LLANGOLLEN TOWN 3
BETHESDA ATHLETIC 4
THERE was late heartbreak for Llangollen Town as their silverware hopes for the season were banished by Bethesda.
For entertainment purposes, neutral football fans should visit Tower Fields to see a clutch of goals and for the second week running Llan was the venue for a goal feast.
Seven days earlier Llangollen and Mold shared 10 goals in a Cymru Alliance thriller, while the return was seven goals as Bethesda reached the last-four of the League Cup in their first season at Cymru Alliance level.
The quarter-final tie saw a good start from Bethesda and a fine volley from 10 yards out gave Kevin Roberts his first club goal and a 1-0 lead on 10 minutes.
Athletic continued to have the better of things and they doubled their lead six minutes later as Gareth Davies - who was soon to be substituted - shot home from close-range.
Llangollen took stock of the situation and battled their way right back into the game before the interval.
Strikes from Dave Lloyd and Paul Griffiths within a couple of minutes of each other meant that it was game on again.
The home side just couldn’t get their noses in front, though, and the next effort saw Bethesda reestablish their lead.
Craig Roberts’ ball over the top found Richard Owen in the clear and he made no mistake.
Llangollen’s hopes were boosted when Athletic were reduced to 10 men with the dismissal of Darren Jones and they made the most of their numerical advantage thanks to a sloppy own goal.
It was 3-3 and all to play for, but the numbers were identical when Llangollen had a player sent off.
Extra time appeared to be a certainty, until Bethesda had the final word four minutes into added time at the end of the 90 minutes.
Nigel Barry’s through ball looked to have been over-hit, but Jamie Whitmore’s pace meant he was able to chase it down and tuck away a dramatic last-gasp winner.