Bargoed v Narberth
Leaders Bargoed will welcome Narberth tomorrow and will not be taking the West Walians lightly. The Otters haven’t set the Championship alight so far this season but have shown continuing improvement and are on a four match unbeaten streak. The Blues have looked comfortable up to now except in their narrow win over Cardiff Met and I think they will be too strong for their visitors.
Verdict - Bargoed by 15 points
Beddau v Tata Steel
The Green and Golds easily dispatched Bonymaen last week but will face a much sterner test tomorrow. The Saints, who are the current One West champions, are starting to click after a sub par start by their standard and completely dominated Llanharan last week, despite the close score line. The visitors have one of the best packs in the division, and the absence of front row man Gareth Way for the hosts will be a big loss in that department. As a result, I think Tata will be too powerful up front for Beddau and this should see them home.
Verdict - Tata Steel by 8 points
Blackwood v Pontypool
By their own admission, Blackwood were under par against Bargoed last week and they will be looking for a marked improvement at Glan yr Afon. However, their home ground hasn’t exactly been a fortress so far, with the hosts yet to bag a win there despite giving both Ebbw Vale and Narberth a run for their money. Pooler come into the match with the monkey very much off their back after seeing off Whitland last week and always start well in matches, but I think Blackwood will just sneak this one.
Verdict - Blackwood by 5 points
Bonymaen v Newbridge
Bony were poor against Beddau last week and will know that if they put in a repeat performance, they could be on the wrong end of a hiding. Newbridge have blown all opponents bar Ebbw Vale away so far and you have to make them firm favourites for tomorrow's match.
Verdict - Newbridge by 15 points
Bridgend Athletic v Glamorgan Wanderers
This is a difficult match to call: Bridgend Athletic have only won once at home, while the best the Wanderers have managed is away from the Memorial Ground is a draw. Both sides have struggled to convert the chances they have made in matches so far, so this will no doubt come down to who can be more clinical in attack. I’m going to plump for Athletic: they have produced some strong performances at home and I think they will just edge this one.
Verdict - Bridgend Athletic by 3 points
Cardiff Met v Llanharan
The students will feel hard done by not to have picked up a win over Ebbw Vale last week but will have to put that to one side if they are to see off a solid Llanharan outfit. The Dairymen were dominated by Tata Steel last week but, living off scraps, were still within a few points come the final whistle. With this resolve, I think the visitors will claim their third away win of the season.
Verdict - Llanharan by 5 points
Whitland v Ebbw Vale
If I had been writing this 24 hours earlier, I would have probably given a Steelmen win by some 60 points or so, but with the news that Head Coach Neil Edwards has left Eugene Cross Park for the Gnoll, it brings up a few questions. On paper, the gulf between these two sides is vast but it will be interesting to see how the Steelmen respond to losing their talismanic coach that led them to back to back Division One East titles. Don’t get me wrong, I still see only one winner, but if the basement boys can take the fight to Ebbw early on, maybe it won’t be quite the one-sided contest many people predict.
Verdict - Ebbw Vale by 20 points
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