CEMAES BAY.........1 PORTHMADOG.........1

The final score hardly begins to tell the story of this match as Port,
following the opening twenty minutes, dominated proceedings. This, after
managing to overcome the strength of the wind and the slope that had given
Cemaes an advantage early on. The host's best chance during this early
period fell to Terry Saynor (ex- Porthmadog) who came close after a corner.
He was one of many players on show this afternoon who had played for both
sides in the past - this adding a spice to a match between two of the Cymru
Alliance's best.
    The game didn't, however, see one of the brightest starts, with Cemaes
enjoying the majority of possession, but failing to put enough pressure on
Kenny Dixon in the Port goal. The game did start to come to life in the
final 15 minutes before the interval - Llifon Backhouse intercepting a Neil
Roberts pass after beating Emyr Jones to the ball, before Kevin Roberts
missed an easy chance to score. The move started with Mike Foster's fierce
long-ranger that was too hot for Dave Stuhlfederto handle.He could only
parry the ball in the direction of Roberts, who really should have scored.
There was a scare at the other end minutes later when Richard Owen broke
through after Warren Gibbs had failed to clear, but Ryan Davies came to the
rescue with a perfectly timed tackle that dispossesed Owen on the side of
the box. Nil-nil at half time with Port starting to get more of a grip on
the game.
    Port's domination continued into the second half, with Mike Foster very
influential down the left flank. But then came two decision by referee P
Barrow that changed the match completely. The first was the decision to
award Cemaes a penalty after Martin Jones was adjudged to have handled the
ball in the box, although it could be argued that it was ball to hand. The
initial kick was taken by ex-Port player Steven Humphreys, and was stopped
by Kenny Dixon's diving save, but he could not keep his hold  the ball, and
following the re-bound it was another ex-Port favourite Robert Williams who
was the first to reach the ball and give Cemaes an undeserved  lead after 48
minutes.

Port started the fight-back almost immediately and thought that they were
back on level terms within minutes, after Ryan Davies had converted after a
Mike Foster corner from the left. But the referee decided to disallow the
goal, stating that Kevin Roberts had handled the ball in the scramble that
preceded the conversion. The visitors continued their pressure on the Cemaes
goal completely dominating the remainder of the match using the advantage of
the slope. Kevin Roberts came close twice thanks to crosses from Martin
Jones and Mike Foster before they eventually scored the equaliser. The
provider was Mike Foster, who's initial corner was cleared, but his cross
straight back into the box reached Ryan Davies at the far post, who headed
home on 76 minutes leaving little time for Port to win the match. Kevin
Roberts' diving header went just wide near the end and Emyr Jones' goal was
disallowed for being off side and time ran out on Port's efforts.

The game  which Port had totally dominated ended in a draw. Cemaes were a
very lucky team to gain their point.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, C. Harrison, W. Gibbs, R. Davies, N. Robberts, M. Foster, M.
Jones, D. Hughes, G. Caughter, K. Roberts, E. Jones.

Subs: N. Barry, C. Williams, D. Pierce.

CEMAES BAY:
D. Stuhlfeder, L. Backhouse, R. F. Owen, G. Owen, T. Saynor, D. Jones, S.
Humphreys, P. Whelan, R. Williams, R. Owen, N. Hughes.

Subs: P. Barton, O. Jones, I. Backhouse.

Iwan S. Gareth.

