06.10.07 Welsh Cup 2nd Round
Merthyr Saints 1 Carmarthen Town 2

Cup holders Carmarthen Town ensured their passage to the next round of the competition but made hard work of the tie against a committed and physical Welsh League outfit.

With Jamal Easter lively Town dominated the first half possession but over elaboration in front of goal saw Saints keeper Andy Llewelyn rarely troubled.

Town suffered a setback when they lost Paul Fowler early on 10 minutes, following a heavy tackle, but with Neil Smothers replacing the competitive midfielder Town maintained the momentum.

Having soaked up the early pressure Saints had their best period just before the break. Chris Hartshorn’s speculative 25 yard went narrowly over and a late corner saw the ball go narrowly wide.

Following the break Town continued to dominate but the hosts persisted in making things difficult for the visitors.

Finally Town made the breakthrough on 73 minutes. Easter and Sacha Walters worked Chris Thomas free down the right and having exchanged a one two with Easter the defender finished well having seen his first effort blocked by Llewelyn.

Three minutes later Town doubled the advantage. Easter penatrated the defence and then fired homel after a clever back heel from sub Danny Thomas set him free to make it a comfortable 2-0 for Town.

But with 10 minutes remaining Town were caught napping. Hartshorn fed Jasen Lewis on the right and the midfielder’s speculative cross sailed over Neil Thomas to halve the deficit and set up a tense final period.

Late on Thomas saved well with his feet to deny Josh Long and Town closed out the game with Danny Thomas going close on a couple of occasions.

The Third Round draw sees Town travel to Newport YMCA. Tie to be played on November 3rd.

Saints: Llewelyn, Lewis, Nicholls, C Lewis, L Hartshorn, C Hartshorn, J Lewis, Owen, Lloyd, Duggan, Davies Subs: Thomas, Lynch, Long.

Town: N Thomas, Hughes, Brace, Palmer, Hancock, C Thomas, Walters, Hicks, Fowler, Easter, Cotterrall Subs: Coombes, Smothers, D Thomas.

09.10.07 CARMARTHEN TOWN 3 ABERYSTWYTH TOWN 1
Loosemores Cup (Group 5)

In a bright and evenly balanced game both sides carved early chances but Aber made the breakthrough on 25' when Robert Evans picked up on a headed clearance and fired past Thomas from the edge of the box.

Town leveled on 31' when a beak down the right saw Danny Thomas cross from the byline for Curtis McDonald to run on to the ball and fire home.

Both sides had chances to go ahead. A chipped ball put Danny Thomas free on goal but his effort deflected off the keeper to safety and Stuart Roberts for Aber miscued effort, following Christian Edwards', floated free kick was easily gathered by Thomas.

Ten minutes into the second half Town went ahead. With the ball played into Danny Thomas' feet and the striker turned well to find the corner of the net.

With the game end to end Edwards produced a vital intervention and Aneurin Thomas deflected on to his own crossbar. At the other end Thomas did well to deny Geoff Kellaway with his feet and with Jamie Reed's header hitting the woodwork Neil Smothers was forced to head off his own line as Aber pressed for the equaliser.

On the stroke of time Kellaway's corner caused confusion in the Town defence but Aber somehow or other failed to convert and were punished by a swift break that saw Easter play in Gregg Coombes
who beat the keeper at the near post.

The visitors will be disappointed not have gained something from the game.

Town manager Deryn Brace told 'Y Dre ar Y We' "It was a good game and could quite easily have been 4-4. I'm pleased with the result".

Town: N Thomas, Hughes, Smothers, Palmer, Hancock, C Thomas, D Thomas, Walters, Easter, Coombes, McDonald Subs not used: Hicks, Cotterrall, Morris

Aberystwyth: Jones, E Evans, M Roberts, Thomas (Vangucci 90'), Edwards, Pasmore, R Evans (A Evans 70'), Kellaway, S Roberts, Sherbon, Reed Subs not used: Hartnell (GK), Hughes,

Referee B James Attendance 177

13.10.07 Welshpool Town 2 Carmarthen Town 2

Nicky Palmer the influential Carmarthen Town midfield player suffered a serious injury after 37 minutes of this Welsh Premier League encounter. He broke both his tibia and fibula and will miss at least the next three months of the season. He returned home on Sunday after being hospitalized overnight in Shrewsbury General Hospital .

