CORWEN 1

CEFN ALBION 2

MEETINGS with fellow Wrexham Area League high-flyers aren't going in Corwen's favour at present.

Seven days after being unfortunately edged out by leaders Brickfield Rangers in the Premier Division Cup, Corwen took on second-placed Cefn Albion.

The high-flying clash took place on a bitterly cold snowy day, with an icy wind making things tricky, but there was still a large crowd in attendance to see the game.

Spectators didn’t have too long to wait for a goal.

In the third minute, a corner was played into the Corwen box and the ensuing scramble resulted in Kien Morris bundling the ball home.

Corwen players claimed the ball hadn’t crossed the line, however referee Rob Duncan decided otherwise.

The home side went in search of an equaliser, with Ryan Billington's header from a corner being blocked, while Joe Williams' shot at goal was saved by keeper Josh Roberts.

Home hopes of gaining anything from the game were made doubly difficult when Cefn found the back of the net again.

The Corwen defence failed to deal with a free kick played into the box and Albion captain Paul Griffiths got free of the defenders to curl the ball into the far corner of the net.

The hosts kept plugging away and 10 minutes before the break, Joe Williams got free of left back Jamie Foulkes, but he could only send his shot high over the bar.

Williams was in the thick of the action again soon after and he set up Ryan Billington, whose first time shot went over the bar.

Cefn went close to adding a third goal late in the first half, but Sion Dolben Hughes was in the right place to head the ball off the line.

Corwen enjoyed a positive beginning to the second half and they were right back in the contest three minutes after the restart.

Sion Dolben Hughes' header struck the crossbar and the rebound fell for Scott Evans to fire the ball into the net.

Ten minutes later and Evans' free kick picked out Ryan Billington, who headed wide of the target.

Ioz Jones fired over while under pressure as Corwen sought an equaliser and conditions worsened when a blizzard of heavy snow hit the pitch with around 25 minutes left to play.

This affected the players' visibility, which meant the yellow ball on the field was put into full use.

A long ball forward to Daniel Cox caused some nervy moments for the home defence.

Cox’s shot was spilled by keeper Nathan Aldridge, and the midfielder sent the rebound wide of the goal.

With 11 minutes remaining, the hosts attacked Albion in numbers with a quick move.

Ioz Jones played in a teammate and after sustained pressure, the ball was eventually cleared for a corner.

Corwen’s final chance of salvaging a point came when Ioz Jones was brought down for a free kick to be awarded in a dangerous position.

Scott Evans took the free kick, but he was unable to grab the headlines as he sent the set piece sailing over the crossbar.