Clear daylight; Rhyl go three clear but Strong urges caution.

Byline: DAVE JONES 

ALTHOUGH pleased to see his team three points clear at the Welsh Premier summit, Rhyl's player manager Greg Strong is reading nothing into the table at this early stage of the season.

With nearest challengers The New Saints and Prestatyn Town both held to home draws on Friday night, the Lilywhites took advantage by thrashing bottom side Porthmadog the following day, but the four goals did not arrive until the second half with stand-in striker Mark Connolly scoring three of them.

"It's still very early days," said Strong, a member of Rhyl's championship-winning squad last season.

"All we can do is deal with what's in front of us and try to pick up as many points as possible, but it won't be till Christmas time that we'll really start to take notice of the table."

Winless Porthmadog started well at Belle Vue, particularly in the first 20 minutes when they showed some attacking enterprise with Aden Shannon's header from a Mike Thompson cross just clearing the bar.

Despite being below par, Rhyl did begin to turn the screw as the half wore on and three times Port's veteran defender Mike Foster made heroic blocks from Tyrone Kirk (twice) and Matthew Williams.

All Port's good work was undone two minutes into the second period when Kirk's cross from the right was volleyed home by an unmarked Connolly, who had started the move.

The visitors looked disheartened, yet only an excellent last-ditch challenge from Shaun Dowling denied Paul Roberts a clear chance of an equaliser.

Kirk should have done better when carving out an opportunity in the box but he went for placement rather than power, allowing goalkeeper Richard Morgan to save relatively comfortably.

Rhyl still needed a second goal to book the points and it came on 70 minutes when substitute Phil Doran's sublime left-footed cross was converted through a glancing header from Connolly.

A minute later a long ball from the back looked to have put Connolly in the clear but he was pulled down by John Keegan in the box. Referee Dean John pointed to the penalty spot, red-carded Keegan and Connolly completed his hat-trick by sending Morgan the wrong way.

In injury time Connolly turned provider with a neat pass to Kirk, who beat a defender and rounded the keeper before netting from a tight angle to put the icing on the Lilywhites' seventh successive home league win over Porthmadog.

Connolly has now scored nine goals in his last six games - including five in two as a makeshift striker.

"He's done tremendously well - he's a great asset to this club," said Strong. "I've got a good set of lads here who work hard and can perform well in any position I play them and Conno typifies that."

As for the game, Strong added: "It was tough going in a frustrating first half as we knew it would be. I've got to give the other team credit as they worked tremendously hard to make it difficult for us, but I told the lads we had to be patient and we knew it would come in the end."

RHYL: Coates, Dowling, Stones, Horan, Strong, Leah, C Williams (Cameron 81), Owen (Doran 66), Connolly, M Williams (Smith 58), Kirk.

PORTHMADOG: Morgan, E Roberts, Foster, Pyrs, Davies, Keegan, Jones, James (Parry 66), P Roberts (Evans 66), Shannon (Gornall 75), Thompson.

CAPTION(S):

Porthmadog's Mike Foster clears the danger against Rhyl on Saturday (top), Lilywhites hat-trick hero Mark Connolly puts Port keeper Richard Morgan under pressure (far left), Port's Ryan Davies challenges Matthew Williams (left) Pictures: ROBERT PARRY-JONES