STRONG LATICS DEFEAT LILYWHITES

RHYL 0
OLDHAM ATHLETIC 3 (Davies 31, Whitaker 70, Alessandra 80)
PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY - JULY 16, 2008
WITH Football League One club Oldham fielding virtually their entire first team squad this was always going to be a tough ask for Rhyl, but the Lilywhites emerged with credit from tonight's friendly at Belle Vue.
Twenty-four hours after a hard fought derby against Colwyn Bay, the Lilies put out 21 players in all including ex-Manchester United player Matthew Williams, who signed just a couple of hours before kick-off.
Hero of the night for the home side was goalkeeper Lee Kendall who made a succession of superb stops to deny the Latics a hatful.
The difference in class was obvious, yet in the physical battle Rhyl were not found wanting and they often enjoyed good spells of possession themselves.
Oldham were soon into their stride and rattled the woodwork four times in the opening half hour.
Craig Davies struck timber twice and Chris O'Grady and trialist Abdul Razziq did so once apiece, the latter with a brilliant long range chip.
Rhyl also had a few good moments. Jamie Reed made a fine run down the left, drilled the ball into the six-yard box and Matthew Williams appeared to get a touch but Athletic goalkeeper Greg Fleming, a recent acquisition from Gretna, smothered well.
Fleming was quick off his line again to deny Craig Jones after Neil Roberts' skewed delivery fell into his path.
Good work on 16 minutes down the right saw Mark Connolly's cross cleared only as far as Jones who lashed a left footer just wide, Williams narrowly failing to get a toe on the ball.
Finally on 31 minutes the deadlock was broken. Dale Stephens lobbed the ball over the Rhyl defence and Welsh international and former Wolves and Verona striker Davies carried too much pace for the Lilywhite rearguard, firing past Kendall in clinical fashion.
The hosts battled back well, Williams turning impressively on a sixpence in the area but blasting over, then George Horan met a Jones corner but his header missed the target.
Rhyl made a host of substitutions in the second period and for the most part were on the backfoot.
Kendall produced fine stops from Danny Whittaker and Lewis Alessandra, then Mark Allott steered inches wide.
Eventually on 70 minutes Whittaker was allowed too much space 20 yards out and thundered an unstoppable left foot rocket past Kendall.
Rhyl's best chance of the half came when Kendall's long clearance put substitute Chris Sharp in the clear but he hammered over the bar.
In the 80th minute a third Latics goal saw 19-year-old prospect Alessandra finish from close range and that ended the scoring.
There was still time, however, for Kendall to make another pair of tremendous stops from Mark Wolfenden and Alessandra.
Positives for Rhyl included a very assured display at the back from new man Greg Strong, who really looked the part. Again up front, though, no-one really looked capable of scoring although the quality of opposition has to be taken into account.
Oldham fielded 11 players with first team experience over the two halves which is a compliment to Rhyl, and certainly the Lilywhites will learn more from a game like this than they would thrashing some Mid-Wales cannon fodder 10-0.
RHYL: Kendall, Connolly (T Roberts 82), Stones (C Roberts 73), Strong (Holt 82), Horan (O'Neill 46), G Owen (Garside 62), Jones (Stanzini 46), Kelly (Wilson 62), N Roberts (C Owen 62), Williams (Lloyd-Williams 46), Reed (Sharp 46). Attendance: 375.