IT WAS a weekend of mixed emotions for St Joseph’s boxers Sean McGoldrick and Joe Cordina after they both received their Glasgow 2014 bronze medals on Saturday afternoon, writes Andrew Penman.

Both fighters lost their semi-finals on Friday, along with Lauren Price of Bargoed and fellow Team Wales boxers Ashley Williams and Nathan Thorley.

All five are pleased to be going home with a medal but for McGoldrick and Cordina there will be regrets that they failed to go all the way.

Defending champion McGoldrick was beaten on points in the 56kg division when a cut for his opponent after an accidental clash of heads meant the fight had to be stopped just as the Newport man was staging a comeback.

“He’s very level-headed and his feet are firmly on the ground,” said St Joes trainer Tony Borg of McGoldrick.

“He won a gold medal in Delhi and surprised everyone.

“He’s come here to defend it and it hasn’t worked out but he’s got a medal and he’s proven he’s in the mix. It’s just unfortunate the way it ended.

“I think Sean was doing a lot better in the second round and he could have levelled it and then who knows what would have happened in the third.

“It’s unfortunate but he’s still a young kid and he’s got two Commonwealth Games medals now.”

The Welsh team launched an appeal against the decision but that was rejected late on Friday night.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Wales national boxing coach Colin Jones after McGoldrick’s defeat.

"We looked at the video evidence and we thought that the blood appeared a long time after there was supposedly a clash of heads.

“There was a clash of heads but the blood didn't appear until 25-30 seconds later.

"In that time, Sean had got in a couple of good blows that we thought had actually caused the cut.

"We think it is right that we look after our boxers," he added. "We put the appeal in - and it was quite a lengthy appeal. They came out on the side of Michael Conlan.

"We accept the final appeal but we've got to be seen to be doing the best by our boxers and that was what it was about.”

Cordina was beaten by Scotland’s Charlie Flynn, who went on to win gold on Saturday like McGoldrick’s conqueror Conlan.

Price lost a very tight split decision against Canada’s Ariane Fortin in her 75kg semi, while Williams and Thorley were comfortably beaten.