Football: Gap Connah’s Quay to face Rhyl in League cup semis after Buckley Town eliminated

Mar 8 2012 by James Connor, Flintshire Chronicle

GAP Connah’s Quay will face Rhyl in the semi final of the Huws Gray Alliance League Cup after the Lilywhites defeated Buckley Town 4-0 on Tuesday night.

Gareth Thomas’ side were missing a number of key players with Anthony Williams suspended and Mark Allen, Carl Lamb and Dave McIntyre all cup-tied, but Thomas was still keen to push Rhyl, who are also one of Buckley’s title rivals in the Alliance.

But the former Welsh Premier side booked their place in the last four at Belle Vue thanks to a brace from Dave Forbes plus goals from Michael Pritchard and Tom Rowlands.

Bucks manager Gareth Thomas was happy to take the points in a 1-0 win against Ruthin last Saturday after admitting that the visitors deserved something from the game.

He said: “We couldn’t seem to get the ball down and play for some reason, but at this part of the season it’s all about the results not the performance.

“The win will keep us in contention and that’s all that matters. We had a few chances in front of goal but overall Ruthin probably created more than us and will feel gutted to have left here with nothing.”

Captain John Leonard headed home the only goal of the game in the first half.

Gap Connah’s Quay took three points from Penrhyncoch in a 2-0 win last Saturday, but it proved a difficult task.

The Roosters had lost only one of their previous eight league games and were unbeaten in league and cup fixtures since the week before Christmas.

The breakthrough came on the half hour when Rob Jones chased a long ball down the right wing. Though under pressure, Jones sent a fine cross into the penalty area where Jamie Petrie was able to turn the ball home for his 13th goal of the season and his seventh in the last nine games.

Despite the visitors’ solidity, John Rushton in the Nomads goal was rarely tested yet the lead continued to look slender.

It took a hamstring injury to left-back Danny Dobbins to change the complexion of the second period. Nomads introduced teenager Rhys Healey and adopted a 3-5-2 formation and almost immediately Penrhyncoch were pushed back.

In the 77th minute, Petrie latched on to a scrambled clearance from a corner before striking at goal from 25 yards. Roosters keeper Richard Morgan parried the ball which fell to Michael Robinson and the Nomads centre back side-footed his sixth goal of the campaign.

Flint Town United made it six games unbeaten last Friday night when they drew 2-2 at home to Conwy.

John Rush and Tom McGill got the goals in a remarkable second-half fightback, after John Owen gave Conwy a two-goal lead.