CPD Y Rhyl 1879 survived a sending-off to win 2-0 at CPD Llannefydd on Saturday (September 14).

There was some initial probing from Rhyl from the kick-off, playing in to a strong wind, but that didn’t deter Jonny Bravo, who got an early goal after eight minutes after being put through by Tom Kemp.

Bravo nipped in front of a Llannefydd centre-back and slotted the ball in to the back of the net to give Rhyl an early lead.

But the personal joy for Bravo was short-lived as 10 minutes later, play was stopped as he needed extensive treatment for a bloody nose after an innocuous challenge.

And 10 minutes into the second half, Rhyl’s Oli Staveley saw a second yellow and his marching orders after making a challenge that stopped a Llanefydd player breaking through on goal.

The game then swung in the favour of the home side as Rhyl tried to organise and structure their players with a man down.

But on 70 minutes, they caught Llannefydd by surprise, with skipper Reece Fairhurst scoring with a bullet header from a Danny Clarke corner.

With something significant to hold on to, the 10 men of Rhyl moved to a low block in a 4-4-1 formation from their original three at the back.

Despite multiple attacks from the home team and pressure building, Rhyl saw out the game to record an impressive 2-0 win, to the delight of the travelling fans, with all players and coaches coming over to show their thanks for the support after the game.

After the game, Rhyl manager Gareth Thomas said how delighted he was with the away win and paying his respect to Rhyl’s opponents, but also to his own team.

Next up from Rhyl, it is back to Belle Vue with a tough FAW Cup fixture against JD Cymru North and reigning tier three champions Flint Mountain on Saturday (September 21) with a 2pm kick-off.