04.09.10 CARMARTHEN TOWN 0 BANGOR CITY 1

With only Dave Morley's second half penalty, City's sixth spot kick in four games, separating the sides Town manager Tomi Morgan was very unhappy not to have had something from the game. But with Bangor keeper Paul Smith in fine form to deny Town on several crucial occasions it was City's experience that probably got them through this evenly balanced, competitive and entertaining encounter to record their fourth straight win of the current campaign.

Town manager Morgan outlined his feelings. "Very frustrated. We should definitely have had something from the game but to an extent we shot ourselves in the foot as we created five golden opportunities. I was happy with the performance but as I told the players afterwards we have to put our chances away".

"The only difference was one kick from the spot, other than that I don't think there was anything between us. There was nothing wrong with our effort or our football and at the end we had a young eighteen year old at left back and a youth player up front. They [Bangor] had the experience to closed up shop"

With Town having to contend with a number of injuries Andy Evans made his first start as a replacement for the in-form Tim Hicks up front. For City, Nicky Ward made a comeback from illness with Siôn Edwards dropping to the bench. As Town were put under cosh for the opening quarter by the visitors. Alan Bull put Jamie Reed though on goal on 12 minutes to ring the alarm bells and a couple of minutes later keeper Mike Lewis just got his hand to Chris Jones swept ball to deny City an opener.

Town lost Steve Evans after 14 minutes to be substituted by youngster Antonio Facciuto and Gary Bansor put in a vital interception following Morley's drive through the middle before Town got into the game on the twenty minute mark with probably the best chance of the game. Having picked up on Dave Smith's weak clearance Darren Griffiths rounded the keeper but with Smith recovering to get a touch he sent the ball round the post to safety.

But with Town gaining momentum they kept Bangor under pressure with a series of corners. Dale Griffiths' floated free kick found Sacha Walters but with the wing-man miscuing his strike a second golden chance was missed. Smith then denied Walters' volley following good work from Kieran Howard and Andy Evans.

But with Evans being caught offside on several occasions the Citizens were able to ease the pressure and turn the tables on Town who conceding a number of free kicks. It took a covering tackle from Griffiths to deny City wing-man Jones and with Nicky Ward's dangerous set piece deflected to safety it remained goalless at the break.

Bangor made the breakthrough three minutes after the resumption when Facciuto was harshly adjudged to have brought down Jamie Reed. With top scorer Morley tucking away the spot kick the game lost momentum for a while with Bangor dominating possession and looking comfortable.

Following the hour Reed and Craig Garside just failed to connect with a good ball in. But with Town regrouping Howard's well balanced through-ball with a quarter hour remaining set Craig Frater free but the sub was eventually outnumbered by City's defence before he broke through the City lines for a second time minutes later.

Smith saved at point blank range to deny Howard after good work from Corey Thomas and Lee Phillips and with the clock winding down a mesmerizing run from Frater was again denied by Smith and Gary Bansor put over a good headed chance off a late Town flag kick.

Having been largely a second half spectator keeper Mike Lewis beat out Siôn Edwards’ late effort and Town's positive performance against the League leaders will give encouragement to both management and fans as Tomi Morgan's outfit proved very creative and competitive throughout.

Town: M Lewis, L Phillips, S Evans (A Facciuto 14'), Dale Griffiths, G Bansor, K Howard, C Thomas, G Passmore A Evans (C Frater 58'), Darren Griffiths (O James (Y) 84'), S Walters. Subs not used: B Briers, A Davies (Y).

City: P Smith, P Hoy, C Roberts, D Morley, J Brewerton, C Garside, J Reed, M Johnston, A Bull (L Davies 76'), N Ward (E Jebb 73'), C Jones (S Edwards 84') Sub not used: T Dix (Y). Referee : Dean John.

07.09.10 Loosemores Cup First Round (Second Leg)
ABERYSTWYTH TOWN 3 CARMARTHEN TOWN 0

A Lewis Codling brace, one in each half, together with a Luke Sherbon strike saw Town dumped out of the competition. Despite the comprehensive score line a rearranged and very youthful Town line-up had several good opportunities to keep themselves in contention but Aber’s sharpness around the edge of the box proved the difference with the Seasider's finishing well.

