LLANDUDNO Junction’s hopes of Huws Gray Cup glory were dashed after an 8-2 semi-final defeat to Gresford Athletic.

The Railwaymen, who will finally be relegated from the Huws Gray Alliance on Wednesday if they fail to win at Denbigh Town, fielded another youthful side but were unable to book a place in the showcase despite a spirited effort.

A strong start from Athletic saw them go ahead early on through a Jack Chaloner header early on, and they managed to find the net on two more occasions before the break when Mike Latham and Jake Eyre both converted opportunities.

Former Denbigh forward Eyre notched his second of the afternoon shortly after the restart, with defender and club talisman Max Peate getting in on the act with their fifth midway through the half.

Eyre rounded off an impressive day at the office with his hat-trick after another period of pressure, and Owen Roberts also got in on the act with a close-range finish after a superb team move.

Credit to Chris Morrell’s side, they kept plugging away and were rewarded with a consolation courtesy of Jack Nettleton, before Latham bagged his brace to restore Athletic’s seven-goal cushion soon after.

Junction fought right until the end and got another when Gregg Hall fired home to restore a sense of respectability to the scoreline, but it could not prevent the home side from exiting a competition that has been one of the highlights of their season.