31.01.09 The New Saints 2 Carmarthen Town 3 (Welsh Cup 4th Round)

Town dumped TNS out of the Welsh Cup with a thoroughly deserved and disciplined win to keep up their 100% record at Park Hall. A 20 yard stunner from Sacha Walters on 22 minutes cancelled out Jamie Wood’s opener for the Saints a couple of minutes earlier and a brace, one in each half, for Craig Hughes saw Town negotiate a difficult assignment with some style.

Matthew Berkeley reduced the deficit for the Saints with three minutes remaining but it did not detract from what was a significant win for the Richmond Park outfit. Town will now entertain Mark Jones’ Port Talbot Town in the Quarter Final stage of the competition.

Town had previously shown their liking for Park Hall having secured a three nil win there last season but Saturday’s win was not all about performance as Town’s management duo of Deryn Brace and Mark Aizlewood showed tactical astuteness to deliver a resounding result against the former League Champions.

Town had been set up differently from the start. Coach Mark Aizlewood explained. “What we decided after looking at our results against Rhyl, TNS and Llanelli over recent years is that we’ve lost by the odd goal on twelve occasions. So I felt that if we went with a straight 4-4-2 it might not get a result so we had to be brave enough to change things ”.

“Basically we went to TNS with no system apart from the goalkeeper who stayed where he was and eight man-to-man markers. We gave them a man to mark and wherever that man went they followed them. We felt that we had to win seven out of the eight man-to-man battles to win the game. In actual fact we won eight out of eight”.

“We looked at it very closely. We’d won seven out of eight before the TNS game and yet we made two changes and changed the system. It could have gone horribly wrong. But once you change a system you then have to have the personnel into the right positions to ensure that we had the legs, athleticisms and fitness all around the pitch - and we did that”.

“The players believed in what they were asked to do. They believed in us. Everybody was superb. It’s very easy for a coach to come up with a plan. That is the easy part. The hard part is people then have to put that into practice. As a group it was probably, from my point of view, the most pleasing performance in the time that I’ve been at the football club. It’s nice when a plan comes together, but I’m also aware that it could have gone horribly wrong”.

“Last Wednesday’s training session was vital as we knew we were changing things completely and everyone at the football club bought into that and helped us out. But people mustn’t underestimate the part that the manager played in it. As a coach you have a tactical plan but the most important guy that has to buy into it is the manager. He did that one hundred percent and we got the result we deserved”.

Wood opened the scoring for the hosts, latching on to a long left-sided ball from Berkeley before cutting inside and, having had the better of Nathan Cotterrall, netted from a tight angle on the 20 minute mark.

But Town were level two minutes later when Walters celebrated his return from injury with a superb strike. Having intercepted the ball in midfield Town’s talisman ran at the defence before electing to shoot. The ball arching over the keeper into the top of the net.

Hughes had come close on a couple of occasions, screwing his shots across the face of goal, before finding the target with eight minutes of the half remaining. Inside the box and holding off Phil Baker his angled shot beat keeper Paul Harrison after Chris Thomas had supplied a diagonal ball following a surging run down the right.

Following the break the hosts pressed, looking for the equaliser. Keeper Neil Thomas tipped John Leah’s gaol bound ball over the bar and dealt comfortably with a couple of non-threatening 20 yard efforts from Scott Ruscoe.

A Paul Fowler flick-on on 67 minutes saw Lee Hudgell breaking superbly down the left touchline and having outpacing the defence his beauty of a ball into the box was headed home by Hughes, who had got in front of his marker at the near post, to give Town some daylight before Berkeley reduced the deficit for the Saints with three minutes remaining.

Town’s pace and fitness had been impressive and following a pulsating game a delighted Deryn Brace told 'Y Dre ar Y We', "It was a huge team performance, it would be wrong to single anyone out. A lot of individuals did unselfish work to make sure that other people had time and space. All round the team was absolutely magnificent". More deryn comments.

Saints: Harrison, Courtney, Baker, Holmes, McKenna (C Williams 63'), Leah, Ruscoe, Murtagh, Darlington (Hogan 75'), Berkeley, Wood, Sub not used: R Williams.

Town: N Thomas, R Hughes, Hudgell, Palmer, Hancock, C Thomas, Walters, Smothers, Fowler, C Hughes (Hicks 81'), Cotterrall Subs not used: D Thomas, Roberts.

Attendance 213 Referee Lee Evans

24.01.09 GAP Connah's Quay 1 Carmarthen Town 3

With manager Deryn Brace including new signing Kris Thomas in his squad Town consolidated fourth place with a well taken win over the Deeside based outfit. With Brace now having considerable options at his disposal Town’s first half display was as good as any away performance this season.

Nicky Palmer settled Town with an eighth minute opener and when new signing Craig Hughes took his tally to three goals in two matches with the Old Gold's second on seventeen minutes Town looked as if the points were in the bag.

But the Richmond Park outfit had to weather a tricky twenty minute period following the break when Nomads skipper Liam Loughlin gave his side hope on 65 minutes before Town regained momentum. Tim Hicks settling the outcome with eight minutes remaining, pouncing after Hughes' shot was parried by the keeper.

A delighted Mark Aizlewood told the Journal. "A great result, that’s seven out of eight wins. Connah's Quay is a decent side as they've shown when they beat Llanelli. I felt the first half performance was as dominating an away performance as this team has given in quite some time".

A lively opening saw Palmer's run onto Hick's perfectly timed through ball beat the off-side trap and having cut in fired past Craig Vernon on eight minutes. A minute later Lee Hudgell almost doubled the tally when he rocked the Nomads bar after Paul Fowler had put him through on goal.

