REDS BOOK QUARTER FINAL SPOT

WELSH CUP – 4^TH ROUND

CEFN DRUIDS 1 LLANELLI 4, 

The potential of becoming a banana skin statistic was avoided with some ease by the Reds who, despite conceding an early shock goal, then took control and eventually ran out comfortable winners.

Both Wyn Thomas and Chris Venables returned after suspension with Craig Moses also a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up, but he lasted just over half an hour before being replaced by Adam Orme.

With their opponents occupying third place in the Cymru Alliance table, the visitors were fully prepared for a difficult afternoon, not helped by the appalling weather, with a strong wind, driving rain and a difficult playing surface to contend with, and they were further knocked out of their stride when they found themselves trailing as early as the twelfth minute.

An initial Druids attack seemed to have been successfully repulsed, but when the clearance fell to Joe Price some 30 yards from goal, his low driven attempt squeezed under the body of Ashley Morris to give the home side an unexpected advantage.

Stunned by this setback, the Reds replied in the best possible fashion, drawing level just three minutes later, following a quick free kick by Jason Bowen which allowed Chris Thomas to direct a well struck cross to the far post where Moses was positioned to direct his header low past goalkeeper Chris Mullock.

This signalled the start of some intense Reds pressure with Mullock somehow keeping out a fierce close range shot by Rhys Griffiths after some good build up play involving Bowen and Moses, and when Andy Legg sent over a corner, a melee in front of the net led to two or three attempts being blocked by a desperate Druids defence.

Moses had an effort deflect off a home defender for a corner, but shortly after had to leave the field with a recurrence of his long standing injury with Orme taking his place, and within thirty seconds of his appearance he was celebrating the Reds second goal, heading in a Bowen delivery on 31 minutes.

When the home side lost possession in the visitors half, Antonio Corbisiero made inroads into the Druids territory before unleashing a shot which again struck a home player for a corner, again taken by Legg, and when the ball ran loose in the box, nobody was able to get the final touch.

Martin Gyles failed by inches to connect with a header on goal when Chris Thomas sent over a cross, and Orme was denied another success by some last ditch defending.

Druids were hardly out of their own half, although a rare chance for them did fall to Warren Duckett when his header from a corner just cleared the bar, but five minutes after the break the Reds virtually sealed their place in the next round when a Legg free kick from outside the box flashed past the wall and beyond a helpless Mullock.

It was virtually one way traffic towards the home goal which at times bore a charmed life, with Griffiths, Orme and Venables all going close, until five minutes from the final whistle they finally got a reward, albeit courtesy of a Druids player, when Adam Hesp, in attempting to keep out a Venables cross meant for Griffiths succeeded only in turning it over the line for an own goal.

With nothing to lose, the home side pushed forward with both Marc Griffiths and Matthew Hurdman narrowly off target, but the Reds ran out comfortable winners and now host Prestatyn Town at Stebonheath in the last eight of the competition.

MATCH STATS

LLANELLI: Morris; C. Thomas; Giles; Venables; S. Jones ©; W. Thomas; Bowen (Follows, 86); Corbisiero; Griffiths; Moses (Orme, 31); Legg (R. Jones, 80); Subs. not used;  Jenkins; Richards.

GOAL CHART:  Cefn Druids – Price, 12. Llanelli –Moses, 15; Orme, 31; Legg, 50; Hesp (OG), 85.

YELLOW CARDS: Cefn Druids – Harries; Wilson; Griffiths.

LLANELLI MAN OF THE MATCH:  Antonio Corbisiero.

REFEREE:  Mr. Matt Bridges (Broughton).

ATTENDANCE:    140.