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| Buckley Town (a) |
Mold Alex (h) |
Conwy Boro (h) |
Holyhead (h) |
Holywell (a) |
Prestatyn (h) |
Flint (h) |
Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 25 February Flint Town United ...................0 CPD Porthmadog......................2 Chris Jones 64’ Sion Bradley 82’ Two second half goals gave Port the three points on a windswept Cae Castell, but that hardly begins to tell the tale of the bizarre events of the afternoon. Following a goalless first half it remained the same until after the hour mark when Ieuan Hewitt of Flint received a straight red card and the resultant free kick led to the first Port goal. 7 minutes later Chris Li became the second Flint player to see red following a skirmish in the centre circle and just four minutes later and Flint were down to 8 players when Richie Foulkes received his marching orders and that with a quarter of an hour still remaining. Port took advantage of the situation to take the three points when Sion Bradley netted their second with 8 minutes remaining. Flint had the advantage of the stiff blustery wind at their backs in the opening half and Port were made to defend for long periods. But despite the plentiful possession the home side failed to make best use of the elements and Richard Harvey was not given too much to do in the Port goal. There was an early shot from Andy Brown which flew wide and when John Hill met Mackin’s corner to the near post the result was the same. Port with less of the ball responded well and when Cai Jones met Sion Bradley’s corner, his header had to be cleared off the line. A good break by Sion Bradley down the left followed, but his good low cross was scrambled clear. With 24 minutes gone it appeared that Andy Brown’s well struck angled shot had produced the game’s first goal. It thumped the inside of Richard Harvey’s far post but amazingly stayed out and was cleared for a corner. Neither side was finding it easy to control the ball and play football in the windy conditions but with the interval drawing near Port were the happier of the two teams as they knew that the elements would favour them in the second period. But with time running out it needed an excellent block on the Port line by Iddon Price to deny James Hooper a late first half goal. Goalless at the interval. Flint opened the half brightly keeping possession and forcing Port back into their own half but again without testing Richard Harvey. The turning point came when Flint right back Ieuan Hewitt saw red for a two footed tackle on Josh Banks near the corner flag. The punishment was doubled when Sion Bradley whipped a low free kick into the goalmouth and a final touch was applied by Chris Jones to beat Ben Jones from close in. Port pushed on to look for second and Dan Roberts met a Josh Banks free kick only for his header to fly wide. The game then took off in a way no one could have predicted. It followed a foul by Chris Jones in the centre circle, for which referee Aron Wyn Jones issued yellow card. Then everything sparked off and following a melee Mr Jones showed Chris Li a red card. Flint were down to nine men and it might have been expected that things would cool down but it took just four more minutes for the referee to show red for the third time and Richie Foulkes, for what appeared to be dissent, was walking. Port now pushed forward to secure a second goal and Rob Evans burst from midfield to let fly a well struck effort from 20 yards but keeper Ben Jones held on for a good save. Iddon Price then crossed a dnagerous ball to the back post where keeper Ben Jones did well again to keep out Cai Jones. The keeper was in action yet again to keep out a powerful effort from Iddon Price. Then after 82 minutes, following a throw-in on the Port left, the ball was worked across to Meilir Williams on the edge of the box and he slipped a perfect pass through for Sion Bradley who netted unopposed from 10 yards. Port could have added a third when Bradley intercepted the ball and put Meilir Williams in on goal, but he was denied his goal by another Ben Jones save.Eight man Flint to their credit made a couple of late efforts as Richard Harvey needed to be alert to keep out a John Hill effort and Hill then crossed for Shaun Beck but the shot was screwed past the post. In added time Sion Bradley and Cai Jones had late efforts cleared before the curtain came down on what had been a very strange second half. The win closes the gap on Flint who now drop to 4th in the table, leapfrogged by Gresford into third spot. In three weeks time Port will visit Gresford for another important fixture but next week it will be Huws Gray Cup time at Holyhead. