LLANGEFNI TOWN 0
RUTHIN TOWN 1
ADIE Jones’ Ruthin completed a fine opening day success by downing last season’s Cymru Alliance champions in their own backyard.
Only the lack of an FAW domestic licence denied Llangefni promotion back up to the Welsh Premier League last season, but Ruthin were deserved victors, even though they were forced to play for more than an hour with only 10 men.
Miles Todd was the unlucky Ruthin player to be dismissed inside half-an-hour.
Ruthin Town chairman Brian Griffiths said: “It was an unfortunate sending-off, to be honest.
“He went to go for a header and missed the header and the ball hit his arm.”
That incident yielded a straight red card for Todd and gave Llangefni a dangerous free kick chance just outside the box, which came to nothing.
As a result of the dismissal, Sion Williams was pulled from midfield to take a defensive role for the visitors, while Stuart Vernon - who was playing just off the front two - was asked to drop back to the middle of the park.
“We were matching them until he got sent off,” added Griffiths.
“Then, you could have written the script, apart from the fact we scored!”
Just after the interval, Llangefni overcommitted themselves when they were awarded a corner, with Ruthin deciding to bravely leave two men up front for the set piece.
The breakaway came straight from the corner, leaving the attacking visitors three-on-two and when a ball over the top was missed by Leigh Craven, Steve Kehoe slipped and Stuart Vernon took his chance to place an early shot inside the near post with Llangefni keeper Mike Innes stranded.
That was by no means the end of the action as Llangefni pressed for a leveller.
Leigh Craven looked to have scored, but his effort came back off the underside of the bar, while further opportunities saw the visiting keeper in fine form.
It was by no means all one-way traffic with ex-Llangollen player Aaron Aby going close on a couple of occasions at the other end of the pitch, while in the closing moment a great Marc Evans cross found the head of Darren Thomas six yards out, only for the ball to bounce up off the turf and strike the crossbar.