Glan had nothing to be ashamed of in this performance. They gave everything and over ninety minutes were the better side but once again had nothing to show for it as two fluke goals effectively won the game for Lex.
The horror show began after just 75 seconds as Lex defender Paul Griffiths took a free kick from ten yards inside his own half. With the ball apparently running on harmlessly to keeper Marc Newbould a combination of a swirling wind and a hard playing surface saw the ball rise up unexpectedly catching the Glan keeper off guard and unable to stop the ball finding the top corner.
It was impossible to imagine a worse possible start but Glan dug in and slowly began to work their way back into the game, a quick free kick from Chris Evans almost giving Emyr Rowlands the chance to draw level on 6 minutes.
Most of the problems posed by the home side were coming from long punts upfield but at this stage there was little to choose between the sides. A cross from Simon Smith was close to finding Mike Latham as Lex attacked and on 13 minutes the Bodorgan side came near to scoring as a fine cross from James Burgess found Kevin Roberts who appeared to be tripped as he drove the ball goalwards, the ball passing narrowly wide and Glan’s appeals for a penalty kick going unheeded.
Burgess almost won a race with the keeper on the half hour mark with the visitors now getting on top and an equaliser looking likely. Twice Anthony Hughes closed in on the Lex goal only to be halted by desperate last ditch defending but on 36 minutes Glantraeth should have scored as a well delivered free kick from Chris Evans found Burgess rising unchallenged at the far post but with keeper Dan Billington stranded he directed his header just off target.
A goal had to come and it did a minute later as Gareth Owen’s forward pass put Anthony Hughes clear and the Glantraeth striker kept his composure brilliantly as defenders closed in to coolly slip the ball past Billington.
Lex were now on the back foot and Burgess looked like he might add another four minutes later, getting in a header as he was clattered to the ground by the advancing Lex keeper leading to a free kick on the edge of the area that came to nothing.
It was still the visitors in command following the interval, Adam Jones trying his luck from 25 yards with a low shot that skidded narrowly wide then Kevin Roberts hit a tremendous dipping shot on the turn that was inches over with Billington a spectator.
After being so much on top once more the god’s conspired against the visitors on the hour mark as Lex’s best player Mick Santangelli tried a shot from the edge of the area, the ball being deflected off a boot early in flight and looping high into the air with keeper Marc Newbould facing into bright sunlight only able to push the viciously spinning ball into the roof of his net.
A driving run from Glantraeth’s Emyr Rowlands looked like it might produce a goal ten minutes later but he was eventually crowded out before he could get a shot in then Newbould was called on to save from Latham.
There was some desperate defending from the home side with nine minutes remaining as Billington spilled a free kick and Anthony Hughes pulled the ball back for Burgess to head back across goal only for Emyr Rowlands again to be denied by a last ditch tackle.
Salt was rubbed into the wounds in the third minute of added time as Glantraeth were caught short at the back while pushing forward and Santangelli set up Latham for an easy finish, the final 3-1 losing scoreline hardly doing justice to a game Lex were lucky to win.
Glantraeth: Marc Newbould, Bryn Jones (Mark Owens 89), Adam Jones, Danny Wade, Gareth Owen, Caerwyn Roberts, Anthony Hughes, Emyr Rowlands, James Burgess, Kevin Roberts (Jarl Glynn 78), Chris Evans.