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Dan Roberts, Steve Bratt, Rob Evans, Chris Jones, Sion Bradley, Meilir Williams, Cai Jones, Paul Lewis. Unused subs: Craig Papirnyk, Gruff John, Tom Clarke, Tyler French, Ceri James. Yellow: Chris Jones71’. FLINT: Ben Jones. Ieuan Hewitt, John Hill, Chris Li, John Davies, Matty Holt, Levi Mackin (Shaun Beck 69’), Richie Foulkes, James Hooper (Mark Cadwallader 85’), Andy Brown, Kyle Smith (Stewart Carroll 79’) Unused subs: Steve Cunningham, Dany McAdam. Red: Ieuan Hewitt 63’, Chris Li 71’, Richie Foulkes 75’. Referee: Aron Wyn Jones (Deganwy) Attendance: 167. Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 18 February CPD Porthmadog...................1 Dan Roberts 54’ Prestatyn Town.....................3 James Stead 21’, Ben Maher58’ Jack Higgins, 85’ Prestatyn continued their march to the title with a win in a tough contest where no quarter was given and none expected. The visitors took the lead, in a high tempo first half, thanks to a free kick from the edge of the box. Port levelled the scores 10 minutes into the second half with Dan Roberts capitalising, following a corner. But only five minutes on and Prestatyn restored their advantage. Then, with Port reduced to ten men, they were hit on the break and sub Higgins headed in a rebound from the crossbar making the game safe for the league leaders with just five minutes remaining. A confident visitors started the game at pace closing down quickly and making life difficult for the home defence with their high tempo style. An early James Stead free kick forced Richard Harvey into a good save and soon after he was in the thick of the action again going down well at the feet of Jack Kenny to clear a difficult situation. Pressure continued on the home goal in the opening ten minutes with Fairhurst’s long ball forward finding Jordan Davies in space at the back post but he lifted his shot over the bar. Port after struggling to get a foothold in the game suddenly, with 17 minutes gone, created a good scoring chance. Gareth Jones Evans opened the Prestatyn defence with a pass which found Cai Jones free on the right. He burst into the box but delayed his shot and keeper Carl Jones was out with a good block. But 21 minutes into the game and the Seasiders went ahead when a 50/50 decision went against Port in a dangerous position on the edge of the box. This was the first of several such decisions, during an afternoon where they needed to enjoy a little more of the rub of the green. James Stead punished Port with a well executed free kick, over the wall and into the corner of the net, giving Richard Harvey no chance. As the half wore on Port were getting more possession in a fast and furious game but Prestatyn looked a threat on the break and Richard Harvey needed to repeat his earlier save down at the feet of Jack Kenny. Port then created two good opportunities when first of all Chris Jones found Paul Lewis in space in the box and it needed a good block for a corner to avert the situation, then Chris himself was through on goal but he failed to take advantage of a ball breaking kindly for him, with keeper Carl Jones getting his hand to the shot to push it away. The last act of the first half was yet another chase by Jack Kenny on to a long ball but for the third time the result was the same as Richard Harvey again closed him down to take the ball at his feet. 1-0 at half-time. The same furious pace at the start of the second half, an early Prestatyn corner and an off target header. Then a corner for Port. Sion Bradley crossed from the left and the ball was cleared as far as Rob Evans whose low shot was blocked and it was Dan Roberts who took advantage, turned well in the box and placed his shot just inside the far post. Port were all square but the determined league leaders looked to strike back immediately and four minutes later they took advantage of a stroke of good fortune when a speculative shot at goal struck Ben Maher on the foot and bounced kindly into his path giving him a clear shot on goal. A chance he gladly accepted to restore the lead. Two incidents then summed up the afternoon. Sion Bradley’s burst goalwards was halted with Weaver having hold of a huge piece of his shirt and this resulted in a yellow card