan Lewis who grabbed Cefni’s first ever goal in the Anglesey League, but the lively forward’s goal wasn’t enough to earn them any points on this occasion.
It certainly wasn’t a terrible result for Chris Davies’ side though and I’m sure that given time they will gel together well. As for Bodorgan, their resurrection as a team continues and I’m expecting them to finish quite high up the table this season.
After the match, Bod received an even further boost to their squad for the season as Danny Connolly re-signed for the club. The talented attacker scored 18 goals in total last season and will no doubt be a welcome addition at Cae Cob.
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Finally, a new look Valley side beat Cemaes Bay 4-1 at home. With a change in management (Dan Jones and Barry Rowlands switching roles with the former becoming the club’s new manager) it was going to be interesting to see how they got on.
In what was a new looking starting line up, Jones handed debuts to Dan Manning and Guy Mabott in the heart of Valley’s defence, whilst Elliot Patterson started in the midfield and Ian Williams and Dewi Thomas led their attack. Paul wilding got his chance in goal with Jacob Reid injured.
Whenever Valley had the ball, they played some good passing football, with Patterson, Paul Williams and Mike Williams controlling the middle of the park. The first goal finally came when Ian Williams found Paul Williams who headed. Soon after though, Cemaes were right back in it when Liam Rodriguez tapped the ball in from close range.
Valley took control again before half time though when Dion Evans effort was well saved by Cemaes keeper Luke Bansal – but the ball fell kindly to Ian Williams who turned in the rebound.
In the second half, Valley put the game to rest. It was 3-1 to the hosts when a wonderful looping volley from Paul Williams hit the bar and crept in. Moments later, Williams had the chance to grab a hat-trick when his side were awarded a penalty following a handball. His spot kick was saved but Dewi Thomas followed in on the rebound to complete the scoreline.
Some wasted chances from Valley towards the end meant that the scoreline ended at 4-1. It was a pretty straightforward win for the home side, as they kept Cemaes out well. I have no doubts that Darren Hughes’ side will try and take the positives from this one and will push onto earn themselves three points in the coming weeks.
VALLEY LINE-UP: (4-4-2) Paul Wilding, Dion Evans, Guy Mabott, Ashley Hughes (85′), Dan Manning (46′), Paul Williams, Elliot Patterson, Mike Williams, Marc Wilson, Dewi Thomas (80′) and Ian Williams. SUBS: Kieran Murphy (46′), James Swales (80′) and Grant Chambers (85′).
CEMAES LINE-UP: (4-3-3) Luke Bansal, Luke Jordan Sion Griffiths, Gavin Edwards, Lewis Blease, Alex Jones, Dafydd Jones, Jordan Jones, Callum Edwards, Liam Rodriguez and Corey Jarvis. SUBS: Deio Rowlands, Charlie Jones and Dane Lea.
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Upcoming fixtures in the Lucas Oil Anglesey League:
Tuesday, August 14
Holyhead Hotspur Reserves v Bryngwran Bulls (7pm ko)
Pentraeth Reserves v Llandegfan (6.15pm ko)
Bodorgan v Valley (6.15pm ko)
Wednesday, August 15
Arriva Bangor v Cefni (6.15pm ko)
Cemaes Bay v Caergybi (6.15pm ko)
Saturday, August 18 (all 2.30pm ko)
Arriva Bangor v Bodorgan
Caergybi v Cefni
Llandegfan v Holyhead Hotspur Reserves
Llanfairpwll v Valley
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