Damp conditions welcomed 1876 on their first ever visit to this part of the Borderlands. The rain may have pelted down in the first ten minutes of the match but that didn't stop both sides attempting to impose themselves on the match.

From the 1876 perspective Liam Morris attempted to apply an assured touch in the slippery conditions, then two notable attacks were created by the blues in red. The first saw Corrig McGonigle narrowly fail to connect with a Les Davies cross, the second featured McGonigle's nifty footwork on the opposite wing and a cross that flew behind the goal.

Hawarden then repaid 1876’s attacking pressure in kind with a couple of chances, the first was saved well by Huw Shaw and the second produced a wayward cross. The general pattern of the half was thus set within 15 minutes; both sides swapped attacks as the match became entertaining,

During the second third of the first half Hawarden found their firm footing. The 20th minute almost saw a home goal as Scott Davies' looped shot hit the post. then Jonathan Simpson, Hawarden’s keeper, claimed a dangerous free kick, then several decent Hawarden moves were stopped by the calm and resolute 1876 defence.

Morris, Davies and Tom Clarke were the next three 1876 players to chance their arms with goalbound efforts, sadly for the 1876 fans none of them were successful in troubling those delegated with updating Comet.

As the 30 minute mark passed free kicks started to became important, the first saw Hawarden forced Shaw into a save and the second, in the 35th minute, helped to produce a cross that led to Tom Clarke putting 1876 ahead by flicking the ball past the keeper with his head.

Both sides continued to attack in the last 10 minutes of the half; a McGongigle left wing break produced a situation that led to a brace of corners and Hawarden fashioned another couple of chances. The match was far from over at the midway point.

Half Time - Hawarden Rangers 0 Bangor 1876 1

The blues in red almost doubled their lead in the opening minutes of the new half but McGonicle’s free kick struck the top of Hawarden's defensive wall. 1876 then kept the application of pressure as Davies' wonderful wing work manufactured McGonigle's miss by a miniscule margin.

1876 did double their lead in the 49th minute when Gethin Thomas collected Davies' expertly judged through ball and calmly knocked the ball past Simpson. The attacking pressure continued until the hour mark as McGonigle, Morris and Thomas all made Simpson work.

The next 15 minutes were less comfortable for the 1876 fans as the hosts increased the tempo of their performance. Several dangerous situations saw the 1876 tested, but as in the first half their defence remained resolute.

The final 15 minutes of the match were slightly more even because both sides attacked. One Hawarden attack was ended when the ball was deflected by an 1876 head onto the top of the crossbar. The 80th minute saw Simpson save a curled McGonigle free kick then Huw Shaw made a double save to deny the hosts in the following minutes

The last few minutes saw substitute Shaun Lock receive a red a few minutes after he entered the pitch. Both sides also managed to offer a few more attacks to round off this entertaining clash in the Borderlands.

Full Time - Hawarden Rangers 0 Bangor 1876 2

Our next league match will be the home clash with Saltney Town next Saturday (25th March, 2.30pm kick off). Please come along to support our team if you can.