for the guilty party. Two minutes later Jack Kenny burst through down the centre only to be brought down by Gareth Jones Evans who, as the last man, had to see red. Lady Luck being very selective! But despite being down to 10 men Port continued to take the game to their opponents with Rob Evans spurring them on from midfield and Iddon Price putting in some sterling runs down the right. From one his runs it needed a great defensive header to keep Port out. But Prestatyn are not a team to find yourself stretched at the back against and, with five minutes remaining, they were punished when Alec Williams broke down the left and when a resulting shot struck the crossbar the rebound was met by Jack Higgins bursting in at the back post. Prestatyn took another deserved three points and go marching on towards the title. It will need a huge performance from one of their remaining opponents, together with a large slice of luck, to rob them of their unbeaten record. They have enjoyed a remarkable season and we wish them well back in the WPL. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Dan Roberts, Tom Clarke(Steve Bratt 39’), Rob Evans, Chris Jones, Sion Bradley, Cai Jones (Ceri James 69’), Paul Lewis (Meilir Williams 65’). Unused subs: Tyler French (gk), Craig Papirnyk. Red: Gareth Jones Evans. Yellow: Steve Bratt 92’. PRESTATYN:Carl Jones, Tom Kemp, Jack Lewis, Ross Weaver, Reece Fairhurst, Noah Edwards, Michael Parker, James Stead, Jack Kenny, Ben Maher, Jordan Davies. Used subs: Alec Williams, Jack Higgins. Unused: Sam Herd, Ryan Roberts. Yellow: Ross Weaver 65’, Jack Kenny 90’. Referee: J. A. Jones Attendance: 279. Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 11 February Holywell Town ...................2 Matthew Harvey 67’ Shaun Tuck 76’ CPD Porthmadog.................1 Rob Evans 38' Port threw away a first half advantage, as the home side pushed forward strongly in the second period to capitalise on a period of heavy pressure midway through the half, finding the net twice in the space of 10 minutes. The first of these was converted by Matthew Harvey to level the scores with his very first touch, having come on as a 67th minute substitute. Port had taken the lead 10 minutes before the interval but failed to repeat the quality scores of midweek and will be very disappointed to yield all three points. With Flint and Gresford both winning, Port slip back to 5th spot in the table. In an entertaining first half, play went from end to end without a parked bus in sight. Both sides enjoyed periods of pressure and created goal scoring opportunities. After six minutes Chris Jones, for Port, put Sion Bradley in on goal but the shot was delayed and the ball was cleared upfield. Play continued end to end and there was a chance at either end as McGilloway, for the home team, played inside for Sahaun Tuck who fired wide. At the other end Iddon Price received Tom Clarke’s free kick and crossed to the near post where Cai Jones could only strike the side netting. Mc Gilloway was then involved in a good exchange of passes with Ross Ankers down the right with Richard Harvey having to go down well to save from Ankers. Following a Holywell corner after 25 minutes Port countered quickly and Paul Lewis got in behind the home defence but keeper Jon Rushton was off his line smartly to smother the shot. Holywell’s main threat came down the right and three minutes on and Phil Lloyd slipped the ball inside for Ross Ankers whos sot went across the face of goal. With 7 minutes of the first half remaining Port went ahead. Josh Banks crossed from the left and the ball came back to Rob Evans who struck powerfully from 20 yards. His shot took a deflection off Cai Jones on its way into the net. Port should have doubled their lead three minutes later when Chris Jones created a chance for himself, cutting inside past two defenders and with keeper Rushton well off his line he lifted his shot over the bar when scoring seemed the easier option. But with half time upon us the home team could have levelled the score. Folllowing a scramble in the Port goalmouth the ball broke for Phil Lloyd who fired wide of the post. The score remained 1-0 to Port after 45 minutes. Play continued end to end in the second half with Gareth Jones Evans for Port trying a shot from 20 yards which went over the bar. Cai Jones did find the net after 57 minutes, following a slick move, only to be ruled offside. At the other end, the ever threatening Ross Ankers broke to the byline