Manager Tomi Morgan told Y Dre ar Y We, "Your always disappointed to go out of any competition but we had two good chances each half to stay in contention".

Sacha Walters set Nick Harrhy free after three minutes and with Steve Cann beating away Harry's stinging shot Craig Frater’s ball back across the face of goal just lacked a finishing touch. Then with Aber breaking in numbers Codling played a neat one two with Steff Edwards on the edge of the box for the former Everton youngster to drive in low and give Aber the opener on four minutes.

With both sides moving the ball at pace Frater headed Bobby Briers' floated cross-field ball narrowly over and with Aber breaking the length of the field in a flowing move on the quarter hour the finish was deflected wide before Sherbon doubled the tally on 26 minutes with a well taken a drive. Harrhy's vicious low shot was parried away well by Cann on the half hour and four minutes later Walters cut through the Aber defence but lost out in the one-on-one with the keeper to leave Aber with some daylight at the half way mark.

Sherbon's well placed shot went dangerously close just after the break before Frater spurned a good opportunity to close the gap after Harrhy's cross field ball was headed on by Walters. But with Sherbon's ball across goal only needing a final touch and Bari Morgan miscuing his shot when well placed Aber began to dominate proceedings. Codling beat the offside trap ten minutes into the half but was denied by Mike Lewis before the former Goodison Park product got his second of the evening to put the game beyond Town.

With both sides making a number of substitutions Lewis produced a great one handed save to deny Edwards late on as the Seasider's progressed to the last eight of the competition.

Aber: S Cann, C Williams (A Thomas 67'), M Howard (G Hughes 63'), J McCarten, S James, C Murtagh, A Finselbach, B Morgan, L Codling, L Sherbon, S Edwards Sub not used: L Powell

Town: M Lewis, B Briers, A Facciuto, Dale Griffiths, A Evans, K Howard, N Harrhy, G Passmore, C Frater (C Thomas 60'), Darren Griffiths (A Davies Y 7'), S Walters (O James Y 85') Sub not used: G Bansor Attendance: 209 Referee: Dean John.

11.09.10 THE NEW SAINTS 7 CARMARTHEN TOWN 0

In a game that resembled the atmosphere and format of a training ground exhibition The New Saints gave Town’s young squad an object lesson in possession football and clinical finishing.

And with Tomi Morgan describing his side’s performance as ‘embarrassing’ Assistant Manager Mattie Davies insists that Town will learn the lessons and move on.

“We have to try and learn from the experience and move on. We were taught today that possession is key and that we have to learn to keep and look after the ball a lot better if we are to retain possession and provide a threat”.

“Defensively, as a unit, we have to get it right. That’s not just the back four but all the team. We have to start to keep clean sheets. That must be a basic and something we will be working on this week.

“We have some big games coming up against Haverfordwest Newtown and Prestatyn and we have the chance to put things right. These are must win games and the lads shouldn’t need lifting after today. We’ve shown with other performances this season that we can do it and I’m confident that we can”.

Saints new signing Richie Partridge sounded the early alarm bells as he raided down the left to taunt the Town defence and it took just twelve minutes for the hosts to break the deadlock when Mattie Williams took advantage of a loose ball, spilled following a defensive tackle in the box, to net his first goal of the season.

Williams then set up Alex Darlington in front of goal as the Saints doubled the advantage and the hosts raced to a 4-0 lead within 26 minutes when skipper Dale Griffiths unfortunately put through his own net and two minutes later Scott Roscoe picked up on a long ball to beat keeper Mike Lewis who, despite the score line, saved Town’s blushes on a couple of occasions during the afternoon with some fine individual saves.

With Steve Evans and Jamie Wood orchestrating the Saint’s attack Town were unable to produce anything in the way of a concerted reply to stem the Saint’s flow. Late on in the half Sacha Walters provided the only threat with a weaving run that produced a free kick just outside the box. But with Paul Harrison tipping over the wing-man’s goal bound set piece the game was, in reality, ended as a contest before the break.

