Rhyl FC News Archive (March 2001)

News Archive : 2000/2001
March

Rhyl's league form has dipped of late, and the team will be desperately keen to regain the momentum that takes them back up the table. Lee Williams is still serving his suspension, with his place likely to be taken by Wrexham starlet David Walsh who did so well last week. Wes Kinney should feature after coming through last week's game OK, but Gareth Wilson is still ruled out with a broken hand. John Stannard is also set to return.

Aberystwyth will be without striker Gavin Allen, who is serving a four match suspension.

Previous matches between the two clubs have been tight affairs, with usually a single goal separating the teams. Last October's game at Park Avenue saw Rhyl concede a late equaliser in a game they dominated and should have won. Manager Williams will be rallying his players for a better outcome in tomorrow's game.

Kick off is 2.30pm. The BBC are sending their cameras to cover the game, so get yourself down to Belle Vue and maybe YOUR goal celebration will appear on TV!

A Welcome Win!
Rhyl 1 Aberystwyth Town 0
Rhyl earned a valuable three points against high-flyers Aber in this enthralling encounter at a bitterly cold Belle Vue. New-signing Dave Williams took Lee Williams' berth in goal, but he was rarely called upon even though Aber looked dangerous with their build up play. Glyndwr Hughes came close at the end of some runs but invariably saw his final effort go wide of the mark. Mick Jones put in a Man-of-the-Match performance until going off injured in the second half, and Wes Kinney saw an effort cleared off the line by Aneurin Thomas as Rhyl gave their all. It was left to Danny Barton to head home the only goal of the game from a cross six minutes before the interval. His goal makes him Rhyl's leading scorer in the LoW and was fine reward for his non-stop running all afternoon. Aber replaced Paul Evans with Steve Mardenbrough with eighteen minutes on the clock and he did come close to snatching an equaliser, but Rhyl held on for a valuable victory.

RHYL: D Williams, D Parry, G Curtis, M Antrobus, J Brewerton, M Jones (S Jones), J Stannard (T Mutton), R Williams, D Barton, W Kinney (A Jones), C Sharratt.

ABERYSTWYTH: J Matthews, C Hammond, S Pope, G O'Toole, A Thomas, G Lewis, G Hughes, N Nicholas, P Evans (S Mardenbrough), D Bailey, T Smith (M Gornal)

Thirds fall to defeat
Rhyl Thirds 1 Rhyl Caskeys 6 (ht 1-3)
The anticipated close game between the two Rhyl's did not happen as Rhyl Caskeys were by far the dominant team. It was Rhyl 3rds that went ahead first with a goal in the 4th minute from Dean Billingsley, his fourth in two games. From the restart Caskeys took hold of the game and pushed forward at every chance, on seven minutes they were level with Les Weston shooting low to the left corner of the net. Rhyl 3rds found it hard to cope with the pitch and the pace of Les Weston and Chris Thomas, and it was Chris Thomas who put Caskeys further ahead on 25 minutes. Rhyl 3rds offered nothing in front of goal and Caskeys took advantage of this and peppered the 3rds goal. In the 27th minute the inevitable happened when Les Weston slotted his second and Caskeys third.

The second half started off as the first with Caskeys making all the play and again the 3rds had nothing to offer the game. Les Weston scored his hat trick on 51 mins with a penalty kick that the keeper had no way of saving, and to make a bad day even worse Daz Ross had himself sent off on 75th minutes for hand ball. Dean Billingsley's brother Ian stepped up to take the kick and made it 1-5. On 88 minutes Chris Thomas scored his second goal and capped a man of the match performance.

Squad: D Rowlands, J Gurney, G Sumner, H Farrell, D Ross, P Smith, M Boulton, M Trigg, D Billingsley, N Jones, A Hoyle, G Done, P Goodwin, J Callaghan, M Roose, M Passmore.

Lilywhites go fifth!
Rhyl 2 Carmarthen 1
A workmanlike display saw Rhyl register a memorable win against high flying Town in this entertaining encounter at Belle Vue. Rhyl opened brightly with the impressive John Stannard putting in a fantastic display on the wing. It was he who opened the scoring, picking the ball up on the right before beating
three defenders and firing home on twelve minutes. Chris Sharratt put Rhyl two up after firing through a pack of players nine minutes later. Carmarthen hit the post with a left wing cross, but Rhyl can also consider themselves unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Robbie Williams was felled in the box.
Carmarthen were a better team after the interval, with Rhyl relying on goalkeeper Dave Williams to pull off some fantastic saves to keep the Town strikers at bay. He was beaten only once, by Neil O'Brien after 54 minutes, but Rhyl hung on to record a very valuable three points.

