DOLGELLAU Athletic bowed out of the Welsh Cup after a battling performance against tier two opponents Caerau Ely on Saturday.

It wasn’t to be for the Marian side as their historic cup run came to an end, but Rob Evans’ charges can take heart from an excellent display.

A 2-0 defeat is no disgrace against JD Cymru South opposition. Dolgellau took the game to them, created chances, defended well, and on another day it could have been a different story.

Manager Evans said: “It was a fantastic experience for us all. I thought Caerau were awesome and our boys more than competed.

“Hopefully we can keep improving and keep creating opportunities like yesterday.

“A great learning curve for us all. All the very best to Caerau Ely for the rest of the competition and season.”

Played in front of a bumper crowd and a brilliant atmosphere at the Marian, the visitors had the better of the first half and took a deserved lead through Hywel Davies on the half hour after good work by Thomas McLean.

Their quality shone through again before the break when Daniel Griffiths doubled their advantage after being set up by Oliver Redhead.

Credit to the home side, they were determined not to allow their first appearance in the third round of the Welsh Cup to pass without a fight. They came out with real intent in the second half and created numerous goalscoring chances.

If they could have pulled one back, momentum would have swung massively their way, but wayward finishing, a lack of luck, and some fine saves by visiting keeper Exauce Dimonekene kept them at bay.

Dol return to Ardal North East action when they host Radnor Valley at the Marian on Saturday with a 2pm kick-off.