Fflint Town Utd...........0 Porthmadog..........4

Fflint were the unlucky team that came up against a Port side who were
determined to bounce right back after their less than convincing performance
last week against Airbus UK. Although, it didn't look like that at the end
of the first half when Port failed to turn advantage of their total
domination into goals. They created enough chances to put the game beyond
any doubt. As it turned out, they only had one goal to show for their
efforts - a brilliant goal by Stuart Williams who chipped the Fflint
defence,
and goalie Paul Smith, from 30 yards after only 11 minutes.
    The first half only saw Fflint having one real chance on goal, when
Richard Laughton shot just over the bar two minutes from the interval. Port
on the other hand had a load of chances with Mark Owens coming close on
several occasions. On 10 minutes he did well to beat a Fflint defender, but
was stopped by Joey Ouslem. Owens, as well as Caughter, had a hosts of
chances on the right hand side which was left wide-open for them - but all
these were to no avail. Probably one of Port's best chances to add to their
score came after a Danny Hughes Free Kick that was headed goalwards by Jason
Joyce and went just inches over the bar after Paul Smith had difficulty
getting
a grip on the ball. Another chance near the end of the first half that came
very close to a second goal was also started by Danny Hughes, whose cross
was met by Mark Owens' downward header in the direction of Caughter, but his
shot was well over the target.
    As the second half started with Fflint getting more into the game, Port
must have thought that they would again be punished for their failures
in front of goal. Jamie Renshaw came close for the hosts after a long range
effort and Warren Horne's free kick wasn't far. But their best chance to
equalize came on the hour when James Husaney passed the ball into the box
towards Richard Laughton, but he was offside. But this was the end of the
pressure by the hosts as Porthmadog's established a grip on the game.
After Kevin Roberts scored Port's second goal on 63 minutes
they never look back. The move was started by Kevin Roberts' corner that
went
as far as Ryan Davies who was unlucky not to score himself, after his
powerful shot
came off the post, but only as far as Kevin Roberts who netted after his
shot
deflected off a defender into the net. On 77 minutes it was three thanks to
Port's player manager Viv Williams whose superb low drive left Paul Smith
with no chance. Nigel Barry's goal that sealed Port's win was also a superb
move started by Mark Owens' inch-perfect cross from the right to Barry.
Barry's superb glancing header to the top right hand corner of the net was
the crown on the excellent Port performance.

PORTHMADOG:
K Dixon, J. Joyce, C. Harrison, S. Williams, R. Davies, D. Evans, D. Hughes
(V. Williams), M. Jones, G. Caughter, K. Roberts (N. Barry), M. Owens.

Sub not used: W. Gibbs.

FFLINT TN. UTD:
P. Smith, K. Thomas, J. Renshaw, A. Noble, I. Cooper, J. Ouslem, D.
Williams, A. Hooly, R. Laughton, J. Husayney, J. Dowridge.

Subs: S. Colecliffe, W. Horne, W. Bailis.

Iwan Gareth.

PORTHMADOG..........1 AIRBUS UK..........2

Port went into this game against Cymru Alliance newcomers Airbus UK on a
winning run of 10 games in the league and found themselves pointless at the
end of the afternoon. The problem Port had was breaking down the strong
Airbus defence. but things looked so very different for the hosts after the
opening minute that saw them take the lead. The scorer was Mark Ownes who
found himself clear on the right side of the visitors box after a chip that
beat
the Airbus defence. The move was finished with a cool shot by Owens into the
bottom right corner of the net. This was followed by a good period of
pressure by Port where it seemed they could put the result beyond any doubt,
and that before the end of the first five minutes.
    But they failed to take advantage of these chances and would pay a heavy
price for that, as Aerospace worked their way back into the game. After 8
minutes they came close to scoring with a free kick taken by John Roberts
going off the bar. Port continued to try and create chances by chipping the
ball over the Airbus defence, a tactic that was destined only to fail
against a
tall back line that would always get the high  ball . Their only real chance
for the remainder of the game came when Viv Williams was unlucky when his
header came off the post after a Dafydd Evans free kick. The visitors had a
good chance through Gavin O'Riley on the half hour. But the breakthrough
came five minutes from half time as Chris Milroy netted directly from a free
kick following a lapse by home keeper Kenny Dixon.
    The second half saw the inclusion of Nigel Barry and Stuart Williams who
were returning from injury. This managed to improve Port's ability to
pressurise the Airbus defence, but were still finding it hard to get through
the back line. After 12 minutes Barry and Williams combined well down the
left, creating a chance for Mark Owens that was headed just inches wide. The
play was now nearly all in the Airbus half but still Port, could only muster
one other good chance, but there was no one there to meet Kevin Roberts'
cross after a good run down the left by Mark Owens. Port were punished on 75
minutes for not turning their pressure into chances on goal when Andy
Carroll netted from the left side of the box after Kenny Dixon had parried a
Matt
Williams header. This result was down to the fine performance of Airbus UK's
back line who  were strong to the end.
PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, J. Joyce, R. Hughes (S. Williams), C. Harrison, D. Evans, G.
Caughter, M. Jones, D. Hughes, K. Roberts, M. Owens, V. Williams (N. Barry).

