See also

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The scoreline flattered the leaders with the game a hard-fought and close match up until extra time where the league's top scorer Rhys Griffiths who had been quiet throughout the regulation 90 minutes found his touch.

Phillips said: "We gave a fantastic account of ourselves and we could have won it in the 90 minutes when we put a chance an inch wide, that inch proved to be the difference between winning and losing.

"We played really well and unfortunately for us they have the best striker in the league who had not had a kick until extra time and he ends up with two goals.

"After we levelled the tie it was us who looked the more likely to grab the winner, they looked dead and buried."

The former Wrexham man believes the crucial moment of the match was the goal just before half time of the extra 30 minutes: "The turning point was their fourth goal, it killed the game and you feel as a player and manager that the game is over from that point.

"We didn't give up, but it was always going to be difficult to come back from two goals down with 15 minutes left. The goal by Rhys meant we had to push forward and look for goals, that worked against us and the score of 6-3 is hard to take after we played so well."

Phillips praised the attitude of his side hoped the cup run can see his side push on in the league and finish on a high: "The lads were fantastic, you can't ask for more than for them to give 100 per cent and work their socks off and that's what they have done and at the end of it you have to hold your hands up and admit defeat.

"We set out at the beginning of the season to have a cup run and reach more points in the league than last year. We have had the cup run and only need one more point to equal last season so we are progressing all the time."

Chris McGinn and a Karl Connolly brace pushed the team from South Wales all the way, but goals from Stuart Jones, Andrew Edgar (og), Mark Pritchard, A Rhys Griffiths double and Jordan Follows ensured they were in the draw for the semi-finals.

Druids took the lead early on when Chris Mullock turned provider after quarter of an hour when his long ball found McGinn 20 yards out and he was able to knock the ball with his first touch past the advancing Ryan Harrison in the Llanelli goal. Llanelli levelled five minutes after the break and took the lead ten minutes later through an own goal from Andrew Edgar.

Druids regained parity shortly before the end when Phillips played a free-kick into the visitors' box, and the ball fell to Edwards who found Connolly six yards out. He took control and volleyed home the equaliser and take the match into the extra period.

And Cefn hearts were broken in extra-time when Llanelli scored four times and whilst Connelly grabbed his second and Druids third, time was against them.

But Phillips was keen to look forward and added: "We have shown in the last two games we are capable of beating good teams in the league and we can compete with the best so we will look to finish the season on a high and try and take it into next season."

NEWI Cefn Druids: Chris Mullock, Andrew Edgar, Aled Rowlands, Waynne Phillips, Tim Edwards, Mark Powell, Paul Mazzarella, Geraint Lewis (Osian Jones 54) Karl Connolly, Chris McGinn ( Lee Jones 78), Kevin Holsgrove (Darren Williams 73).

Llanelli: Ryan Harrison, Nicky Holland, Stuart Jones (Matthew Jones 88) , Wyn Thomas, Andy Legg, Andrew Mumford, Lee Phillips (Jordan Follows 88), Antonio Corbisiero, Rhys Griffiths, Mark Jones (Craig Jones 88), Mark Pritchard.

Attendance: 190.


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