Dolgellau storm into next round of FAW Amateur Trophy

DOLGELLAU Athletic booked their place in the next round of the FAW Amateur Trophy with an impressive 6-1 victory away to an in-form Gaerwen side that had already defeated Llanidloes in the Welsh Cup and Nantlle Vale in their league opener.

The visitors approached the tie with plenty of respect but quickly showed their quality, racing into an early lead after just four minutes. Tomos Jones battled past several defenders before combining neatly with Osian Morris and Aaron Young, allowing Morris to round the goalkeeper and finish confidently.

Dolgellau doubled their advantage on 13 minutes through 17-year-old Cynan Roberts, who marked his first competitive start for the club with a superb strike into the top corner.

The visitors made it 3-0 before half-time when Wil Gruffydd's dangerous cross was turned into his own net by Gaerwen goalkeeper Dion Owen.

Dolgellau maintained their momentum after the break and struck again within five minutes of the restart. Young produced a moment of real quality, weaving his way through the defence before applying a clinical finish for what was arguably the goal of the game.

Gaerwen pulled one back through Callum Hughes just after the hour mark and enjoyed a spell of pressure, but Dolgellau weathered the storm well before reasserting control.

Morris grabbed his second goal of the afternoon with a powerful header from Gruffydd's corner to make it 5-1, before player-manager Rob Evans added the sixth on 77 minutes. Latching onto a through ball from Young, Evans cleverly deceived the goalkeeper with a finish at the near post.

Despite creating further opportunities in the closing stages, Dolgellau had to settle for a 6-1 victory.

Evans said: "I feel there is still room for improvement, but there was plenty on show today to prove what this team is capable of.”