CARMARTHEN TOWN MANAGER Tomi Morgan expressed his anger at the sending off of defender David Barnhouse by Montgomery referee Kevin Morris after 30 minutes which dramatically changed the course of events in this League of Wales match. Morgan said ‘to administer the red card immediately to Barnhouse was an extremely unfortunate decision which marred what had been an excellent and close game up to that point.’

To compound matters the unavailability of Paul Walker and Ryan Nicholls and a first half injury to mid-field player Dean Rossiter highlighted the need for a greater strength in depth within the Club. Chairman Jeff Thomas told the Journal : ‘It is a long season and the Club must have a good reserve of quality players to maximise its long term prospects but this can only be achieved with much needed additional cash resources.’

The match was played in pulsating fashion from the kick-off with a large contingent of Carmarthen supporters adding to what was already the largest League of Wales crowd of the season. After a fine start in which Town took the lead within four minutes, poor defensive play in the final quarter by a depleted defensive line-up proved to be a big disappointment and may have provided the home side with a flattering scoreline in their favour.

There was no denying Llanelli’s victory however by an energetic mid-field prompted by Anthony Wright and Gary Davies, a former Town player, but it was another ex Carmarthen player, Mark Dickeson, who may have taken the ‘Man of the Match’ award with a fine hat trick to make him the highest scorer in the League of Wales this season so far.

Matthew Delicate had given Town the perfect start when after Richard Parker had headed through the Reds’ defence, he coolly strode through to fire low past keeper Glyn Garner. The home side were playing a fine brand of football, however, and within ten minutes had drawn level when Wayne Jones was adjudged to have hauled down Andy Hill and Lee Jones scored from the penalty spot.

Both goalkeepers were then called into action, with first Robert Fitzgerald brilliantly saving from Chris Watkins, and Gardner saving in quick succession from both Parker and Delicate. But the home side took the lead in the 27th minute when Davies had a clear header to find the net following a Watkins corner.

Then came the Barnhouse incident where a late tackle on Jones surprisingly drew the red card from referee Morris to leave Town with an uphill struggle.

The second half however saw Town still battling and to their credit the equaliser came in the 51st minute when after Jamie Bowen had struck the Carmarthen post, Siôn Meredith collecting the rebound broke upfield and following a big scramble in the Llanelli penalty area the ball was finally forced past Garner by Parker.

The home side were stroking the ball about with considerable skill and urged on by the large crowd Wright scored with a powerful shot after Fitzgerald’s blockbuster save from a header. Town’s resistance was finally broken with a four-goal salvo in the last 13 minutes. Dickeson scored with a shot that was deflected beyond Fitzgerald by a Town defender. The same player scored another when he headed firmly past Fitzgerald. Then it was John Anderson’s turn when his shot was turned in from an oblique angle before Dickeson completed his hat trick in the 90th minute when he worked a fine one-two with Bowen to drive past Fitzgerald.

Town have now a fortnight off to lick their wounds but still hold pole position in the League and following their fine displays previously this season manager Morgan is confident that this one-off poor performance will not unduly affect his team’s prospects for the remainder of the season.

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CARMARTHEN arrived at Stebonheath boasting an undefeated away record, having conceded just one goal on their travels. But in a pulsating match they were well and truly put in their place by a tremendous display by the home side who on this form look virtually unbeatable.

A Mark Dickeson hat-trick and goals from Lee Jones from the penalty spot Gary Davies, Anthony Wright and John Anderson gave Llanelli a crushing win. And if it had not been for the brilliance of Robert Fitzgerald in the visitors' goal the tally could well have been in double figures.

The match started promisingly for Carmarthen with teenage sensation Matthew Delicate putting them ahead after only four minutes. The youngster capitalised on some sloppy defending to shoot low past goalkeeper Glyn Garner.

Six minutes later Llanelli drew level when Wayne Jones hauled down Andy Hill in the box and Jones coolly slotted home from the spot. Gamer did well to keep out near post attempt by Dean Rossiter before his side took the lead after 27 minutes through Davies. He rose unchallenged to power in a header from a Chris Watkins corner.

Carmarthen were then reduced to 10 men two minutes from the interval when David Barnhouse was sent off for a foul on Jones.

Jones had a well struck free kick turned around the upright by Fitzgerald soon after the restart. Then Carmarthen grabbed equaliser. Joe Bowen was put clear by Anthony Wright and his shot rebounded off the post to Siôn Meredith. He broke away, Garner parried his shot on to the underside of the crossbar and ball was scrambled over the line in the 5 1st minute.

Ten minutes later Llanlli regained the lead when Bowen provided the cross which led to Fitzgerald blocking the first attempt only for Wright to ram home the loose ball

With their noses in front and taking full advantage of their numerical superiority Llanelli really started to stroke the ball around and their opponents were reduced to adopting route one y tactics in the vain hope someone might be on the end of the clearances.