PORTHMADOG..........4  HOLYWELL TOWN..........0

Port entered this game on the back of 4 straight defeats, and with only one
goal to show for their efforts. Last week's performance against League of
Wales side, Newtown, would have encouraged manager Viv Williams to hope for
a change in the team's fortunes for the League Cup match against Holywell
Town.
 Kevin Roberts, who was in the thick of things throughout, had bright start.
His cross after quarter of an hour found Gareth Caughter, however his header
went over the bar and didn't trouble former Traeth player Richard Harvey.
Harvery was in action two minutes later following a mistake from another
former Port favourite. Paul Osahan's poor defensive header came straight to
Kevin Roberts, but his shot went straight to the keeper.
 Harvey, easily the busiest of the two goalkeepers, was called to save the
best chance of the half just after twenty minutes. Cai Williams, having a
rare first team appearance due to Port's long injury list, beat the Holywell
off-side trap well and his strong shot was just tipped of the bar by Harvey.
Cai Williams was again thwarted by the keeper later in the half - this time
from a header - and later on Emyr Jones saw his shot go past the post
following a Cambell Harrison cross.
 Graham Edwards had a header easily saved by Dixon in goal for Port after 33
minutes - this was probably the visitor's only real chance of the half.
Porthmadog supporters would have been happy with their team's domination of
possession, but would have been concerned by the team's lack of penetration
in attack.
 Port looked much sharper in the second half, however the first chance of
the half came to yet another ex-Port man. Adam Hyde couldn't have believed
his luck when the ball dropped to him outside the box after Kenny Dixon had
'flapped' at a cross. Unfortunately for him though his shot went high over
the bar. After this, Port became more dominant, long-range chances coming to
Cambell Harrison and Martin Jones - Harrison's curling effort which went
just past the post deserved better. Port's first goal, when it came after 63
minutes, was very simple - Kevin Roberts, who had been a danger throughout,
crossed the ball over for Gareth Caughter to back-flick into the back of the
net.
 It should have been two a couple of minutes later after a mistake by Osahan
let in Emyr Jones unmarked. His shot, with only the keeper to beat went
disappointingly past the post. Port then preceded to miss two more golden
opportunities - Neil Roberts and Cai Williams the culprits. They finally
managed to score a second after 71 minutes, Emyr Williams breaking from the
half way line despite Holywell calls for off-side, and finishing will with
only the keeper to beat. The third goal wasn't long in coming. Dyfan Pierce,
who had only been on the field for less than 5 minutes beating the keeper
with a good shot following a cross from the right.
 Holywell, whose best player was probably number 5 Carl Pinkey, rarely
looked dangerous during the second half. The strung together a few good
moves but rarely looked like troubling Kenny Dixon. Port for the last 15
minutes passed the ball about very well and had numerous half chances. Emyr
Jones, Gareth Caughter, Kevin Roberts and Dyfan Pierce all coming close. We
had to wait until the final minute for the last goal however. Emyr Jones
receiving the ball within the box on the left, and his shot left Harvey with
little chance.
 Port will be glad to see the goals starting to flow once more. Also
encouraging was the performance of some 'fringe' players - notably Emyr
Jones and Dyfan Pierce. However, the problem of not converting chances was
still evident - especially during the first half - and it is probable that
superior opposition will punish missed opportunities more than Holywell.

PORT:
K. Dixon, N. Roberts, C. Harrison, R. Davies, D. Hughes, M. Jones, N. Barry,
G. Caughter, K. Roberts, E. Jones, C. Williams (D. Pierce).

HOLYWELL:
R. Harvey, S. Snape, A. Donsey, P. Osahan, C. Pinkey, A. Sheehan, A. Hyde,
N. Wynne, G. Edwards, P. Whitaker, G. Rowlands.
Subs: D. Edwards, L. Murray.

PORTHMADOG..........1 NEWTOWN..........2 (Welsh Cup Rd. 2)