Carmarthen Town traveled to mid Wales to face the team immediately behind them in the league last Saturday. Both sides had made steady starts to the season and saw this game as a chance to open a gap between the top four and the rest of the league.

Town begun the game in style with Paul Fowler being very prominent in midfield alongside Palmer and deservedly went ahead after 25 minutes when Sacha Walters broke in from the right and his shot was deflected past Daniel Jones in the home goal.

The EMC Services sponsored Carmarthen Town team went further ahead within five minutes as Walters turned provider. His cross to the near post was met by Danny Thomas who turned the ball past Jones to put the visitors two ahead on the half hour.

Former Town manager Tomi Morgan immediately changed the Welshpool line up with the introduction of Will Thomas from the bench. He proved to be a thorn in the visitor's side for the rest of the game as he made several telling runs down the right.

Another Thomas, namely Neil Thomas, in the visiting goal, ensured that the Old Gold remained ahead with a fine save from Aden Shannon. But the striker was not to be denied in the 34 th minute when his initial effort was well saved by Thomas but Shannon reacted quickly to score from the rebound.

The unfortunate injury to Palmer occurred soon after the goal and Town survived the disappointment to go in to the break with their one goal lead intact.

The visiting side dominated the initial period of the second half and created enough chances to have won the game comfortably. A combination of bad luck and some excellent keeping from Jones denied Hicks and Walters while after a superb run from his own box by Chris Thomas he saw his final effort pass inches wide of the far post. Danny Thomas came nearest to scoring as his effort hit he bar and bounced downwards and which the assistant referee deemed not to have completely crossed the line.

The home side gradually played it's way back into the game and was rewarded for their perseverance when Shannon equalized with a header. Thomas provided the cross from the right and the unmarked Shannon found the corner of the net.

Both sides continued to strive for a winner in a very exciting encounter but neither could profit from the chances as both keepers excelled.

Carmarthen Town coach Mark Aizlewood was understandably disappointed after the game as his side had surrendered a two goal lead but was very positive about the team's performance

“ We showed that we had the pace and drive to cause problems for any team in the league. The unfortunate injury to Nicky Palmer certainly had an effect on the side but they showed great character to continue to take the game to Welshpool. A steadier performance in front of goal would have seen us win comfortably”

Deryn Brace , the Town manager was also disappointed with the eventual result but was upset for his fellow player Palmer who had followed Brace from Haverfordwest County to Richmond Park in the summer.

“I hope that Nicky makes a full recovery from his injury. We will certainly miss his influence both on and off the field. The unfortunate injury means that we will have to juggle our resources and that another player will have a chance in the first team squad”

Welshpool Town : Jones, Hughes, Dowridge, Stephens, Jefferies, Keegan, Venables, Shannon, Rogers, Davies (Thomas 28'), Thompson (Barnett 68') Sub not used: Ian McLeod.

Carmarthen Town : N Thomas, Smothers, Brace, Palmer (Coombes 39'), Hancock, C Thomas, D Thomas (Easter 74'), Hicks, Fowler, Walters, Cotterrall. Sub not used: Hughes.

Attendance: 165 Referee: Lee Evans

20.10.07 Carmarthen Town 4 NEWI Cefn Druids 1

TWO goals from Tim Hicks either side of half-time set Town on their way to an emphatic win against NEWI Cefn Druids at Richmond Park on Saturday.

The win over Cefn sees Deryn Brace's men move into third place in the Welsh Premier League.Before the clash, which marked Druid Tim Edwards's 400th league game, every Welsh Premier League team was united in calling for a racism-free football and society as part of the Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) network.

