Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League

Llandudno Town ....0   Porthmadog ....2

Llandudno, recent conquerors of high flying Caernarfon, failed to take
advantage of an extra player after the dismissal of Gareth Caughter for
abusive language after 40 mins. Instead it was Porthmadog who continued
their excellent run of five consecutive wins -a tribute to the spirit,
fitness and organisation established by the manager and coach. They have now
put the autumn blues behind them and are performing really well.
    Port were to the fore in the early stages and there was a flurry of
opportunities. After 4 mins they were unlucky not to take the lead when a
powerful Dafydd Evans free-kick crashed against the bar and four minutes
later an accurate Pugh cross found Carl Owen in space in front of goal but
his header went straight into the hands of Walker in the home goal. Pugh
again broke on the right to feed inside to Kevin Roberts but his shot was
easily saved by Walker.
    Then after 12 mins came Llandudno's first worthwhile attack when Gary
John Jones broke down the right and his cross found Montgomery in space but
the striker's shot was off target.
The game settled into a quieter period and it was not until the 34th minute
that either side really threatened. Walker managed to parry a Carl Owen
effort into the path of  Coady whose  shot was well over.Then after 40 mins
Caughter was dismissed and it appeared as though this would be the turning
point in the game.
    Llandudno came out in the second period determined to take advantage of
their numerical superiority. The Port defence, which has been in outstanding
form lately, were lacking Foster and Danny Hughes both out through injury.
They were, however fortunate to be able to call on the services of Warren
Gibbs returning after suspension and the ever dependable Richard Hughes.
    Now the match was being played mainly in the Port half but despite this
the home side huffed and puffed without creating many clear chances. The
Port back four retained control, though under pressure, with skipper
Campbell Harrison outstanding. Port remained dangerous on the break and on
the hour Coady broke along the left and cut inside finding Pugh with a low
cross but the midfielder's shot shaved the post.
    Ben Hughes threatened often on the right wing for Llandudno and Harrison
received a yellow card for a tackle on him as he broke dangerously towards
goal in the 83rd minute. Then when it seemed that both sides would have to
settle for a draw Carl Owen collected the ball in midfield and ran 35 yds
avoiding Goodwin's desperate tackle before beating Walker and put the
visitors ahead after 85 mins.
    Llandudno threw everything into attack and it needed a fine low diving
save from Kenny -four clean sheets in a row- Dixon to keep them out.
Port,however had kept the  best move of the match until the 89th min when
Neil Roberts won the ball in the centre circle before making ground and
finding Pugh on the right.Pugh's pinpoint cross was headed in by Carl Owen
from close range. This gave Owen his 10th goal in 10 games since joining the
club.

Llandudno: Walker, Dewes, Halloran, Scott Jones, Goodwin, Steve Evans, Ben
Hughes, Alan Jones, Montgomery, Robshaw, Gary J Jones. Subs: Alf Roberts,
Bryn Roberts, Paul Williams.

Port: Dixon, Martin Jones, Gibbs, Richard Hughes, Harrison, Evans (Neil
Roberts) Pugh,, Coady, Caughter, Kevin Roberts, Carl Owen. Subs not used:
Stuart Williams, Osian Roberts.

Gareth Williams.

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League

Porthmadog ....3       Holyhead Hotspurs ...0
Kevin Roberts (8, 26)
Evans(Pen) (80)

