REPORT | Holyhead Hotspur 4-2 Denbigh Town (Pre-Season)

Denbigh Town kicked off their pre-season campaign on Friday night with a trip to take on Holyhead Hotspur.

First-half strikes from Owen Davies and Paul Fleming were however not enough to score a victory as the Ynys Mon side came from a goal down to win 4-2.

After two months without action Town returned to the pitch away at Holyhead Hotspur, playing at Treborth Playing Fields in Bangor due to work at the hosts’ maintenance work at their usual stomping ground.

Manager Dewi Llion took a young side which included seven teenagers to Gwynedd as he evaluated the squad in action for the first time.

It got off to the perfect start when Davies put Town ahead after less than 90 seconds. A wonderful cross field ball was almost cut out by a defender but Davies dispossesed the last man before depositing the ball under the keeper and into the net.

The lead wouldn’t last too long for Town though, as on 15 minutes Holyhead drew parity as a cross from the right wasn’t dealt with and the hosts stabbed home the first of the evening. Two minutes later the scoreline was almost reversed as a whipped cross from the left flank was touched wide by an onrushing attacker.

With Hotspur putting on the pressure Denbigh took their chances and with 20 minutes gone regained the advantage. A brilliant move started by Billy Holmes saw him fizz a ball to the feet of Nathan Brown, he, in turn, fed it to Fleming who finished well down the middle.

The game was in truth devoid of clear-cut chances, as the first game of pre-season often is, both sides continued to work on their shape and patterns of play with neither side troubling either goalkeeper for the remainder of the half.

Half-Time: Holyhead Hotspur 1-2 Denbigh Town

Quickly after the restart the game had a different feel, with Town coming close to doubling the lead within the first five minutes or so. A quick free-kick from Brown saw him find Davies who acrobatically brought the ball down before a last ditch challenge put it out for a corner.

Four minutes later the hosts levelled as a long ball forward came to the right of the box and was viciously struck into the back of the net. They had their first lead of the game on 63 minutes as the ball was nicked in the middle of the park before rushing onwards to slot past the Town custodian.

Seconds after the Holyhead goal Dewi Llion handed a first match involvement to 16-year-old Tom Salisbury who was featuring in a first-team match for the first time, followed on by another youngster, goalkeeper Rory Wynne, who at the same age was featuring for his first appearance. Both came through the youth setup at Denbigh.

With 73 minutes on the clock, Brown found himself on the ball down the middle before drifting towards the box and hitting it towards the top right corner, only for the keeper to palm clear and deny the equaliser.

As the game began to fade out the Harbourmen looked to have sealed the win after a loose ball dropped into the box and found the back of the net.

Town are next in action next Friday when taking on Connah’s Quay Nomads XI at the Quay 3G.