LILIES FIRE BLANKS

RHYL 0
COLWYN BAY 1 (Davies 75)
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY - JULY 15, 2008
SHOT shy Rhyl were made to pay for missed opportunities when Colwyn Bay central defender John Davies bagged the only goal in the 75th minute of tonight's friendly at Belle Vue.
The Lilywhites fielded 20 players in all during the 90 minutes and despite the result there were some good individual performances for watching head coach Osian Roberts and assistant Gary Powell to be pleased about (Allan Bickerstaff is on holiday).
New faces included:
Greg Strong - a much-travelled 32-year-old central defender whose former clubs include Wigan Athletic, Bolton, Hull City, Cheltenham and Macclesfield Town, plus in Scotland, Motherwell (whom he joined for £150,000 in 2000), Livingston and Dundee. He dropped out of league football a year ago and has since played for Northwich Victoria and, most recently, Droylsden. A decision is expected soon on whether he will sign.

Paolo Stanzini - came on as a substitute just before half time and looked very impressive on the ball. Has reportedly played for Cagliari in Italy's Serie B.

Ryan Edwards - young wing-back from Airbus UK who shaped lively after coming on in the second half and looks set to join the Lilies.

There were also debuts for ex-Wrexham trio Neil Roberts, Gareth Owen and Jamie Reed, plus Carl Owen, a recent capture from Porthmadog.
Roberts was at his sharpest in the first half, his deft flicks and skill on the ball reflecting the level he has played at.
Gareth Owen came on after 56 minutes and really shone, Reed was impressive with the ball at his feet and Carl Owen got himself into good positions but on this performance needs to work on his shooting.
Tonight's match saw Rhyl dominate the first half, but although they carved out chances at will at times, they never over-exerted Bay keeper Farai Jackson.
Bay threatened first inside 60 seconds but striker Sean Beck was unable to get enough purchase on his shot from six yards.
Neil Roberts' fabulous flick over the Bay defence released Carl Owen on six minutes but although in the clear, the final shot was weak and Jackson saved easily.
Reed hit two tame shots at Jackson before Carl Owen had another clear sighting of goal but blasted over.
Craig Jones' cross on 24 minutes picked out Neil Roberts on the edge of the box but his volley was easily gathered by the visiting custodian.
As the half wore on Bay's defence became harder to break down and only a last gasp challenge by the excellent Mark Connolly prevented Beck from scoring in injury time.
After the break it was substitutes galore from both sides. Neil Roberts' air shot was a tad embarrassing on 50 minutes but soon after his neat chest down resulted in Gareth Wilson letting fly from 30 yards and missing the target by inches.
A fabulous move involving Gareth Owen and Reed on 64 minutes deserved to be rounded off with a goal, but Carl Owen's effort was again a fraction over.
Italian Stanzini, who on 45 minutes replaced Craig Jones who worryingly left the field hobbling badly, played a fabulous ball over the defence which Carl Owen controlled well but his shot was again saved without too much trouble by Jackson.
As the game wore on Colwyn grew increasingly confident and they created the clearest opening on 74 minutes for ex-Rhyl midfielder Robbie Williams but Lee Kendall saved magnificently from close range.
From the resulting Luke O'Mahoney corner, however, Rhyl failed to clear their lines, the ball came to centre half Tim Brandreth on the right side of the box and his low centre was sidefooted home by Davies.
Although the hosts pressed hard for an equaliser, Craig Garside and Gareth Owen hitting decent attempts, it was Bay who claimed the spoils.
RHYL:
Kendall, Connolly (Edwards 70), C Roberts (Holt 74), Strong (O'Neill 46), Horan, Wilson (Kelly 56), Jones (Stanzini 45), Stones (G Owen 56), N Roberts (Garside 70), C Owen (Sharp 74), Reed (T Roberts 82).
Involved in the warm-up at Belle Vue was Matthew Williams, a former Manchester United and Notts County player who hails from Denbigh. Williams was on loan at Burton Albion last season having been temporarily released by Tamworth. His intentions as regards Rhyl are still be confirmed, but although he did not play tonight he could feature against Oldham Athletic tomorrow.