Sub not used: D. Owen

AIRBUS UK:
W. Dixon, P. Allen, A. P. Jones, K. atkinson, P. Dodd, S. Piper, N. Whitely,
G. O'Riley, D. Brown, C. Milroy, J. Roberts.

Subs: M. Williams, K. Langton, A. Caroll.

Iwan Gareth.

PORTHMADOG..........2 HALKYN..........1

A weakened side had to be fielded by Port for this encounter with
newcomers Halkyn following the injuries atained in the mid-week match
against Llandudno. The names of Steven Pugh, Warren Gibbs and Ryan Davies
were added to those of Nigel Barry and Stuart Williams on the injury list.
Halkyn gave them a run for their money and probably thought they should have
won after staying in the lead until 9 minutes from time, against a Port
side that had trouble in converting their chances. Having said that, Port
were the team that had the better of the play after the opening twenty
minutes
of the match.
    An early chance for player-manager Viv Williams was blocked well by
Stephen McGowan, and, in only a few minutes time, Stuart Wood came close to
putting the visitors ahead after braking through the Port defence, but his
shot
was just off target. Then Port started to take more control of the game and
had a very good period of pressure around the half hour with Gareth Caughter
coming close more than once. Port had a succession of corners, Caughter
coming the
closest to convert on 32 minutes, when he headed just wide following a
Kevin Roberts corner. This pressure continued until the end of the first
half with Danny Hughes and Mark Owens coming close, but were stopped by some
good saves from Alan Tyrell.
    The Port pressure continued into the second half, with Halkyn depending
more on brakes. But, once again, Port failed to convert this pressure into
clear-cut chances on goal. Kevin Roberts came close with a free kick that
pulled out a fine save from Alan Tyrell. Dafydd Evans also came close with a
long range effort from around 30 yds, but Port weren't creating enough
chances from the pressure they were exerting. They were punished for this on
64 minutes by Stephen Mc Gowan who netted for the visitors following a
break.
    Port continued to pressurise the Halkyn defence but were still
struggling to convert that into goals. Viv Williams was unlucky on two
occasions but was foiled by Alan Tyrell and later a brave block by Darren
Wild. On 36 minutes, Halkyn nearly doubled their lead after a Steve Alcock
cross from the left reached Damien Hughes who failed to get his head to the
ball. This was a miss that the visitors would come to regret as, in less
than a minute, Port would level things. The move stemmed from a Martin Jones
long ranger that was stopped by a brilliant save from Alan Tyrell. Port's
corner was taken by Kevin Roberts, and was cleared by the Hlakyn defence,
but only as far as Dafydd Evans who unleashed a brilliant shot from 30 yards
that gave Tyrell no chance this time. Two minutes later, it seemed that Port
would take the lead when Viv Williams' pass across the box was met by Mark
Owens who put it forward to Kevin Roberts whose shot came off the far post
but
somehow didn't cross the line. It was a nervous end for Port as they saw
their chances of making it ten straight wins in the league under Viv
Williams disappear. But, two minutes from time came Port's best move of the
game after Danny Hughes beat his man down the right before unleashing an
inch-perfect cross to Gareth Caughter who surged into the box before firing
the ball into the bottom corner of the net. A lucky win for Port in the end,
but possession-wise you could say that Port on balance deserved the three
points.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, J. Joyce, R.Hughes, C. Harrison, D. Evans, G. Caughter, D. Hughes,
M. Jones, M. Owens, K. Roberts, V Williams.

Subs: C. Williams, D. Owen.

HALKYN:
A. Tyrell, L McIntyre, K. Davies, D. Wild, J. Jones, J. Bryce, D. Hughes, S.
Mcgowan, I. Clayton, G. Thomas, S Wood.

Subs: S. Alcock, J. Lea, O. Roberts.

Iwan Gareth.