Nomads defender Teddy Whelan did well to head over his own bar after Stuart Roberts' clever lob had beaten the keeper and with Town dominating Hughes doubled the tally with only 17 minutes on the clock. Palmer's through ball finding Hicks and with the front man denied by the keeper, Hughes buried the rebound.

Town’s mid field four dominated proceedings but Nomads’ left back Ben Alston’s well timed tackles limited the damage for the hosts. New signing Ralph Welsh distributed well as Peter Doran and Michael Cronshaw kept Town on their toes with some defiant runs. But it took a last ditch tackle from Alston to deny Hughes a second as Town maintained a comfortable lead into the break.

Having dominated the first half Town had to show some defensive steel following the resumption. Loughlin proved a handful for Town's back line as the Nomads pushed forward in numbers as the hosts enjoyed their best period of the game.

Alston's long throws into the box caused problems and Town struggled to clear the ball beyond the Nomads towering central defenders Whelan and Andy Alston. Following a flowing move down the left the Nomads' skipper halved the deficit on 65 minutes as his deflected shot through a crowded box evaded Neil Thomas and found the net.

Liam Hancock proved a tower of strength in the heart of the Town defence and new signing Thomas came off the bench with fifteen minutes remaining to replace Roberts on the right of mid-field. Nomads’ substitute Bohan Dixon's speculative effort from a Thomas punched clearance went narrowly over and Town regained momentum.

With conditions underfoot deteriorating Hicks settled the outcome eight minutes from time. Hughes' first time shot from Nathan Cotterrall's long cross field ball over the defence was parried by the keeper before Hicks collected the rebound and settled himself before netting from close in to give Town a deserved win that will give them confidence ahead of next week’s fourth round Welsh Cup clash against The New Saints.

Gap Connahs Quay : Vernon, Clarke, B Alston, Whelan, A Alston, Forde, Jones (Bamford 83'), P Doran, Welch (Dixon 47'), Loughlin, Cronshaw (D Pinch 60'). Sub not used: G Pinch.

Town : N Thomas, Hughes, Hudgell (Brace 89'), Palmer, Hancock, Smothers,
Roberts (K Thomas 73'), Hicks, Fowler, Hughes (D Thomas 84'), Cotterrall.

Attendance: 108 Referee: Dean John

16.01.09 Carmarthen Town 2 Aberystwyth Town 1

In front of the largest crowd of the season new signing Craig Hughes  celebrated his return to Town colours with a brace of goals, one in each half either side of a Chris Venables reply, as Town secured their second 'double' of the season that takes the Richmond Park outfit back up to fourth.

Coach Mark Aizlewood felt it was a deserved win. "A great win. I think it was an important win. Most probably the first time we've done the double over Aber. I thought we were superb first half but to be fair to them they came into it well second half. We weathered the storm for fifteen, twenty minutes when we got a bit ragged after the break. But I felt that we came strong again in the end and probably, on the balance of the whole ninety minutes, deserved to win".

"Obviously pleased with Craig Hughes, he got the two goals and looks to be a good signing for us. He's a proven goal scorer and he's shown his quality this evening and, hopefully, will do for some time to come". I thought Liam Hancock came back and did well after a long layoff and Venables played very well for them, the best I've ever seen him play".

In heavy rain and windswept conditions Hughes' exquisite 20 yard curling shot from a very tight angle over three retreating defenders put Town ahead in the ninth minute after the persistent Tim Hicks had intercepted Christian Edwards' back pass before laying the ball off for his fellow front man.

Manager Deryn Brace had made a couple of changes to his starting line-up. Liam Hancock returned to Town ranks following injury, replacing Mark Dodds in the middle of defence. Stuart Roberts moved to the right with wingman Sacha Walters ruled out through injury and Danny Thomas made way for Hughes who had impressed in recent practice matches and friendlies.

Town dominated the first period forcing a string of corners that saw Neil Smothers' shot blocked on the line after Nathan Cotterrall had broken down the left and a Stuart Roberts follow-up flew over Dave Roberts’ bar from five yards.

Geoff Kellaway's strong run down the right for the visitors just before the break sounded a warning to the hosts and when Richard Hughes was adjudged to have brought down Aberystwyth debutant Ross Stephens on the edge of the box twelve minute into the second half Town looked to have paid the price for not exploiting their first half dominance. Chris Venables' stinging free kick going in off the upright.

As the game opened up Venables and Stephens became more influential. Kellaway's strong run and shot, following a clever ball from Graham Evans, was superbly stopped by Neil Thomas and with Stephen's turn and shot kept out by the woodwork Town struggled for a period to win possession in the deteriorating conditions.

But with the game into the final quarter both sides made changes and Town regained momentum. Lee Hudgell did all the hard work to turn the defence but was somehow snuffed out by the cover before Nicky Palmer’s shot-come-cross was put behind for a corner as Town pressed for a winner. With Hick’s set piece finding Hughes at the back Town were back in front with six minutes remaining and Roberts was forced to make a double stop from sub Danny Thomas to prevent a late addition to the score-line.

Deryn Brace’s reaction to the goal and to the final whistle showed his obvious delight at the win. “To win any game is what you set out to do and it’s especially pleasing to beat one of the rivals around you adds a bit more spice to the outcome. We always knew it was huge game and over the ninety minutes I felt the result was justified.

Read Deryn's comments in full ...

Town: N Thomas, Hughes, Hudgell, Palmer, Hancock, Smothers, Roberts (D Thomas 75'), Hicks, Fowler, Hughes (Horwood 90'), Cotterrall. Subs not used: Brace, Morris.

Aberystwyth Town: Roberts, James, Hughes, Thomas, Edwards, G Hughes, Venables, Morgan, G Evans (A Evans 78'), Stephens, Kellaway. Subs not used: Reynolds, K James

Attendance: 801 Referee: Ceri Richards