CRACKING PERFORMANCE JUST WHEN IT WAS NEEDED

RHYL 4 (Connolly 29; Horan 78; M Williams 86 & 90)
GAP CONNAH'S QUAY 1 (Burns 79)
WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE - JANUARY 23, 2010
AFTER a week of turmoil at Belle Vue a big performance was needed from the Lilywhites today to raise the spirits - and they certainly delivered the goods.
Any sort of victory would have been acceptable under the current circumstances, but the fact Rhyl won with such style was a massive bonus.
If any of those players who wore the white shirt today are on the way out of Belle Vue as we are led to believe, then none of them performed with anything less than 100% commitment to the cause. Their minds were totally on the job.
The 4-1 scoreline suggests this was a very comfortable win for Greg Strong's side - but that was not quite the case.
Rhyl led 1-0 until the 78th minute, having missed a number of opportunities to put the game out of sight.
When it became 2-0 it looked like game, set and match, but an instant response from Quay raised the tension again at BV.
However, a late double from Matthew Williams gave the final score a more realistic look.
The crowd was moderate - only 358 - but they certainly made plenty of noise, especially the diehards behind the goal who revived many an old terrace tune not heard for some time.
Despite the difficulties facing the club at present there was a real togetherness inside the ground today and the players delivering on the field was the icing on the cake.
Quay made a decent start, Sam McNutt drilling across the face of goal early doors, Jack Cudworth only dealing with a Stuart Cook shot at the second attempt and the impressive Aaron Burns heading into the side-netting from a free-kick.
Rhyl's best efforts saw George Horan denied from close range by keeper Terry McCormick, who also got down well to keep out Matthew Williams' hit.
The match turned on 28 minutes when Quay defender Andy Alston fouled Rob Turner just outside the box, denying the striker a clear run on goal. Referee Morgan red-carded Alston - unfortunate but the letter of the law.
If the visitors were feeling sick about being reduced to 10 men, they felt a whole lot worse moments later when Mark Connolly's free-kick whistled into the far corner, bringing him a 19th goal of the season.
Quay so nearly equalised when Burns was unable to get a vital touch to a Cook cross, but a minute before the break it was almost 2-0 when Turner's header from a Phil Doran centre hit the top of the bar.
HALF-TIME: 1-0
Turner performed well on his home debut, but the fact he has been so short of games in recent times showed in his finishing, the ex-Sligo Rovers front man blasting over after being set up by Doran soon following the restart.
McNutt's 20-yarder was well dealt with by Cudworth, but Quay's attacking threat was very limited on the whole.
Rhyl went close again when Connolly's shot was saved by McCormick and from the rebound Matthew Williams' strike was blocked by Tom Baker.
Turner lashed wide with his fierce left foot and could easily have decapitated someone in the crowd behind the goal such was the force of the shot.
Matthew Williams drilled just off target and John Leah then teed up Turner who was thwarted by McCormick, the overworked keeper's bravery meaning he needed treatment more than once.
Leah's 30-yard thunderbolt missed by inches before on 78 minutes skipper Horan rose highest to meet a Doran corner and head home against his old club.
But if the home faithful thought that was it, there was nasty surprise seconds later when Burns drilled in a well deserved goal from 10 yards.
Connolly had a goal harshly ruled out for offside before Burns' left-footer did not miss by much.
Undeterred, Rhyl produced a powerful finish to the game, Connolly rippling the side-netting before McCormick again did well to foil Matthew Williams.
Finally on 86 minutes the encounter was settled when Doran's cross from the right arrived at the feet of substitute Chris Williams whose shot was diverted home by Matthew Williams. The sort of luck Rhyl have not been getting of late and fully deserved.
Doran headed a fraction wide from a Martyn Naylor cross before two minutes into injury time, Matthew Williams netted at the second attempt after McCormick blocked his first shot.
There could have been a fifth only for yet another courageous stop by McCormick to deny Chris Williams.
Job done, a happy crowd, back up to third.
One game at a time, that's the only way things can operate at the moment. Let's see what the week ahead brings.