Following the resumption and with little sign of a Town revival Partidge, who had been influential early on, was denied a debut goal by Lewis in a one-on-one but with the ball breaking to Ruscoe he added the fifth, his second of the afternoon.

Then with Lewis rolling the ball forward to clear Darlington stole in on his blind side to pick pocket the keeper and net off the inside of the post which, in essence, summed up Town’s miserable afternoon on the artificial surface.

Former Town player Craig William drilled-in low cross that was side footed in by Berkeley and with Partridge denied by the cross bar with four minutes remaining Town managed to see out the final 24 minutes of what had been a comprehensive lesson in clinical finishing without any addition to the score.

Saints: P Harrison, D Holmes, S Evans (M Giglio 68'), S Ruscoe, B Hogan, R Partridge, M Williams (M Berkeley 57'), C Seargeant, C Rawlinson, J Wood (C Williams 60'), A Darlington. Subs not used: B Haralambous (y), A Jones(y)

Town: M Lewis, L Phillips, L Jenkins (B Briers 69'), D Griffiths, G Bansor, K Howard, C Thomas, G Passmore (A Evans 75'), N Harrhy, D Griffiths (C Frater 10'), S Walters. Attendance: 289 Referee: Wayne Stephens.

17.09.10 CARMARTHEN TOWN 2 HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY 2

With both clubs on equal points at the lower end of the table Neil Thomas' 88th. minute strike looked to have won the tie for the Bluebirds. But with Town showing considerable character to maintain a late surge in search of an equaliser it was Andy Evans' left footed strike in the third minute of injury time that gained Town a deserved share of the spoils, the first home point of the season.

Manager Tomi Morgan said, "It was a great effort to come back as we did against what was a strong side. Considering last week's result as well I thought it showed considerable character and spirit from the boys".

"When they scored with a couple of minutes left you thought that was it. I've been in management a few years now and I think tonight's goal was about the latest equaliser I've ever experienced".

Morgan was adamant that Town deserved some reward for their effort. "Over the ninety minutes I thought we deserved something from the game. We certainly didn't deserve to lose it. We're a very young side with a lot to learn. Yes we do take the wrong options sometimes but hopefully we are developing and learning and tonight I could not fault their effort".

Morgan showed considerable faith in his young squad following last week's drubbing by naming an unchanged squad. And in a bright and finely balanced opening Danny Thomas and Tom Ramasut combined well to open up Town's defence on eight minutes. Ramasut was again the provider minutes later with Lee Hudgell blasting over.

Sacha Walters spearheaded Town's thrust with some strong runs and an interesting mid-field tussle developed with Geraint Passmore influential for Town and Neil Thomas playing wide and clever in possession for the visitors.

But it was the Bluebirds who broke the deadlock on 26 minutes with Jack Christopher flicking on a long ball cleverly for Danny Thomas to slot the ball under Mike Lewis as the keeper closed the angle. Following the half hour Thomas again broke through the cover but without reward and with Walters penetrating the Bluebirds defence and Darren Griffiths harrying up front there was action at both ends.

Then with three minutes of the half remaining Town levelled in some style. A flowing move saw Griffiths get to the by-line and cross in superbly for Nick Harrhy to power home with a flying header.

Following the break Neil Thomas' came close to putting the visitors ahead for the second time with a couple of dangerous headers. But with both sides having periods of dominance it took a double save from Lee Idzi to deny Harrhy and then Griffiths as Town flooded the Bluebirds penalty area.

On the hour, with Griffiths winning possession, Walters' delivery just lacked a final touch. Mark Dodds' header back into Town's box following Mattie Collins' free kick needed some desperate defending before Chris O'Sullivan replaced the tiring Ramasut and Neil Thomas took up a more pivotal role, his 73rd minute header flashing just wide of the mark.

At the other end Walters again did well to get behind the visiting defence only for Griffiths to dig his shot wide with a quarter hour remaining. But with Haverfordwest dominating Christopher's dipping header was touched over by Lewis before Thomas finally put Haverfordwest ahead for the second time.

