ST ASAPH City manager Daniel Brewerton is confident his side will have taken a lot from their 3-0 friendly loss at Ruthin Town.

The Saints were given a stern test of their credentials by the JD Cymru North outfit, who ran out comfortable winners thanks to some ruthless finishing in crucial moments.

This was another useful learning experience for the Ardal Northern League side, who are looking to make an impression once competitive action is permitted to begin by the Football Association of Wales.

Brewerton, said: “It was always going to be the biggest test out of all our friendlies to date, but these are the type of games you want as it highlights the areas you need to work on and improve.

“Our first half performance was really disappointing as we struggled to get a foothold in the game and we were fortunate to only to be 2-0 down at half time, second half we changed the system and things definitely improved, we looked more resilient and started creating some good opportunities.

“Overall, we were well beaten by a strong, well organised Ruthin team but we’re confident that we’ve learned enough from the game to make the improvements needed.”

The home side made a good start to proceedings and went ahead thanks to a well-taken goal from Will Owen, before Dan Cox doubled their advantage just before the interval after a period of sustained pressure.

Credit to the visitors, who came out following the break with a renewed sense of purpose, but they were unable to convert any of the chances that came their way and were undone for a third time in the second half when Matty Hill finished well.