Hughes hits late winner as Aberystwyth edge Guilsfield

ON a warm Friday night in North Powys, substitute Rhys Hughes’ 83rd-minute winner earned the Black and Greens a hard-fought victory in a closely contested encounter at Guilsfield.

Adam Knott had opened the scoring for the hosts after 26 minutes, but a trialist equalised for Town four minutes before the break. The second half ebbed and flowed, with either side capable of snatching the win, but Hughes’ late strike ultimately proved decisive.

With virtually no rainfall and a two-week heatwave leaving the playing surface at Clos Mytton hard and dry, conditions made for a difficult game, but an entertaining, high-tempo contest nevertheless unfolded.

A trialist registered Aber’s first effort, although his shot drifted wide, before Liam Walsh played Aaron Williams through on goal. Williams cut the ball back for Dan Owen, but the lively midfielder fired over the crossbar.

Guilsfield then took the lead when a cross from the left was punched clear by Luke Evans, only for Knott to pounce on the loose ball and fire home from the edge of the area, ending Aber’s run of three consecutive pre-season clean sheets.

The hosts continued to press, with captain Jack Cook striking the crossbar before a succession of corners saw Evans produce another important intervention, punching a looping header over the bar to keep the deficit at one.

Aber responded well. Jonathan Evans fired over from a promising position before Leo Thompson’s looping effort dropped kindly for Mike Jones in the Guilsfield goal. The equaliser arrived just before half-time when Williams refused to give up on a seemingly lost cause, hooking the ball back across goal for a trialist to finish from close range at the back post. An entertaining first half ended with the sides level at 1–1.

The Black and Greens made four changes at the interval, with another four following on the hour mark, but the game continued to provide plenty of entertainment.

Rhys Hughes burst down the right but couldn’t quite pick out a teammate with his cross, while Walsh fired over from a corner. Guilsfield remained a constant threat, and Evans once again came to Aber’s rescue, tipping a powerful header over the bar against his former club.

Town weathered a sustained spell of pressure before growing back into the contest during the closing stages. A trialist teed up Tom Mason, who was denied by a last-ditch challenge, Hughes flashed a cross just beyond the far post, and Mason then found substitute Gruff Sedgwick, whose effort drifted narrowly wide.

After Guilsfield struck the post late on, the decisive moment arrived. Sedgwick produced a superb defence-splitting pass to release Hughes, who raced clear before calmly finding the far corner to seal victory for Aber.

The visitors stood firm through late pressure to record another encouraging pre-season win, while Gavin Allen’s Guilsfield showed they will be a difficult side to beat on home soil this season.

In testing conditions, Aber found a way to win, and Craig Williams’ players deserve enormous credit for digging deep on a night when they perhaps weren’t at their fluent best. It was especially pleasing to see two local youngsters combine for the winning goal.

The Black and Greens now have one final pre-season fixture, welcoming Llanuwchllyn to Park Avenue next Saturday (2:30pm kick-off), before the Novira Cymru South season gets underway two weeks later.