RHYL: Cudworth, Connolly, Stones, Horan, Dowling, Leah, Doran, Owen, Turner (Naylor 88), M Williams, Kirk (C Williams 79). Unused subs: Strong, Heenan.

MATCH FACTS
GOALS - Rhyl 4 Quay 1
ATTEMPTS - Rhyl 23 Quay 6
ON TARGET - Rhyl 12 Quay 3
CORNERS - Rhyl 4 Quay 2
YELLOW CARDS - Rhyl 2 Quay 1
RED CARDS - Rhyl 0 Quay 1
ATTENDANCE - 358
LO MAN OF THE MATCH
Phil Doran (Rhyl)
At the centre of many attacking moves, sharp and focused.

RHYL FC RESULTS 2009/10
Aug 15 - Carmarthen Town (WPL - home) 2-1 (Strong, M Williams)
Aug 21 - Airbus UK Broughton (WPL - away) 2-2 (Hunt 2)
Aug 25 - Airbus UK Broughton (LC - a) 2-1 (Hunt, Owen)
Aug 29 - Port Talbot (WPL - h) 2-0 (M Williams, Hunt)
Sep 1 - Prestatyn Town (LC - h) 2-1 (Naylor, Connolly)
Sep 5 - Gap Connah's Quay (WPL - a) 2-0 (M Williams, Connolly)
Sep 11 - Bangor City (WPL - h) 5-1 (Hunt 2, M Williams pen, C Williams, Connolly)
Sep 19 - Newtown (WPL - a) 4-2 (M Williams 2, Strong, Connolly)
Sep 22 - Airbus (LC - h) 4-0 (Connolly 2, Kirk, Doran)
Sep 26 - Porthmadog (WPL - h) 4-0 (Connolly 3, Kirk)
Oct 3 - Llanfairpwll (WC-a) 3-1 (Connolly 2, Smith)
Oct 6 - Prestatyn Town (LC-a) 3-0 (Connolly, Hunt, C Williams)
Oct 9 - Bala Town (WPL-a) 4-0 (Smith, Doran, Horan, Hunt)
Oct 17 - Neath (WPL-a) 0-2
Oct 23 - Elements Cefn Druids (WPL-a) 1-1 (M Williams)
Oct 27 - Porthmadog (LCQF-a) 4-1 (Connolly 2, M Williams 2)
Oct 31 - Bridgend Town (WC-h) 4-2 (Connolly, M Williams, Strong, C Williams)
Nov 7 - Llanelli (WPL-h) 0-0
Nov 10 - Gap Connah's Quay (a-LCSF 1st leg) 1-2 (Connolly)
Nov 14 - Caersws (WPL-h) 3-1 (Connolly, Hunt 2)
Nov 17 - Gap Connah's Quay (h-LCSF 2nd leg) 4-0 (Connolly, Hunt, Smith 2)
Nov 22 - The New Saints (a-WPL) 0-4
Nov 29 - Haverfordwest County (a-WPL) 1-2 (Strong)
Dec 5 - Aberystwyth Town (a-WPL) 2-2 (Leah, Hunt)
Dec 12 - Technogroup Welshpool (h-WPL) 4-1 (Leah, C Williams, Hunt, Owen)
Dec 16 - Colwyn Bay (a-NWCC) 1-0 (Stones)
Dec 26 - Prestatyn Town (a-WPL) 0-0
Jan 2 - Prestatyn Town (h-WPL) 1-1 (Leah)
Jan 16 - Port Talbot (a-WPL) 1-2 (Turner)
Jan 23 - Gap Connah's Quay (h-WPL) 4-1 (Connolly, Horan, M Williams 2)

GOALS (70): 19 - Mark Connolly; 13 - Lee Hunt; 12 - Matthew Williams; 4 - Paul Smith, Greg Strong, Chris Williams; 3 - John Leah; 2 - George Horan, Tyrone Kirk, Phil Doran, Gareth Owen; 1 - Martyn Naylor, Greg Stones, Rob Turner.