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GARDEN VILLAGE 2 - 1 TON PENTRE
Nathaniel Car Sales League Cup Round One
Saturday 22nd September 2007
For the second season running Ton Pentre have been dumped out of the League Cup in the first round against lower league opposition. It was a lacklustre performance that Welsh League Division Two outfit Garden Village took full advantage of at Stafford Common.
The match started well for the Rhondda Bulldogs as they put Garden Village under some early pressure. Ton were winning corners and looking dangerous in front of goal. After 16 minutes Dale Price came close when he took a shot at goal from outside the box but the ball skidded over the cross bar.
Four minutes later the home team played a simple ball over the top of the Ton defence into their attacker’s run. Bulldogs keeper, Leon Cosker, was caught off his line in the wilderness leaving the Village striker with a simple lob to give his team the lead against the run of play.
The goal appeared to unsettle Ton and they quickly became easily frustrated when play wasn’t going their way.
Despite this Price came close again when he swiped a low shot across the goal but it went wide of Stuart Lloyd’s right hand goal post.
As half time approached Ton should have found themselves 2-0 down when a failure in communication between Ryan Morgan and Lee Matthews saw them lose the ball to an attacker at the back. Despite having a free shot at goal the Garden Village player sent his effort wide.
Ton Pentre were better in the second half and put Garden Village under some considerable pressure early on. Kift came close twice, first with a shot that painstakingly went wide, then with a header from a corner that was cleared off the line from under the crossbar.
Although they were putting their opponents under pressure Ton were unable to find the back of the net and Kevin Richards began to change the team by bringing on Ryan Shugar, Phil Clarke and Paul Michael replacing Ashley Evans, Alyn Jones and Lee Matthews.
Debutante Michael, a former Taffs Well midfielder, helped create Ton Pentre’s equaliser when he took on several players to then roll a pass through to Kristian Orchard. The Ton forward finished well with a lovely goal in the 79th minute.
Garden Village looked exhausted and from here Ton fancied their chances but were dealt a major blow in the 82nd minute when the referee judged that Ryan Morgan had handled the ball in the area. Garden Village scored from the penalty spot and were able to survive until the final whistle. However, there was a penalty appeal from Ton in the dying moments when they felt a Village defender had stopped a cross into the box with his hand but the referee and his assistant failed to award it.
Although they have been knocked out of the League Cup the Rhondda Bulldogs can look forward to a Welsh Cup second round tie after being drawn away to Cardiff Corinthians on Saturday 6th October.
Before that however, in a change to the fixture schedule Ton Pentre’s next match is away to Pontardawe Town on Saturday 29th September 2007. Kick off for the match is 2.30pm.
Team: 1.Leon Cosker; 2.Dale Price; 3.Kristian Orchard; 4.Mike Jones; 5.Richard Stevens; 6.Ryan Morgan; 7.Andrew Hughes (Captain); 8.Lee Matthews (16.Paul Michael, 73mins); 9.Alyn Jones (14.Phil Clarke, 64mins); 10.Ashley Evans (17.Ryan Shugar, 58mins); 11.Jonathan Kift.
Subs not used: 12.Richard Carter & 15.Scott Hayward
Goal: Orchard 79mins
Booked: Orchard 26mins; Clarke 65mins; Price 45+1mins; Hughes 45+2
Match report by Ton Pentre AFC Press
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