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  The Reserves last game of what seems to have been a long season away against Denbigh Town in the semi final of the Presidents Cup began brightly enough with City’s youngsters dominating the early possession and putting the home defence under pressure only for Denbigh to take the lead on 9 minutes against the run of play when Jon Slater struck a right footed shot into the top corner of the City net from the edge of the area.

  The goal seemed to inspire Denbigh and City had Damion Bialozynski in the City goal, who made a couple of fine saves, and some lack lustre Denbigh finishing to thank for the score at half-time being Denbigh Town 1  v 0 Bangor City

  It was end to end stuff in the second half as Denbigh pressed for a second goal and City searched for an equalizer with Denbigh rattling the City woodwork  on a couple of occasions and City’s Sean Devereux on the right wing tormenting the home defence. On 65 minutes Frankie D’Angio gave way to Gwion Tegid and 10 minutes later City were back in the game when Dan Lowndes on the left wing crossed and Craig Whelan scored to level the scores and take the game into extra time.  Full-time score Denbigh Town 1 v 1 Bangor City

  In extra time both sides showing tremendous character as they each battled for a winner.

  Denbigh struck first on 102 minutes when former Caersws WP striker Jon Slater got his second goal of the game and looked to have put Denbigh into the final particularly as Bangor were reduced to 10 men when Damion Bialozynski was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a robust challenge.

  Denbigh’s Slater then had what would have been a decisive third goal disallowed by the referee before, and with only 2 minutes of extra time remaining, Lance Williams collecting the ball midway into the Denbigh half advanced on the home goal and lifted the ball over keeper Bryn Jones to make the Score after Extra Time Denbigh Town 2 Bangor City 2  and to take the game to the penalty shoot out which Denbigh won 4 – 3.
 
  Slater missed for Denbigh whilst George Flanagan had his penalty saved and Gwion Tegid put his over the bar for City.

 

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  A second narrow defeat in two days for the Reserves and whilst the score suggests a close game, in fact, City dominated the game throughout and, playing the type of passing game the excellent pitch at Nantporth allows, had enough chances to put the game comfortably beyond Bontnewydd’s reach before the visitors in the last minute of the game, capitalising on a mistake in the City defence, scored the winning goal.

  With the Lowndes twins away on holiday Sean Devereux  and Craig Whelan dropped back into the defence and with Sion Parry available at centre back Jason Edwards dropped to the bench.

  George Flanagan, missing from the Reserves line-up recently, returned in midfield.

  City, enjoying most of the early possession, went ahead with Lance Williams scoring his 24^th goal of the season with a header on 13 minutes only for the maxim that teams are at their most vulnerable immediately after scoring to apply when a minute later Bontnewydd’s Steve Tindall, capitalising on a lack of concentration in the City defence, equalised.

  City continued to dominate the game for the rest of the half but were unable to break through the visitors defence so that at half-time the score was Bangor City 1 Bontnewydd 1

 

  The second half was even more one sided than the first as the visitors visibly tired on the wide open spaces of Nantporth but still the City attack was unable to make the relentless pressure count.

  On 51 minutes Steve Hughes replaced Dan Shaw in attack and with 10 minutes or so left Jason Edwards replaced George Flanagan with Konrad Bialozynski moving to full back to allow Sean Devereux to join the attack but there was still no breakthrough and City were left to rue their many missed chances when Bontnewydd in the 89^th minute on the break mounted a rare incursion into the City half.

  Jason Edwards failed to clear the ball in the City penalty area and Sion Fon scored to give the visitors all three points  with the full-time score being Bangor City 1 Bontnewydd 2

 

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   On Easter Monday afternoon the Reserves played their first game at Nantporth taking on Llanystumdwy in Round 2 of the Gwynedd Cup and despite staging a spirited comeback in the last 20 minutes or so of the game lost narrowly to the visitors by 4 goals to 3. < style="color: rgb(51, 51, 255);">

   In persistent drizzle the game kicked off with City defending the Antelope end and the game was evenly contested until in the 26^th minute City gave away a free kick just outside their penalty area which former City favourite Paul Roberts despatched with some ease into the home net to give the visitors the lead.

   City countered and Corey Jones immediately had a shot saved. On 41 minutes the visitors conceded a free kick which was taken by Craig Whelan but the Llanystumdwy defence held firm so that at half-time the score was Bangor City 0 Llanystumdwy 1

   The spectators had hardly had time to settle back in their seats for the 2^nd half when in the 46^th minute former Porthmadog striker Meirion Pritchard, finding the City defence flat footed, scored to double the visitors advantage and they went further ahead on 57 minutes when more poor City defending allowed  Ben Roberts to score.

   Manager Haydn Jones brought on Gwion Tegid for Jason Edwards and moved Corey Jones to centre back to tighten the defence but it was replacement Jones who lost the ball on the City right to allow Paul Roberts in to score his second and Llanystumdwy’s fourth goal on 62 minutes.

   Game over but not quite as City, with Tegid now on the left and Shaun Lock moving to the centre to support Lance Williams, began the fight back. Lock hit the post on 66 minutes before turning provider slotting the ball through for Lance Williams to pull a goal back 2 minutes later.