on the right and found Paul Williams with an accurate cross to the far post. Richard Harvey pulled off a fine save to keep out the shot. In the middle part of the half Holywell began to find more space in midfield and with forwards rather than the unavailable Ceri James supplying the fresh legs replacing Sion Bradley and Gareth Jones Evans, the home side began to dominate. On 67 minutes sub Matthew Harvey made an instant impact. He rose well to meet Steve Thomas’s corner to head into the net at the back post. Port went for a quick response with Tom Clarke playing a good ball into the Holywell goalmouth with Cai Jones narrowly failing to apply the final touch and keeper Rushton went down low to save. Holywell were seriously upping the pressure now and twice striker Shaun Tuck could have found the net in the space of a minute. He broke free on the right of the box and with only Richard Harvey to beat but fired wide and almost immediately after he got on the end of a Steve Thomas ball into the box only to flick his shot over the bar. But on 76 minutes it was third time lucky for Tuck as the ball broke free to him on the edge of the box and this time he made no mistake driving low into the net. Port responded pushing forward but Holywell were defending in numbers but with time running out Meilir Williams was through on goal but needed an extra touch and the chance was gone. In added time with Rob Evans’ corner ball bobbing around in the box Paul Lewis steered it wide. Time was up and Port had missed out on the chance to consolidate in 3rd place. Attention will now turn to the huge challenge of an unbeaten Prestatyn at the Traeth on Saturday and despite today’s setback Port will look to raise their game to go one better than the share of the points gained at Bastion Gardens. As part of the preparation Port willtake on an Ynys Môn Selection on Tuesday at Maes Tegid. Kick off 8 pm. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Dan Roberts, Tom Clarke, Gareth Jones Evans ( Joe Williams 70’), Chris Jones, Rob Evans, Paul Lewis, Sion Bradley ( Meilir Williams 63’}, Cai Jones. Unused subs: Craig Papirnyk, Tyler French (gk), Rhys Hughes. Yellow: Gareth Jones Evans 49’, Tom Clarke 83’, Richard Harvey 90+4. HOLYWELL: Jon Rushton, Ross Ankers, Steve Thomas, Matty Hurdman, Jon Jones, Gareth Sudlow, Phil Lloyd, Paul D Williams ( Matthew Harvey 67’), Shaun Tuck, Brady McGilloway (Graeme Williams 63’), Jamie McDaid (Paul Williams 46’). Unused subs: Ryan Davidson, Stuart Hayes. Yellow: Gareth Sudlow 63’, Steve Thomas 90’. Referee: Michael Gray (Rhyl) Attendance: Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 08/02/17 CPD Porthmadog...................3 Chris Jones 18’ Cai Jones 59’ Tom Clarke 88' Holyhead Hotspurs ................0 Port completed a league double over the in form Hotspurs. The visitors will feel that the final score did not really reflect the amount of possession they enjoyed over the 90 minutes but, of one thing however, there is no doubt and, that is, the quality of the three goals which Port scored. With less possession it was Port who created and took their chances The win lifts Port into third place just two points behind second placed Caernarfon. The visitors started the game full of confidence, fresh from last weekend’s win at home to Caernarfon. Most of the early play was confined to the Port half of the field. Mel McGuiness lifted a free kick over the bar from a dangerous position. Immediately after Mike Kelly crossed a good ball into the box but Deion Evans turned it wide when well placed. A short corner then produced another dangerous cross this time from the left but beat everyone, when the slightest touch could have produced a goal for the Hotspurs. Then after all the early Holyhead pressure a top quality individual Port goal appeared right out of the blue. Tom Clarke took a free kick inside his own half finding Gareth Jones Evans who, in turn, found Chris Jones in space. The experienced former Bangor forward raced to the edge of the box before unleashing an unstoppable shot to open the scoring. In the middle part of the half, play became very scrappy, with both sides giving the ball away seemingly at will. There were long balls aplenty and the Traeth was no place for the faint hearted as some crunching tackles went in on a wet and slippery ground. Despite going a goal down the visitors continued to threaten and, when Mike Kelly broke clear after intercepting a wayward pass, it needed a well timed tackle