With Town struggling to clear a free kick from the edge of the box the experienced midfielder netted a seeming winner from ten yards with two minutes remaining.

With the Fourth Official signalling four minutes of added time Town pushed everyone forward. Lee Phillips pumped in a series of balls and sub Craig Frater chased every chance before Lewis cleared up field. And with Kieran Howard helping the ball on with a neat lob and the Bluebirds appealing the offside Evans struck low beyond Idzi with literally the last kick of the game to give Town some reward for their considerable character and spirit.

Town: M Lewis, L Phillips, L Jenkins, Dale Griffiths, G Bansor, K Howard, C Thomas, G Passmore, N Harrhy (C Frater 71'), Darren Griffiths (A Evans 78'), S Walters (B Briers 86'). Subs not used: O James (Y), A Davies (Y).

Haverfordwest: L Idzi, K Graves, T Evans, L Jarman, M Dodds, M Collins, N Thomas, T Ramasut (C O'Sullivan 64'), D Thomas (S Williams 79'), J Christopher, L Hudgell (R Evans 79') Sub not used: J Bradford. Referee: Brian James.

25.09.10 Newtown 0 Carmarthen Town 1

Carmarthen Town returned from Latham Park, Newtown with a richly deserved three points. A second win on the road of the current campaign. A solitary goal By Nick Harrhy after twenty-eight minutes proved to be the match winner, Harrhy’s second goal in successive matches.

Against a physically strong ‘Robins’ side Town manager Tomi Morgan retained last week’s injury time scorer Andy Evans in the starting line up with Steve Evans returning to the left back berth following injury. With Lee Jenkins slotting into midfield Corey Thomas moved to the bench.

Following the game Morgan expressed his pleasure with his squad’s performance: “Once again the players have showed a lot of character. Coming to Newtown is never easy but we played outstandingly well today and were thoroughly deserved winners”.

"We needed the points," he added. "We are a much better side than sitting close to the bottom suggests and with everybody fit and available we have the strength to be competitive in the league this season."

“What we need to achieve now is consistency in our performances."

The only goal of the game came after good work by Geraint Passmore and Steve Evans down the left enabling Jenkins to cross in for Harrhy. With Dave Roberts in the Newtown goal parrying Harrhy’s initial effort the Town striker reacted quickly to pick up on the loose ball and bundle it into the back of the net.

And Harrhy was very unlucky not to have double the advantage moments later as his clever lob just cleared the bar. Roberts produced another superb save just before the break to deny the influential Sacha Walters after the wingman, who had a outstanding game throughout, cut in from the right to hammer his effort goal wards.

Town began the second half in the same positive vein creating several chances for Evans and Harrhy. And with Jenkins and Kieran Howard dominating the midfield the hosts were reduced to a long game, pumping the ball up field. But with Town disciplined and central defenders Dale Griffiths and Gary Bansor in commanding form keeper Michael Lewis remained a spectator for long periods.

With Lee Phillips keeping the Newtown left under control the home side had very few opportunities and the only real disappointment for the Town was that they had not capitalised on several good opportunities to increase the margin of victory.

Late into the game Walters made a searing run that took him past several defenders but his final effort went just wide of the target. Calvin Davies made his debut for Town when he replaced Steve Evans who had a recurrence of his groin injury. Corey Thomas and Craig Frater also entered the fray as Morgan juggled his options to see the game out for a welcome win that will boost his young side's confidence.

Robins: D Roberts, S Jones (C Davies 61'), P Keddle, G Cadwaller, M Jackson, S Sutton, J McKenna, D Blain (C Harland 68'), C Whitfield, L Hartshorn, A Worton Sub not used: J Breeze

Town : M Lewis, L Phillips, S Evans (C Thomas 70'), D Griffiths, G Bansor, K Howard, L Jenkins, G Passmore, N Harrhy, A Evans (C Davies 84'), S Walters (C Frater 90'). Referee: Paul Fisher.