Inclement weather meant that it was one of only two fixtures
to take place over the weekend, and if TNS now defeat Carmarthen at Park Hall
on Saturday (March 30) the league title will be theirs. They can afford to lose, for if Airbus UK fail to win their encounter with Prestatyn on Friday (March 29), then the title will already be on its way to Oswestry before they kick off.
Mike Wilde, Aeron Edwards and Jamie Mullan were the Saints’
scorers at the Gen Quip Stadium, as the Steelmen ended the match with 10 men
following Lee Surman’s red card.
The home side started the brighter and Martin Rose and
Surman both tested visiting ‘keeper Craig Harrison.
Yet Surman’s miserable afternoon began when he, along with
Martin Rose, hesitated to allow Alex Darlington’s pass to reach Wilde, who headed
home.
Harrison then spilt a David Brookes effort for a corner,
from which Carl Payne hit the woodwork.
But Port Talbot’s resurgence was thwarted when Edwards
doubled the lead on 28 minutes.
Scott Young’s side again started the second half in the
ascendency, and they had a strong penalty shout turned down for handball.
But Talbot again self-destructed and Ashley Evans’ weak
back-pass allowed Mullan to kill the game off before Surman’s match ended early
with a straight red card.
On Saturday, Llanelli ignored their returning off-field
problems to win a crucial relegation six-pointer at Afan Lido 3-1, despite
playing more than an hour with 10 men.
The West Walians must again appear before a High Court Judge
today (March 25) after having their fourth winding up order of the season served
against them last week.
The local council also repossessed their Stebonheath Park
ground’s social club, but the players produced one of their best performances
of the season amid the turmoil.
Goals from Craig Moses, Jordan Smith and Jack McKenna all
but sealed the hosts’ relegation from the Welsh Premier League, but they fought
their own corner well in an entertaining encounter.
A quiet opening period was played out on a boggy pitch, but
the game came to life on the quarter hour. A Craig Williams corner for the
visitors was flicked on and Moses ran in at the back post ahead of a defender
to stab home.
Moses then nodded tamely wide from an Adam Davies cross as
Llanelli began to take control.
But towards the half-hour mark the home side enjoyed a
period of pressure. First, Simon Prangley fired wide from eight yards when a
corner was nodded down in to his path, Luke Borrelli then fired right across
goal from a deep Chris Hartland cross, and Hartland saw a shot deflected wide.
Morris was very harshly given his marching orders on 28
minutes after catching Borrelli, and Lido missed further first-half chances
through Anthony Rawlings and then Chris Phillips, who clipped the ball the
wrong side of the post after the ball ran kindly for him off a defender’s legs.
Llanelli started well in the second period and, after 53
minutes McKenna sent Smith through on the left. He swung the ball in to the six
yard box where Alex Evans stooped unmarked and somehow nodded it wide with a
poor connection – an outstanding contender for miss of the season.
Llanelli never looked like ruing that miss, continually
throwing themselves in the way of shots, passes and crosses in a dogged determination
to protect their lead.
They doubled it on 66 minutes, Smith curling a free-kick
over the wall and down in to the bottom right corner. Lido ‘keeper Kristian
Rogers was very slow in getting down to it and will undoubtedly be disappointed
not to have kept it out.
With the visitors looking like they might hold out they
conceded in to injury time. The defence failed to deal with a long ball and a
poor backwards header was pounced upon by Hartland, who cut in to the box and
fired home.
But instead of piling on the pressure looking for an
equaliser, Lido conceded again. Man of the match McKenna countered down the
left and, unhindered, cut inside just as Hartland had moments earlier and fired
home to seal a magnificent, and possibly last ever, victory for the Reds.
0 comments:
Post a Comment