Porthmadog completed a league double over  Holyhead, and if we include the
Welsh Cup win, gained their third victory over them this season. A North
Wales Coast Cup tie remains to be played between the two clubs. If the score
suggests an easy home victory then nothing could be further from the truth
for Port had to be at their best to overcome a determined Holyhead side.
The Port victory was built on another sound defensive performance -Kenny
Dixon's third clean sheet in a row.It was an end to end battle with the
first goal effort coming from the visitor's ever dangerous Nigel Moore after
4 mins. It was first blood to Porthmadog, however, when Kevin Roberts put
them ahead after 8 mins. The goal came from a right wing corner by Mike
Foster which was deflected across the goal where Kevin Roberts got in front
of keeper Dylan Pritchard and headed into the net.
Both sides came close first Carl Owen cut in from the left, for Porthmadog,
but Pugh failed to convert a dangerous low cross. Almost immediately play
swung to the other end and a fine diving save by Kenny Dixon was needed to
keep out Adrian Owen's fierce shot. After 20 mins Kevin Roberts went close,
after being put through by Martin Jones' well judged pass. Then after 26
mins came Port's second goal a back pass was neatly intercepted by Kevin
Roberts again, before running on to score unchallenged.
Port were unlucky not to have gone further ahead after 31 mins when a fierce
Lewis Coady drive was headed off the line by James Parry and again after 37
mins when a clear hand ball on the goal line was seen by everyone except the
officials!
    The second-half continued much as the first with both sides playing good
passing football. Martin Bohana had to be at his best to stem the Port
attacks. Kevin Roberts was in  outstanding form for the home team linking up
well with Carl Owen with intelligent ground passes and clever flicks with
his head. Despite non-stop end to end football it appeared that no more
goals would be scored.
Dixon needed to be at his best to save from Moore after 52 mins and then
Adrian Owen headed just over. Minutes later at the other end Pritchard
punched over from Kevin Roberts through on the counter attack. Then it was
Dixon again saving from Moore clear on goal after 68 mins. An excellent 6
man move for Port followed with Pritchard turning Kevin Roberts' header
behind for a corner.
    Eventually the only goal of the half came when a clever Kevin Roberts
pass put Pugh clear on the right. He broke into the box where he was pulled
down by Bohana. David Evans converted the spot kick sending Dylan Pritchard
the wrong way.
    A good victory for Porthmadog making it 5 wins and a draw in the last
six outings.

Port: Dixon, Martin Jones, Danny Hughes( Gibbs), Foster, Harrison, Evans,
Pugh,Caughter, Coady, Roberts, C.Owen( Neil Roberts). Sub not used Osian
Roberts.

Holyhead: Pritchard, Parry, Alan Doutch, Jonathan Doutch, Bohana, McEachern,
Jatt, Taylor, Moore, A Owen, D Williams. Subs: Neil Dumbarton, Robin
Hodgkinson.

Gareth Williams.

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League

Halkyn Utd. .....0 Porthmadog .....4.

Porthmadog gained their fourth successive away win and thereby completed the
double over league newcomers Halkyn. This was a game which the visitors
dominated from the start but once again it looked as though they would find
translating possession into goals a problem. Pugh, showing good form in
midfield crossed after 5 mins for Owen to head just over the bar and after
10 mins Kevin Roberts hit a good 25 yd drive which Tyrrell tipped over the
bar.
    After 17 mins Martin Jones thundered the ball against the bar from 25
yds and the rebound fell to Kevin Roberts who saw his gentle shot slip through
Tyrrell's hands and into the Halkyn net. This rather fortunate goal was all
Port had to show for their opening half dominance. This domination is shown
clearly by the fact that it took 21 minutes for Sweet to put in Halkyn's
first direct shot on goal and this was easily dealt with by Dixon.
    The second-half however gave Port the kind of reward which their good
play deserved. After 55 mins Gareth Caughter broke in from the left cutting
into the box, beating the last defender before driving high into the net
from 15 yds -and this time giving Tyrrell in the Halkyn goal no chance.
Halkyn's lack of control in midfield and a tendency to give the ball away
restricted  their chances when going forward, but after 66 mins Allcock put
in the home team's best effort when his 25 yd drive had to be touched over
the bar by the ever alert Dixon. In the main, however, Dixon was well
protected by an effecient Port defence in which Mike Foster was again
outstanding .
    After 68 mins came, perhaps, the best goal when Pugh collected a stray
pass on the right of midfield and gave a perfectly weighted pass over the
home defence for Carl Owen to run on to and finish the move with a accurate
lob over keeper Tyrrell. Owen came close again after 80 mins after combining
well with Caughter.
    A period when both sides indulged in some over vigorous and flying
tackles,  which went unpunished by the referee, came to a head when Carl
Owen was brought down on the edge of the area resulting in Halkyn's Julian
Jones being given his marching orders for a second bookable offence. From
the ensuing, David Evans, free-kick the ball was blocked only to Campbell
Harrison on the left. Harrison carried the ball to the bye-line cutting in
and his accurate low cross was touched in by Caughter to make the score 0-4
thanks to Caughter's brace.

