Gresford Athletic score ten at home against Llangollen Town to progress into the third round of the 2023/24 Macron NEWFA Men's Senior Challenge Cup on Wednesday night.

The game started with Gresford Athletic immediately looking for an early opener, with Harvey Ellis hitting it from outside of the area in the 7th minute, but Benjamin Lloyd in the Llangollen Town goal was there to catch it.

Toby Gallagher-Keenan came close in the 13th minute, rifling the ball onto the woodwork. However, his efforts were rewarded three minutes later, when Charlie Mann did well to head the ball to Charley Edge, who played the ball across goal to find Toby Gallagher-Keenan to tap it into the net to grab the first goal of the game.

Dominic Deacon was next to have a go, with him forcing a good save from Llangollen Town's Benjamin Lloyd with a decent, angled shot.

The score was doubled in the 27th minute, when Nathan Williams headed the ball into the net from a Charlie Mann corner, which was then quickly followed by a goal by Charley Edge in the 29th minute to make it three for Gresford Athletic, with Nathan Williams the provider this time.

Charley Edge then looked for his second goal of the game, firing it from long-range in the 33rd minute, but Llangollen Town goalkeeper Benjamin Lloyd was there to make another save.

It was Dominic Deacon who found the fourth goal for Gresford Athletic, getting on the end of a good Harvey Ellis cross to put it away and make the scoreline 4-0 just before the half time break.

A host of changes were made by Gresford Athletic at half time, with substitute Sam Spridgeon making an immediate impact in the 48th minute, having a good effort from an awkward angle, which was saved.

In the 56th minute, Nathan Williams scored his second goal on his return to the First Team squad following suspension, blasting the ball into the top corner. This was followed by a great moment for the club, which saw Reserves players Robert Reynolds and Callum Wakefield substituted on in the 57th minute to earn some minutes for the First Team.

Callum Wakefield immediately did well in the 64th minute, picking up the ball and playing it through to Sam Spridgeon, whose shot was narrowly wide.

Things went from bad to worse for Llangollen Town when Jack Goulbourn was sent off in the 67th minute after a bad tackle and Gresford Athletic almost instantly took advantage of the extra man, with Robert Reynolds' header almost finding the back of the net in the 68th minute.

Harvey Ellis came close to adding to the scoreline in the 72nd minute with a fantastic curling effort, but it was Sam Spridgeon who got the sixth goal for Gresford Athletic, taking the ball around Llangollen Town's Benjamin Lloyd and tapping it into an open net.

Then, in the 80th minute, Sam Spridgeon scored his second goal of the game to make it 7-0, which was immediately followed by a Robert Reynolds shot that was just over the crossbar.

Robert Reynolds' efforts were rewarded in the 83rd minute with a very much deserved goal on his Gresford Athletic First Team debut, with fellow Reserves teammate Callum Wakefield getting the assist.

Sam Spridgeon then gets his hat-trick in the 86th minute with a nice finish off the post to top off a great night for the forward, which preceded Alex Buxton's 90th-minute header making it 10-0 just before Harvey Ellis had one final attempt, which hit the woodwork.

The full time whistle was blown and Gresford Athletic progress into the third round of the 2023/24 Macron NEWFA Men's Senior Challenge Cup after a big 10-0 victory at The Rock, which will hopefully prove to be a big confidence boost for the lads.

The Gresford Athletic Man of the Match was Sam Spridgeon, who played well and scored a brilliant hat-trick after coming on at half time.

Gresford Athletic

Starting XI: Busby (GK), Roberts, J. Smith, Williams, Ellis, Griffiths (C), Johnson (S. Smith - 46'), Mann (Buxton - 46'), Edge (Wakefield - 57'), Deacon (Reynolds - 57'), Gallagher-Keenan (Spridgeon - 46')

Goalscorers: Spridgeon (x3), Williams (x2), Gallagher-Keenan, Edge, Deacon, Reynolds, Buxton

Yellow cards: J. Smith

Llangollen Town

Starting XI: Lloyd (GK), Prescott (T. Williams - 23'), Goulbourn, Hughes (Cooke - 58'), H. Williams, Keddie, Riley, Jones (C), Wilson (Antrobus - 58'), S. Williams, Samuels (Hayward - 55')

Red cards: Goulbourn

Subs not used: Maybury

Match Officials

Referee: Richard Wright

Assistant Referees: Tom Crofts, Harvey Smallman