Adroddiadau Chwefror02 /  February 02 Reports..............

CARMARTHEN TOWN 0 FLEXSYS CEFN DRUIDS 2

 

Two breakaway goals for Flexsys Cefn Druids, one in each half, gave the visitors a much-needed result at Richmond Park to ease their relegation worries.

 

For Town it was a bitterly disappointing display with little cohesive play and several opportunities in front of goal squandered through poor finishing. With a couple of late changes through injury the side seemed unbalanced and didn’t work as a unit.

 

Carmarthen started the game positively but blustery conditions made it very difficult to play attractive football. Following a corner by Lee Jones Town should have taken the lead in the tenth minute but somehow or other the Druids defence survived an almighty scramble in the penalty area.

 

The same scenario was repeated on 24 minutes and again poor finishing in front of goal allowed Druids to clear the situation. This seemed to give the visitors confidence and on the half hour Dave Cunnah came close when he blasted over when well placed in front of goal.

 

Four minutes later they did in fact take the lead. Having dispossessed Siôn Meredith on the half way line a long ball down the left was carried well by Craig Salisbury who’s accurate cross to the back post was slotted home by Ross Jeffries with the Town defence AWOL.

 

The game became disjointed and scrappy but following the break Town looked a lot sharper and began to put together some promising moves. Unfortunately the few chances that were created were again not converted and with Druids defending resolutely and with the Town forwards appearing to lack confidence and passing when there were shooting opportunities in front of goal, the task became more difficult for the home side.

 

Ten minutes into the second half Flexsys made the game more or less safe when a penetrating Town attack, initiated by Ryan Nicholls, ended with another squandered opportunity in front of gaol. From the resulting clearance Mike Davies outpaced the Carmarthen defence and confidently beat Fitzgerald in the home goal.

 

To give them credit Carmarthen tried to battle their way back into the game with Tomi using all three substitutes in order to rejuvenate the side. Chances were created but unfortunately it was not to be Town’s day and a setback in terms of keeping in contact with the leading bunch

 

All credit to Flexsys, they battled throughout for their points and their first win at Richmond Park. They took their chances when given the opportunity, played together and frustrated the home side by packing the defence to protect their advantage.

 

A disappointing result with Town losing contact with the League’s leading pack but with a League Cup semi final and a Welsh Cup quarter final tie against Bangor City at the beginning of next moth Town will have plenty to play for over the next few weeks.

 

Carmarthen Town

Fitzgerald, Meredith (Hicks 60'), L.Jones, Thomas, O'Brien, Barnhouse, Summers, Rossiter (W.Jones 69'), Nicholls, Chapple, Miller (Morgan 83').

Red Cards:    None. Yellow Cards: Barnhouse 44' Hicks 71'

 

Flexsys Cefn Druids

Blower, Cowap, B.Jefferies, Rowlands, Morris, Williams, Cunnah, Powell, M.Davies, R.Jefferies (Breeze 90'), Salisbury (M.Allen 83')

Red Cards:     None. Yellow Cards: Morris 15'

Attendance:       311       Referee:            K O Jones

 

CONNAH’S QUAY NOMADS 0 CARMARTHEN TOWN 0

 

Carmarthen Town’s long journey to the Deeside Stadium produced a valuable point to keep them in touch with the leading pack in the League of Wales table. However, the heavily sanded and uneven pitch was extremely difficult to play on and, in stark contrast to the previous week’s encounter, both sides found it difficult to establish any cohesive football.

 

Town produced a rather lack-lustre display, especially in the second half, with Robert Fitzgerald producing a string of excellent saves together with some clean handling of a stream of difficult crosses to keep his side in the game.

 

After a quiet opening Connah’s Quay held the upper hand in midfield and the first chance fell to Nomads’ Craig Hutchinson whose final shot flew over Town’s crossbar.  At the other end, Carmarthen’s Dean Johnston was equally wayward with a shot over the bar.

 

As he did last week Nomads winger Lloyd Roberts was causing problems down Town’s left side and Fitzgerald did well to clear a long throw by Dean Tuft into the six yard box whilst Andy Griffiths had a powerful free kick also well saved by Fitzgerald.

 

With Ryan Nicholls, Chris Summers and Tim Hicks making little impression on the Connah’s Quay goal the home side squandered a superb opportunity to take the lead.  Gary McCosh intercepted a wayward back pass to Fitzgerald but he blazed over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy, much to the relief of the travelling Town support. 

 

Good fortune enabled Town’s goal to survive when Hopkins’ ground shot bounced wickedly off the uneven surface in front of Fitzgerald but the ball struck the keeper’s body and remarkably bounced over the bar leaving it all square at the break.

 

The second half followed the same pattern with Town were still finding it difficult coming to terms with the conditions. Both Stuart Rain and Paul Massarella came close for Nomads when having beaten Fitzgerald their shots struck the top of the crossbar and bounced over on both occasions.

