PORTHMADOG..........(0) 1 NEWTOWN..........(1) 4
Porthmadog new that if they won this match they would be guaranteed a place
in the League of Wales. But they also new that would be very difficult with
Newtown knowing that a win today would nearly secure their place in
European competition next season.
There was a competitive start to the match, with Newtown as was expected,
getting most of the pressure in the opening minutes. There were early
chances for the visitors from the head of Kevin Morrison and later from the
boot of Paul Line. Both efforts going inches wide.
But Newtown took further control of the match after 18 minutes when Jason
Joyce was dismissed by the referee, Rob Evans of Prestigne, for a slap on
Newtown's Kevin Morrison. There followed a string of chances for Newtown
with Jason Yates twice coming close, and it was only the brilliant save of
Kenny Dixon that managed to deny Paul Line on the half-hour. There was
another good save for Kenny Dixon a couple of minutes later after a shot by
Aneurin Thomas that followed a Paul Line free kick. Newtown deserved to be
ahead of the ten men of Porthmadog, and it seemed that it was only a matter
of time before they took the lead. 7 minutes from half time the break
through finally came. Aneurin Thomas powered the ball from the right side
of the box, and the ball came off Richard Hughes into the back of the net.
So, with Porthmadog down to ten men and Newtown in the lead it seemed
likely now that Porthmadog's LoW future was now in the hands of others.
But Porthmadog came out fighting in the second half and managed to create
more chances to equalize. And after five minutes of the second half, it
seemed that their cause would be helped by the dismissal of Aneurin Thomas.
But, despite the fact that Thomas had kicked Porthmadog's Chris Banks in
the face just in front of the Newtown area, the referee somehow decided
that this was not worthy of the red card, nor even the yellow card. From
the free kick that followed this incident Port came close to equalizing
through Martin Hines, but his free kick that went through the Newtown
defencive wall, was saved by David Rose in the Newtown goal.
On the hour, Newtown came very close to put the result beyond any doubt,
when Kevin Morrison's downward header was cleared off the line by
Porthmadog's Richard Hughes. But a couple of minutes later, Kenny Woods was
very unlucky for the home team when his powerful shot from outside the box
came off Newtown woodwork. There followed a brilliant save on the other
side of the pitch by Kenny Dixon after a free kick taken by Kevin Morrison.
In the last quarter of an hour of the match Nowtown had many chances. John
Leah's shot was denied by Dixon on 34 minutes. But one minute later,
Newtown furthered their lead when Jason Yates scored with a tap in from
close range. Two minutes later Newtown were further in the lead after a
bizarre decision by the referee. For some unknown reason he awarded Newtown
a free kick on the side of the Porthmadog box, when everyone present was
expecting him to signal for off-side against Newtown. Justin Wickham
converted in the move that followed this free kick. There was an escape for
Porthmadog, four minutes later, when Tony Draper had to clear the ball off
the line after Dixon had been chipped.
Porthmadog scored the best goal of the match one minute into extra time,
but this was only a small consolation. Martin Hynes saw that David Rose was
off his line, and chipped the ball from thirty yards. Somehow the ball
managed to stay the right side of the bar. But, one minute later Newtown's
winning margin was restored to three, after a brilliant run by Jason Yates
who went passed two defenders before unleashing his shot that came off the
post into the back of the net.
This result meant that Porthmadog's future in the league of Wales was now
in the hands of others, and the other results went totally against them.
Caernarfon's win at Cwmbran and Rhayader's victory against Cemaes Bay meant
that they were now safe. Haverfordwest also won in their game against Rhyl,
which means that the battle to avoid finishing in the fourth relegation
will be between Porthmadog and Haverfordwest. Porthmadog's only hope now,
with all their fixtures completed, is that Bangor will win against
Haverfordwest next Saturday. This result means that Cwmbran are virtually
guaranteed of an European place this summer.
PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, M. Foster, T. Draper, J. Joyce, R. Hughes, J. Aspinall, C. Banks,
N. Barry, K. Woods, M. Hynes, A. Taylor (O. Hall)
Subs not used: P. Whelan, P. Howard.
Iwan.
CONWY UNITED..........(0) 1 PORTHMADOG..........(0) 0
With a difficult game in the last match of the season next week against
Newtown, Porthmaog new that they should get the minimum of one point that
is needed to stay up in the league today against Conwy United who are
resigned to mid-table mediocrity.