by Dan Roberts to avert a good opportuinty on goal. Kelly was in the action again soon after when he tested Richard Harvey with a neat curling shot. In the closing minutes of the half Port for the first time produced some of their usual passing game and during this period Paul Lewis made an excellent break on the left carrying the ball to the byline. His low cross found Meilir Wiliams whose shot was blocked and then cleared. An often bad tempered first half came to a close with Port holding on to a one goal lead. Port were first to threaten in the second half forcing a couple of early corners and a Rob Evans effort went close. But just before the hour mark Port increased their lead and again Chris Jones played a prominent part. He found Cai Jones in space in the box with an excellent through ball and Cai in turn brought the ball quickly under control before his shot from 12 yards found the net in off the post. The goal gave Port the breathing space they needed but sparked the Hotspurs into more action and three minutes on looked certain to cut the deficit. With Richard Harvey well out of his goal it seemed they must score but somehow several shots were blocked and eventually the ball scrambled for a corner. The visitors continued to pressurise the home defence but without really testing Richard Harvey while Port were a threat on the break with subs Joe Williams and Sion Bradley prominent and Gareth Jones Evans’s passing ability from midfield looking likely to punish the Hotspurs further. The vistors were thrown a lifeline on 78 minutes following a handling offence in the box. Up stepped Mel McGuiness but Richard Harvey was down well to his left to maintain his clean sheet, keeping out the penalty. Gareth Jones Evans then put Rob Evans in down the right and it needed a good save from Paul Pritchard at his near post to keep out the shot. Another cross this time from Sion Bradley provided a shooting chance for Dan Roberts and another goal for Port now seemed likely as gaps appeared, with Hotspurs pushing forward in search of a goal. In the 88th minute the goal came and again it was a top class effort. Joe Williams controlled well and slipped a through ball into the left channel where defender Tom Clarke had made ground. Clarke then cut inside round one defender and found the corner of the net with a fine angled strike. That completed the scoring and, though not a vintage Port performance, they had successfully blown away some of the cobwebs of last weekend. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Dan Roberts Tom Clarke, Gareth Jones Evans, Rob Evans, Chris Jones, Meilir Williams ( Joe Williams 50’), Cai Jones (Steve Bratt 79’), Paul Lewis (Sion Bradley 66’). Unused subs: Craig Papirnyk, Tyler French (gK). Yellow: Rob Evans 61’. HOLYHEAD: Paul Pritchard, Dan McGuiness, Kenleigh Owen(Dean Garmey 31’), Corey Jones, Alex Jones, Rhys Roberts, Mike Kelly, Dewi Thomas, Mel McGuiness, Deion Evans (R LL Jones 84’), Brendon Hogan (Keiron Hindrich 21’). Unused subs: Gavin Sharpe, Merfyn Williams (gk). Yellow: Kenleigh Owen 31’, Mel McGuiness 41’ Alex Jones 52’, Rhys Roberts 73’. Referee: Liam Gray Attendance: 233 Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 04/02/17 CPD Porthmadog...................1 Meilir Williams 1’ Conwy Borough.....................3 Lee Davey 58’, 85’ Tom Morris 76’ A dream start for Meilr Williams, scoring in the 1st minute in his first start for Port since joining from CPD Penrhyndeudreaeth. But that was as good as it got for Port today. They were looking to continue their excellent recent run, but instead it was a determined Conwy who deservedly took the valuable 3 points bringing to an end a dismal run of six straight defeats and a draw stretching back to late November. This was Port’s poorest performance of the season with, the visitors almost invariably first to the ball, keeping possession far better and closing down quickly when Port were in possession. The early strike kept Port in front to the interval but three second half goals; two from Lee Davey and one from Tom Morris, gave Conwy hope that they can break out of the bottom three. Port’s super start came in what was the first attack of the game as Paul Lewis sent a low ball into the Conwy box where an alert Meilir Williams took advantage of a misjudged back pass to the keeper; nippimg in to intercept coolly running on to score unopposed. Any thought that this was the start of a comfortable afternoon were quickly wiped away as Mark