PORTHMADOG..........3 LLANDUDNO..........2

Porthmadog knew that they would face a sterner challenge tonight than that
they faced on Saturday at Denbigh. This match saw the return of the injured
Steven Pugh who unfortunately didn't make it through the match after picking
up another injury. Port didn't get off to the best of starts, and after les
than a minute, they were trailing to an own goal as Martin Jones sliced the
ball following an early Llandudno free-kick. Port were now on the run and
the visitors were piling on the pressure  in the early minutes. Kenny Dixon
could only parry Dale Milne's shot after ten minutes, but he managed to get
to the ball before Milne on the follow up. There was another scare a few
minutes later when Ryan Davies failed to clear, leaving Jeremy Steel to
shoot.
    But, on 18 minutes came the turning point that was to lead to Port's
eventual win. The move that lead to Port's first goal stemmed from a Richard
Hughes burst and pass and ended with Hughes scoring. This followed neat
inter-passing with Steven Pugh who passed the ball across the goal setting
Hughes up for a tap in. Steven Pugh nearly crated another goal minutes later
after showing great pace to keep the ball in play, but his cross was too
high for Gareth Caughter.  Llandudno were however creating a few breaks with
Ben Hughes giving Richard Hughes some trouble down the right side. But,
after 25 minutes it seemed that the game would be killed off- Port scoring
two goals in quick succession. The first from a corner taken by  Kevin
Roberts, was headed down by Jason Joyce for Warren Gibbs to tap over the
line. The third goal was a one man move with Danny Hughes breaking in across
the box before planting the ball in the bottom left corner from 15 yards.
    Port started to sit back for the remainder of the first half, and the
play fluctuated back in Llandudno's favour. It was therefore no surprise
when they cut to half their arrears  - Anthony Robshaw was the scorer after
33 minutes. He was given all the space on the world to head home after a
cross from the right by the influential Ben Hughes who was not closed down
soon enough. . There was however bad news for Port on the stroke of half
time when Ryan Davies had to come off- the first of three Port players to by
injured during the course of the match by a physical Llandudno side, who, to
their credit, managed to restrict much of Port's passing game.
    After the excitement and fluctuating periods of pressure in the first
half, the second half was a bit of a let down - neither of the teams
managing to create many clear chances on goal. One of Port's best chances
fell to Jason Joyce whose header was stopped by a good save from Paul
Walker. Danny Hughes was just wide with a long range effort and Gareth
Caughter should have scored after finding himself clear on goal, but his
shot went straight to Walker. Despite having more of the play, Llandudno
didn't really create much. The best of their chances fell to defender Ben
Dews who shot wide on 25 minutes. His effort following a free kick for the
visitors could have gone in, but Kenny Dixon managed to get his hand to it
and push it onto the far post. The third Port player to suffer an injury was
Warren Gibbs which brought on Dafydd Owen for his debut . The last ten
minutes saw Port just holding on to their first half lead and Llandudno must
count themselves unlucky to come home pointless after a good battle between
two teams who should be pushing for promotion.

PORTHMADOG:
K Dixon, J Joyce, R Hughes, W Gibbs, R Davies, D Evans, G Caughter, M Jones,
D Hughes, S Pugh, K Roberts.

Subs Used: V Williams, M Owens, D Owen.

LLANDUDNO:
P Walker, B Dews, D Williams, A Goodwin, O Jones, J Carey, B Hughes, P
Evans, J Steel, D Milne, A Robshaw.

Subs: J Halloran, L Jones, N Holland.

Iwan Gareth.

DENBIGH TOWN..........1 PORTHMADOG..........4

This was the much-changed Port side's chance to prove themselves in the
league after some good performances in pre-season. But as we know, hopes
built on good performances in friendly matches can to easily be shattered.
Port's 4-1 win put any doubts to rest, the only questions will stem from the
fact that three of the four goals came from corners.

Possession-wise both teams were very equal, but it was Port that created the
best chances, and it was only 9 minutes on the clock when they opened their
account for the new season. Early pressure led to a corner from the right,
taken by Kevin Roberts, headed in by Gareth Caughterat the near post. It
wasn't long before he had notched his second of the day and the season, an
almost identical move - Roberts again the provider. Caughter nearly added
another to his tally on the half-hour after another corner, this time from
the left, but his header went just wide of the target. Denbigh Town's best
period of pressure in the first half came near the interval, which included
two corners in quick succession. But, right on the stroke of half time, Port
put themselves further ahead - another corner - this time the taker was
Dafydd Evans, the scorer was Kevin Roberts with a tap in from close range.
    After pulling clear from Denbigh in the first half, Port seemed to sit
back for the remainder of the match, with the hosts getting more into the
game. But despite maintain less of the possession in the second half, Port,
if anything, created more chances. Kevin Roberts came close early on. But on
62 minutes the home side had pulled back one goal, scored from the spot by
Matty Williams after he had been pulled down in the box by Martin Jones. But
Port's lead wasn't curtailed for long after Gareth Caughter had made it an
opening day hat-trick. He found himself clear following a chip that beat the
Denbigh defence. Caughter, minutes later, nearly created a chance for his
manager, passing the ball to Viv, who surged into the box, before he
unleashed a shot that was only stopped by a brilliant save by Nathan Pope.
The home team's best chance to get a second came just before ninety minutes
were up - Derry Morris shot going just over the bar following a corner.Port
will be very pleased with their opening day's work and now look forward to
next Wednesday's home fixture against Llandudno.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, J, Joyce, S. Williams, R Davies, W. Gibbs, D. Evans, D. Hughes, M.
Jones, M. Owens, G. Caughter, K. Roberts.
Subs: V. Williams, R. Hughes, C. Harrison.

