North Wales Floodlight League
Tues October 21
Mold 3 - Porthmadog 2

In a scrappy opening Porthmadog were too often at sixes and sevens in this
Floodlight League match and were made to pay after 13 minutes when Mike
Birch was allowed the freedom of the box to score from 15 yards. Ten minutes
later and a sharp turn in the box by Dave Pitson beat Patrick Johnson and
Pitson placed his shot low past Dylan Pritchard. Porthmadog responded well a
precise Neil Fisher corner was headed home powerfully by Richard Hughes to
start the Porthmadog revival after 26 minutes. For the rest of the half
Porthmadog were unrecognisable from the team that had played the opening 20
minutes as Gareth Caughter drove the team forward to open the Mold defence
time and again. One such powerful run by Caughter after 36 minutes caused
all sorts of problems for the home rear guard and his net lay off found Dave
Farr who made no mistake from 12 yards. Both Caughter and Farr had clear
chances in the closing moments of the half to have put Port ahead but they
were squandered.
    A torrential downpour at half-time and throughout the second half turned
a pitch that was good into a quagmire and players were finding it difficult
to keep their feet. Farr and Neil Fisher had good chances before Mold
claimed the winner on 65 minutes a route one ball from defence was flicked
on into the path of Wes Brereton who made no mistake from the edge of the
box. Despite plenty of effort Porthmadog failed to find the equaliser they
deserved as they ran out of steam in the muddy conditions. Second half
introduction of young trialist Joe Allen could not alter things. He looked
an useful tidy player, who did the simple things well. Unfortunate result on
a horrendously wet night.

Gerallt Owen.

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League   Oct 27th.

Porthmadog ..2    Airbus UK .....1
Pugh 34, 49          Twynham 32

    Porthmadog were well aware of the strength of the Airbus challenge as
they were the recent conquerors of league leaders Welshpool and boasted the
most improved record in the league. This is how it turned out, and for the
second week running Port had to work very hard for the three points.
    The game opened brightly with the two sides intent on playing an
attractive passing style of football. The early chances fell to the home
side and it needed a good save by keeper Rob Jones to deny a powerful Carl
Owen drive from the right of the box. Soon after Owen made a fine run down
the right followed by an accurate cross which Randles just failed to reach
and then Fisher blazed over the bar. At the other end defender Johnson and
keeper Pritchard were glad to scramble the ball clear when under pressure
from McIntosh. Then Johnson came close as an attacker when he headed Mike
Foster's free-kick narrowly wide.

    It was Airbus who drew first blood when dangerous striker Gary Twynham
was allowed to break from half -way before unleashing a powerful drive from
20 yds which went into the net off the post giving keeper Dylan Pritchard no
chance. It was a lead which lasted less than 2 mins, thanks initially to the
quickly taken free-kick by skipper Mike Foster which released Steve Pugh
down the right. The winger cut inside and then sent keeper Rob Jones the
wrong way before rolling the ball into the net at the near post. After 40
mins Port should have taken the lead when Carl Owen was denied a goal by Rob
Jones'  dive at the striker's  feet, when it appeared that he must score.

    Port were on the attack immediately after the interval and  Carl Owen's
clever chip was touched past the post by Rob Jones. After 49 mins the home
side took the lead when following another Mike Foster free-kick a Johnson
header was pushed on to the bar -only for Steve Pugh to react first and tap
into the net.
    Airbus were not about to concede for after 59 mins Steve Hobbes headed a
dangerous Andy Thomas free-kick narrowly past the far post. Then Whiting on
the counter attack had a shot blocked for a corner. Twice Twynham threatened
in the box first shooting wide and then forcing Pritchard into a save.The
former Man Utd. youth player was proving quite a handful for the home
defence.

    Port by the end had weathered the storm and in between times Randles had
forced a goal-line clearance and later sub Dave Farr and Pugh brought  saves
from Rob Jones. It was not without a little relief that the home side
welcomed the final whistle, with their unbeaten record still intact.