This difficult challenge was Porthmadog's reward for their brilliant
performance in the last round against Holyhead Hotspur. They managed to
produce a good performance  and were by no means outclassed by the League of
Wales side. Indeed, had they managed to convert more of their chances the
outcome of this game could have been quite different. Port did however
manage to add their name to the score sheet for the first time in four
matches when defender Cambell Harrison netted a consolation goal late on.
    Port started well and seemed to match the visitors in most departments
managing to put some good passing movements together. Port seemed lacking
only in the last third of the pitch, and for that reason there was greater
pressure on Kenny Dixon in the Port goal than on his opposite  number Mark
Jones. We had to wait 12 minutes for the first real chance on goal which
fell to Newtown's Stephen McCormick but he was denied on the line by Port's
Campbell Harrison after Kenny Dixon's initial parry. Both John Leah and John
Cottrell were denied by a Kenny Dixon save and the woodwork respectively.
Port had plenty of the possession but had hardly threatened in front of goal
until Nigel Barry fed the ball through to Gareth Caughter, but Caughter was
marginally adjudged to have been off-side by the linesman. There was more
danger for Newton a couple of minutes later, this time from a Mike Foster
corner kick, when Mark Jones' fumble in the box led to a goal mouth scramble
that Newtown somehow cleared. Foster posed more danger later, when he surged
past the Newtown defence, but Gareth Caughter's long-ranger was off the
mark. But it wasn't plain sailing for Port at the other end, when Harrison
was called into action to clear off the line once again, this time after a
John Leah effort. The half ended with a period of some pressure with two
corners in quick succession, but to no avail. Neither side could really
complain with the score at the interval - Newtown probably had the best of
the chances, but hadn't by any stretch dominated the proceedings against a
battling Port side.
    Newtown were the strongest side after the re-start with McCormick coming
close, before Steve Ecclestone's header was foiled once again by Campbell
Harrison who headed it for a corner. This was followed by continued pressure
on the Port goal and it wasn't  too much of a surprise when Stephen
McCormick netted for the visitors with a tap in from close-range on the
hour. This sparked Port to come more into the game, and they nearly netted
after a cross form the left by Mike Foster, but Gareth Caughter couldn't
quite get to it, but did the ball come off the elbow of a Newtown defender?
Referee Arwel Jones didn't see it anyway and neither did his assistant. Port
managed to get a few good passing moves together in this period, with Danny
Hughes very influential but it was clear that they lacked something upfront.
And for this they were punished as McCormick netted his second for the
visitors, following a cross from the right by Justin Wickham after 74
minutes. Wickham created many problems for Port, down the right hand side,
all afternoon and was very influential for Newtown. Port were always
dangerous from the corners as Mark Jones found them difficult to control, it
was therefore no surprise when a corner lead to a late consolation for Port.
It was taken once again by Mike Foster, and found the head of Ryan Davies
who nodded it in the direction of Campbell Harrison who controlled it before
ramming it into the back of the net from 18yds. Campbell, who had saved Port
on three occasions in the back, now brought to an end a goal drought that
extended over three games. A good performance by Port against a side that
are always one of the strongest and most attractive to watch in the League
of Wales. This was a game that might not have been out of their reach had
they made more of their chances and their pressure. These opportunities were
made possible by the stability provided by  Ryan Davies and Warren Gibbs in
the centre of defence.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, C. Harrison, S. Williams, W.Gibbs, R.Davies, N. Barry, D. Hughes,
M. Jones (N. Roberts), G. Caughter (C. Williams), K. Roberts, M. Foster.

Sub not used: A. Jones

NEWTOWN:
M. Jones, J. Cottrell, G. Evans, P. Bates, C. Taylor, S. Ecclestone, J.
Wickham, J. Leah, S. McCormick, M. Williams, T. Green.

Subs: J. Yates, C. Adamson, R. Onions.

Iwan Gareth.

Porthmadog ......0    Llangefni Town 1

Porthmadog slipped to their third consecutive single goal defeat -this
timeat home to Llangefni. This after they had enjoyed 80% of the possesion
and virtually the whole game was played in the Llangefni half. Port opened
brightly and after only 3mins Kevin Roberts, showing good form and
excellent touches, drove a hard cross from the left but Nigel Barry's shot
crossed the face of the goal. Then after only 14 mins the incident which
turned the game occurred. Referee M.A. Williams, who had previously annoyed
spectators by ignoring the signals of his linesmen, dumbfounded everyone by
awarding Llangefni a penalty. Gerallt Jones sent Ken Dixon the wrong way and
so the goal which was to settle the match was scored.
    This was a rare foray into the Port half, though Dixon was called on to
make a good save from Prosser. Despite the strong wind against them, Port
continued to dominate. McGuigan in the Llangefni goal needed to rush out to
clear from Roberts as he was cleverly put through by Owens. Although Danny
Hughes, Foster and Barry dominated the midfield Port failed to create a
clear chance on goal.
    In the second half with the wind at their backs the pattern was the same
but even more so. It seemed that with all the pressure being imposed that
Port must score. On the hour the ball seemed to spend ages ricocheting
around the Llangefni box before Hughes lobbed over the bar. Then after 72
mins Mr.MA Williams was at it again, this time following several yellow
cards for minor offences, he red carded Llangefni defender Roberts for what
appeared to be a push.
    Hanging on with only 10 men the Llangefni defence, marshalled
brilliantly by former Port skipper Geraint Jones, always succeeded to get a
boot a knee or a shoulder in the way.There were several good runs by Ryan
Davies from defence for Port but the nearest they came to scoring was in the
85 min when Kevin Roberts' header from a Hughes cross was saved by McGuigan.
    Port went down because their excellent passing and build up was not
matched by their work in the final third. They lack the final pass which
would open up packed defences. The fact that they attack so much means that
there is little space behind  defences for their small quick strikers to
utilise. Let us hope however that they continue with their present style of
football and are not  tempted to resort to route one. Possibly what is
needed is a winger who can get behind defences and cross from the by-line.