This ploy was doomed, with the home side taking complete control and four further goals followed in the closing 13 minutes. Dickeson sent a deflected shot into the net in the 77th minute and got his second with a diving header to power home a free-kick by Watkjns eight minutes later and John Anderson, with almost his first touch after coming on as substitute, beat Fitzgerald in a race to the ball to steer it home.

To compound the agony Dickeson completed his hat-trick on the stroke of full-time hooking in from a narrow angle to seal a emphatic win and send out signal to the rest of the clubs that this Llanelli side are a force to reckoned with especially at fortress Stehonheath.

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ANOTHER STUNNING GOAL BY MATTHEW DELICATE gave Carmarthen a hard earned victory and made talented Newcastle Emlyn teenager the joint top scorer in the League of Wales this season.Watched by a crowd of just over 400, Town fully deserved this victory against their redoubtable Mid Wales opponents to consolidate their top of the table placing in the League of Wales table.

Despite dominating for long periods of the match Town suffered two anxious moments, one in the first few minutes and the other in the final minutes which may well have denied them the three points. Firstly, in the second minute, Malcolm Vaughan’s attempted clearance went straight to his keeper Robert Fitzgerald and New Broughton referee, Gerald Davies, adjudged the goalkeeper acted illegally but the goal survived when Ricky Evans, receiving the short free kick from eight yards, blazed over the bar. Town’s other stroke of fortune in the 89th minute when defending a 2-1 lead following a corner kick they allowed Tim Alexander to head home but the referee saw an infringement on Fitzgerald.

Manager Tomi Morgan had drafted in Matthew Delicate instead of Paul Burrows in the striker’s position for this match and the young player provided a good chance for Richard Parker whose ten yard shot just scraped the bar. Town continued to dominate and captain Matthew Cable curled a fine shot, again over the TNS crossbar, with keeper Lee Williams beaten. The TNS strike force of Ken McKenna and Chris Edge were making little impression on Town’s goal where Fitzgerald was handling the greasy ball with considerable skill.

It was the home side which took the lead in the 40th minute when a superb long ball by Parker found Vaughan on the right flank and after delivering a neat pass to Dean Rossiter the ball was transferred to the onrushing Wayne Jones whose first time shot looped over the head of keeper Williams to the delight of the rain soaked home crowd.

The visitors, however, showed their strength by replying within minutes when McKenna released Edge in the penalty area and sweeper David Barnhouse with a slightly miss-judged tackle upended the player. TNS keeper Williams, who became a specialist penalty taker in his previous spell with Bangor City, maintained his good record for spot kicks by blasting the ball past Fitzgerald.

Town continued to dominate the second half but failed to break through a compact TNS defence in which skipper Tim Edwards was outstanding, but the breakthrough came in the 59th minute when wing back Nigel Nicholas produced a fine run into the visiting penalty area and his perfect pass put Delicate clear to drive the ball past Williams for his seventh goal of the season.

Then came the anxious moment of the disallowed goal before referee Davies finally blew the whistle for time to leave RSU sponsored Town four points clear at the top of the table.

TNS LOST THEIR NINE MATCH unbeaten run as high fliers Carmarthen moved four points clear at the top of the League of Wales.

But the Saints came close to salvaging a share of the spoils when Tim Alexander headed home a Gareth Wilson corner in the last minute only to see his effort ruled out for a pushing in the box.

Carmarthen however just about merited the victory courtesy of their purposeful second half display after the Saints had shared the honours in the first period.

The villagers, making a bright start went close after 10 minutes when home keeper Rob Fitzgerald conceded a close range free kick after handling a backpass but Ricky Evans blazed his effort over.

Matthew Cable grazed the bar with a curling 25-yarder as Carmarthen sounded a warning at the other end before taking the lead on 39 minutes when Nigel Vaughan found Dean Rossiter on the left, his cross squirmed its way to Wayne Jones who sent a looping shot over keeper Lee Williams at the far post.

TNS, however, hit back just three minutes later when Chris Edge was brought down in the box by Dave Barhouse and keeper Williams hammered the penalty into the net. But the Saints saw their challenge fade in the second half as they struggled to get into their stride with Town pushing forward.

And they found themselves trailing again on the hour when Arwel Jones was caught in possession by the lively Nicholas who released Delicate to fire inside the right post.

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A TWO-GOAL SALVO by 17 year old Matthew Delicate gave victory to RSU Windows sponsored Carmarthen Town at the Morfa Stadium, Conwy, last weekend, a victory which places Town in pole position in the League of Wales. Delicate, a pupil at Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn, Newcastle Emlyn, showed his growing potential with two well taken headed goals in the 65th minute and 88th minute after manager Tomi Morgan had brought him off the bench earlier in the second half.

The delighted Town manager said afterwards : ‘The lads played really well today to get this result at a place where visiting sides find points hard to come by. Even though there’s a long way to go, it is indeed a nice feeling to be top of the league.’

