Bangor 1876 continued their high-scoring start to 2020 at Parc Meurig with a 10-2 win against Bethesda Athletic. The first goal arrived inside the first minute as a right-wing cross from Jamie Petrie stuck the outstretched leg of a Bethesda defender and flew past home goalkeeper Rob Beattie.

1876 doubled their lead in the sixth minute when Dafydd Thomas shot high into the net from the edge of the box. However, Bethesda halved the deficit within a minute when Dewi Thomas fired in a shot from the left-side of the penalty area.

Later on in the half, Bethesda came close to equalising when Andy Clarke broke into the right-side of the box before firing narrowly wide from a tight angle. However, a flurry of goals in the last five minutes of the opening period soon meant that the scoreline took on a very different complection.

In the forty-first minute, Dafydd Thomas scored his second of the afternoon with a powerful shot from just outside the penalty area. Two minutes before half-time, Bangor 1876 took a 4-1 lead after a shot by Cameron Barry from near the penalty spot struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the line after bouncing off the home side’s keeper.

A minute later, Cameron Barry floated a free-kick into the box which resulted in 1876’s fifth goal after Welsh Colleges international Cian Williams controlled the ball and turned to power a shot into the net from the edge of the six-yard box. In the final seconds of the first half, Jamie Petrie dribbled past several players before making the score 6-1 with 1876’s 100th Gwynedd League goal of the season.

Only two minutes after the break, Dylan Summers-Jones scored 1876’s seventh goal with a right-footed shot from the edge of the box. In the fifty-fourth minute, Summers-Jones turned provider as his neat pass played in Jamie Petrie and allowed him to complete his hat-trick as he rounded the goalkeeper.

Bethesda kept going and got a reward for their efforts in the 69th minute when recent signing Ally Issa scored with a looping header after finding space in the penalty area. With ten minutes left, 1876 restored their seven goal lead after Jamie Petrie decisively converted a penalty. In the final minute, Bangor 1876 reached double figures as Matt Lock shot home from six yards after Dylan Summers-Jones crossed the ball back into the box from the right wing following a late corner.

Next up for Bangor 1876 is a match away to Menai Bridge in the Bob Owen Shield on Saturday 25 January (1.30pm kick-off).

Bethesda Athletic: 1. Rob Beattie, 2. Liam Bibby, 3. Dan Richards (booked 30 minutes, sub. 75 minutes 16. Nathan Roberts), 4. Bradley Pickavance, 5. Dan Doyle (sub. 79 minutes 12. Morgan Davies), 6. Gavin Pritchard (sub. 56 minutes 14. Cam Robertson) , 7. Robbie Jones, 8. Ally Issa, 9. Andy Clarke (captain), 10. Shaun Morris, 11. Dewi Thomas.

Bangor 1876: 1. Leon Jones, 2. Dafydd Thomas, 19. Matt Lock, 3. Shaun Lock, 12. Ben Owen (sub. 62 minutes 14. Ryan Pope), 5. Michael Johnston (captain) (sub. 80 minutes Harry Jones), 6. Cian Williams (sub. 70 minutes 16. Leon Owens), 7. Jamie Petrie, 8. Cameron Barry, 9. Les Davies, 11. Dylan Summers-Jones.