Porthmadog started strong, putting great pressure on the Conwy United
defence. But they failed to turn this possession in the Conwy half to any
real chances on goal. The Porthmadog defence was also good, with Richard
Hughes managing to clear the ball after a scramble in front of the Conwy
goal. But some chances were wasted by Conwy with both Leighton Sumner and
John Toner hitting the ball wide after brakes into the Porthmadog half.
But it was Conwy goalie Ian Bamford who was troubled the most throughout
the first half. On 18 minutes there was a good period of pressure by the
visitors. Paul Howard passed the ball to Kenny Woods on the side of the
box, and his shot was deflected for a corner. Godfrey Abebe was very
unlucky not to have scored after his header, that followed the corner from
the left, went just past the post. Andy Taylor, who came back today after a
three match suspension, was also unlucky with a header 10 minutes from the
interval. His header was deflected after John Aspinall's free kick. The
only other notable chance came to Godfrey Abebe whose over-head kick was
easily saved by Ian Bamfford. The draw was the fair outcome for the first
half that was edged by Porthmadog.
Port took control of the second half but again had trouble in creating
chances. They looked more dangerous after Martin Hines was brought on to
replace Paul Howard. Shortly after coming on he split the Conwy defence
before passing the ball to Nigel Barry who should have taken a shot, but
instead decided to pass to Abebe. His shot went well over the bar as
another chance went begging. Conwy's visits to the Port end of the pitch
were now becoming few and far between. Steve Cross's shot went well wide
following a free kick and later on Leighton Sumner's shot from the right
went way over the bar.
Just after half way into the second half Godfrey Abebe had one of Port's
best chances of the match. He hit the ball on the volley and Bamford just
managed to grasp the ball after his initial fumble. Martin Hines was
selfish a couple of minutes later when he decided to keep on running when
he should have crossed to the three Porthmadog players waiting in the box.
Another chance went begging for Conwy ten minutes from time when Leighton
Sumner again hit his shot well over the bar.
The move that resulted in Conwy's winning goal started when the linesman
wrongly decided on 38 minutes that Nigel Barry had kicked the ball over the
line for a throw. This gave James Mcllvogue a chance to run on goal. With
no defenders near enough Kenny Dixon had no option but to make a challenge
on Mcllvogue, who was pulled down leaving the referee with no option but to
award Conwy with a Penalty. The Penalty was coolly converted by Conwy's
Matt Corcoran.
But there should have been a penalty on the other side of the pitch two
minutes later when Kenny Woods pulled down inside the box. But the referee
decided that there had been no foul and waved for play to continue.
Porthmadog came close in the closing minutes when substitute Paul Whelan
combined with Martin Hines inside the box. Martin Hines's shot from the
left went only inches wide. This result was a cruel blow for Porthmadog who
had been well worth at least a point on the day. It will be very hard now
for Porthmadog to stay in the league. They must now hope that teams lower
than them, who have games in hand, will lose.
PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, T. Draper, A. Taylor, J. Joyce, J. Aspinall, R. Hughes, C. Banks,
K. Woods, N. Barry, G. Abebe (P. Whelan), P. Howard (M. Hynes)
Sub not used: P. Osahan.
Iwan.
PORTHMADOG..........(1) 3 WELSHPOOL..........(0) 1
This was a tense match if ever there was one. Welshpool new that they
would be relegated if they lost today. Likewise, Porthmadog new that they
would be very unlikely to stay up if they lost, with only two matches left
and one of them against Newtown who will be pushing for an European place.
The game saw a very tense start with temperatures rising and tempers
fraying. Tony Draper lost his rag and gave Welshpool's Steve Hanmer a slap
in the face, that was spotted by the referee, Brian Bavan of Wrexham. The
home team's nerves were tested further as Welshpool put together a string
of chances in the opening minutes. Chris Roberts' free kick from outside
the box went against the bar after only 2 minutes. And, on 13 minutes it
was the post that kept Port in the game. Steve Hamner chipped the ball into
the box after a corner, and Ian Evans' header was only stopped by the post.
Ian Evans also came close, but his shot went well over the bar.
On 20 minutes Porthmadog finally managed to put a move together. Chris
Banks passed the ball back to Mike Foster, who crossed it into the box. The
cross was met by Paul Howard who's header came off the bar. It was grabbed
by Welshpool goal keeper, Wayne Griffiths, but only after it had crossed
the line first. This goal gave Porthmadog confidence, and managed to clear
the air a bit. Porthmadog could have doubled their advantage ten minutes
from half time after some brilliant work by Jason Joyce who battled his way
through the Welshpool half. This resulted in a goal-mouth scramble where
the Welshpool defence some-how managed to stop the ball crossing the line,
despite shots by both Martin Hynes and Paul Howard.
