Football: Prestatyn Town FC knock Porthmadog out of cup

Feb 3 2010

PRESTATYN TOWN 1 PORTHMADOG 0

WELSH CUP FOURTH ROUND

SATURDAY’S Welsh Cup quarter-final draw produced a dream tie for Prestatyn as they were paired with Denbighshire neighbours Rhyl at home.

Bastion Gardens on February 27 is the place to be when the two rivals slug it out in their third derby clash of the season.

Both the previous encounters finished in draws, 0-0 at Prestatyn and 1-1 at Belle Vue, so both teams will be going all out to claim local bragging rights and book a semi-final berth.

"It’s fantastic – the best draw we could have hoped for club-wise, football-wise and hopefully we’ll get a lot of people through the turnstiles," said Prestatyn player-boss Neil Gibson.

After losing 7-2 and 4-1 to Rhyl in the league last season, there has been a major turnaround this term with the two Welsh Premier derbies failing to produce a winner.

"Those results have given us massive confidence," revealed Gibson.

"Cup games are different again to league games, but home advantage will help us as the way Rhyl play they would probably have preferred the tie to be on their pitch."

While the Lilywhites coasted into the last eight by thrashing lower league Pontardawe 7-0 on Saturday, the Seasiders found the going much tougher against fellow WPL side Porthmadog.

It needed an 80th minute goal from substitute Jon Fisher-Cooke to settle a dour game.

Fisher-Cooke, who recently returned from injury, latched on to a great pass from Andy Moran, raced ahead of defender Ryan Davies, rounded keeper Richard Morgan and from scored a tight angle.

There was very little to write home about in the first half. Town were unlucky not to earn two early penalties, but their closest call saw Moran unable to convert a cross at the left-hand post.

Paul O’Neill also headed over from a Moran free-kick, while for Port Gareth Parry scooped on to the roof of the net from a Davies cross.

The second half brought more stalemate, Port’s best threat coming from a Chris Jones cross which no visiting player in the box was able to connect with.

Russ Jones fired just wide for the hosts before Fisher-Cooke’s decisive strike.

"We should have had two penalties in the first 10 minutes," added Gibson. "If you get them and go 2-0 up then you make the game much easier for yourself, but Porthmadog went on to make life really difficult for us.

"The pitch was not at its best either, but this is the sort of game we would have lost last season."

This Saturday Prestatyn entertain Caersws at Bastion Gardens (2.30pm) in the Welsh Premier League. in search of a double over the bottom-placed Bluebirds.