Buchan received from the left and sent a dangerous shot dipping over Richard Harvey’s crossbar. Buchan then got on the end of a Derek Taylor free kick, but his header flew wide. The Conwy threat continued and it needed a timely Rob Evans header to clear off his line following Taylor’s right wing corner. As the half wore on Port gained a better foothold in the game and a mazy run past four defenders from Sion Bradley set up Iddon Price who lifted his shot narrowly over the bar. But Conwy responded with a good effort from Ben Glover, cutting in field and drawing a good save from Richard Harvey. It needed a further good block from the keeper at his near post to deny Adam Hold. Port were then left to rue the missed chances coming in the closing stages of the first half, chances which had they been taken would have given the game a different complexion. There were three well worked opportunities but none were converted. New boy Meilir Williams was involved in all three. First he crossed perfectly to the near post, but Cai Jones’ close range header went the wrong side of the post. For the second he sent a quality through ball for Chris Jones to latch on to but the left foot shot was lifted over the bar. With half-time approaching Cai Jones made a good run down the right and Meilir Williams met his excellent cross only to turn it inches past the post. The interval was reached with Port still 1-0 ahead. The visitors looked a threat again at the start of the second period and early on Richard Harvey did well to turn Taylor’s free kick round the post. The corner followed and reached Glover on the right with Lee Davey at the near post applying a finishing touch to the low cross and level the scores. Port responded with a series of attacks as they upped the pace. Following intense pressure a chance fell to Sion Bradley but his powerful shot was blocked in the crowded box. Following more good approach play Chris Jones fired wide and a Meilr Williams header flew past the post. But a good Conwy break put the Port defednce at full stretch and it needed a last ditch tackle from Ceri James followed by a desperate save by Richard Harvey to deny Borough. A corner followed and Tom Morris turned well in the box to fire past Harvey into the corner of the net and Borough were ahead. Port were now getting more possession but Conwy defended strongly and with five minutes remaining, a second Lee Davey goal sealed the win. Davey received from a low free kick and was allowed to turn in the box, netting from 12 yards. Port pushed forward in the closing stages but it was now too late, though Meilir Williams produced a good close range volley when he met Sion Bradley’s cross but Joshua Cook pulled of a good save. A really disappointing afternoon for Port which sees them drop to 5th place, after being overtaken by Gresford. With Flint also losing they have missed an opportunity to close in on third place. Borough though, remain in the bottom three but this win will do their confidence a power of good. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price (Dan Roberts 50’), Josh Banks, Tom Clarke (Joe Williams 87’), Steve Bratt, Rob Evans, Chris Jones, Sion Bradley, Meilir Williams, Cai Jones, Paul Lewis (Ceri James 66’). Unused subs: Tyler French (gk), Gareth Jones Evans. Yellow: Dan Roberts. CONWY BOROUGH: Josh Cook, Derek Taylor, Chris Rowntree, Tom Morris, Tom Quinn, Jonathan Breeze, Danny Cross, Adam Hold (Adam Buckley 90), Lee Davey, Mark Buchan (Danny Hughes 84’), Ben Glover. Subs: Alex Titchiner, Jonah Wilton. Referee: Dave Wright Attendance: 159. Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 21/01/17 CPD Porthmadog...................1 Sion Bradley 43’ Mold Alex...............................0 Sion Bradley’s first goal since joining Port proved to be difference between the two sides at the end. Despite a 5th win in six games, Port remain in 4th place as Flint also won, at home to Guilsfield. But both Port and Flint have closed the gap between them and Caernarfon in 2nd place. A win is a win but hardly ever has there been such a squandering of excellent chances as there was this afternoon. Port should have been well clear before the interval but, the fact that they only led by Sion Bradley’s goal, meant that the result remained in the balance to the end as Port went on to waste further clear opportunities in the second half. Port made hard work of their win, though Mold Alex rarely threatened Richard Harvey’s goal and a comfortable second