Denbigh Town Reserves suffered defeat on Saturday afternoon at the hands of Vale of Clwyd rivals Ruthin.

Despite a superb brace from Tom Salisbury Ruthin netted four via a Haydn Rutter hatrick and effort from Gruffudd Hughes-Owen.

Ruthin began the game the better side and tested goalkeeper Alistair Macauley early on who was drawn into a good save on nine minutes.

It took Denbigh the opening 15 minutes to really settle and eventually, they began flooding forward and putting pressure on the hosts’ backline. After another forward move Denbigh won a corner which Morgan Fricker delivered and Salisbury headed home brilliantly to give Town the lead.

The goal gave Town confidence who flowed forward effortlessly, Callum Foster did well with an effort from range but the goalkeeper was able to deal with it before Fricker made strides down the left before cutting inside and firing over.

On half hour the man in the middle made his first key decision when Cai Frith was hacked down in the box before waving away all claims for a penalty. Three minutes later Ruthin levelled, Hughes-Owen was fed through just right of centre and slid the ball home past Macauley.

Neither side carved out any more clear cut chances as they both went into the break with the game in the balance.

Half-Time: Ruthin Town 1-1 Denbigh Town

Like the first half it was Ruthin who began the restart strongest, with Hughes-Owen forcing Macauley into a great save before substitute Rutter gave the home side the lead with a neat finish on 53 minutes.

Following the pattern of the first half Denbigh again grew into it and were hunting the leveller, which came on 68 minutes when Gabriel Hinchcliffe found Salisbury who rifled the ball home from 25-yards.

But before Denbigh could even think of regrouping, Ruthin nudged themselves ahead a minute later. Ritter again with a smart finish from close range.

Into the final 12 minutes and the referee began to lose control of a well fought contest, spraying yellow cards to Fricker, Lewis Devine, manager Jordan Baker and Macauley within the space of three minutes when asking for an explanation to a frankly bizarre call.

On 84 minutes Fricker made a challenge which the referee adjudged to be a foul and quickly brandished a second yellow card. An extremely harsh decision on both counts.

As Denbigh committed bodies forward Rutter completed his hatrick in stoppage time to put to bed the game.

Denbigh Town Reserves are next in action on September 27th against Buckley at Central Park.

Denbigh Town: Macauley, I.Jones, Edwards, A.Jones, Ellis, Fricker, Devine, Salisbury, Hinchcliffe, Frith, Foster

Subs: Wynne, Redgrave, Kanli, O.Jones, A.Hughes

Referee: Stephen Wilday