Welshpool had two more chances to equalize before the interval. It was
only a brilliant tackle by Kenny Woods that managed to stop Steve Hanmer
who had made a good run. There followed a brilliant save from Kenny Dixon
to stop ex-Porthmadog striker, Dave Taylor to score for the visitors. So,
Porthmadog were very lucky to be in front at the interval after such a
nervous start. They new that it was still going to be a struggle to win.
Porthmadog managed to get much more of the possession in the opening
period of the Second Half. Godfrey Abebe managed to put a lot of pressure
on the visitors defence, but with little reward. Welshpool again came close
to equalizing with chances to both Dave Taylor and Steve Clifford that went
just over the bar. Godfrey Abebe should have made it Porthmadog's second
just before the hour mark, but hesitated before letting the ball fly. This
gave Welshpool a chance to clear, but only as far as Porthmadog's Nigel
Barry. Barry's shot was only inches over the bar, and landed on the
top-netting. But on 59 minutes Nigel Barry was luckier. This time his long
range effort was deflected off a Welshpool player, and in to the back of
the net.
From this point onwards Porthmadog started to assert their authority. It
was now only a matter of time before they scored their third goal, to put
the result beyond any doubt. The goal that eventually came on 70 minutes
was a beauty. Godfrey Abebe got the ball about 30 yards out. He spotted
that Wayne Griffiths wasn't on his line and decided to chip the ball into
the top of the net.
Following this, Oliver Hall was brought on to replace Paul Howard, and it
was he that put the most pressure on the Welshpool defence. After making a
run into the box, seven minutes from time, he was pulled down by a
Welshpool defender, but the referee decided that it wasn't a Penalty to the
astonishment to the home supporters. Fair play to Welshpool, they kept
playing to the last whistle, and, three minutes from time they got a
consolation goal, substitute Justin Bridges managed to beat two defenders
before he unleashed his shot that beat Kenny Dixon who had come rushing off
his line.
Welshpool are now officially relegated. But it is still possible that
Porthmadog will be joining them in the Cymru Alliance. They have another
crucial match against mid-table outfit Conwy United next Saturday, but they
will have to put in a better performance than today's first half if they
are to get the three points out of that match.
PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, T. Draper, M. Foster, J. Joyce, K. Woods, R. Hughes, N. Barry, M.
Hynes, P. Howard (O. Hall), C. Banks (P. Whelan), G. Abebe.
Sub not used: P. Osahan
Iwan.
PORTHMADOG..........(0) 0 BARRY TOWN..........(2) 3
Porthmadog are still in great trouble and could be one of the three who
will follow Cemaes Bay out of the league at the end of the season. But they
knew from the start, this afternoon, that there would probably be no
further points bag by 4:15 this afternoon.
Barry had a great start and were in the lead after only 2 minutes of the
match after some poor defending let Craig Evans to score from the side of
the box. His shot from the right left Kenny Dixon in the Porthmadog goal
with no chance. It seemed at the time that the flood gates would then open,
but Porthmadog played well and created many chances that could have lead to
an equalizer. After ten minutes Martin Hynes came close with a free kick
that was stopped by Pat Mountain who has taken over in the Barry goal.
Godfrey Abebe, who was involved in an accident on the M4 on the way home
from last week's match at Cwmbran, also came very close for the home team
when he cheasted the ball down in the area before attempting an
over-head-kick that was saved by Mountain.
Barry weren't dominating the match by any means, but they did manage to
create a couple of chances with both player-manager Garry Barnet and Craig
Evans coming close for them. Evans should have scored his second when the
Porthmadog defence opened in front of him, but his shot went just wide.
Barry's second goal came after 31 minutes, but Porthmadog were very unlucky
to have conceded this goal. The Porthmadog defence believed that Darren
Ryan was off-side when he started on his run towards goal, and he only had
Kenny Dixon to beat with Eifion Williams on his left. Dixon tried to tackle
Ryan, who passed to Williams who tapped in from close range. One linesman
said at half-time that Ryan actually off side. Porthmadog were therefore
very unlucky to be two goals down after a good start and creating a couple
chances. After the first goal their defence was also quite solid despite
the fact that two midfeilders were playing in the defence.
Porthmadog started well in the second half with Abebe showing some good
skills side-stepping passed Gary Lloyd before unleashing his cross that was
headed away by the Barry defence. Kenny Dixon was in fine form all
afternoon, making two brilliant saves before the hour after two long range
shots by Richard Jones and Ben Burrows that came very close.
