Holywell Town 4-2 Hay St Mary's

Holywell Town 4-2 Hay St Mary’s

Holywell Town hosted Hay St Mary’s of the Spar Mid Wales League in the first round of the Welsh Cup at Halkyn Road, and knowing the success the club got in last years competition, the players needed no motiviation to progress today into the next round.

Town opened strongly and Sam Jones broke clear with a couple of minutes on the clock and Tom Lewis in the Hay goal was down quickly to make a great save to save the Wellmen taking an early lead. A couple of minutes later, Lewis wasn’t as fortunate as Jones broke the deadlock. Tom McElmeel provided an inch perfect pass through to Jones who made no mistake to give Town the lead.

The lead lasted 10 minutes as on the quarter of an hour mark, Hay St Mary’s equalised. A through ball to Brendan Hackett up front for the visitors, fired home past Mike Platt and despite the assistant having his flag raised for offside, the referee overruled the decision and the goal stood. The goal gave the visitors a boost and Hackett had a shot go high and wide before Town nearly doubled their lead as a Tony Roebuck cross was picked up by Sam Jones but his shot across the face of the goal went inches wide.

With 25 minutes gone, Town should have taken the lead again as Matty Harvey saw his header from a Sam Jones corner cleared off the line, and Steve Thomas’ follow up was also cleared on the line and as the ball fell kindly to Tom McElmeel, he also saw his shot cleared to safety and Hay survived another scare. A few minutes later, Matty Harvey picked up the ball deep in the Holywell Town half, and he ran upfield, beating a few challenges along the way and as he got into the box, he looked up and threaded the ball to Graeme Williams but his shot was saved well again by Tom Lewis. With half hour on the clock, Sam Jones thought he had been brought down in the box but his appeals were turned away but Town did get a penalty a few minutes later as Jones was brought down by the keeper. Jones dusted himself down and took the kick and scored to put Town ahead for the second time of the afternoon.

With a few minutes remaining of the half, Jones again saw his shot saved well by Lewis from a John Davies pass and as the teams went off for their half time break, The Wellmen had a deserved lead and hopefully, could build on that lead in the second half.
The second half started like the first had ended and more pressure by the Wellmen saw a booking for Hay’s Jordan Baker before a Sam Jones’ free kick was flicked inches over by Graeame Williams. Jones again was in the thick of the action few minutes later, breaking clear from midway inside the Hay half, he rode a couple of challenges before yet again seeing his shot saved well by Lewis inbetween the sticks for the visitors. Tony Roebuck saw a shot go wide before Jones completed his hat trick on 71 minutes. A Matty Harvey cross through the crowded penalty area was picked up by the onrushing Sam Jones who slotted the ball home into the bottom corner. Town had the impetus again now and a great run by Steve Thomas who beat the challenges of 2 defenders saw his cross to Jones laid off for Luke Tyson but he shot over.

Entering the last 10 minutes, Hay were awarded a dubious penalty after the referee saw a slight push in the box and Brendan Hackett stepped up to take it but his effort was brilliantly saved by Platt, diving down to his right and the ball was cleared to safety. In the space of the next few minutes, we witnessed scene’s never before seen at Halkyn Road as the referee has a rush of blood to his head and following the penalty save, the word Justice was shouted and the referee heard it and blew to stop the game and awarded Hay an indirect free kick a few yards out of Town’s goal.

After much deliberating where the wall should be stood, the referee insisting that the wall should be over the goalline, Hay's effort was blocked by the Wellmen wall and the ball was cleared. As the players ran out of the box, the referee then awarded another penalty after another push in the box was penalised and he awarded the visitors another penalty. Hay’s Hackett stepped up again to take and this time his spot kick nestled in the top corner of the net and Hay were back in it. As we waited for the match to restart, to make matters worse for the Wellmen, we then saw Steve Thomas receive his second yellow of the afternoon after he was sent off for dissent. Amazing scenes at Halkyn Road and no doubt everyone at Halkyn Road could believe what they had just witnessed!

Town went on to try to make the game safe and Tom McElmeel had a shot defelected out for a corner before Lloyd broke clear and made the game safe with 90 minutes on the clock, slotting home with the keeper well beaten to book the Wellmen’s place in the 2nd round draw. Town’s players should be applauded for the way they kept their focus during the moment of madness near the end of the game and also, the win meant that the winning run had now extended to 10 games!