|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
| Guilsfield (a)
| Llanfair (a)
| Gresford (a)
| Holywell (h)
| Airbus (a)
| Llanrhaeadr (a)
| Bangor (h)
| Prestatyn (a)
Huws Gray Alliance: Saturday, 29 December 2018 PRESTATYN TOWN .......................... 3 Ben Maher 25’, 76’ Dave Hayes 74’ CPD PORTHMADOG...........................3 Sion Parry 1’ Math Roberts 64’ Sion Edwards 77’ What a thriller!! It was a great game for the neutral, a nail biter for supporters but a recipe for a nervous breakdown for both managers. Both teams went at it hammer and tongs from the off and play was end to end, to the end. Throw in an uneven and slippery surface and you have the ingredients for a lottery or a thrill a minute football match. There were six goals and it could easily have been ten but, at no stage, was the slightest attempt made to manage the game and play for a point. Supporters travelled with no little pre-match concerns that their small squad was seriously depleted through the absence of four key players, skipper Iddon Price, leading scorer Shaun Cavanagh, creative midfielder Jay Gibbs and the versatile Tomos Emlyn. But these worries were soon allayed as Sion Parry, making his first start, took just 25 seconds to find the net, But the travelling support’s spirits took another nosedive when after just 9 minutes experienced defender Josh Banks had to leave the pitch. Panic again, as there were only inexperienced young reserves on the bench. But not to worry, up stepped Math Roberts, for only his second sub appearance ever, to perform assuredly and even score Port’s 2nd goal! Reserve manager Sion Eifion must be proud of his young charges with Cai Henshaw also coming on for the last 10 minutes making another good impression. The game could hardly have had a more dramatic start with Sion Parry racing on to Dan Dascalu’s through ball, steadying himself to fire past the advancing Ryan Woods and provide Port with a flying start. The reserve goal machine came close to a second three minutes later when a daring overhead kick went the wrong side of the post. Prestatyn responded with Alex Jones, Ben Maher and Ian Griffiths threatening as the home side broke quickly from back to front. Port had to reshuffle when Josh Banks left the field with Dan Dascalu moving to left back and young Math Roberts taking his place in midfield. Minutes later it needed a perfectly timed tackle from Gruff John to halt Ian Griffiths’ dangerous run. Griffiths was again close with an angled shot cutting in from the left. The home side drew level after 25 minutes. Paul Pritchard slithered to the ground on the wet, muddy surface and, as he tried to regain his footing, Griffiths crossed to the back post where Maher had a simple tap in. Play then remained even but, with half-time approaching both sides pushed hard for a 2nd goal. Dan Dascalu’s long high ball behind the defence was skilfully controlled by Sion Parry and under pressure he fired low, striking the inside of the far post, with the ball rolling across the goal line and miraculously staying out. A minute later and it needed a fine reaction save from Woods to keep out Math Roberts’ clean header. In first-half added time Prestatyn responded and Griffiths met Maher’s cross but saw his header strike the cross bar, bringing an eventful first half to an end. If the first half was exciting then the second was a roller coaster and it included a totally crazy 4-minute spell which produced three goals. Before this Math Roberts scored his first goal for the club -the first of many judging by this performance. The goal opportunity was set up by a super cross field ball from Sion Edwards. It found Math Roberts in space, and the young midfielder burst forward finding Sion Parry on the right of the box. Roberts continued his run into the box and when Woods could only parry the shot, he was on hand for a smart finish to put Port 2-1 up. Then the crazy 4-minutes. Dave Hayes’ fantastic 73rd minute free kick from 20 yards, thundered against the post and into the net to level the scores again. Three minutes on and Prestatyn went ahead for the first time. With the home side enjoying a period of heavy pressure Rob Evans brought down an attacker and referee Aron Wyn Jones awarded a penalty. Ben Maher struck an emphatic spot kick wide of Paul Pritchard’s left hand. A minute on and it was all square again when Sion Edwards’ superb angled volley hit the corner of the net. There was plenty of life left in the game as both sides chased a winner but, in the end, maybe neither team deserved to lose such a highly entertaining match. Congratulations to all the players for a great Saturday afternoon out. Port remain in 2nd spot 2 points ahead of Bangor, Flint and Rhyl -the only top 5 club to win today. Craig’s final comment, “Tough game as expected at Prestatyn today, very pleased with the point and extremely happy and proud of Sion Parry Math Roberts, Cai Henshaw and Ben Williams for stepping up and performing like they did today, they are a credit to you Sion Eifion.” Porthmadog: Paul Pritchard, Rob Evans, Ceri James, Gruff John Williams, Josh Banks (Math Roberts 9’) (Aled Williams 90+), Ifan Emlyn, Dan Dascalu, Iwan Lewis, Julian Williams, Sion Parry (Cai Henshaw 80’), Sion Edwards. Sub: Ben Williams. Yellow: Iwan Lewis 18’. Gruff J Williams 