HORAN STRIKE SEALS ANOTHER THREE POINTS

CAERNARFON TOWN 0
RHYL 1 (Horan 34)
WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE - AUGUST 23, 2008
GEORGE Horan's 34th minute goal was enough to ensure the Lilywhites stretched their unbeaten run against Caernarfon in the Welsh Premier to 14 matches.
Three points and a clean sheet has to represent a satisfactory outcome for Allan Bickerstaff's side who hold joint leadership of the WPL at this very early stage of the campaign.
The Canaries are fielding virtually a new team this season, their Liverpool-based management trio packing the squad with numerous players from the Merseyside area.
Having lost their opener 1-0 at Caersws and then getting thrashed 7-1 at Newtown in the League Cup in midweek, the Cofis were expected to be cannon fodder for Rhyl but it did not quite work out like that.
Hero of the afternoon for the hosts was goalkeeper Craig Dunn who made a number of important saves to keep the score down.
In the fourth minute Dunn was called into action to hold a Craig Jones shot and as the game developed so Rhyl took control.
On 10 minutes a huge clearance from Lee Kendall was brilliantly brought down by Carl Owen but Dunn was equal to his low left foot drive.
In the 16th minute Dunn produced a sharp reaction stop to keep out a heading exchange between Horan and Greg Strong from a Gareth Owen corner.
Caernarfon's first serious threat emerged on 19 minutes when the much-travelled Lee Furlong linked well with Paul Addo before volleying just wide.
The deadlock was broken on 34 minutes when Gareth Owen's free-kick from outside the area was stabbed home by captain Horan at the back post.
Into the second half and the Lilies continued to create the better chances, Carl Owen heading against the bar and Jimmy Kelly clattering the woodwork from a free-kick.
Dunn did superbly to keep out a deflected Gareth Owen effort and he had to get down smartly to deny Carl Owen again. The partnership of Carl Owen and Neil Roberts up front worked well.
In the 77th minute substitute Josh Johnson beat Dunn to a long ball and looked set to find an empty net, but again the Canaries custodian excelled in managing to recover.
For all Rhyl's domination Caernarfon could have plundered a late equaliser when a Tom Grice rocket was bound for the top corner but Lee Kendall did what Lee Kendall does, produced a tremendous tip over in spite of hardly being tested otherwise in the game.
Town did have a few other attempts during the half and certainly did not roll over and lie down, but on the day they were by some distance second best.
RHYL: Kendall, Connolly, Stones, Strong, Horan (c), D Williams, G Owen, Kelly (Johnson 76), N Roberts, C Owen, Jones (Reed 70) sub not used: O'Neill.
* Match information kindly supplied by Paul Scott.