LLANUWCHLLYN picked up their first victory in the Novira Cymru North on Saturday with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Buckley Town at Cae Llan.

The visitors made the brighter start, dominating midfield and showing plenty of physicality during the opening 10 minutes. Despite that, the first clear opportunity fell to Llanuwchllyn when a precise pass over the Buckley defence sent Meilir Williams through on goal, but his effort was gathered by the goalkeeper.

The sides went into the break level at 0-0, but Llanuwchllyn emerged for the second half determined to make their mark.

Their breakthrough came just two minutes after the restart. Buckley failed to clear a corner from the right and the loose ball fell to Gwydion Roberts, who calmly fired home with his left foot.

Ten minutes later the hosts doubled their advantage with an excellent team goal. A pass from midfield released James Davies, who found himself clear through on goal. Rather than shooting, Davies showed great awareness to pick out Williams in a better position and his perfectly weighted pass allowed Williams the simple task of slotting home.

Both sides made a number of substitutions around the hour mark and Buckley responded positively, increasing the pressure in search of a way back into the contest. However, Llanuwchllyn's defence stood firm, with Aled Parry and Kyle Jones producing outstanding displays at the heart of the back line.

Buckley eventually reduced the deficit in the 84th minute, setting up a tense finale. The visitors created two excellent chances to equalise, but both efforts sailed over the crossbar to the relief of the home supporters.

Llanuwchllyn nearly scored a third late on when Wil Owen burst down the right wing before finding James Davies, whose effort was well saved by the Buckley goalkeeper.

The final whistle confirmed a valuable 2-1 victory and an historic first win for Llanuwchllyn in tier 2 football.

The challenge now intensifies, with a difficult run of fixtures ahead. Llanuwchllyn travel to Bangor next weekend before hosting Rhyl 1879. They then face a trip to Newtown on August 28 before welcoming Gresford Athletic on the Bank Holiday Monday.