31'. Prestatyn: Ryan Woods, Chris Bennett, Dan Roberts, Dave Hayes, James Jones, Casey Faulkner, Warren Adam, Alex Jones, Ian Griffiths, Ben Maher, Aaron White. Subs: Oliver Buckley. James Hay, Connor Shackleton. Macauley Taylor, Ryan Roberts, Yellow: A White 38’, Ben Maher 55’, Dave Hayes 60’. Referee: Aron Wyn Jones (Deganwy) Attendance: 177 Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance: Wednesday, 26 December 2018 Match Sponsor: R J Williams Honda, Talsarnau CPD PORTHMADOG........................0 BANGOR CIY.....................................2 Mark Williams 12' Sameron Dool 81' An early first goal together with a late second were enough to give Bangor all 3 points in this top four HGA contest. Though it might have lacked the thrills and spills which a local derby can often provide, it made up by the quality of the football and what was missed in goalmouth incident. Mark Williams’ early goal was all that separated two evenly matched sides for the next 70 minutes. Port were well in the game until a stretched defence was caught out 9 minutes from time. A combination of good game management by the visitors and Port’s lack of cutting edge on the day, ensured that there was to be no season’s double for the Traeth club. Port started the game strongly but the outcome of the game was very much decided by events in the opening 12 minutes. The first 10 minutes of the game was played entirely in the Bangor half with Port breaking dangerously down both flanks.Port could have gone ahead after just 6 minutes when Josh Banks headed on Ifan Emlyn’s corner but well placed Shaun Cavanagh could not get sufficient power on his header to trouble Chris Mullock. In the 9th minute Bangor received a huge stroke of good fortune when Dan Dascalu, following good work by Gruff John down the right, struck with power from 25 yards, the ball thumped the inside of Mullcock’s right hand post, looked certain to find the back of the net but instead it crossed the goal to scrape the far post. Three minutes later the importance of that let-off became even more apparent when the Citizens made their very first attack of the game. Following good work down the right the ball reached Alex Darlington in a central position. A great piece of individual skill followed, the ball was chipped into space behind the backline and Mark Williams followed up to score from close range. To a large extent the whole of the remainder of the game turned on those two events so early in the match. Though Port did create further chances Bangor were able to control much of the flow of the game from then on. Just after the half hour mark, Gruff John, twice, came close for Port. When the ball was pulled back for him his shot from 20 yards was defelcted narrowly wide of the far post and a minute later the same player met Ifan Emlyn’s corner but his header flew inches wide. Then with half-time approaching Rob Evans , who had been a constant threat down the right, sent a ball across the face of goal screaming for a final touch which did not come. At the other end of the pitch Paul Pritchard pulled off a good save to keep out Les Davies’ 18 yard effort and just before the interval Jacob Farleigh cut in on he right of the box but his powerful strike hit the side netting. After 35 minutes Bangor lost the services of keeper Mullock and was replaced by Nathan Woolland. Port could count themselves unlucky to be 1-0 down at the interval. At the start of the second period Port introduced Sion Edwards to replace Rob Evans and he posed a threat with his strong runs down the left against his former club. One early cross went untouched right across the face of goal. But the second period, though both teams looked to set up purposeful passing moves, there were even fewer chances on goal. For Port Iwan Lewis fired wide when well placed while Paul Pritchard was out quickly to deny Bangor’s Les Davies, chasing a ball chipped into the box. Bangor were now managing the game successfully and denying Port any clear threats on goal. The appearance of player manager Gary Taylor Fletcher afte 78 minutes gave Bangor further control of the game in midfield. Then with 9 minutes left Bangor made the game safe Sub, Sameron Dool broke from midfield, taking advanatage of the space provided by a retreating backline, his low shot deflected just inside the post. Two nil up the game was now safe for Bangor and the absorbing rather than exciting derby was over. Bangor have now closed to a point behind Port with a game in hand. With both Flint and Rhyl suffering surprise defeats Port retain 2nd spot but, Airbus, though,s have now opened up a 13 pont gap at the top. Craig Papirnyk commented afterwards, “Fine margins sometimes make all the difference in football , I thought we played well in what was a good game today against a strong Bangor City side. Great support from both sets of fans ! Thanks for making a great atmosphere. Onto Saturday now.” Porthmadog: Paul Pritchard, Gruff J Williams, Ceri james (Sion Parry 83’), Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Ifan Emlyn, Dan Dascalu, Iwan Lewis, Julian Williams, Shaun Cavanagh (Tomos emlyn 54’), Rob Evans (Sion Edwards 46’). Unused subs: Jack Davies, Cai Henshaw. Yellow: Josh Banks 14’, Gruff John 48’. Sion Edwards 58’, Iwan Lewis 66’. Bangor: Chris Mullcok (Nathan