   On 83 minutes Josh Roydes replaced Myles Jones to give some fresh legs to the City midfield as City stepped up the pressure on the visitors’ defence. Lance Williams scored again in the 85^th minute and Shaun Locke got a third goal for the hosts in the 90^th minute but City’s youngsters were unable to get the fourth goal that would have forced extra time before referee Mr Bryan Taylor blew the final whistle with the full-time score Bangor City 3 Llanystumdwy 4

   The Reserves were obliged to play this ‘home’ Gwynedd league fixture at Bethel in the interests of protecting the Nantporth pitch and fielding a strong side, including Craig Garside in midfield and Eddie Jebb up front, ran out comfortable winners against the league’s bottom side by 3 goals to nil.

  On an unseasonably hot sunny afternoon City controlled the game from the off with Damion Bialozynski in the City goal having little to do throughout apart from keeping his concentration.

  In the conditions and against a much fitter City side it was always going to be a tall order for Bethel to get anything out of the game and their task became that much more difficult when they were reduced to 10 men on the half hour. A rare Bethel foray into the City half was halted by Konrad Bialozynski whose tackle brought down the Bethel attacker  just, in the referee John Molyneux’s opinion, outside the box. Konrad went unpunished but in the ensuing fracas, as Bethel players surrounded Konrad, Damion came out of his goal to protect his little brother, as big brothers do, and got for his troubles a slap from a Bethel player and a yellow card from Mr Molyneux. The Bethel player concerned being sent off.

  Bethel managed to keep City at bay for only another 6 minutes until the deadlock was broken when midfielder Craig Whelan volleyed a ball from the left wing into the Bethel net to give City a deserved lead. Bangor had chances to increase their lead, including an easy chance squandered  by Shaun Locke, but the 10 men held out so that at half time the score was

Bangor City 1 Bethel 0

  In the second half Bangor rattled the Bethel cross bar on 52 minutes and Konrad Bialozynski collecting the ball in defence embarked on a solo run of almost the whole pitch but showed a centre back’s  composure in the Bethel box and was unable to score the goal the run deserved.

  On 64 minutes a superb ball from Garside into the Bethel area gave Shaun Locke a chance to atone for his first half miss and he scored with the simplest of tap ins to double City’s lead. 

  With the game more or less won, and Bethel showing little attacking threat, manager Haydn Jones brought on some fresh legs with David Algieri replacing Locke, Gwion Tegid replacing Matt Lowndes and Steve Hughes replacing Whelan.

  City, now playing three at the back, put the Bethel defence under some considerable pressure for the rest of the game with Steve Hughes making a couple of  telling runs down the right wing. On 75 minutes the pressure paid off when substitute Gwion Tegid got City’s third goal with a fine header so that when Mr Molyneux blew the final whistle the

  
  On Tuesday evening under floodlights, and in persistent rain at Bastion Gardens, City’s Reserves took on Prestatyn’s Reserves in Round Three of the North Wales Reserves League President’s Cup.

  And after weathering the storm in all senses City ran out winners by 2 goals to nil and progressed to the semi finals of the competition.  A remarkable achievement given that the youth and reserves youngsters had fulfilled three fixtures in four days!
 
  In the first half City had more of the possession without really looking like scoring whilst the hosts Prestatyn when they had the ball displayed the greater goal threat hitting the post, having a goal disallowed for off-side and ensuring that Damion  Bialozynski  was the busier keeper. City were perhaps a little fortunate to be on level terms at the interval.

 
  The second half began with both sides going for it and seemingly determined to avoid extra time.  

  On 55 minutes Bialozynski made a superb save when one on one with a Prestatyn forward before New Zealander Daniel Shaw making his first appearance following his transfer from Llangefni Town replaced Frankie D’Angio up front . The change seemed to give City’s attack some fresh impetus as eight minutes later Lance Williams through on the left side of the Prestatyn penalty area unleashed an unstoppable shot into the back of the hosts net to give City the lead.

  Haydn Jones bolstering the defence to protect the lead by bringing on Jason Edwards in place of the tiring Sean Devereux on 80 minutes with Myles Jones pushing into midfield and giving some fresh legs to the midfield by replacing George Flanagan with Steven Jones on 85 minutes.

  However, attack is always the best form of defence and on 86 minutes Myles Jones receiving the ball on the left struck a powerful long range shot that rocketed into the Prestatyn net to double the lead ensuring a deserved victory for City and a semi final against Denbigh Town.

   Last Saturday at Treborth City’s Reserves and Bangor University,  positioned eleventh and twelfth in the Gwynedd League respectively, played each other, for the first time this season after a couple of postponements,  in a  game that seesawed first one way and then the other but finished with the honours even. 
  The first half was pretty much all City as they dominated the game from the whistle attacking at will. On 11 minutes Dan Lowndes made a solo run into the University area but his shot hit the post and the woodwork was rattled again moments later. On 23 minutes after good work by Sean Devereux down the right David Algieri almost scored when he headed just over the bar but he made no mistake 2 minutes later and opened the scoring with a sweet strike into the University net.