Town were quickly into their stride and, having dominated possession, made an early breakthrough when Danny Thomas's persistence in midfield won possession. Having released Sacha Walters down the right, he then finished the move off, controlling and firing home Chris Thomas's precise cross on 12 minutes.

But 10 minutes later Town were caught napping when, with their first chance of the game, Druids were back in contention.

Town defenders dithered and failed to deal with a ball into the box and Kevin Holsgrove pounced to net.

But the hero then became villain when he was dismissed on 38 minutes for a foul on keeper Neil Thomas.

Paul Fowler saw his driven shot spilled by the keeper but was unable to capitalise, and Geraint Lewis for Druids blazed over after good work by Paul Mazzarella.

But with three minutes of the half remaining, EMC Services-sponsored Carmarthen Town pressed home their advantage.

After Brace had raced on to Jamal Easter's pass, his cross from the line was side-footed in by the unmarked Hicks to make it 2-1 at the break.

After the restart Town continued to dominate, penning Druids in for long periods. Carl Edwards was soon in action, saving well from Chris Thomas. But a long throw from Neil Thomas found Walters, who played the ball wide for Chris Thomas to fire across goal for Hicks to net a rebound after Edwards had parried his first attempt.

Druids pulled everyone behind the ball and Edwards repeatedly denied Town as the hosts found an addition to the score elusive. But with Fowler dominating the middle of the park, Town attacked in waves.

Edwards denied Fowler's snap shot and Chris Thomas's effort was deflected over by Hicks before Aled Rowlands was forced to clear his lines after substitute Steffan Davies saw his powerful shot parried.

But with the visitors struggling to clear the almost constant pressure, Richard Hughes added a fourth with a shot from the edge of the box to seal a comprehensive victory that sees Town move into the top three.

Carmarthen Town: N Thomas, Smothers, Brace (Hughes 57), Coombes, Hancock, C Thomas, D Thomas (Davies 70), Hicks, Fowler, Walters (Morris 78), Easter.

NEWI Cefn Druids: C Edwards, Powell, Rowlands, Edgar, T Edwards, Mazzarella (Heverin 54), Heminatinafar (Aby 70), Lewis, Williams, McGinn (Wright 46), Holsgrove, Sub not used: Jones.

Referee: Darren Adie (Caldicot). Attendance: 278.

26.10.07 Aberystwyth Town 0 Carmarthen Town 2

With Aberystwyth Town debating the validity of a free kick on the edge of the box Carmarthen Town’s teenage midfielder Greg Coombes struck the ball through the confused melee of players to give the Richmond Park outfit a 74th. minute opener.

And with striker Danny Thomas doubling the tally late into injury time Town sealed a historic first League win at Park Avenue on Friday night with only goal difference separating them with third placed Rhyl FC.

The early action was all in Town's half as Jamie Reed and Geoff Kellaway stretched the defence with some powerful surges into the box. With the visitors penned in somewhat Town found it difficult to retain possession and set up any kind of forward momentum.

Having conceded a number of early free kicks Luke Sherbon’s diving header from Aneurin Thomas’ set piece needed a sharp response from Neil Thomas.

Following the half hour Town made more of an impression retaining the ball for periods. And with Sacha Walters influential down the right Tim Hicks pulled back a well placed ball in front of goal but it lacked a finish. With Hicks’ speculative strike a minute later rattling Dave Jones’ bar it remained goalless at the break.

As in the first, the second period saw Brian Coyne’s outfit start strongly with a Stuart Roberts strike blocked and Gavin Cadwallader’s raking shot from the angle finding the side netting.

Just before the hour Nathan Cotterrall made a welcome return to Town ranks when he replaced Jamal Easter. But with Town continuing to concede free kicks in dangerous areas Aberystwyth failed to capitalise with Town defending robustly.

Turning points in games can take many guises. With eighteen minutes remaining a superb save from Thomas to deny Kellaway provided the impetus for Town as they forced a series of corners to keep Aber on the back foot before Coombes, who had been Town’s pivot’ punished the hosts after the fired up Walters had been brought down on one of his surging runs by Matthew Roberts.