DENBIGH:
N. Pope, C. Harker, J. Jones, M. Lewis, L. Mason, C. Murray, M. Williams,
 A. Evans, S. Roberts, D. Morris, N. Walker.

Sub: J. Slater, B. Williams, M. Speakman.

Iwan Gareth.

PORTHMADOG.........4 OSWESTRY TOWN 2

This game provided Port with an opportunity to assess the progress made
during pre-season against a team they would like to emulate -and thereby
return to the League of Wales. From the start Port looked the better side
and the first 20 mins was almost entirely played in the Oswestry half. Pugh
tested the visitors keeper Blower after 6 mins and soon after, the same
player shot just wide of the angle. Port's best opportunity came after 15
mins when Blower beat out a fierce Danny Hughes shot only for Mark Owens to
shoot over the bar.

After 21 mins Evans gave the ball away, with a misplaced pass, near the
centre circle and the Port defence were stretched from the ensuing break.
This resulted in Rogers being brought down in the penalty area. Oswestry
went ahead from O' Shaughnessy's spot kick. Then the game continued as
before with Port dominant and it came as no surprise when  they drew level
following a cool 15 yd finish by Mark Owens following a Dafydd Evans through
ball.

A 44th minute close range effort, by former Traeth favourite Dave Taylor,
gave Oswestry  an undeserved interval lead.

The second-half continued in much the same vein as the first but it took the
introduction of player-manager Viv Williams to change the pattern in favour
of the home team. In the 61 min he headed in Danny Hughes' right-wing cross.
Then came a burst of two goals in a minute, first Dafydd Evans netted
following a scramble in the Oswestry penalty area and immediately from the
kick-off  Viv Williams drove home from 18 yds having been put through by
Kevin Roberts. The 4-2 scoreline better reflected the pattern of play.

Port will take much heart from this confident performance in which Danny
Hughes was outstanding. He showed strength and skill and was a dominating
player in midfield. I am not sure how close this Oswestry squad is to that
expected to take the field next Saturday, on their League of Wales debut,
for if it is I fear there will be some hard times ahead.

Port: Dixon, Joyce, Gibbs (Harrison), Ryan Davies, Stuart Williams, Evans,
Martin Jones, Danny Hughes, Steven Pugh ( Caughter), Mark Owens( Viv
Williams), Kevin Roberts.
Oswestry: Blower, Ryan Jeffries, Justin Bridges, Adam Burgess, Brett
Jeffries, Dave Powell, Neil Pryce, Steve Rogers, Dave Taylor Simon Measor,
Steve O Shaughnessy. Sub: Peter Hepper.

Gareth Williams.

AMLWCH.........2 PORTHMADOG..........3

Port were the winners in this penultimate friendly against Welsh Alliance
opposition Amlwch Town. It was the home team though, that oppened the
scoring with andrew wright converting a penalty. Amlwch held the lead nearly
untill half time when Mark Owens scored his first goal since joining Port on
42 minutes to level things at half time following a good run and shot. On 72
minutes Amlwch, took the lead once again with Darryl Charlton, who spent a
short spell at y Traeth before last season capitalising on an error by Jason
Joyce. Port however levled things through player manager Viv Williams who
netted from close range. The winner for Port came through Kevin Roberts five
minutes from time as he netted with a close-range back-heel.

Iwan Gareth.

