Adroddiadau
Hydref 01 / October 01
Reports..............
|
FLEXSYS CEFN DRUIDS 0
CARMARTHEN TOWN 4 With this
the second away trip to North Wales in five days it took Town a little time
to get into their stride at Plaskynaston.
In the end two goals in each half gave Town a comprehensive win. Druids
started very brightly with midfielder Craig Wilkinson testing the Carmarthen
defence with some excellent runs but for some reason Druids were reluctant to
'have a shot' at the Town goal and failed to capitalise on early possession. As
Town started to get into the game Ryan Nicholls created a good chance for Lee
Jones in the six-yard box and Tim Hicks was stopped in his tracks by a great
tackle from Steve O'Shaughnessy when clear. But the breakthrough came after
18 minutes when Rossiter picked up a loose ball in mid field and unleashed a
powerful shot from 30 yards that found the top corner of the Druids net to
give Town the incentive they needed to get into their stride. We
then enjoyed some end-to-end play. Stuart Thornley and Mike Davies had some
good chances for the Druids whilst at the other end Nicholls should have
netted from a Chapple free kick. But just after the half hour Wyn Thomas
dispossessed the Druids attack with a great tackle deep in his own half and
his excellent pass found Hicks wide out who made ground and fired home a
superb shot from a very tight angle to give Town a two goal cushion at the
break. The
second half started with the Druids again starting brightly as Town had to
clear their goaline following a Simon Richards free kick. The third goal came as Hicks, bursting
through from the halfway line, beat two defenders to find himself one on one
with the keeper. The advancing Blower did well to block his shot but Nicholls
fired home the rebound to make it three. Town
looked tired and with the game all but over as a contest they conceded
possession to the Druids. But again Wyn Thomas won possession in the middle
and put a fine through-ball to Siôn Meredith out on the right who made it
four. Thomas was unlucky not to have a goal of his own when following a good
run late in the game his shot was well saved by the keeper. Druids
piled on the pressure in the final minutes only to see Town's crossbar deny
them a late consolation goal. A tough week for Carmarthen Town but two away wins will
have lifted spirits. 23.10.01 RHYL FC
1 CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 In what was always going to be a difficult game for
Town they came out top with a 'six pointer' to put the pressure on the other
teams in this difficult FAW Premier Cup group B match . The omens were there
for Rhyl in the opening exchanges when Shaun Chapple rattled Lee Williams'
bar with a powerfully struck free kick from 25 yards after only five minutes
that left the keeper rooted to his goaline . The two evenly matched teams contributed well to an
excellent game of football that flowed from one end to the other on an
immaculate Belle Vue surface but a bizarre goal on the half hour gave Town
the lift they required to take control of the game . A long ball down field by Town keeper Fitzgerald
was allowed to bounce in front of the defence and deflected off the head of
Michael Jackson over the advancing Lee Williams into the net. Although
Williams had been berating his defenders constantly he did not seem take
control of his defensive area and responsibility for the goal (although
a lucky strike) must have been the keeper's. He was lucky not to let in a
couple more with a disappointing performance in the Rhyl goal. Following the break early Carmarthen pressure
produced a scramble in Rhyl's goal area with the ball bouncing in all
directions before Sion Meredith finally put it in the back of the net. That
gave Town some breathing space as they played with some confidence and
created several good attacking moves that were unlucky not to find the
target. In the final quarter. Rhyl made a couple of
substitutions that had an immediate effect as they put together some sharp
attacking moves down the left to pressurise the Carmarthen defence. Town got
a little jittery and conceded too much possession to Rhyl in an attempt to
relieve the pressure by just clearing the ball anywhere. On 77' a well struck
Rhyl free kick from Durnin brought a blinding save from Fitzgerald who
seemed to have turned the ball around the post but Rhyl kept the ball alive
and Brewerton scored from very close range. This gave Rhyl a lift and the
Town supporters a very nervous final thirteen minutes as the home team went
in search of the equaliser. In the end Town took the points and there seemed to
be little complaint from the Rhyl supporters other than to question the
display of their own keeper. An excellent welcome from all at Belle Vue and
the improvements to facilities at the ground are first class. Certainly the
surface of the pitch looked to be excellent. Clearly this is where clubs need
to invest as much as they possibly can afford to raise the profile of the
League and encourage good quality football. 20.10.01 CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 CONNAH'S QUAY NOMADS 2 An uncompromising encounter between two evenly matched