With the Seasiders throwing everyone forward in search of the equaliser Town broke dangerously looking for the corners to play the game out. Deep into injury time Walters made another great solo run from deep before squaring across the box to Thomas who adjusted, before netting past Jones to wrap things up and give Town a comfortable looking score line in what was, in reality, a tightly contested game.

A delighted Deryn Brace praised his team’s performance.

“It‘s important to get three points in any game but to get them and play reasonably well was great.

“Overall it was a team performance rather than any individual standing out. All the players set good standards and that’s important.

“If I had to single out anyone I thought Gregg Coombes worked well. His linking and passing to keep the moves going was first class. He was also able to take the heat out of the battle, because it was a battle at times, and he had that quality to unlock things.

“I thought we defended reasonably well. Our back four were as strong as anything. Aber didn’t really trouble us in open play and we kept them to the edge of the box.

“The biggest danger was from set pieces. They managed to get two headers on target but Neil (Thomas) dealt with them well.

With Town now looking to a run of three cup games the Richmond Park boss viewed a busy cup week as an important ingredient for a successful season.

“The next week will set up how the season is going to go. If we don’t do well it’s going to be a long hard slog. We need something from these games and I’m confident that we can progress. We certainly are working as hard as we can to make sure that we do.

Aberystwyth Town : Jones, James (Evans 76'), M Roberts, Thomas, Edwards, Cadwallader, Kellaway (R Evans 80'), Morgan, Reed, Sherbon, S Roberts. Subs not used: Passmore, Rees, Hartnell.

Carmarthen Town : N Thomas, Smothers, Brace, Coombes, Hancock, C Thomas, D Thomas, Hicks, Fowler, Walters, Easter (Cotterrall 58').Subs not used: Hughes, Davies.

Attendance: 376 Referee: Neil Morgan


30.10.07 CARMARTHEN TOWN 8 HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY 1 (Loosemores Cup)
Easter 11' 72', Fowler 36', Walters 37' 60', Elliot og 66',Cotterrall 70', Hicks 77' / Woodrow 87'

Carmarthen Town qualified for the Quarter Finals of the Loosemores Cup with a demolition of near neighbours Haverfordwest at Richmond Park on Tuesday night.

With a brace apiece for ex-Cardiff starlet Jamal Easter and the in-form Sacha Walters Town fired some fine individual and team goals with Paul Fowler's screamer from 30+ yards probably the pick of the bunch.

Town opened their account on 11' when Walters played in Easter who finished with some style after Haverfordwest struggled to clear early pressure.

And there was little anyone could have done to defend Fowler's superb 30 yard diagonal strike that doubled the tally on 36'. A minute later Walters broke straight through the middle to net past Idzi and make it a comfortable 3-0 for Town at the break.

Following the resumption Town keeper Thomas gifted Woodrow the ball but then denied the forward the rebound before Walters picked up on a loose Haverfordwest free kick on the hour to break back through and lash home the second 30+ yarder of the evening to grab his brace.

Elliot was unfortunate to turn the ball into his own goal to gift Town a fifth and minutes later, having seen several of his crosses lack a finish in front of goal, Coombes put Cotterrall through for the wing man to net from an angle and make it 6-0.

Having provided for Easter to make it seven Hicks was then denied by Idzi but got on the score sheet a minute later to wrap it up for Town before Woodrow's late goal provided some consolation for the well beaten visitors.

Town: N Thomas, Smothers, Hughes, Coombes (Morris 75'), Hancock, C Thomas, Walters, Hicks (D Thomas80'), Fowler, Easter (Davies72'), Cotterrall.

Haverfordwest: Idzi, Biers, Jones, Durham (Gilderdale 46'), Elliott, Thomas, George (Hudgell 46'), Coates, Jones(Thomas 69'), Woodrow, Raymond Sub not used: Durant.

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