clean sheet in a row was achieved. Port could have been ahead in the first minute as Josh Davies burst clear only to send his shot past the post. Alex responded with a free kick from Economiedes which Richard Harvey had to clear for corner.The half hour that followed was dominated by Port with Alex packing their goalmouth and battling to stay in the game. After 14 mins there was clear chance for Josh Davies, set up by Sion Bradley who was proving a real threat down the left. But Josh’s close range finish was deflected for a corner, with referee Dan Fogerty waving away appeals for handball. Alex keeper Mike Jones then conceded a corner saving from Sion Bradley at his near post and Tom Clarke turned the corner past the post. The chances kept coming and when Bradley again cut into the box he broke past one defender but was foiled by keeper Mike Jones who raced off his line to get a hand to the ball as the forward was about to pull the trigger. Port were unlucky not to go ahead in the 22nd minute when Josh Davies carved out an opportunity, crossing from the byline and Cai Jones’s bullet header struck the crossbar. There was little relief for Alex but they defended in numbers denying space to get shots away. Cai Jones had two successive shots blocked and again the keeper saved well at his near post from the same player. With minutes of the first half remaining Port did take the lead thanks to a cool piece of play from Sion Bradley moving on to a an excellent Cai Jones assist and steering a perfectly placed low shot just inside the far post. On the stroke of half-time a great Gareth Jones Evans burst took him deep into the pealty area but Mike Jones got another block in to prevent the two goal interval lead. Getting that first goal was a relief to home supporters as the danger of a Mold breakaway was ever present. In fact the visitors did get the ball into the net after a catalogue of Port errors but thankfully the linesman raised his flag for offside. !-0 at the interval. The second half continued much the same as the first with the chances coming and not being taken. Two minutes into the half Iddon Price’s cross found Josh Davies in the box but keeper Mike Jones pulled off another point blank block and a minute later he repeated the block this time to deny Chris Jones. Sion Bradley then made a good run from deep leaving defenders in his wake, bursting past the advancing Mike Jones and looking certain to score with a tap in. But a last gasp defensive foot turned the ball for a corner. Following a couple of substitutions a quieter period followed for Port but Josh Davies looked to have settled things on 73 minutes when he blasted an Iddon Price cross goalwards only for Mike Jones to pull off a fine save throwing himself to his right. In the 77th minute at last Port looked to have got the elusive second goal when Sion Bradley’s created another opportunity with his near post cross but, from close range, but well placed Josh Davies put his shot the wrong side of the post. Mold now enjoyed more possession than they had throughout, but failed to threaten Richard Harvey’s goal. New signing Meilir Williams almost ended his sub debut in glory as he burst clear on to a through ball but almost inevitably Mike Jones was off his line to cut out the goalbound shot. After four minutes of added time referee Dan Fogerty blew his whistle and the three points belonged to Port though the margin of the victory was somewhat less than it should have been. With no game next Saturday, as Guilsfield are involved in the Welsh Cup, Port will have to wait a week, for two home games in 5 days against Conwy Borough and then Holyhead Hotspurs, to resume their push up the table. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Iddon Price, Paul Lewis, Tomos Clarke, Steve Bratt, Gareth Jones Evans (Josh Banks 69’), Chris Jones ( Meilir Williams 83’), Sion Bradley, Josh Davies, Cai Jones ( Joe Williams 64’), Rob Evans. Unused subs: Tyler French (gk), Dan Roberts. Yellow: Gareth Jones Evans, Josh Davies, Tom Clarke. MOLD ALEX: Mike Jones, Jamie Price, Lee Emberton, Robert Salisbury, Matthew Hughes, Anthony Williams, Lee Jones, Owen Davies, Sam Richardson, Danny Calvert, Andreas Economiedes. Used subs: Danny Barlow, John Davies, Lewis Carter. Unused subs: Neil Wynne, Mike Cunningham. Referee: Dan Fogerty Attendance: 192. Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance -Saturday, 14/01/17 Buckley Town ...................0 CPD Porthmadog...............7 Paul Lewis 14’, 28’ Cai Jones 34’ Tom Clarke 55’ Josh Davies (p) 60 Gareth Jones Evans 72’ Joe Williams 87’ An excellent all-round team performance saw Port record their biggest win of the season beating the six goal tally netted against Mold Alex on the opening day of the season. It was quite a day for Paul Lewis too, having recently rejoined from Barmouth, he had a hand in each of the first four goals. He scored the first two and his assists helped to put Port four up in 55 minutes. The goals came at regular intervals and despite their best efforts, the home team failed to get a real foothold in the game at any stage during the 90 minutes. Both sides played a passing game despite the heavy pitch and to their credit Buckley did not indulge in damage limitation football and even at the end made efforts to get something on the scoresheet. Port threatened from the off and, in his first start for the club, Sion Bradley was a real livewire. They went close after just 2 minutes as he exchanged passes with Josh Davies down the right for Josh to test keeper McGee with a low shot. The opening goal came after 14 minutes and Sion Bradley was the instigator, breaking down the right and cutting an excellent ball back for Paul Lewis who placed a low shot wide of the keeper into the corner of the net. Port continued to dominate though Andy Watkins, for the home side, picked a loose ball on the edge of the box and struck well, but wide. It was no surprise when Port doubled their advantage on 28 minutes with Bradley and Lewis again combining. Sion Bradley broke past the full back on the right and his cross found Paul Lewis in the centre of the box and the second goal came with a low well placed shot. It was just six minutes before Port netted their third goal. Paul Lewis was involved for the third time, on this occasion making a break from midfield and, with a perfectly weighted through bal,l put Cai Jones in to finish clinically with a first time shot. Port were in full control of the game now but did not add to their three goals before the interval. In a late effort to get on the scoresheet Aron Williams, for the home team. worked a good shooting opportunity but pulled his shot narrowly wide. As expected Buckley came out deteriminedly in the second half and Andy Watkin soon tested Richard Harvey with an angled shot from the left. Almost immediately Richard Harvey was in action again saving well at his near post from Jacob Evans. But Port son struck back with Gareth Jones Evans’s excellent cross only needing a touch to score but Cai Jones was unlucky to see his effort stick in the goalmouth mud. Minutes later, however, and Port were four up and yes Paul Lewis was involved again! Hs free kick eluded everyone in a packed box and Tomos Clarke was first to react to find the net from close range. On the hour mark amazingly there was a goal with no Paul Lewis involvement. It was an excellent individual effort from Gareth Jones Evans with a mazy run cutting across from the right and beating McGee with a shot from 18 yards. Five goals to the good and there was no let up. When Chris Jones was sent flying in the area Josh Davies netted with his usual assurance from the spot. With 10 minutes remaining Gwion J Williams came on for his debut and within minutes came close to finding the net. He met Julian Williams’s cross with a thumpimg header which keeper McGee could only scramble away to Joe Williams who scooped a shot over the bar from close range. A minute later he made up for his glaring miss, running on to an excellent Julian Williams through ball to net from 8 yards. That brought the scoring to an end but Buckley kept going and at the close Michael Cronshaw whipped a good angled effort narrowly past the post. A big win and a clean sheet for Port which keeps them in 4th place and closes the gap with Flint to two points. PORTHMADOG: Richard Harvey, Rob Evans, Josh Banks, Steve Bratt, Tom Clarke, Gareth Jones Evans, Chris Jones, Siôn Bradley ( Gwion J Williams 80’), Josh Davies (Joe Williams 75’), Cai Jones (Julian Williams 62’), Paul Lewis. Unused subs: Meilir Edwards, Tyler French (gk), Rhys Hughes. BUCKLEY: Adam McGee, Cory Leggett, Dylan Roberts, Jason Renshaw, Jordan Taylor, Jamie Evans, Jacob Evans, Andy Watkins, Michael Cronshaw, Aron Williams, James Rumsey. Subs Used: Troy Oham, Tom Gunson, Jake Skymer, Unused subs: Sacha Morris, Dan Stanton. Referee: Mark Petch Attendance: Gareth Williams |
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