Port: Dixon, Harrison(Neil Roberts), Gibbs, Davies, Stewart Williams,
Barry(Caughter), M Jones, D Hughes, Foster, Owens(Cai Williams), K Roberts.

Llangefni: McGuigan, Hughes, Thomas, Geraint Jones, Roberts, Aled Owen,
Gerallt Jones, Wagstaffe, Bob Parry (Prosser), Rowlands, Mostyn. Subs:
Sinnott, Emrys Jones.

Gareth Williams.

Porthmadog 0.......... Buckley Town ....1

The second successive single goal defeat for Porthmadog was a reflection of
the changing fortunes enjoyed by the two clubs during the past week. Buckley
after a poor start to the season recorded their second successive win on the
road. The deciding goal came in only the   7th minute and was scored by,
former Port hero, Dave Taylor. Tim Nunnerly the new recruit from Oswestry
Town, and always a danger on the right side for the visitors, capitalised on
an error by home defender Mike Foster -who was making his return debut for
Port. Nunnerly's accurate cross found Taylor totally unmarked in the box and
he made no mistake placing the ball well wide of Ken Dixon.
The early lead meant that Port were chasing the game and Buckley were happy
to get as many men as possible behind the ball. This did not produce the
most enterprising of games. Port, despite some neat passing in midfield, did
not possess the cutting edge required to pull themselves back into the game.
At times they resorted to the high ball tactics which Lee Collins and the
rest of the tall Buckley defence dealt with easily. Port failed to release
their smaller quicker forwards, Caughter and Roberts, and did not show the
wing skills needed to turn a big resolute defence. The nearest the home side
came to scoring in the opening half was after 17 mins when a Kevin Roberts
drive was brilliantly fisted over by Paul Turner.
In the second-half Port continued to enjoy more of the possession but
without creating clear cut chances. Port called upon their three subs in the
hope of changing their luck but it was not to be. It was good, however,to
see Nigel Barry, for so long an outstanding Port servant, coming on in his
best position in central midfield.
Buckley continued to be a danger on the break and after 69 mins Jimmy
Harrison was put through by Nunnerly and he was unlucky to see his shot
strike the bar and bounce to safety.
The single goal proved to be enough and manager Simon Sedewick will be more
than pleased with his team's recent progress. Viv Williams and Osian Roberts
, after a highly successful start face the new challenge of getting the Port
show back on the road.

Port: Dixon, Harrison, Gibbs, Davies, Foster (R. Hughes), D. Hughes, D
Evans, M. Jones ( N. Barry) Caughter, V Williams, K Roberts (M Owens).

Buckley: Turner, Harrison, Wynne, Lee Collins, Scott, J Hinchcliffe, P.
Hinchcliffe, Nunnerley, Taylor, D. Collins,Dermott. Subs Parry, Rush.

Gareth Williams.

RHUTHUN.........1 PORTHMADOG..........0

A disappointing performance by Porthmadog against a team that like Airbus
UK, the only other team to beat Port this season, had a strong defence that
Port had trouble to break down. It was obvious from the start, due to
Rhuthun's height advantage, that any attempt at using the high ball would be
futile. The game wasn't helped by Port's packing of the midfield that lead
to a stagnation as Rhuthin were also happy to pack the midfield and getting
as many bodies as possible behind the ball.
    For this reason, there was little to report by way of chances in the
first half hour, with Rhuthin enjoying most of the possession, but failing
create much apart from a free kick that went just wide. Port also had a
couple of half-chances for Kevin Roberts, Mark Owens and Gareth Caughter,
but nothing clear-cut. Then on 34 minutes, Rhuthun had their first good
move, and passed the ball to feet,for a change, in the direction of Calfyn
Davies in the penalty area, who beat his man well before placing the ball in
the bottom corner of the net. Port attempted to hit back directly
afterwards, and started a short period of pressure that saw Mark Owens
coming close and Jason Joyce hitting the side netting. Rhuthun's number 10
had a shot that went well off the mark on the stroke of half-time after
combining with Calfyn Davies.
    Port came out for the second half rather more determined and managed to
dominate proceedings from the 45th minute onwards, but failed to convert any
of their chances. Danny Hughes had a good chance a minute into the second
half after combining with Kevin Roberts. But on 51 minutes came Port's came
near to scoring when Mark Owens' shot came off the bar looking as if it had
crossed the line before bouncing back out, but no goal was given. Danny
Hughes was prominent for the visitors, starting a good move hitting the ball
across field toward Jason Joyce, whose cross resulted in a shot by Mark
Owens that forced Rhuthun's goalie to make a rare save. Viv Williams looked
dangerous shortly after coming on as sub, and was fouled by Llion Roberts on
the side of the box, but the free kick was disappointing. Before the 90
minutes were up, Port also came close through Nigel Barry, but his header
was weak, as he looked out of position on the attacking right wing of
mid-field - Nigel Barry is not a goal-scorer but at his best in the centre
of midfield. The only other action of the game was the sending off of Jason
Joyce for retaliating to a rash challenge by Rhuthin's number 8, who also
received his marching orders. Disappointment for Port as they slumped to
their second defeat in the league. They will now have to work out how to
overcome teams who play a defensive game if they are to rise to the
challenge of promotion.

PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, C. Harrison, R. Davies, W. Gibbs, J. Joyce (sent off), M. Jones,
D. Evans, G. Caughter (N. Barry), D. Hughes, K. Robberts, M. Owens (V.
Williams)

Sub not used: N. Roberts.

Iwan Gareth.

Holyhead Hotspur..........2 Porthmadog..........3

Porthmadog overcame the fuel crisis and a strong Holyhead side to book a
place in the second round of the Welsh Cup. This banished the memories of
last year's embarrassing exit in the first round against the then Wrexham
Area League side, British Aerospace. Although it didn't seem like that at
half
time, as Port failed to break down the home defence, and Holyhead took full
advantage with their swift breaks.
    A thoroughly entertaining match, and a good advertisement for Cymru
Alliance football saw a lively start with the game played at a hundred miles
an hour. Both sides threatened form early on to put their names on the
score-sheet but it was Holyhead that opened the scoring with Jody McEachern
heading home a cross from the left on 10 minutes, but questions will have to
be asked about the space he was given by the Port defence. Port did have
their fair share of chances with their close passing play brilliant at
times. Campbell Harrison came close with an effort from the side of the box,
following a Danny Hughes cross, and Jason Joyce wasn't far off target from
the resulting corner. But despite this pressure on the home defence, it was
the Hotspurs that added to their score with Adrian Owen heading in a left
wing cross- this was only their second clear cut chance they had in the
match. Port did hit back with a Danny Hughes low drive from the side of the
box following a Kevin Roberts corner, but their tally should have been much
higher at half time. Mark Owens could have converted and Nigel Barry should
have scored, but the Holyhead defence stood their ground. At the other end
Kenny Dixon in the Port goal had to pull off some fine saves - Nigel Moore
and Casey Jones creating openings for Spurs.
    The second half saw Port gaining the advantage of the slope and the wind
that had been enjoyed in the first half by Holyhead. Indeed it could be
argued that this was the reason behind the Port resurgence in the second
half. Dylan Pritchard pulled a fine save from a Mark Owens effort and
minutes later, on the other side of the pitch, Adrian Owen decided to take
the spectacular option when is attempted over-head kick following a Casey
Jones cross went well off target. Dafydd Evans threatened with two free
kicks taken in quick succession, and, from the second Jason Joyce turned
well and hit the ball home on the volley after 70 minutes. Shortly
afterwards Steven Pugh came on as sub, after being sidelined for three
weeks, and he put himself right back on the score sheet as he turned well
and coolly put the ball in the back of the net from 12 yds and leaving Dylan
Pritchard with no chance on 78 minutes. There followed a tense period of
time for Port, with James Parry coming close with a free kick, Nigel Moore's
shot clipping the bar and Ryan Davies having to head off the line. Port
managed to hang on to their lead as the ref decided to add an extra 6
minutes on the end of the match. On the whole it was a fine performance with
both Jason Joyce and Dafydd Evans, especially, putting in fine performances.

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

Sub not used: Warren Gibbs.

Holyhead:
D. Pritchard, K. Wallis, A. Doutch, J. Parry, M. Bohanna, C. Jones (A.
Cousins), A. Owen, J. McEachern, N. Moore, C. Taylor, T. Williams.

Sub not used: Iddon Pierce, A. Cooke.

Iwan S. Gareth.