Halkyn: Tyrrell, Powell, K Davies, Scott, Jones, Clayton, Wild, Johnson,
Sweet, Taylor, Alcock. Subs: Acott, Bryce, Horne.

Port: Dixon, Martin Jones, Danny Hughes, Foster, Harrison, Dafydd Evans,
Pugh( Neil Roberts), Coady, Caughter, Kevin Roberts, Carl Owen. Subs not
used: Stuart Williams, Owain Tudur Jones.

Gareth Williams.

Huws Fitlock Cymru Alliance League

Holywell Town........ 0  Porthmadog ......1

Before the game the Holywell manager Paul Aigbogun -formerly of Porthmadog-
was presented with the manager of the month award for January, a month which
has seen the club soar up the league. As often happens the award proved to
be something of a kiss of death with the visitors starting the brighter and
indeed dominating the possession throughout the opening half. Porthmadog
however failed to turn this possession into goals with the final pass so
often going astray instead of opening up the Holywell defence. The best
chances fell to Caughter after 29 mins and Coady after 33 mins . Caughter
failing to direct his header from a good Martin Jones cross and Coady's
first touch let him down when put through by Caughter.
 The Port back-four of Jones, Hughes, Foster and Harrison again looked
dominant so much so that Dixon was not called upon to make any saves of note
until the 40th min when he saved well from a free-kick 20 yds out. As the
half wore on neither side looked likely to score with Geraint Rowlands a key
player for Holywell.
  Port came out strongly in the second half with Harrison after a good burst
into the box being foiled at the expense of a corner. Then Carl Owen
appeared to be impeded in the box but the referee only gave a free-kick for
a back pass. Then after 56 mins it took a good Andy Hughes save to foil Owen
again and a moment later Danny Hughes' shot was pushed on to the post by the
excellent Hughes in the home goal. With the pressure mounting  came the
game's only goal, after 57 mins, when Caughter collected Coady's long right
wing cross and broke into the box deceiving his marker before placing the
ball past Hughes.
    Port continued to dominate but could not kill off the game and had one
or two nasty moments before the 90 mins were up.Once Harrison was called
upon to head off his line.  For a change, however, the visitors were on the
right side of a 1-0 scoreline and well deserved the 3 pts - their 3rd succes
sive win on the road.

Holywell: Andy Hughes, Bass, A Dixon, Powell, Murphy, Halliwell, Pinkonay,
Rowlands, Lomax, Edwards, Richie Roberts. Subs: Aigbogun, Lester, Vaughan.

Port: Dixon, Martin Jones, R.Hughes, Foster, Harrison, Evans, D Hughes,
Caughter, Coady, Carl Owen, K Roberts( Pugh) Subs not used : N Roberts,
Stuart Williams.

Gareth Williams.