Woolland 35’), Mike Williams, Ant Stephens, Sam Barnes, Jordan Pigott, Mark Williams, Jake Phillips, Alex Darlington (Sameron Dool 66’) , Les Davies (Gary Taylor-Fletcher 78’), Rob Parry, Jacob Farlrigh. Unused subs: Gethin Thomas, Sam Jones. Referee Arthur Smallman Attendance: 576 Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance: Saturday, 15 December 2018 LLANRHAEADR-YM_MOCHNANT........................0 CPD PORTHMADOG..................................................2 Josh Banks 48’ Shaun Cavanagh 74’ In extremely difficult weather conditions, Port put in a controlled and efficient performance, recording a 5th straight win and, as a bonus, made it the 4th clean sheet in those 5 games. They were made to work hard by a well organised home team but two well taken second half goals were enough to reward Port with a well-deserved three points. Port started on the front foot and after just three minutes a well worked move down the left gave leading scorer Shaun Cavanagh a shooting opportunity and he was unlucky when his angled shot thudded against the foot of the post. The pattern of the game was soon established with Llanrhaeadr looking to hit on the break and after 5 minutes it required a well-judged tackle from Ceri James to halt a dangerous counter attack down the left. But it was Port who controlled the possession with Ifan Emlyn directing operations from midfield. Chances were being created and, in quick succession, Rob Evans came close with a back-post header, Julian Williams had his shot well saved by keeper Haynes and another effort from the same player went narrowly wide. Despite the driving rain and difficult underfoot conditions both sides played constructive football. But though they were enjoying so much possession a Port breakthrough goal proved elusive. A Rob Evans cross went screaming across the face of goal and evading the final touch. Llanrhaeadr, as the half wore on, created chances of their own, A break down the right on 25 minutes and Marc Griffiths met a good cross but his header flew over the bar. Later another counter attack threatened and Paul Pritchard had to be quickly out to scramble away. With half-time approaching Port pushed hard for the first goal and home keeper Haynes saved well from Dan Dascalu and, when Rob Evans set up Julian Williams, the forward was unlucky to see his shot deflected for a corner. Half-time arrived and the game remained goalless. That was soon remedied after the interval, as just three minutes into the second period Port won a corner down the right. Ifan Emlyn lifted the corner to the back post and, though Haynes got a hand to Josh Banks’ close-range header, he could not keep it out and Port had their noses in front. Port were now looking for a 2nd to consolidate their advantage and it needed another good save to keep out a Gruff John effort when he met another Ifan Emlyn corner. Weather conditions now worsened and it was a great credit to both sides that they were able to provide such a high standard of football. With only a single goal between the two, the home side remained well in the game. On 69 minutes Iwan Matthews struck a good effort which went across goal and narrowly wide of the far post. But 5 minutes further on and Port consolidated their advantage and it needed a great strike to achieve this. Good work by Iwan Lewis down the right and following his cross into the area, the ball came back out to Shaun Cavanagh who struck hard and low from 18 yards finding the corner of the net and it was 2-0. This goal did not mark the end of the game as a contest and when Shaun Cavanagh was put through on goal he turned badly on his ankle and had to be helped off to be replaced by Sion Parry. Llanrhaeadr kept going to the end and in a last push the home side forced a couple of consecutive corners and then came a potential late lifeline, Iwan Matthews broke into the box on the left and was adjudged to have been brought down by Ceri James. Referee Dave Wright pointed to the spot but Paul Pritchard was down to his right to gather and keep out Iain Edmunds’ spot kick. Sion Parry came close for Port late on but the three points were safe and a 10th win of the season had been achieved. A good afternoon for assistant manager Guy Handscombe who was in charge today and must have been very pleased with a hard-working team performance. The half-way mark in the season has been reached with Port in 2nd spot -a good place to be. But with 4th placed Bangor City coming up on Boxing Day there is no let-up. Porthmadog: Paul Pritchard, Gruff J Williams, Ceri James, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Ifan Emlyn, Dan Dascalu, Iwan Lewis, Julian Williams, Shaun Cavanagh (Sion Parry 83’), Rob Evans (Tomos Emlyn 79’). Unused subs: Cai Henshaw, Rhys Hughes. . Llanrhaeadr: Jimmy Haynes, Khytam Wytton, Iain Edmunds, Dan Kelly, Matthew Evans, Tom Bailey, Tom Evans, Joe Vaughan, Marc Griffiths, Lee Green, Iwan Matthews, Sub: Dan Graham, Huw France, Dave France, Harri Lloyd. Referee: Dave Wright Attendance: 94 Gareth Williams Welsh Cup Round 3-Saturday, 08 December 2018 AIRBUS BROUGHTON ...............................1 (4) Lewis Buckley 75’ CPD PORTHMADOG ................. ................1 (2) Julian Williams 32’ An epic contest at the Airfield was played in the worst possible weather conditions