sides saw both teams take a share of the points this afternoon at Richmond
Park. Table toppers Connah's Quay Nomads demonstrated why they are currently
league leaders with a committed all round team performance. Chances in the first half were few and far between. The
Nomads started brightly and gave notice of their intentions with some
sweeping movements down both wings. Although both goalkeepers were very
rarely tested Robert Fitzgerald in the Carmarthen goal was called into action
when Nomads captain Paul Hopkins unleashed a shot from the edge of the box
early in the game. Carmarthen replied with a shot by Craig Evans that was
also comfortably saved by Paul Whitfield in the Nomads goal but it was
Connah's Quay who almost broke the deadlock when left back Lee Jones appealed
for offside only to see right back Dean Tuft sweep past the home defence for
a strike on goal that was cleared off the line and rebounding against the
post before being made safe. The deadlock was broken on the half hour when the isolated
Neil O’Brien was dispossessed and the ball was quickly transferred to Stuart
Rain who placed his shot just inside the post and out of Fitzgerald's reach
to give the Nomads a deserved lead. This inspired Town to greater effort and they were duly
rewarded three minutes before the break with an equaliser when Neil O’Brien
headed home a Shaun Chapple corner. A rather uninspiring first half saw both
teams all square at the break. The second half saw Town play with more commitment and
purpose but once again fell behind when they failed to clear a corner and the
ball was knocked back into the box to the unmarked Stuart Perry who slotted
the ball past Fitzgerald. The uncompromising nature of the game led to frequent
stoppages and a little frustration that did not allow Carmarthen to play
their usual free flowing passing game. Although uncompromising in their play Nomads to their
credit also looked comfortable on the ball and put together some excellent
passages of play. They could have
increased their lead on 77 minutes when Lloyd Roberts found himself clear of
the defence and 'one on one' with the Town keeper but a brave save by
Fitzgerald denied the advancing winger. An inspired substitution by manager Tomi Morgan on 64
minutes, when he switched strikers, led to the equaliser. Following good work
by Chapple on the left hand side Hicks, who had replaced the tiring Jody
Thomas, rose unmarked in the box to head Lee Jones’ excellent cross firmly
into the back of the net on 79 minutes. Both sides continued to attack looking for the winning
goal but the full time score draw was a fair reflection of the game. Yellow Cards Carmarthen : Craig Evans 45', Dean Rossiter 61' and Lee
Jones 81' Connah's Quay Nomads : Horan 25', Roberts 45' and Griffiths 57' . Substitutions Carmarthen : Hicks for Thomas 64' and Morgan for Nicholls
86'. CARMARTHEN TOWN 0 NEWPORT COUNTY 1 A 20th. minute
goal by Exiles striker Darren Ryan paved the way for a narrow win for Newport
in their first Premier Cup group match and a fine performance by keeper
Pat Mountain in the second half denied Carmarthen the equaliser they
deserved. The large crowd
(622) were treated to an enthralling contest with both keepers in constant
action. The opening stages of the match saw Newport have the clearer
chances and in the 18th. minute they should have taken the lead
when Ryan unmarked in front of goal shot over the bar. He made
amends two minutes later with a perfectly placed curling free kick from 20
yards that gave Fitzgerald no chance. Town came back with great
determination and just before the interval Neil O'Brien's well directed
header from a Ryan Nicholls corner was brilliantly saved by Mountain when he
tipped the ball round the post at full stretch. Prominent for Newport during
the first half was winger Raith Plant who had several good runs at goal but
the Town defence held firm. The second period saw most of
the game played in the Newport half and keeper Mountain was in constant
action to deny the Town attack. He did exceptionally well to save again from
O'Brien but some wayward finishing spoilt Town's second half domination with
several players having good strikes at goal and Town's young l8 year
old striker Tim Hicks in particular saw several opportunities going just wide
of the target. But Newport were well organised in defence and threatened
several times on the break. With Town's
constant pressure the large visiting contingent of supporters were relieved
to hear the final whistle as the Exiles gained three points on their first
appearance in the Premier Cup competition. Tomi will be disappointed that his
side did not take anything out of the game. Referee
N. L. Morgan Carmarthen
: Fitgerald Meredith, Jones L, Thomas, O'Brien, Barnhouse, Rositer, Nicholls,
Chapple, Evans, Subs: Thomas J, Gornall, Summers, James, Fayers. Newport:
Mountain, Robinson, Sutter, Thomas, Eckhardt, Rose, Perry, Ryan, Paul, Plant,
James, Davies, Edwards, Walker, Cowe, Shepheard. 12.10.01 Town
endured a torrid first thirty minutes at Victoria Road last night with
Cwmbran running the show from the KO. Nathan Cotterrall caused all sorts of problems
down the left and Richard Carter on the other side posed a few headaches.