 

In a tight and uncompromising game Town rode their luck a little nearly made Nomads pay for their earlier poor finishing in front of goal. Shaun Chapple produced a superb pass to put Nicholls clear but the striker’s fine shot at goal went wide by the narrowest of margins,

 

Town battled hard on a terrible surface and given that Nomads are very difficult side to beat at home a share of the spoils was, on balance, a satisfactory result.

 

Connah's Quay Nomads

Mulliner, Hopkins, Tuft, Hutchinson, Horan, McCosh, Mazzarella, Terry, Rain, Griffiths, Roberts. Subs not used: Pepper, Kenworthy, Carroll

Yellow Cards: Hutchinson 26'  McCosh 31'

Carmarthen Town

Fitzgerald, Meredith, L.Jones, Thomas, O'Brien, Barnhouse, Summers, Johnston (Rossiter 65'), Nicholls (Miller 69'), Chapple, Hicks. Sub not used: W.Jones

Yellow Cards: Nicholls 41'

 

Attendance: 189           Referee: P.Thomas

 

 

WELSH CUP 4TH. ROUND

CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 CONNAH’S QUAY NOMADS 1

 

In a fiercely competitive cup encounter at Richmond Park, Town edged their way into the quarter-finals thanks to two well taken goals from Tim Hicks. A cloudburst 90 minutes before kick off put the game in doubt and it was only at 2.00pm that referee Ray Ellingham passed the pitch playable following quite a bit of ‘forking around’ by Town’s ground team.

 

With a strong win at their backs Carmarthen started much the sharper with keeper Jason Turner kept busy with saves from Hicks, Summers and Nicholls. The early pressure finally told in the 14th. minute when, following a great run by Chris Summers, Lee Jones’ ball into the back of the area was missed by Summers but sweetly struck home on the turn by Tim Hicks. Hicks was unlucky not to score again shortly after when his glancing header clipped the crossbar and went over.

 

Nomads played their way back into the game and, as the half hour approached, piled on the pressure. Robert Fitgerald was forced to make two point blank saves from Jon Kenworthy and from Lloyd Roberts who was outstanding all afternoon.

 

The first half ended with CQN in the ascendancy and creating problems down the left. Despite the heavy conditions both sides were playing good football and with Nomads getting into their stride Town could be well satisfied with their 1-0 lead at the break but clearly needed to be on their guard in the second half.

 

Within a minute of the restart Nomads were awarded a penalty when Jon Kenworthy was ‘knocked over’ by a clumsy challenge from Lee Jones. It was in fact the Assistant that gave the penalty although the ref was within three or four yards of the offence. Stuart Terry scored comfortably from the penalty spot.

 

With Roberts continuing to cause problems down the left it looked as if Nomads were beginning to dominate the game but Carmarthen regained their composure and the game became very finely balanced.

 

In the 59th. minute the game finally turned Carmarthen’s way when Shaun Chapple released Ryan Nicholls on the half way line. Nicholls’ strong run into the Nomads penalty area resulted in a superb ball to the far post that Turner could only parry into the path of Tim Hicks who slotted the ball home.

 

Tim Hicks was unfortunate not to complete his hat trick on 75 minutes when Ryan Nicholls set him up with a through ball but was denied by a finger tip save by Turner and from the resulting corner Nicholls had a goal disallowed, presumably for an infringement on the keeper.

 

It was still nail biting stuff as Town nearly gifted Connah’s Quay an equaliser. Successive mistakes by Meredith and Jones present Stuart Rain with almost an open goal but his shot went across the goal and wide of the far post with Fitzgerald beaten.

 

Nomads never gave up and as the minutes ticked away a brilliant left handed save on the ground by Fitzgerald from the ever dangerous Roberts maintained Town’s advantage and put them into the last eight of the competition against Bangor City.

 

Tomi will be satisfied with his team’s hard fought win. The game had all the excitement and drama of an excellent cup-tie with the result in the balance right until the end.

 

Referee Ray Ellingham (who allowed his Assistants to run the left wings)

 

Carmarthen Town

Fitzgerald, Meredith, L. Jones (W. Jones 82), Thomas, O'Brien, Barnhouse, Summers, Johnston, Nicholls, Chapple Hicks. Subs not used: Rossiter, C.Evans

Yellow Cards: L.Jones 10'  Barnhouse 13'  Meredith 38'

Connah's Quay Nomads

Turner, Hopkins, Tuft, Hutchinson (Griffiths 75'), Horan, McCosh, Mazzarella, Terry, Rain (Pepper 75'), Kenworthy, Roberts (Smythe 87')

Yellow Cards: Kenworthy 30'  Tuft 57'

 

Crowd 382.

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