but going the full distance. The home side came out on top on penalties after 90 minutes of enthralling football plus 30 minutes of further extra time tension had failed to separate two well matched teams, occupying the top two places in the HGA table. Port played the extra time period with only 10 men following Jay Gibbs’ dismissal but, even at that late stage both teams had opportunities to clinch the victory. The penalty shoot-out went Airbus’s way, despite a super save by Paul Pritchard to keep out Joe Palmer’s spot kick. But, after two normally dependable Port dead ball specialists failed to hit the target, the home side held their nerve and Lewis Buckley converted the all important finale for a 4-2 triumph. The match started in a howling gale with rain of monsoon propotions driving across the Airfield straight down the pitch into Paul Pritchard’s face. This continued unabated for he opening 20 minutes of the game, which meant that Port could only escape from their own half with extreme difficulty as shots were belted goalwards on the back of the gale force wind. Supporters could only stand in admiration at the work of keeper Paul Pritchard dealing with these shots and gathering swirling corners under extreme pressure. But in front he had a well organised defence as 9 outfield players got behind the ball and defended for their lives. That they survived this period without conceding a goal is a minor miracle. Though he home side conjured up some clever passing moves in and around the edge of the box hey were denied clear cut chances by the quality of the defending. The nearest they came to scoring was an Asa Hamilton scorcher which thundered against Pritchard’s left hand post on 30 minutes. A minute later a neat one/two on the edge of he box created a chance for Buckley but he fired low and wide from 18 yards. By now the dark clouds had moved on and though the wind still blew strongly there was even momentary sunshine which must have inspired Port. They pushed forward down the right and Tomos Emlyn’s deep cross reached Sion Edwards on he left of he box. The winger broke to the byline and his low cross was turned in at the near post by Julian Williams. They had survived a seige and caught the home team with a perfect sucker punch. Port now broke forward themselves and applied pressure of heir own. The half ended with a heading opportunity for Airbus from a Joe Palmer corner but not hitting the target, leaving Port with a 1-0 lead at the interval. At the height of the storm that appeared extremely unlikely. Airbus started strongly in the second half looking to level the scores but with the two best defences in hte HGA on show clear chances were few and far between. The nearest the Wingmen came to scoring came on the hour when Ryan Edwards unleashed a powerful low shot which drew a fine save from Paul Pritchard who at full stretch turned it for a corner. Both teams introduced subs , then on 75 minutes came the all inportant equaliser. A Riley shot from the edge of the box struck the crossbar and Lewis Buckley took advanatge to pounce on the rebound and guide his shot past Paul Pritchard to level the scores. Both teams were now looking for the winner, and in the tension of the battle tempers became frayed. It arose from a Jay Gibbs free kick being charged down by players well within the stipulated 10 yards. Gibbs probably said too much and was yellow carded. This proved a flashpoint and things flared up again minutes later, following a tackle on halfway. A skirmish followed and, on the advice of a linesman, Jay Gibbs received a straight red. Port now faced 30 minutes extra-time with 10 men and the weather worsening considerably again. Both sides had chances to settle the game with Hamilton having a couple of heading opportunities and late on a good save was needed to keep out a shot from the ever dangerous Curtis Strong. For Port Iwan Lewis, who must have run a half marathon during the afternoon, found the strength to put in Gruff John but the shot went past the post. Shaun Cavanagh then fed Dan Dascalu who also failed to hit the target. And so to penalties .... Asa Hamilton and Ceri James both netted comfortably with Curtis strong also netting but Gruff John hit the bar. Phil Clarke and Julian Williams also netted. Paul Pritchard then pulled off a great save. A chance to level the score; but Sahaun Cavanagh’s pen went over the bar leaving Lewis Buckley to seal the victory for Airbus. It was the kind of game neither side deserved to lose. There were great team and individual performances. The two clubs will play each other twice in February, Looking forward already!! Craig commented: “That was a proper cup game today, thought it could’ve gone either way in normal time. Can’t give my lads enough credit for their performance, they showed real heart , desire and character to stay in the game with 10 men on the pitch, we had our chances to win it. “But it wasn’t to be , all the best to Airbus in the next round. As always a huge thanks to the travelling supporters who turned up in their numbers once again. It was awful conditions but they stuck behind the lads until the end.” Porthmadog: Paul Pritchard, Gruff J Williams, Ceri James, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Tomos Emlyn (Rob Evans 78’), Jay Gobbs, Ifan Emlyn (Dan Dascalu 98’), Iwan Lewis, Julian Williams, Sion Edwards (Shaun Cavanagh 65’). Unused subs: Ryan Taylor, Sion Parry. Yellow: Julian Williams 52’, Jay Gibbs87’. Red: Jay Gibbs 90’. Airbus: Dave Roberts, Brady McGillowy, Curtis Strong, Steve Tomassen, Joe Palmer, Phil Clarke, Ryan Edwards, Lewis Buckley, Asa Hamilton, Leo Riley, Joe Chaplin. Subs used: Seb Pawlak, James Hooper. Unused: Danny Taylor, Harvey Ellis, Oliver Langeley. Yellow: Joe Palmer 35’. Referee: Kevin Parry. Attendance: Garet Williams Huws Gray Alliance Saturday 01 Rhagfyr 2018 Match Sponsor: Grey Slate & Slate CPD PORTHMADOG................. 