After a long lay off due to match postponements, Flint Mountain were glad to be back in action today, kicking off 2018 with a Horace Wynne Cup second round clash against Connah's Quay Nomads U18s. Manager Rob Marshall was able to bring back Jake Williams, Sean Wilkes and Mark Hughes all back into the starting eleven, as the team looked to start off the year in the right way.

The opening exchanges did not show much, as both teams looked to get into the game. It was Flint Mountain who struck first though, with Sean Wilkes opening the scoring after eleven minutes. After great work down the right by Mark Hughes, the ball found it's way to Wilkes on the edge of the area, where he opened up his body to curl a left footed effort into the bottom corner. The Nomads thought they had a way back into the game quickly, but their strong penalty appeals were turned away by the referee.

After twenty minutes, Flint Mountain were awarded a penalty of their own. From a corner, Sean Wilkes tried to control the ball, but the Nomads defender kicked his foot, and the referee pointed to the spot. Left back Colin Davies stepped up and coolly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, his third penalty conversion of the campaign. Nomads could not seem to find a way past a confident Mountain side, who made it 3-0 five minutes before half time. Winning the ball in their own half, Flint Mountain counter attacked, with the ball being fed to Jack Aitken, who slipped as he shot, looping the ball over the stranded goalkeeper with a freak goal.

Nomads should have levelled straight afterwards, as their striker run through on goal, but the Mountain defenders managed to bundle the ball out for a corner. From the corner, however, a Nomads player was left unmarked as he easily found the back of the net from close range.

In the second half, Nomads come out strong, looking for another goal to get themselves back into the game. Ryan Roberts was on hand to save a couple of goalbound efforts, before Flint Mountain struck at the other end to make it four. From a corner, the ball eventually found Sean Wilkes, who turned and played the ball to the back post, where defender Joey Davies was on hand to drive a low effort beyond the goalkeeper for his first goal for the club.

Mountain continued to press on for further goals, with David James Jones, Jake Williams and Mark Hughes all working hard to find another way through. Nomads were still not done and grabbed a second goal with twenty minutes to play. Beating his man on the Mountain left, the ball was played to the opposite side of the penalty area, where the Nomads player curled his shot past Roberts in the Mountain goal.

As the game drawn on, fresh legs were added, as Jack Aitken, Colin Davies and Mark Hughes were all withdrawn, with Alex Millington, Ryan Parry and Keiran Farr replacing them. Parry had a great chance to increase the lead again, but his effort whistled past the post. As the game's end drew near, Nomads were unfortunate not to add a third, as shot was pushed onto the bar by Ryan Roberts, with the ball bouncing on the goal line but being smothered by the goalkeeper.

That win has put Flint Mountain into the hat for the quarter finals of the Horace Wynne Cup, with the draw to be made in due course. Next up for Flint Mountain is a first meeting with the final new side to the league this season, Brymbo Victoria. Brymbo sit twelfth in the table so far, picking up four wins from their eleven games so far. Kick off at the Brymbo Sports & Social Club next week is 14:00.

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