DENBIGH TOWN RES 2
ST ASAPH 3
CLWYD League Division One champions St Asaph edged out Vale of Clwyd rivals Denbigh Town Reserves to claim victory by the odd-goal-in-five.
To be fair it was a deserved win for the Premier Division newcomers on chances created with Duncan Midgley the pick of the players on show.
The big man grafted a hat-trick, with a Matt Toole double keeping Denbigh in the hunt up to the final whistle.
St Asaph started brightly and after only six minutes they took a lead when Midgley burst into the box and fired past Griffith in the Denbigh goal.
The same man should have doubled his tally moments later but his firm effort skimmed the bar.
Denbigh responded and almost drew level but Saints’ stopper Aaron Hands got his body in the way of a Madoc-Jones effort.
A stern challenge put paid to Madoc’s game, with the big Denbigh forward limping off clutching a knee.
Just before the break hesitation in the Denbigh box almost brought the visitors another goal but the chance went begging from just four yards out.
With the first stanza entering its final moments, Matty Toole popped up on the edge of the box and the score was tied.
Second-half action saw Midgley grab his second after the Denbigh defence failed to clear.
But almost immediately Toole grabbed parity with an instinctive effort after ping-pong in the St Asaph box.
On 70 minutes Midgely grabbed his third, reacting well with ball at feet and a smart finish around keeper Griffiths sealed the win.
While Midgley was St Asaph’s top performer, Russ Vaughan shone brightest in Denbigh colours.