4 Julian Williams 3’, 45’ Shaun Cavanagh 84’ Jay Gibbs 88’ HOLYWELL TOWN.......................1 Steve Lewis (p) Port may have left it late, but this was a convincing and well deserved three points. The win coupled with defeat for Flint, takes Port into 2nd place behind Airbus. Julian Williams, making his first start since Sept 1st, had a dream return, netting twice in the first half but Port left it late to make the scoreline a true reflection of their dominance. The score remained at 2-1 until the 84th minute and it needed two very late super strikes to make the game safe. Port were off to a flying start, opening the scoring after just 3 minutes. The assist came from flying wing Sion Edwards breaking to the byline on the left and his low cross was turned in by Julian Williams from close range. The heady experience of such an early lead did not last too long for on 14 minutes the Wellmen’s experienced striker was brought down by Ceri James just inside the box on the left. Lewis himself took the kick and thumped an emphatic equaliser. The run of 4 straight clean sheets came to an end from the penalty spot.but, following this, Port continued to dominate the play, A Sion Edwards corner led to Jay Gibbs’ goalbound strike hit with power shot hitting a defender on the head to avert a certain goal. A couple of minutes later, Sion Edwards put Julian Williams in behind the visitors defence and he squared the ball for Dan Dascalu. The referee turned down strong appeals for a penalty when a skirmish followed as Dan tried to tap the ball into the net. Pressure on the Holywell goal continued, Dan Dascalu netted only to be ruled offside, while keeper Mike Platt pulled off a good save to keep out Ifan Emlyn’s 20 yard effort. With the second goal stubbornly refusing to come Paul Pritchard pulled off a good save to keep out Steve Lewis’ well struck long distance free kick and that represented Holywell’s only other threat of the first half. It looked more and more like heading for a 1-1 score at the interval but, in added time, Julian Williams netted his second and once more it was a Sion Edwards assist. Julian Williams rose well in the centre of the goalmouth to meet Sion Edwards’ powerfully struck corner. 2-1 at the interval. The second half saw Port continue to create and spurn good opportunities but with just a goal between the two sides Holywell were spurred on by the knowledge that one break could put them on level terms. Three times in the early minutes of the second period, Sion Edwards opened up the visitors’ defence, once a cross millimeters away from Julian Williams’ head at the back post and another followed this time with Julian narrowly wide at the near post. Soon after an even better cross bobbled around in the box inviting a finish which did not materialise. Good crosses continued and Platt pulled off a good save to keep out an Iwan Lewis effort. With the clock ticking away Holywell began to sense there was something in the game for them. Paul Pritchard needed to be alert to keep out another Steve Lewis free kick and suddenly Holywell posed one or two real threats Pomeyie and Sheridan took advantage of a defensive slip to put Staeve Lewis in and it needed a great save from Paul Pritchard to keep out a good effort from the big forward. Then much to the relief of home supporters Port at last put the game to bed and it took two goals of the highest quality to do so. With 6 minutes remaining Jay Gibbs put Shaun Cavanagh in behind the home defence and the leading scorer outpaced the defence before cutting inside and kept his nerve to beat the advancing Mike Platt with a super finish just inside the far post. The three points were now safe, but Jay Gibbs, who had perhaps not had his usual influential afternoon, had one huge trick up his sleeve. With 2 minutes left he burst into space in midfield. saw Mike Platt off his line and his 35 yard chip flew over the keeper’s head and bounded into the back of the net. 4-1 and a scoreline which more closely reflected the game. Holywell were denied an added time consolation by the crossbar, when their main threat Steve Lewis struck again. A good day for Port and their supporters, four great goals, 85 minutes on the pitch for Julian Williams and a result which means that nest Saturday’s Welsh Cup Round 3 tie at the Airfield will be between the 1st and 2nd placed clubs in the HGA. See you there!! Craig Papirnyk’s comment the the final whistle, “Good all round performance from the Porthmadog lads again today showed our character and quality during the game. Great to see Julian Williams back on the scoresheet with two well taken goals, winning is a good habit to have right now!!” Porthmadog: Paul Pritchard, Gruff J Williams, Ceri James, Iddon Price, Josh Banks, Jay Gibbs, Ifan Emlyn, Iwan Lewis, Julian Williams (Ryan Taylor 85’), Dan Dascalu (Rob Evans 66’), Sion Edwards (Shaun Cavanagh 61’) Unused subs: Tomos Emlyn, Craig Papirnyk..Yellow: Sion Edwards 36’. Hollywell : Mike Platt, Ryan Jones, Tom Hartley, Zebb Edwards, Matt Harvey, matty Hughes, Josh Maldon, Paul Williams, Aaron Pomeyie, Steve Lewis, Sam Jones. Used subs: Jon Jones, Tony Roebuck, Josh Sheridan. Unused: Joe Carey, Rob Marshall Referee: Mark James Attendance; 215. Gareth Williams . Huws Gray Alliance: Saturday, 24 November 2018 GRESFORD ATHLETIC.......................... 