Owen the hero as Town grab famous scalp
LLANGEFNI TOWN have landed another home tie against Welsh Premier opposition in the last-16 of the Welsh Cup.
The Welsh Alliance club will welcome Llandudno to Lon Talwrn for a round four clash in the New Year.
Cefni were the toast of Anglesey after dumping a Llanelli side from two leagues above out of the cup last Saturday afternoon.
Alan Mark Owen’s 21st minute goal secured him a place in club folklore and the Welsh Alliance outsiders a berth in the last-16 of the national knockout.
A delighted Cefni manager, Chris Roberts, said: “The lads were outstanding from start to finish.
“I asked them to play with no fear and give it everything they’ve got and they certainly did that.
“They stuck to the game plan and executed it well.
“In truth we could have scored another two or three with Alan Mark Owen, Liam Morris and Craig Roberts all going close and also having the ball hit the back of the net again in the second half, but ruled offside.
“I thought we thoroughly deserved that win. I’d like to thank the fans for their support; it was incredible – they really were the 12th man.”
Ten years ago, Llangefni were in the Welsh Premier themselves, but took on top flight outfit Llanelli in front of a bumper crowd at Talwrn Road on Saturday as third-tier hosts.
The visitors came into the fixture full of confidence, having picked up some impressive results recently. Meanwhile, Cefni had midfielder Chris Saxon out suspended and top scorer Kevin Lloyd missing through injury.
Craig Roberts started for Town, forming a vital part of their wellorganised set up in midfield with captain James Saxon and Steve Kehoe.
Llangefni started on the front foot, forcing three corners inside the opening 10 minutes.
James Saxon had an excellent chance on 11 minutes but fired straight at keeper Oliver Davies.
In the 21st minute, Welsh Premier Llanelli again had to deal with Cefni pressure, as Kurtis March blocked a Liam Morris effort from the edge of the penalty area.
From the resulting corner, a flick on to the far post found Owen, who slotted home to send the home crowd wild.
Moments after the restart it was Owen once again through on goal, to force a brilliant save off Davies.
Llanelli struggled to break down the formidable Cefni defence, then just before the break Owen’s shot from 20 yards hit the post.
In the second period, Jamie Owen went close for the visitors before Michael George’s chip was cleared off the line by Gari Owen.
From a long, bouncing ball, Alan Mark Owen beat Llanelli’s one remaining defender to go one-onone with the keeper and find the net, only to be denied by the offside flag.
Cefni made changes as they looked to consolidate their lead, Cai Powell-Roberts and the experienced Craig Roberts departing for Sean Pritchard and Marvin Pritchard to replace them.
Llanelli pressed for the equaliser, but the Anglesey side defended manfully and held on for a fullydeserved triumph which will be remembered at Llangefni for many years to come.