CONWY UTD. ..........0  PORTHMADOG..........3

Port manager Viv Williams will probably be content with this relatively dull
win on the Morfa against just-relegated Conwy Utd. Conwy will be playing in the
Welsh Alliance league next season, due to their financial problems, but the
provided a good test for the Traeth team.
	The first half didn’t provide good news for Port with Nigel Barry having to
leave the pitch early on with a possible broken rib – lets hope that this heals
quickly as Nigel is a crucial first team player. There was better news on 22
minutes however. New signing, Danny Hughes provided the cross for Richard
Hughes to head the ball past the Conwy keeper. The one should have been two
after 37 minutes, but Steven Pugh couldn’t finish off a good run which cut
through the defence – his shot going tamely into the keeper’s arms.
	The second half started with something of a rarity – a Conwy attack! The number
11 was left in too much space, but his shot went past the post. Just minutes
later, Jason Joyce saw his long range effort just go over the home cross-bar.
Joyce was more fortunate after 67 minutes. Following a scramble in the home
penalty box, the ball looped up, and was headed into the goal by Joyce. It was
3-0 and all over after 72 minutes. Danny Hughes’s shot from the edge of the box
somehow got through a group of players and into the goal. Conwy’s only real
attack of the second period came after half an hour, but again the number 11 was
thwarted by Kenny Dixon in goal for Port.
	Over all, a satisfactory performance, with the defence looking solid but more
work needed up-front. The only major worry is over the fitness of midfielder
Nigel Barry.

Porthmadog 3.....Nefyn Utd. 0

Port got off to a flying start in this hastily arranged friendly -which
replaced Saturday's game against Colwyn Bay -Bay crying off at the last
minute. It took just 20secs for the home team to open the scoring with a
fine move down the right where Steven Pugh's low cross was was met by Danny
Hughes, who coolly placed the ball beyond the Nefyn keeper.
Despite constant pressure, by Port, it wasn't until the 60th minute that
they increased their lead and that came from Jason Joyce's spot kick. The
3rd goal came after 76mins when Neil Roberts' long cross was headed in by
Steven Pugh at the far post.
Despite their good controlled football, much of it stemming from another
confident performance by central defender Ryan Davies, Port will be
disappointed that so few clear cut chances were created for front men Mark
Owens and kevin Roberts.

Gareth Williams.

PORTHMADOG..........1 WREXHAM..........1

Porthmadog had a number of new faces on show for the friendly match against
Wrexham. These included defender Ryan Davies, Martin Jones and Danny Hughes
in midfield as well as forwards Kevin Roberts and Mark Owens. Also returning
to y Traeth after a period of absence were Steven Pugh and Jason Joyce. One
who immediately caught the eye was Ryan Davies who has signed from Cemaes
Bay, and who looked very cool in defence. Indeed, the whole of the Port
defence played well, managing to keep the experienced Wrexham forwards, who
included first team players - Robin Gibson and Craig Falconbridge, quiet for
most of the first half. Probably one of the best chances of the half fell to
Falconbridge, whose long range effort after 25 minutes had just scraped over
the bar.
    Neither keeper had much to do during the opening period, with most of
the game being dominated by mid-field. It must be said that, after a bright
start by Port, most of the creative play was down to Wrexham. However, after
37 minutes Steven Pugh's run and shot, following a punt up field by keeper
Kenny Dixon, bought a good save from David Walsh in the Wrexham goal. Both
sides should have been happy with the 0-0 scoreline at the interval.
    The second half had far more chances than the first. Port sub Gareth
Caughter probably should have done better after 57 minutes when his shot,
from a Nigel Barry cross, flew past the post. Only a couple of minutes
later, Falconbridge was given acres of space by the Port defence only to
shoot wide of the post. After 63 minutes, Wrexham must have thought they had
broken the deadlock. Dafydd Evans let the ball run to Craig Falconbridge
whose close range shot was miraculously cleared off the line by Cambell
Harrison. The other end, two minutes later and substitute keeper, Kristien
Rogers, had to save well from Kevin Roberts after a good Steven Pugh run.
    The deadlock was broken after 66 minutes when Robin Gibson, following a
good run, slotted the ball past the stranded Kenny Dixon. While the Wrexham
supporters surely hoped that this would signal a flood of goals, it was not
to be. Only a couple of minutes had passed before Cambell Harrison's cross
from the left eluded the visitor's defence and up popped Gareth Caughter to
slot the bal home.
    Wrexham did have a number of other chances towards the end, including
efforts from substitutes Ian Cocks and Hector Sam. Port will have to thank
the post for saving them from Sam's effort 6 minutes from time, but over all
they will be pleased with this effort.
    I'm sure that everyone at y Traeth will thank Wrexham for bringing down
such a strong squad of players, and lets hope that the experience will stand
Port in good stead for the season to come.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, J. Joyce (N. Barry 82), S. Williams, S. Flowers (C. Harrison 61),
R. Davies, M. Jones (D. Williams 55), D. Hughes, D. Evans, M. Owens (C.
Banks 82), S. Pugh (G. Caughter 55), K. Roberts.