Despite all their possession, creativity and physical presence I don't think
the Crows actually had a clear cut chance on goal although they were causing
a great deal of nervousness amongst Town supporters. After the
half hour Town came more into the game and enjoyed an equal share of the
possession but Cwmbran piled on the pressure again for the five minutes
before the break. Fitzgerald was forced to make three excellent saves and
Craig Hughes came very close with an excellent shot for Cwmbran. The
second half was a much more even affair. Chapple had a good strike for Town
on 51 minutes and on 57 minutes the deadlock was broken. From a free
kick out on the right O'Brien drew the Cwmbran defence and Wyn Thomas was
left completely unmarked in front of goal to slot home Chappell's free kick. The final
20 minutes saw Cwmbran turn the screw. Luke Fayers was forced to clear off
the goal line on 70' and the Town bar was hit a couple of times with about
ten minutes to go. Although Town were defending in numbers they were still
getting upfield and hitting Cwmbran on the break. Hicks, Nicholls and
Meredith ran their socks off but generally the final quarter was played in
Town's half. Carmarthen
took their chance when they had it. Cwmbran failed to convert theirs and with
a little bit of luck going Town's way in the final quarter they took the
points. Although it was a little fortuitous Tomi will be delighted with the
win as his squad is still depleted with injuries and a few of last night's
players were carrying knocks. The six points from six is an excellent start
to the competition. The Crows are certainly the best side we have seen so far this season and all credit to the lads (committee, fans and players) from Cwmbran that they accepted what must have been a very frustrating evening with magnanimity.
CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 RHYL FC 0 Carmarthen
completed a deserved victory over a strong Rhyl side in this highly competitive
FAW Premier Cup Group B match. A goal in each half sealed victory for the
home side. The game
started on a high note with both Neville Southall, Rhyl's former
international keeper, and Rob Fitzgerald in the Town goal being tested early
in the game. The
visitors nearly drew first blood when John Durnin burst into the Carmarthen
penalty area on 8 minutes but Carmarthen skipper David Barnhouse came to the
rescue with a goal saving tackle to deny the Rhyl forward. Rhyl's John
Stanard was creating considerable problems down Town's left flank but it was
Town who took the lead in the 14th. minute when the persevering
Tim Hicks forced an error out of the Rhyl defence that allowed him to put a
ball across the face of the goal for Ryan Nicholls to beat Southall from 12
yards. Hicks
was again in the thick of the action on 20 minute but was foiled by the Rhyl
defence and the visiting goal was lucky to survive five minutes later when Rossiter's
powerful shot on goal rebounded safely from the bar with Southall well
beaten. The
second half found Carmarthen under considerable pressure in the early stages.
Stannard was foiled by a brave save from Fitzgerald three minutes after the
break but despite continuous pressure Rhyl did not create any clear-cut
chances and Carmarthen gradually played their way back into the game. On 72
minutes, following a Carmarthen corner that Rhyl failed to clear, it was
Rossiter who hammered a deflected shot past a stranded Southall in the Rhyl
goal. Following
the goal it was Carmarthen who looked the more likely to score again.
Although Tomi Morgan will be pleased with his side's performance both sides
can be complemented on a game that was played in an excellent spirit despite
its very competitive nature. Cwmafon referee Phil Southall also played his
part in controlling the game well but also allowing it to flow. Crowd
322 Yellow
card : W. Thomas (Carmarthen) Town :
Fitzgerald, Meredith, James, Thomas W, O'Brien, Barnhouse, Evans (Jones 80'),
Rossiter, Nicholls, Chapple (Fayers 50'), Hicks (Thomas 74') Subs : Jones L,
Thomas J, Thomas O. Rhyl
: Southall, Brookman, Curtis, Jackson, Webster, Williams, Futcher ( Jones A
64'), Jones (O'Gorman 65'), Durnin, Cross. Subs : O'Gorman, Jones A, Williams
L. CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 AFAN LIDO 1 An
enjoyable game at Richmond tonight. Two good sides playing some great
football. Loads of skill, some blinding saves from both keepers with both
sides fielding some of their young talent. Town took
the lead on 38 from a Wyn Thomas shot through a crowded gaol-mouth
following some Town pressure. Both sides had some excellent chances but Tim
Hicks made the game safe on 85'. Lido got a consolation goal from Mitch
Patton on the stroke of time. I doubt
whether Simon Jones will have an easier game to referee this season as, with
nothing at stake, both sides were content to play good football and enjoy the
game. Crowd 176 |