RHYL: D Williams, D Parry, G Curtis, M Antrobus, J Brewerton, M Jones, J Stannard, R Williams, D Barton (T Mutton), W Kinney, C Sharratt. Subs Not Used: S Jones, S Graves.
Attendance: 257

Rhyl Thirds 4 Rhuddlan Town 0 (2-0 ht)
Great things were expected of this game after last week's poor performance against Rhyl Caskeys. The Thirds were and looked a different team with some forced changes and some tactical changes making the balance and the temperament right. Rhyl put Rhuddlan under pressure and for the ninth game this season, scored in the first 5 minutes through John Callaghan with a solo goal, putting the ball between two players and the goal keeper. There were a lot of efforts on goal for Rhyl but it was in the 34th minute that the dead lock was broken. Adrian Hoyle battled through a crowded box, playing a one-two with Callaghan to steer the ball past a stranded Mike Twamley in goal for Rhuddlan.

The second half was much as the first with a lot of chances at both ends, with Damian Foxbyrne seeing his shots going everywhere but the Rhyl goal. On a better day with his record things might have been different.The third goal came from a good spell of pressure from the 3rds and it was Steven Scott-lee who latched on to a ball driven out of the Rhuddlan box, firing back and behind the stranded Twamley on 75 minutes. The rest of the half petered out to a scramble until the 87th minute. Mathew Passmore, a player drafted in from the under 18 squad, and only 16 years old, found himself defending on the 18 yard line and cleared the ball off the toe of Mike Jones as he was about to shoot. It fell to Rhyl's man of the match and joint manager Howie Farrell. He in turn passed to Scott-lee who ran from box too box with a one two with the impressive Paul Smith before firing in a hard and low cross to the man that started the move in his own 18 yard box - Mattie Passmore. He put the ball over the line from two yards to finish a well worked move

The three points were vital after last week's game, and with none of the teams at the top playing due to the "foot and mouth" crisis, a win was vital too keep the pressure on at the top.

Squad. D Rowlands, J Gurney, Iwan Jones, Dean Jones, Neil Jones, M Roose, D Billingsley, D Ross, S Scott-lee, M Passmore, P Smith, J Callaghan, P Goodwin, A Hoyle, H Farrell m.o.m., J McMahon.

MATCH OFF!
Due to the effects of the 'foot and mouth' crisis, Rhyl's proposed LoW visit to Bangor on Saturday has been postponed. News of any re-arrangement will appear on these pages.

The Ty'n Lon Welsh Alliance Fixture between Rhyl Reserves and Conwy United will go ahead as planned at Belle Vue, Kick-Off 2pm.

Bangor v Rhyl Re-Arranged
The match at Farrar Road has been provisionally re-scheduled for Tuesday, 3rd April with a 7.30pm kick-off.

Caersws v Rhyl, Tues 27th March
At the moment this game is on, but is subject to change because of the current 'Foot and Mouth' crisis. Any cancellation will appear on these pages as soon as we know.

Club Round-Up
Cwmbran Town have provisionally announced that Rhyl's last fixture of the season will now take place at Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil, on Saturday the 5th of May. This change of venue has been forced because Cwmbran Stadium is being re-developed.

Rhyl Reserves are still eight points clear at the top of the Tyn Lon Welsh Alliance after Saturday's hard fought 1-1 draw against Conwy United at Belle Vue. A Jon Fisher-Cooke goal gave Rhyl a share of the points.

Rhyl Reserves have been given a bye into the semi-finals of the Cookson Cup after Conwy United withdrew from the competition.

Rhyl Thirds were left without a fixture when Rhuddlan claimed they could not raise a side for the REM Jones Cup.

Belle Vue will once again host the annual fixture between the North Wales Coast FA Under-18's and the Scottish Youth on Saturday, 28th April, 2001.

Defensive lapses cost points
Rhyl 1 Barry Town 2
Rhyl took the game to the League's only full-time professional outfit, dominating the opening quarter and going ahead on 13 minutes when Wes Kinney latched on to a through ball and fired across goal for Danny Barton to tap home. Barry came back strongly, but couldn't find a way past Dave Williams, playing a blinder in goal, and a resolute home defence, until the half hour. A corner from the left wing found Neil Sharp unmarked and his header levelled matters. Both sides came close to going ahead before the interval but there was no further scoring.

