NATHANIEL MG CUP

CARDIFF Met are on course to give departing boss Christian Edwards the perfect leaving gift after beating Barry Town United for the third time this season to reach their third Nathaniel MG Cup final in four years.

Former Wales international Edwards announced he would be leaving his role as manager earlier in the season, and a second cup final victory would be the perfect end to 13 successful years in the role.

The 3-2 win over Barry set up a final shootout against holders Connah’s Quay Nomads, who went to Bala Town and won 4-1.

But it was Barry who started the stronger as Jordan Cotterill rushed through and audaciously chipped Met keeper Alex Lang to open the scoring.

The lead was lost when Lewis Rees was fouled by Barry’s Aron Davies to give the students a penalty. Up stepped Adam Roscrow and in went the equaliser.

Emlyn Lewis edged the home side in front with a header from a corner. Evans made it 3-1 in the second half when he fired home from the edge of the box after finding himself in acres of space.

Barry turned up the heat in the dying minutes and, after Roscrow had a goal chalked off, Nat Jarvis cut the gap in the second minute of added time.

Three goals in the space of seven minutes steered the Nomads into the final. Craig Harrison’s side had to hit back after going a goal down, but stormed through in the second half.

Anthony Stephens gave the Lakesiders a great start when he bundled in a Brad Bauress corner on the half-hour mark. The visitors clawed their way back on to level terms just before the break when Paulo Mendes poked the ball past Alex Ramsay.

The Nomads came out stronger after the break with Craig Curran stroking the ball into the bottom corner. Two minutes later Mendes towered over everyone in the home defence to head home for his second, and a Jamie Mullan thunderbolt went in off the underside of the bar.

“We got the equaliser at a crucial time because it meant we went into half-time with our tails up,” said Nomads boss Harrison.