City prove too strong for Hotspur in Cup
EIGHT-TIME Welsh Cup winners Bangor City have scooped a dream draw at home to arch rivals Caernarfon Town in the last 16.
Current Huws Gray Alliance club City will welcome their Welsh Premier foes to Nantporth for a round four clash in the New Year.
Bangor marched comfortably into the next stage of this season’s competition with a 4-1 home victory over Holyhead Hotspur last Friday, reports Gareth Davies.
For the visitors, there was to be no repeat of their famous victory over the Citizens three years earlier where the Huws Gray Alliance club had dumped then Welsh Premier outfit Bangor out of the national cup by a 2-1 scoreline at the New Stadium.
Hotspur’s poor league form caught up with them at Nantporth as despite a pos- itive start and commitment throughout, a superior City side controlled a large percentage of the game, forged ahead just before the break and added three more goals in the second half to press home an emphatic win.
It was only after going 3-0 down just after the hour and anything other than a home win was on the cards that Hotspur finally adjusted with two substitutions and pulled a goal back just after.
If scorer John Littlemore had taken another rare opportunity it may have put pressure on the hosts; however the best goal of the game by Rob Parry put paid to any hopes of a sting in the tail.
A large following from Holy Island turned up and were disappointed that Darren Garmey’s side had not made a better fist of it but sadly their league form came back to haunt them.
Hotspur will need to get back on track in a league game this weekend when Ruthin Town visit for the third time this season, Garmey’s men previously winning League Cup and Welsh Cup against the same opponents.
The visitors were first to show at Nantporth, but a shot from Bangor flew over the bar at the other end while Rob Parry nearly got through the Hotspur defence.
It took a fine tackle by Alex Jones to deny Les Davies as he broke into a dangerous situation. Hotspur at this point were coping well with the Bangor attacks.
City began to take control of the midfield, however, and on 25 minutes Hotspur’s goalkeeper, young Dan Williams, did very well to cut out a dangerous cross from the right by Jake Phillips, who was given far too much room throughout and was the danger man in building up Bangor’s attacks.
A goal had to come and it did on 40 minutes when a long cross from the left reached Alex Darlington at the far post, who too easily lost his defender and slot- Picture: Event Photo Wales ted the ball home.
Two minutes later Williams saved well from Davies and ‘The Truck’ fired the rebound wide.
Hotspur needed to up their game in the second half, but Bangor continued to be on the front foot and on 56 minutes the hosts were two up when Darlington’s innocuous shot somehow evaded Williams’s dive.
Parry curled a great effort wide before on 59 minutes he profited from poor defending and shot home.
Two belated substitutions took place and this revitalised Hotspur. A fine freekick was headed across goal by Alex Jones for Littlemore to prod home.
A minute later the same player was in on goal but could not successfully finish to make it two for Hotspur.
Bangor’s fourth goal came on 76 minutes when great work by Davies on the left gave Parry an opportunity from 20 yards and he rifled the ball home.