Football: Prestatyn Town FC boss looks for cup bounce

Oct 28 2009

Neil Gibson

PRESTATYN Town manager Neil Gibson is urging his players to wipe out the memories of a black Friday at Bangor by bouncing back in the Welsh Cup.

The Seasiders play host to Welsh League strugglers Cardiff Bay Harlequins on Saturday (2.30pm) in a third round tie where Town will start massive favourites.

Despite last Friday’s crushing 4-0 defeat at Bangor City, Prestatyn still lie fourth in the Welsh Premier, while Harlequins are one off the bottom of Division Two of their feeder league.

The South Walians had one season in the Welsh Premier as Cardiff Grange Quins in 2005/06 but finished bottom with the lowest number of points in the league’s history (16).

The club’s fortunes have plummeted since, but the Cardiff outfit are aiming to stabilise and a good Welsh Cup run would certainly help in that regard.

They will meet a Prestatyn side no doubt shellshocked by the thrashing at Bangor – their first loss in nine league starts – but in a different class football-wise.

Gibson was disappointed but not despondent after the Farrar Road hammering.

"It's important the players don't get too down about this," he said.

"We've had a very good start and if someone had told me we'd have 20 points from our first 10 games at the start of the season I'd have been more than happy with that.

"It's important now we pick ourselves up and look to turn things around in the Welsh Cup."

Prestatyn advanced all the way to a best ever quarter-final berth last season and will certainly fancy their chances of a place in the last 16.

Bangor started Friday's game on the attack and took a 16th minute lead when Marc Limbert ran across the Prestatyn defence and lashed home a right-foot cracker from over 20 yards.

Seconds later the ball broke to Jamie Reed who applied a deadly finish.

In a rare Prestatyn threat, Paul Smith produced a fine stop from a Steve Rogers header, but on 39 minutes Chris Sharp broke clear down the right and his byeline cross left Sion Edwards with an easy conversion.

Only good stops from keeper Matt Towns and poor finishing denied Bangor further goals before Sharp headed in number four on 85 minutes.

Prestatyn’s evening was summed up by Mike Parker’s dreadful miss and Towns enduring a painful collision with a post.