Jiws ensures justice is done
SAINTS laid their Rhyl bogy with a well-deserved victory at Belle Vue.
But the win was nearly snatched from their grasp after Chris McGinn had wiped out Scott Ruscoe's third minute opener with a 76th minute scrambled effort.
Once again, Marc Lloyd-Williams proved to be the super-sub, coming on with just over 10 minutes left and scoring with his first touch.
He latched onto a long clearance from defence, spotted Rhyl keeper Paul Smith off his line and struck a superb shot over his head into the roof of the net from just inside the box.
The goal signalled a final few minutes of intense Rhyl pressure, but TNS weathered a flurry of corners and free kicks to hold out for a win which means so much to everyone at Treflan.
Ken McKenna's men got the perfect start after Timmy Edwards had caused a few heart flutters with an early header from a corner. With just three minutes gone, Steven Beck was brought down on the edge of the box and Scott Ruscoe planted his free-kick perfectly into Smith's left hand corner.
A last ditch tackle by Chris King denied Lillies' striker Peter Smith after good work from Leyton Maxwell, with John Toner forcing the Rhyl keeper into a good save at the other end.
Gerard Doherty showed his class with a fine stop from Smith when he was through on goal just four minutes after the break and Beck fired over the bar a few minutes later.
But the defining moment of the game came with 20 minutes to go. Jimmy Aggrey was harshly ruled to have fouled in the box, but Doherty reacted superbly to stop Maxwell's penalty and a follow-up shot.
The relief was short-lived, as Atherton delivered a good free kick and the ball fell to McGinn who scrambled it into the net.
But Rhyl joy was equally brief as Jiws restored the Saints' advantage. |
