NEIL Gibson hopes his Prestatyn Town side can bounce back from their 6-1 drubbing by Airbus UK to avoid a Welsh Cup ‘banana skin’ against West End this weekend.
The Seasiders’ joint-heaviest Welsh Premier League defeat saw their Broughton-based opponents leapfrog them into second place ahead of the mid-season Super Six split, but Gibson is still confident of his side’s title-chasing credentials.
He said: “For most of the season we have fully merited our top two or three status, and we fully deserve to be up there, and by beating Bangor City and TNS we’ve shown we can compete with the top teams.
“We haven’t got the luxury of being able to rotate the squad as much as other teams, and playing so many games may have had an impact on the players.”
Town’s attentions turn to the Welsh Cup this weekend as they prepare to welcome Welsh Football League Division One outfit West End to Bastion Gardens.
“We’ve done our homework on them, because when you get to this stage of the cup, you have to take your opponents seriously. After losing to Cefn Druids last season, we’re fully aware of the banana skins there are in this cup.”
Last weekend was one to forget for Gibson and his men.
Bastion Gardens may have survived the widespread snowfall that hit the region last weekend, but the home side were left stranded by a second half Airbus blizzard.
The Wingmakers struck in the 10th minute, with Ryan Wade heading home a Wayne Riley Corner.
Town equalised just five minutes later, with Michael Parker netting after Neil Gibson’s initial shot was charged down.
On 37 minutes, the visitors landed a superb second, with Rule’s thunderous volley leaving Hill-Dunt helpless.
Andy Parkinson saw an overhead kick well saved at the start of the second period, before the visitors began to really assert their dominance.
Their third came on 56, with Budrys heading another Riley corner, and he soon added his second after getting on the end of a Michael Roddy ball.
The hosts conceded a fifth on 79 when Hill-Dunt fumbled Phil Bolland's header and the rout was completed four minutes later, with Riley’s second.