HOLLOW VICTORY AS RHYL CROWNED CHAMPIONS
SAINTS easily won the local derby against a Welshpool side who were disorganised at the back and offered little attacking threat.
But the win capped a season of disappointment in the league, as rivals Rhyl got the win they needed to lift the Welsh Premier crown.
TNS had this game in the bag within the first eight minutes. A flurry of attacks produced a goal for John Toner when he raced on to a through ball from Steven Beck, found himself in the clear, and lobbed keeper Steve Goodwin from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later, Steve Evans rose to bullet a header past Goodwin from Martyn Naylor's left-wing corner.
The outstanding Evans made it three on 19 minutes, this time from an inch-perfect Naylor free kick.
And Naylor was in the action again on the stroke of half-time, after being denied a clear-cut penalty when brought down by Sion Meredith.
He sent a free kick to the far post where Chris Taylor headed back across goal and Michael Wilde was first to a bouncing ball to head his 18th Welsh Premier goal of the season.
It was more of the same in the second half, with Goodwin's goal leading a charmed life from TNS strikes and his own defenders' saving clearances.
He also pulled out a good save to keep out substitute David Bridgwater's 25-yarder before Evans got his head on the end of yet another Naylor free kick to claim his hat-trick.
Geraint Windsor saved a certain goal when he cleared off the line with Goodwin beaten, but the final scoreline was of little consequence as news filtered through that Andy Moran had grabbed a late second goal at Porthmadog to end Saints' faint hopes. |