Rhyl supporters will claim that some curious refereeing decisions went against their team after the break. Notwithstanding this, Barry looked the team most likely to score with their use of the flanks and they did so fifteen minutes from the end. A Dewi Parry clearance was latched on to by a Barry player and he ran goalwards, feeding the ball through to Mike Flynn who scored with a wonderful effort. Rhyl forced a series of corners and free-kicks before the end but were unable to break the visitors' defence.

Gary Twynham made a welcome return to the side after signing from Macclesfield, but the accolade of "man of the match" as selected by match sponsor Bibby Factors Northwest went to Mick Jones.

Rhyl must now re-organise themselves for a stern encounter at Caersws this coming Tuesday, and the long haul to Haverfordwest next week. It is imperative that points are gained if Rhyl are to retain a top eight finish at the end of the season.

Rhyl: Dave Williams, D Parry, G Curtis, Brewerton (Wilson), Antrobus, M Jones, Stannard, R Williams, D Barton (G Twynham), W Kinney, Sharratt.

Caersws OFF! (@1530hrs)
Caersws have just been in touch to say that the match is off due to a waterlogged pitch. Details of a re-arrangement will appear on these pages as soon as available.

Caersws tonight is ON! (@1330hrs)
Rhyl have been in contact with Caersws FC and are pleased to announce that tonight's fixture is definitely ON. Lee Williams will field the same side that was so unfortunate to lose against Barry in this vital encounter. If you can make it down to Caersws to cheer the team on, please do so, your support is very much valued.

.. to Danny Barton who was on-hand to tap home close-in. Here he celebrates his goal.

Team Spotlight - RHYL FC JUNIORS - Sponsored by BREAKS SPORTS BAR

Rhyl Juniors 2000/2001
Rhyl's Junior Team pictured prior to their match against Derwen on Saturday

The Saturday Match!

Rhylfc.com surfers will be the first to see pictures of this vital game on Saturday evening! Our cameraman will be there, and action shots will be on the web site shortly after the team bus heads back on the long journey North!

The Bluebirds have been in fantastic form of late, and are only two points behind the Lilywhites having played the same number of games. Rhyl will look to field the same team that lost against Barry last week, with Dave Williams deputising for the suspended Lee Williams in goal.

Don't forget to visit Rhylfc.com on Saturday evening for the first pictures from Bridge Meadow!

Slog in Prospect!
Haverfordwest Update 9am
After a night of continuous drizzle, an overcast New Bridge Meadow pitch will be tested to the limits in this afternoon's League of Wales match.

The ground hosted the Wales v Northern Ireland U-18's Schools International last night, and the surface will not have been helped by solid rain since then. Wales Schools won last night's match 1-0 with a goal from Haverfordwest player Dylan Blain five minutes before the end. He latched on to a cleverly worked free kick, running between two players and firing home from just inside the penalty box.

Don't forget to visit rhylfc.com later this evening for pictures from today's match!!

Pitch playable!
Haverfordwest Update 11:30am
The pitch at the New Bridge Meadow is holding up well and the match has just been confirmed as being on by the groundsman. It is still raining in Haverfordwest, and although there is surface water on the terraces and at the turnstiles, there is no doubt that the game will go ahead! Bring your macks!

Rhyl Saunter!
Haverfordwest 2 Rhyl 4
Thankfully the rain cleared in enough time to see Rhyl storm to an easy 3-0 lead at half-time in this crucial encounter. Rhyl were masters throughout and went ahead when John Stannard latched onto a through ball and pushed past Ben Miles on a 1-on-1. The homesters had no chances in front of goal before Stannard emabarked on another run which saw him beat countless defenders before slotting home after less than twenty minutes. New signing Billy Callagher was given too much space before half-time and he gave Rhyl an unassailable half-time lead of 3-0,

The home team came out more composed in the second half and claimed one back through Mainwaring before Danny Barton was yet again let through to make it 4-1 when he lobbed Ben Miles.

H'west claimed another goal through local starlet Dylan Blain but Rhyl's lead was not in doubt and a valuable three points was recorded.

RHYL: D Williams, D Parry, G Curtis, M Antrobus, J Brewerton, M Jones, J Stannard (S Graves), R Williams (Gareth Wilson), D Barton. B Callaghar, C Sharratt.

Match Action

Rhyl's first goal scored by John Stannard, and picture signed by H'west goalie Ben Miles!

John Stannard tees up before ramming home Rhyl's second goal in today's 4-2 drubbing.

Rhyl supporters celebrate the second goal!

Fourth goalscorer Danny Barton challenges Andrew Hughes and Ben Miles to this cross.