Port: Pritchard, Neil Roberts, Johnson, Webber (Martin Jones), Foster,
Evans, Pugh, Danny Hughes, Steve Fisher (Farr), Randles (Caughter), Carl
Owen.

Airbus: Rob Jones, Whitley, Craig Brinley, Kev Wynne, Garry Wynne, Piper,
Andy Thomas, Hobbes, Twynham, McIntosh, Whiting.
 Subs : Gareth Crofts, Keep, Laughton.

Gareth Williams.

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League.

Gresford Athletic ... 0   Porthmadog ... 2
                                    Carl Owen 60
                                    Dave Farr   87

Port maintained their unbeaten run -but not without some frustration against
a workmanlike and determined young Gresford side. In fact it took them until
the closing minutes of the game before they sealed their victory with a fine
Farr finish at the near post after an outstanding run and pinpoint accurate
cross from Mike Foster.
    The visitors had the better of the play throughout but failed to break
down a defence in which Russell Pritchard was outstanding. Port's Carl Owen
put the ball into the net as early as the 4th minute but the industrious
Randles was adjudged to have fouled keeper Rowlands. Then Pugh shot over
following Fisher's corner.
    The home side were well in the game at this stage with Purdy and Phil
Jones and Hughes threatening. After 16 mins Jeffries fired wide when Webber
gave the ball away. Port then pushed forward but were unable to establish
their usual pattern of flowing football. Pugh and Fisher both headed over
the bar and then on 32 mins a fierce Pugh drive was well saved by Rowlands
at the expense of a corner.
    Half-time was reached with the game still scoreless -a situation which
left the home side well pleased.
    Port applied more pressure after the interval and forced a series of
corners. One of these by Dafydd Evans needed a clean punch clear by keeper
Rowlands under pressure. Then just on the hour Port broke the deadlock when
the second of successive corners from the left by Dafydd Evans was headed on
by Patrick Johmson and found Carl Owen in space on the right. The leading
scorer needed no second invitation as he volleyd home powerfully from 18yds.
    This lifted some of the pressure from the visitors but Gresford were not
about to cave in and 5 mins later came close when Wyn Jones supplied Purdy
but the shot went into the side netting. Then after 81 mins the game could
easily have been all square when Ryan Jeffries struck the bar only to see it
rebound to safety. Then with only a couple of minutes plus injury time left
Farr ensured the victory for Port.
    Manager Viv Williams will be pleased with his sides determination to
grind out a victory when things are not running smoothly and none conributed
more  than defenders Neil Roberts, Johnson and Foster and midfielder Martin
Jones. He will also be pleased with the quality of the two goals -which
deserved the three ponts in any game.

Gresford Athletic : Gareth Rowlands, Danny Bailey, Pugh-Jones, Russ
pritchard, Chris Hughes, Wyn Jones, Phil Jones, Lee Phelan, Danny Purdy,
Hugh Jones, Ryan Jeffries.
Subs: Kevin Todd, Jamie Tennant, Gareth Pugh-Jones.

Port: Dylan Pritchard, Neil Roberts, Patrick Johnson, Lee Webber, Mike
Foster, Steve Pugh, Dafydd Evans, Martin Jones, Steve Fisher (Neil Fisher),
Graham Randles (Dave Farr), Carl Owen (Gareth Caughter).

Welsh Cup -Sat Oct 14th.