0 CPD PORTHMADOG..............................1 Shaun Cavanagh 87’ (p) From very early on this was a game which suggested a single goal would be enough to settle the points. But with defences in charge, as the game progressed it increasingly seemed destined to end as a goalless draw. Then with just three minutes of the 90’ left, Port were thrown a lifeline. A huge scramble in the home box resulted in referee Arron Jones pointing to the spot and up siepped Port’s young forward, Shaun Cavanagh, and. in a pressure situation, coolly sent keeper Ben Jones the wrong way and seal three unlikely but welcome points for Port. Port started the game promisingly, forcing an early corner and then with just five minutes on the clock Iwan Lewis put Jay Gibbs into space in a central position 26 yards out and the midfielder struck a goal bound thunderbolt but unfortunately instead of flying past keeper Ben Jones it struck the foot of the post and was cleared. Only minutes later Gresford launched their first real attack when a long low pass put Chaloner away and the forward cut into the box but without support he was forced to shoot and Paul Pritchard was able to clear his lines. The game then settled into a midfield slog with neither side able to get the upper hand. Shots on target were very rare and neither keeper was troubled. For Gresford Keiran Evans fired wide of the far post and Jack Jones met Simon Smith’s free kick but his header flew over the bar. With half-time looming both teams had an opportunity to break the deadlock. For Gresford Nathan Williams crossed rom the left but Chaloner turned a clear opportunity wide of the post. At the other end Jay Gibbs’ corner was only cleared as far as Iddon Price, on the edge of the box, but the defender’s shot went narrowly over the bar. There was a late burst from Sion Edwards but under pressure he steered his shot wide and Evans was also wide for Gresford from 25 yards. The half ended goalless. The second-half started in more lively fashion with the home team starting the half strongly and setting up some neat slick passing moves. Five minutes into the half they broke dangerously down the left and it needed a goal line clearance from Gruff John to keep out a Josh Griffiths effort. Things improved for Port after the introduction of Shaun Cavanagh and Julian Williams, and it was good to see Julian back after several weeks out. The duo’s movement up front made life more difficlt for the home defence. Cavanagh had an early chance but keeper Ben Jones cut out his goalward flick. A chance at the far post followed for Iwan Lewis, who had been prominent driving from midfield, but he lifted his angled shot over the bar. Port still had their difficult moments and Keiran Evans headed over the bar and another ball in from the right bounced dangerously across he goalmouth but was deflected wide. As both both teams looked for a late winner Shaun Cavanagh had his shot deflected for a corner. There was plenty of huffing and puffing but it looked for all the world now. that both teams would have to settle for a point. A late Port attack and under pressure the home defence conceded a penalty -perhaps the only way this game could produce a goal. Shaun Cavanagh steered his spot kick past Ben Jones, his second penalty in successive games. It takes his goal tally to 7 and gives Port the 3 points to keep them 3rd in the table. As supporters trudged away from Clappers Lane they knew that Port had cashed in on their good fortune to pick up the 3 points but Lady Luck can smile on you one day and turn her back on another, Fortunately today was our day to find favour. The win stretches Port’s unbeaten league run to 6 games -5 wins and a draw. Today’s clean sheet is Paul Pritchard’s 10th in league and cup games this season. Craig Papirnyk summed it up like this; “Got there in the end today, very happy with the 3pts against a good Gresford side, we didn’t play the best but showed character to keep going. Great support once again from the travelling supporters, It’s much appreciated as always. Diolch! “ PORTHMADOG: Paul Pritchard, Tomos Emlyn, Ceri James, Iddon Price, Gruff J Williams, Iwan Lewis, Jay Gibbs, Ifan Emlyn, Rob Evans (Shaun Cavanagh 61’), Dan Dascalu, Sion Edwards ( Julian Williams 61’). Unused subs: Josh Banks, Sion Parry, Craig Papirnyk. Yellow; Sion Edwards 54’ GRESFORD: Ben Jones, Ben Burrows, Nathan Williams (Tom Freeman 73’), Josh Griffiths, Jack Jones, Joe Davies, Joe Newton (Jake Eyre 73’), Jack Chaloner, Sam Molyneux, Simon Smith Keiran Evans. Unused sub: Niall Freeman, Owen Roberts. Yellow: Nathan Williams 59’, Jack Jones 61’. Referee: Arron Jones (Deganwy) Attendance: 129 Gareth Williams J D Welsh Cup: Saturday, 10 November 2018 LLANFAIR UNITED.......................... 