Town now find themselves two points clear of second placed Llanelli which adds considerable spice to the clash of these two clubs at Stebonheath on Friday, 29th October.

Town had started impressively and Conwy keeper Danny Embleton was by far the busiest of the keepers as some surging runs by Wayne Jones down the left flank and some good deliveries into the Conwy penalty area created considerable problems for the home defence as Embleton came to the rescue with a series of last ditch saves.

At the other end Conwy could well have taken the lead in the 15th minute when with Town pushing forward a big gap was left on Carmarthen’s left flank and Steven Hilditch, picking up the loose ball, had his shot brilliantly saved at point blank range by keeper Robert Fitzgerald.

This may have proved to be the turning point of the match as Town’s defence regrouped although they could do nothing about Paul Phillips’s long range shot which rattled the Carmarthen Town’s crossbar with Fitzgerald completely beaten. These isolated incidents were few and far between and it was Town who dominated and could well have taken the lead when following good work by Nigel Nicholas, who weaved his way into the penalty area, Town’s Dean Rossiter drove over the bar from point blank range.

The second half continued in the same vein and Nicholas, cutting into the area, drove against Conwy’s post with the ball rebounding into play and Rossiter likewise struck the Conwy bar. Then came the breakthrough as Richard Parker’s initial shot was parried by Embleton and as the ball looped up to the on-rushing Delicate he coolly headed home. In the dying moments of the match, Morgan who had come on as substitute delivered a fine corner ball into the penalty area and the tall and athletic Delicate rose above the defence to head past Embleton.

With the quarter of the season now gone, Town’s league position is most satisfactory to say the least but now have a demanding three game schedule against teams in the upper reaches of the league.

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THE MEADOWS of the North Wales landscape engulfed in flood water were an unfriendly sight for the supporters and players of Carmarthen Town as their coach trekked north to 'Sunny Rhyl' for this League of Wales match last Saturday.

But as far as Carmarthen Town were concerned, however, the seaside town at least metaphorically lived up to its name as the visitors returned home with the three points to advance them to second place in the League of Wales table.

It was a gritty and committed performance by Town, as they had to contend with 50 minutes of playing with ten men after the controversial sending off of mid-field player Ryan Nicholls for offensive language directed at the assistant referee. As a result, Nicholls will now have to serve a two-match ban, which will keep him out of the matches against TNS and Llanelli.

Town manager Tomi Morgan expressed his delight at the victory and said: "I am proud of the lads who had to battle for so long with ten men and cope with so much pressure from a determined Rhyl side." Nigel Nicholas' 80th minute goal turned out to be the difference between the two sides.

Town, facing a strong wind in the first half, had under considerable pressure bait some superb defensive work by the back three of Matthew Cable, David Barnhouse and Wyn Thomas stilled any attempts by an extremely disappointing Rhyl attacking force to take any advantage of the strong wind blowing in from the Irish Sea at their backs.

Both sides introduced changes in the goalkeeping position where Rhyl brought in David Johnson instead of regular Keeper Andy Mulliner who, just 24 hours earlier had transferred to Bangor City, whilst Robert Fitzgerald returned to Town's line-up after missing two games.

The Rhyl attack showed up well in the early stages, led by the dangerous Danny Barton and one particular drive from the player shaved the John Adey outside of Fitzgerald's right hand upright but otherwise, despite the home side's domination, Town's keeper was rarely troubled.

Mid-fielder Sion Meredith was proving to be a thorn in Rbyl's side with some fine forages into the Rhyl penalty area and, after firing just over the cross bar from 18 yards, he then provided two good chances for Richard Parker and Paul Burrows, whose efforts were blocked by a retreating visiting defence.

Wing back Wayne Jones then delivered a fine cross from which Parker headed narrowly wide, and then came the unfortunate incident when referee Paul Samson of Pontypool dismissed Nicholas from the field on the advice of the assistant referee.

Town was unfortunate with ten men to have the strong wind at their backs and the home side, despite some pressure, were again failing to make any impression on Carmarthen's goal. Fitzgerald did well to collect a difficult cross from Rhyl's giant defender Gareth West from under his own bar, despite the close attentions of Barton who was penalised for his unceremonious barge on Fitzgerald.

Rhyl were then shocked in the 80th Minute when a long ball out of the Carmarthen defence found Parker completely clear inside his own half, and even though Johnson thwarted a shot following the striker's long run to the opposing penalty area, the ball rebounded to substitute Nigel Nicholas who drove sweetly into the net from 18 yards.

Town's second substitute, Tomi Morgan, who had a glorious chance to put the issue beyond doubt but after finding himself completely clear of the Rhyl defence drove over the bar beyond Johnson, It mattered little, however, as the final whistle blew to give Town their third win on the trot.

Town's players and Committee were very appreciative of the excellent following of supporters who had made the long journey to the North Wales coast. Tie supporters' coach was full, supplemented by a number who bad travelled by car, and not least of all the two motorbike riders who had travelled from Carmarthen to support their team.

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