Porthmadog ..... 3   Denbigh Town ...1

Port made it into the 3rd round of the Welsh Cup with a convincing second
half display which followed a 1st half which didn't live up to the promise
of recent games.
Port started the first half as they'd finished Monday league 5-1 thrashing
of Llanfairpwll. With only 4 minutes on the clock Graham Randles played the
ball down the right wing to his striking partner Carl Owen. Owen, who's had
a fantastic start to the season, just managed to keep the ball in play and
crossed the ball back across the box for Randles to finish off the move he'd
started with a goal. Unfortunately, after this bright start, Port didn't
manage to turn their domination of first half possession into any more
goals.
With regular keeper, Dylan Pritchard, cup tied, youngster Gareth Jones,
who's impressed with the floodlit league side, had his chance with the first
team. Jones won't want to remember his start to the match which saw Denbigh
attempting to test him from long distance at every opportunity. It was one
such effort from Simon Jones that bought Denbigh level after 11 minutes. His
30 yard shot was only partly saved by Jones who saw the ball go agonisingly
into the right corner of the net.
The rest of the half saw very few clear cut chances - Carl Owen saw a long
range effort curl agonisingly past the angle of post and cross-bar, while a
fantastic passing move involving 5 Port players ended with Randles going
just wide. Port dominated possession, and Denbigh looked dangerous on the
brake, and then came half time.
The second half started at a frantic pace. Within a minute Carl Owen had
seen his effort cleared off the line following a corner. It was Carl Owen
who put Port back in the lead after 50 minutes. A ball played over the
visitors' defence let Owen loose, and his finish left Daren Edwards with no
chance in Denbigh goal.
Lee Webber with a header and substitute Dave Farr with a strong shot, came
close to increasing the lead within minutes. Denbigh also had their chances
- a Simon Bower free kick, given after Lee Mason was pulled down on the edge
of the box, was well saved by Gareth Jones on 55 minutes. The game then
entered a slight lull, with few chances for either side. Patrick Johnson
nearly opened his scoring account on 76 minutes, but his shot was cleared
off the line.
Farr was once again close on 84 minutes - his header went agonisingly wide
of the post. Only a minute later, Carl Owen finished the game off with his
second goal. Dafydd Evans' cross from the right was headed down by Patrick
Johnson and vollied home from close range by Owen.
Port have now gone 10 games unbeaten this season, and if today's second half
performance is anything to go by, this should continue. However, Viv will
surely see the below par 1st half performance as a warning against
complacency.

Porthmadog:
G. Jones, N. Roberts, P. Johnson, L. Webber, M. Foster, D. Evans, M. Jones
(R. Hughes), G. Caughter (D. Farr), S. Fisher (M. Pritchard), G. Randles, C.
Owen

Denbigh:
D. Edwards, M. Williams, L. Mason, D. Morris, D. Williams, I. Roberts, M.
Jones, J. Slater, S. Bower, S. Jones, N. Walker.
Subs: K. James, A. Wyn Jones, M. Speakman

Emyr.

Porthmadog ..... 5   Llanfairpwll ...1

Last time out Llanfairpwll inflicted a League Cup defeat on current league
leaders Welshpool. On this occasion, however, the league newcomers did not
threaten Port's unbeaten record as the home side turned in their best
performance of the season.
    From the start the home side looked very sharp and after only 5 mins
they tested the visitors' defence forcing three corners in quick succesion.
The visitors were not overawed, at this stage, and Pritchard had to be alert
to push away a shot by Howard. Llanfairpwll played a high tempo game and in
the first quarter they played no small part in what was a very entertaining
game.
    Port, with midfield playmaker Dafydd Evans in outstanding form, were a
constant threat and it needed a brave dive at Carl Owen's feet, by keeper
Partington, to keep the in -form striker out. After 19 mins Randles struck
the bar with a clever lob from the right and then after 21 mins came the
first goal when a pinpoint Steve Fisher cross was headed in by Gareth
Caughter from 8yds.
    From then on the visitors defence was at full stretch as Carl Owen and
Graham Randles came close on several occasions. The second goal did not
however come until a minute before the interval. The Llanfairpwll defence
stood still as Carl Owen burst through on the left before cutting in and
slipping the ball to Caughter who drew the keeper and drove the ball into
the net for his second.
    The second-half was one way traffic with the home side serving up some
outstanding flowing football. Had they taken all their chances they could
have run up a cricket score. Steve Fisher was now providing a constant
supply of crosses from the left and Carl Owen and Caughter went close to
finishing these moves.
    After 62 mins Gareth Caughter completed a fine hat-trick, when he
reacted quickly, to flick a downward header by Webber, from  a Fisher
corner, past Partington in the visitors' goal. Three minutes later Webber ad
ded his own name to the score sheet when he headed in a, well-placed, Foster
free-kick.
    Another minute and Llanfairpwll gained their consolation goal when Dylan
Pritchard, who had hardly touched the ball during the half, failed to gather
a harmless looking free-kick and Michael Howard was on hand to drive into
the net. This did not disrupt the flow of fine football from the home side
and Carl Owen was only inches wide following outstanding work and a fine
cross by Neil Roberts.
    Then after 81 mins Randles latched on to a ball which had bounced off a
defender to outstrip the defence, before lobbing over the keeper from 20
yds.out. The chances kept on coming and in the final minute Steve Fisher
just failed to capitalise on a fine cross from his brother Neil -making his
debut as substitute for the Traeth team.
    A performance which must have pleased manager Viv Williams as much as it
satisfied what looked like the best crowd of the season so far. There must
be a case for Monday night football!!