1 Alun Hughes 69’ CPD PORTHMADOG........................4 Shaun Cavanagh 9’ Jay Gibbs 26’ Sion Edwards 78’ Dan Dascalu 84’ The final score indicates a comfortable passage for Port into Round 3 and in the first half they were well in charge going in at half-time 2-0 up. The second half however, saw a revival, with the home team reducing the arrears at 2-1 and then threatening to draw level. Sion Edwards played a decisive part in the closing stages scoring the 3rd and laying on the fourth for Dan Dascalu, removing fears of extra time to seal Port’s place in the 3rd Round draw. The home team were fired up from the start of the game, making good ptogress down the left. In the first minute Karl Seliaerts had a clear chance on goal but fired over the bar. Llanfair continued to threaten and Paul Pritchard was forced into a good save diverting Toby Evans’ shot for an early corner. From then on until the closing minutes of the first half it was Port incharge. In those closing minutes Nathan Edgington twice threatened; drawing a good save from Paul Pritchard and then thundering a shot against the near post. In between these two short periods, the first half belonged to Port. After an early effort from Shaun Cavanagh had been deflected for a corner, Port went ahead in the 9th minute. Sion Edwards breaking into the box on the left was brought down and referee Cheryl Foster pointed immediately to the spot. Up stepped Shaun Cavanagh to fire his 6th goal of the season from the spot, placing it well wide of Mark Richards’ right hand. Soon after Iwan Lewis cracked one from the edge of the box but keeper Richards saved well. Cavanagh and Gibbs then combined well and Shaun Cavanagh forced Richards into another good save. Pressure mounted on the home goal and it was no surprise when Jay Gibbs doubled the Port advantage. He combined well down the left with Sion Edwards before cutting inside with his shot from 15 yards taking a deflection to beat Mark Richards. The home keeper was being kept busy, doing well to cut out Tomos Emlyn’s low cross and then, when Gibbs and Cavanagh combined well again, Richards kept out Cvanagh’s shot. On 39 minutes the cross bar came to the keeper’s rescue when Shaun Cavanagh was in the action again meeting an excellent Sion Edwards back post cross only to be frustrated by the woodwork. The visitors later suffered a worrying period resulting from the lack of clinical finishing as Llanfair threatened a fight back. This started in the closing minutes of the first half and continued well into the second period. Llanfair raised their game and when Jay Gibbs lost his footing in the box Josh Ashley put keeper Paul Pritchard under pressure but the keeper recovered falling on the loose ball. Following this, a low cross from Ben Jones only required a final touch but kept tantalisingly out of reach of outstretched legs. Port responded and a Jay Gibbs found Shaun Cavanagh at the near post but the striker’s final touch took it inches wide of the post. With play becoming increasingly frenetic and disjointed Port were losing the control they had held from early in the game. Llanfair capitalised on the situation and scored the goal which brought them back into the game. A throw from the left created panic in the Port reargueard and Alun Hughes took advantage heading in at the near post making it 1-2. Iwan Lewis responded immediately for Port with an angled shot cuttng in from the right which keeper Richards saved with his legs, But this was a tricky period for Port as Llanfair piled forward getting runners in behind the defence. Toby Evans was through on goal only to be ruled offside and Paul Griffiths, when well placed, lifted his shot over the bar. Then it was Sion Edwards to the rescue. On 78 minutes he took advantage of a counter attack engineered by Rob Evans and Iwan Lewis, chased down the through ball, rounded the keeper and finished in style to make it 3-1. Six minutes later he beat the offside trap and crossed for Dan Dascalu whose first time effort from the centre of the box put the result beyond doubt. In the last couple of minutes Richards saved well from jay Gibbs and at the other end Paul Pritchard did the same from Toby Evans. Congratulations also to Cai Henshaw, a regular scorer for the Reserves, who made his first team debut in the closing stahes. Into the hat for Round 3 and manager Craig Papirnyk tweeted, “ Not at our best today but the lads done enough to win it, comfortable in the end but it wasn’t easy, very pleased to be in the hat for the next round, credit to Llanfair who turned it into a proper cup game and gave it a real go, all the best to you this season.” On the downside was the unfortunate injury to Shaun Cavanagh. Shaun has been in an excellent run of form, scoring 5 goals in the last 4 games. We wish him a speedy recovery. PORTHMADOG: Paul Pritchard, Tomos Emlyn, Ceri James, Iddon Price (Ryan Taylor 68’), Gruff J Williams, Iwan Lewis, Ifan Emlyn, Jay Gibbs, Sion Edwards, Shaun Cavanagh (Dan Dascalu 68’), Rob Evans (Cai Henshaw 88’). Unused subs: Ben Williams, Alun Williams. Referee: Cheryl Foster Attendance: Gareth Williams Huws Gray Alliance Saturday, 03 November 2018 GUILSFIELD FC.......................... 0 CPD PORTHMADOG................. 