ST ASAPH City manager Daniel Brewerton expressed his relief after his side secured a 2-1 Mawddach Challenge Cup victory over Gaerwen.

The under-strength Saints showed their fighting qualities to emerge victorious after a hotly contested affair throughout, with forward Duncan Midgley getting the ball rolling for the hosts on 16 minutes when his powerful effort from outside the penalty area flew into the net.

This provoked a strong response from the visitors, who controlled possession for long periods of the first half and levelled matters courtesy of a Joe Jones spot kick on 39 minutes, but City restored their advantage immediately following the restart when John Terry’s superb header crept into the corner.

Despite having to ride their luck at stages of the second half, the home side held on for another morale boosting success to continue their recent resurgence under the former Rhyl Youth boss.

Brewerton, said: “I feel a sense of relief after what was a difficult game under difficult circumstances.

“Going into this game we were in a vulnerable position as a squad, we’ve had a few more injuries recently and after the disappointing result last weekend we wanted to make sure we didn’t suffer another cup defeat.

“We had to turn to our reserve team to bolster the squad and two of them went straight into the starting lineup.

“The weather conditions were very poor and really effected the game, and in all honesty we were a bit fortunate to go in at half time with the lead.

“Second half we were much better and had a few chances to put the game to bed but couldn’t quite finish them. Thankfully we managed to see the game out and we’re made up to go through to the next round.”