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League    Sat Jan 27th

Holyhead Hotspur....1 Porthmadog....2

This was Port's second visit to the New Oval this season having previously
run out winners in the Welsh Cup encounter. This game followed a similar
pattern -with the team playing with the slope dominating. Port played down
the slope during the first-half and from the 6th minute, when they forced
their first corner, they totally dominated the half. The first golden
opportunity fell to Pugh, who was in the starting line-up for the first time
since early season. His shot was delayed too long and the chance was
squandered. Nigel Moore then managed the first real shot on goal for the
home team after 14 mins but it was easily dealt with by keeper Dixon.
 Then in the space of 8 mins three clear-cut chances fell to Port. After 25
mins Coady's excellent cross field pass was headed to the feet of Pugh but
the shot was miscued. Minutes later Hughes again, but this time on the left,
crossed to find Pugh in space but the striker's shot flew wide. Unbelievably
inthe 33 min  good work by Martin Jones found Kevin Roberts  free in the box
with only the keeper to beat but the shot was delayed and the ball scrambled
clear. That it would not be Port's day was given further credence when
Dixon, in the visitors goal, was, after 35 mins,  called upon to make good
save by Casey Jones.Then the inevitable a counter attack after 43 mins, by
Holyhead, stretched the Port defence and Casey Jones' cross was driven in by
the ever dangerous Nigel Moore to give them a surprising interval lead.
    In the second-half Carl Owen -on the bench after receiving a knock
during mid-week- was called upon to revive the visitors' fortunes. Pugh was
back on the bench after losing his scoring touch. This will no doubt prove
to be a temporary ailment and in the meantime his genuine abilty and pace
could serve the team well in a different roll. It took Owen only until the
57 min to make his mark on the game when a well placed low drive found the
net past the keeper's left hand. It was all square.
    Then followed a period of all out Holyhead attack forcing corner after
corner but the vistors defence held strong. Port were now having difficulty
getting out of their own half but occasionally did manage a break. After 72
mins came the move which settled the match and it was a move worthy of being
a match-winner. A high ball out of defence was met by Carl Owen on the
centre line and directed into the path of the outstanding Danny Hughes whose
return pass was met by Owen and though his first effort was parried by
Pritchard he made no mistake with the rebound finding the net and scoring
his 7th goal in just 7 games.
    Hotspurs went on all out attack and after 78 mins Dixon tipped over a 25
yd Adrian Owen effort. The aerial bombardment continued with a succession of
corners and high crosses but fortunately Dixon, Gibbs, Harrison and Foster
were at their best in the Port defence. A nail biting finish to an exciting
match with the visitors just holding out.

Holyhead: Pritchard, Cooke, Doutch, Joyce, Bohana, Parry, Casey Jones, Dave
Williams, Moore, Taylor, Terry Williams. Subs: Hazelaar, Adrian Owen,
Tatlock.

Port: Dixon, Martin Jones, Gibbs, Foster, Harrison, Evans, Hughes, Coady,
Caughter, Pugh(C Owen), Kevin Roberts. Subs Owain Tudur Jones, Neil Roberts.

Gareth Williams

Huws Gray Fitlock Cymru Alliance League

Porthmadog ..1  Glantraeth....1

A game which opened brightly with both sides playing some attractive
football, endeavouring to build up passing movements and maintain
possession.The surface was in near perfect condition -a credit to the
groundsman. The first 20 mins belonged to the home side but they failed to
turn good possession into goals. One of their best moves came after 7 mins
when Caughter nodded down for Stuart Williams to put Carl Owen clear with an
intelligent lob but the striker failed to find the target. Glantraeth forced
their first corner of the match after 26 mins but then after 31 mins, with
the Port defence retreating,  Dafydd Noel Williams was allowed to carry the
ball into the area unchallenged, where he made the most of his opportunity
and placed the ball  wide of Dixon's right hand to open the scoring.
    Then with half-time upon us a quickly taken free-kick on the right
released Danny Hughes along the Port right and his first-time cross was
forced home by Emyr Jones. No player was more deserving of a goal than this
wholehearted player.
    It was surprising therefore to find that when the teams returned for the
second period that he had been substituted, for throughout the first-half he
had chased and harried everything keeping the Glantraeth defence, ably
marshalled by Keith Ross, on its toes.The early second-half exchanges
belonged to the visitors who put the home defence under pressure but no
clear chances were created. As the weather deteriorated so did the standard
of the game and only one effort from each side was worthy of note. After 76
mins Ken Dixon produced a fine save to keep Noel-Williams out for Glantraeth
while at the other end a fine Carl Owen break and cross was volleyed inches
wide by Caughter.
    The game then petered out with the Port midfield failing to support the
front men to break down the well organised Glantraeth defence.After scoring
10 goals in their last 3 outings the home team once more found goals hard to
come by.
    Surprisingly in a game which was never  dirty,  two players received
marching orders and  both sides ended with 10 players. It was good  to see
two former Port stalwarts return to the Traeth -Nigel Barry and Chris Banks.

Port: Dixon, M Jones, Gibbs, Foster, Williams(K Roberts), Caughter, Evans,
Hughes, Coady( R Hughes), E. Jones(Pugh), C. Owen.

Glantraeth:Innes, Dixon, Harvey, Ross, G Lloyd Jones, J Parry, Banks, Barry,
R Evans, Peters, D Noel Williams, Subs: M Pritchard, C Jarvis.

G Williams