2 Iwan Lewis 72’ Shaun Cvanagh 75’ It was a case of getting there in the end for Port today as two goals in the space of 3 minutes, with time beginning to run out, rewarded them with the three points their overall performance richly deserved. Port had totally dominated the first half, created numerous clear opportunities yet went in at the interval level on 0-0. In fact, despite their dominance, they might well have gone in one down, as a rare Guils attack produced a penalty award. But Paul Pritchard pulled off the save to notch up another clean sheet. Then with home supporters on edge, Jay Gibbs set up quality goals for Iwan Lewis and Shaun Cavanagh and put the game to bed. Port started strongly passing the ball around and pushing the home team back on the defensive. Sion Edwards was making an early impact on the game with dangerous runs and threatening crosses which should have lead to an early goal. With the Guils packing their area, Jay Gibbs tried one from distance which was pulled narrowly wide. Twice Port got themselves in one on one situations with keeper Mike Jones through both Dale Davies and Shaun Cavanagh but Port were denied by the advancing keeper. It was becoming a battle between the Port attack and keeper Mike Jones, whose performance was keeping the Guils in the game. He could do nothing, however, about a Cavanagh cracker from 25 yards but was saved by his crossbar which took a severe shaking. Despite all the Port pressure it looked for all the world that Guilsfield would be first to find the net. On a rare excursion upfield the home team were awarded a penalty but, diving to his left, Paul Pritchard kept out Steve Blenkinsop’s shot. It was then a case of more Port pressure with Mike Jones pulling off another good save to push away Jay Gibbs’ angled free kick for a corner. A minute later and Jones did well to keep out a Josh Banks header from the resulting corner. Quality after quality corner, from Jay Gibbs and Sion Edwards, went by without the final touch to produce the all important goal. With half-time approaching it required some good defensive work from Ceri James as Blenkinsop put Cathrall through on the counter attack. The final threat of the first half came when Sion Edwards lifted a dangerous free kick into the box, Dale Davies rose well but his header glanced wide. The home team were certainly the happier of the two teams as they walked off at the interval having somehow resisted 45 minutes of sustained pressure. Guilsfield came out strongly at the restart and early on the home goal came under more pressure than in the entire first half. Bromley met a cross from the right but his shot was scrambled off the line. This was followed by a Adam Jenkins free kick with Paul Pritchard, despite the late deflection pulling off a fine save. The home team, with a stiff breeze on their backs, were scenting a goal and Paul Pritchard pulled off an even better save to deny Adam Jenkins who had been put through on goal. That save marked something of a second half turning point as Port resumed charge for the last half hour. There were a couple of good breaks from sub Rob Evans with shots deflected into the side netting, The Port Chairman had predicted, at the interval, that it would take a good strike from outside the box to produce a goal and that is how it turned out. Jay Gibbs and Sion Edwards combined down the left and Gibbs cut dangerously across the box before rolling the ball into the path of Iwan Lewis who cracked beauty from 18 yards and at last Mike Jones was beaten. This capped a good day for the midfield duo who together with the excellent Ifan Emlyn put in quality performances. The Guils responded immediately and Steve Belnkinsop met a near post cross but his header flew wide. A minute later and Jay Gibbs was at it again and his perfectly weighted through ball put Shaun Cavanagh in behind the home defence, The young forward kept his cool, cut inside and drilled a low shot past Mike Jones. A quarter of an hour remained but Port were in control now and though they had to scramble away another Adam Jenkins free kick justice had been done in the end. Port continue their excellent run of five wins and a draw in their last six games and Paul Pritchard made it 7 clean sheets in the last 9 played. A good aday for Shaun Cavanagh, netting his 4th goal in the last three games. Craig Papirnyk tweeted at the end “Fantastic support today by the Port faithful, thank you all very much, it was a very good away win at Guilsfield, strong all round performance from the lads. Another clean sheet and win !” It will be Welsh Cup action next week end Port travel to Llanfair Caereinion for a Round 2 game and a 1,30pm kick off. PORTHMADOG: Paul Pritchard, Tomos Emlyn, Ceri James, Iddon Price (Ryan Taylor 59’), Josh Banks, Iwan Lewis, Jay Gibbs (Dan Dascalu 76’), Ifan Emlyn, Shaun Cavanagh, Dale Davies (Rob Evans 46’), Sion Edwards. Unused subs: Gruff J Williams, Craig Papirnyk. Yellow: Sion Edwards, Ryan Taylor. GUILSFIELD FC Mike Jones, Callum Bromley, James Parry, Stuart Rogers, Sam Litchfield, Robbie James, Adam Jenkins, Andy Ford, Steve Blenkinsop, Chris Cathrall, Jack Richards (Curtis Weetman 33’) Unused subs: George Clifton, Jack Harris. Yellow: Sam Litchfield. Referee: John Jones Attendance: 105 Gareth Williams |
|||
 |
|||