RHUDDLAN Town manager Wayne Hughes was thrilled to see his side back on the pitch for the first time since March in their 5-4 friendly loss at Llandudno Amateurs.

The Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League Premier Division champions have suffered more than most with the recent lockdowns and inactivity due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Town boss recently stating his concern for players – and even the manager himself – beginning to lose interest.

Their first friendly came at just the right time and although Town did not come away with a win, that was the last thing on Hughes’ mind following the contest.

He said: “It was fantastic to see the lads back playing.

“I was really pleased with the first-half performance. We passed the ball around well and created plenty of chances.

“The second half mostly belonged to Llandudno Amateurs and they managed to hit us with a few counter-attacks.

“There were plenty of mistakes in the game which is understandable and playing with ten men for 25 minutes killed us off.

“However, I’m pleased with efforts and I’d like to thank everyone at Llandudno Amateurs for the game.”

A blistering first-half from Rhuddlan saw them in a commanding position thanks to goals from Ryan Potts, Connor Bucknall, Ian Davenport and Harrison Bellis, but a lack of substitutes due to the rule of 30 implemented by the Welsh Government, Sport Wales and the Football Association of Wales eventually saw Town play the last quarter of the game with only ten men.

This proved to be their downfall – with fitness also lacking after so much inactivity – which saw the Amateurs take full advantage in the closing stages with some clinical finishing.