On 61 minutes another great chance was created by Godfrey Abebe, but Paul
Howard's shot was disappointing and was easily saved by Pat Mountain. Two
minutes later came Porthmadog's best chance with both Martin Hynes and
Kenny Woods coming close. Mountain's save after Hynes' shot was brilliant,
with Porthmadog very unlucky not to have scored. There were further good
saves minutes later, this time at the other end, with Kenny Dixon managing
to save shots by Darren Ryan and Paul Mitchell. But seven minutes from time
the result was put beyond any doubt when Richard Jones turned brilliantly
on the spot before taping in from close range. This came after a Barry
corner from the right.
So, a result that was expected by everybody who was present at Y Traeth.
But Barry did not have things all their way despite the fact that the
scoreline suggests otherwise. After other results have gone against
Porthmadog things are looking pretty serious. But if they perform as well
as they did at periods today they, should win the vital match against
fellow strugglers Welshpool. If they don't, they won't be playing in the
same league come August.
PORTHMADOG:
K. Dixon, R. Williams, M. Foster, P. Howard, P. Whelan, K. Woods, C. Banks,
N. Barry, G. Abebe, M. Hynes (O. Hall), J. Joyce.
Subs not used: T. Draper, P. Osahan.
Iwan.
CWMBRAN TOWN..........(2) 3 PORTHMADOG..........(1) 1
Every game for both teams are all vital, with Porthmadog trying to stay in
the League of Wales and Cwmbran fighting for a place in Europe thi summer.
Porthmadog's new signing, Godfrey Abebe, played his first match for the
club after signing from Halifax in the Vauxhall Confference over a month
ago.
Cwmbran were therefore the favourites to win this match, especially after
the drubing of Porthmadog at the hands of Inter CableTel seven days
earlier. But, Porthmadog were the ones who started the britest. Godfrey
Abebe featured promenently in the early procedings and it wasn't long
before he had a crack on goal. After only four minutes he was on the
score-sheet, this was thanks mainly to his strike-partner Paul Howard.
Howard made a run down the right before crossing to the waiting Nigel Barry
who headed goalwards, but his shot was saved Pat O'Hagan in the Cwmbran.
But, O'Hagan only managed to push the ball away from the goal and Abebe
pounced from close range to give the visitors an unexpected lead.
Porthmadog continued to press on the home team's goal for the opening ten
minutes with Martin Hines featuring in the action.
But, on 17 minutes came the turning point. Mike Foster tried to defend a
shot by a Cwmbran player but sliped on the line and the ball came off his
arm. The referee had no hesitation in sending the Porthmadog defender off
and pointing towards the spot. But Neil Cooper's penalty was saved by Kenny
Dixon. There was further bad news for Porthmadog during the first half when
another defender, Tony Draper, had to come off the feild because of an
injury. It was now only a matter of time before Cwmbran, who were pushing
forward more and more, scored the equalizer.
Kenny Dixon was now very important in the procedings, puting together a
string of saves that kept Porthmadog's lead intact. Their pressure finally
payed off on 27 minutes when Steve White, who had earlier been denied by
Dixon, scored on his second atempt after Dixon had again denied him. This
came after a goal-mouth scramble where the Porthmadog defence, which had
been reduced to four, failed to clear the ball. On 33 minutes Cwmbran
scored their second when Steve White scored after beating Paul Osahan who
sliped due to the bad weather conditions. All the action for the remainder
of the half was infront of the Porthmadog goal, but the weakened defence
somehow managed to keep the home attack at bay.
During the second half Porthmadog managed to fight back and get a grater
share of the possesion. But, it was a defencive error six minutes into the
half that managed to give Cwmbran a further lead. There was a poor pass
back to Kenny Dixon, who miss-kicked the ball into the path of Mattie
Davies who, as they say, dosn't miss from there. There followed a string of
chances during the half with Davies and Simon Dyer coming close on manny
occasions for the home team. Most of Cwmbran's attacks were created by Neil
Cooper who was obviously trying to make right after his miss from the spot
in the first half.
One of Porthmadog's most notable chances in the second half came nine
minutes from the final whistle when Godfrey Abebe made an impressive run
down the right side of the pitch before atempting a twenty-yard shot that
went only inches wide. Jason Joyce also came close for the visitors with a
free kick that was stoped by Pat O'Hagan who managed to stop the ball
between his feet.
So Porthmadog were pushed into further trouble by this defeat, that came
after such a promissing start. They will have to battle for the points in
their remaining 4 games - two of which seem to be no-hopers against Barry
and Newtown. The other games against Conwy and Welshpool are very important
for the club, and could decide if they stay up or go down.