Port: Pritchard, Neil Roberts, Johnson, Webber, Foster( Richard Hughes),
Martin Jones, Dafydd Evans, Caughter( Farr), Randles, Carl Owen( N Fisher),
Steve Fisher.

Llanfairpwll Partington, Gwynedd Jones, Geraint Roberts, Rhodri Owen,
Geraint Evans, Redmayne, Howard, Gafyn Jones, Tony Williams, Gareth Roberts,
Glynne Williams.
Subs: Alwyn Hughes, Richard Owen, Darren Moore.

Huws Gray Fitlock League Cup  -Sept 29th

Flint Town Utd. .... 1  Porthmadog .... 3
Shaun Beck 89.            Dave Farr 17, 77.
                                  Gareth Caughter 85.

Porthmadog continued their unbeaten run in all competitions this season with
a win, which despite their complete second-half dominance, they were unable
to clinch until late on in the game.
Dave Farr celebrated his first start for Port with two good goals -the first
of which put the visitors ahead after 17 mins when Randles broke through on
the right of the box and drew keeper Andy Hughes before slipping the ball
across to the unmarked Farr who was left with the simplest of tap-ins. His
second came after a sustained period of Port pressure in the second half
when the Flint goal led a charmed life. Eventually the pressure paid and
Farr turned quickly to finish powerfully from 12 yds.
Flint enjoyed much of the early possession with Andy Noble probing from
midfield. Their best efforts came after 19 mins when a Pendlebury shot
brought a good save from Pritchard and two minutes later another fine
Pritchard save at the expense of a corner -this time from Horne. Despite
this Port created the best first-half chances but at half-time were only one
goal ahead.
The second-half was completely dominated by the visitors with Foster and
Fisher combining well on the left flank to provide a stream of accurate
crosses but home side always managed to get a foot or a knee in the way to
keep the ball out of the net. Pugh on the other flank made some outstanding
breaks and it needed  a reflex save by Andy Hughes to keep out his cracking
65 min effort. Headers by Randles and Pugh were kept out and a Caughter
header flew just over. Whilst the score remained 0-1 Flint remained in the
game. Then came the Farr goal and after 85 mins Caughter made the game safe
with a well timed run into the box getting in front of keeper Hughes and
heading in Fisher's fine cross.

In the last minute the home side managed a consolation when a quick counter
attack found the Port defence stretched and Hussaney controlled well in the
box before supplying Shaun Beck who drove into the net from 12 yds.
A comfortable enough score-line but a game  which the visitors made heavy
weather of turning their superiority into goals.

Flint: Andy Hughes, Scott Beck, Liam Cotgreave, Kevin Thomas, Neil Stevens,
Andy Noble, Laurence Horne, Dean Hughes, Shaun Beck, Luke Pendlebury, dave
Lovatt.
Sub James Hussaney.
Port: Dylan Pritchard, Martin Jones, Johnson, Webber, Foster, Pugh, Dafydd
Evans, Danny Hughes, Fisher, Farr (Richard Hughes), Randles ( Caughter).
Sub not used: Neil Roberts.

Gareth Williams.