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Pontyclun 3 - 5 Ton Pentre
Pre-Season Friendly
Tuesday 12th August 2008
Due to the disappointing summer weather this pre-season friendly was switched from Pontyclun’s The Ivor Park to Ton Pentre’s Ynys Park following heavy rainfall during the afternoon of the fixture.
This was the final friendly match for both teams before the start of the season and the game provided the two managers with an opportunity to analyse their teams for one final time before the big kick off.
Ton Pentre started well and hit the crossbar after just 5 minutes through winger Adam Lewis.
A few minutes later Bulldogs defender Richard Stevens played a lovely through ball that cut the Pontyclun defence. Stevie Edwards ran onto the pass and into the penalty box where he lifted the ball over Matthew Evans and into the goal.
Pontyclun equalised on 17 minutes with a penalty kick after Scott Hayward tripped an opponent just inside the box. From the spot Nathan White finished with a confident strike.
Seven minutes before half time the Welsh League Division Three club took the lead when a ball into the Ton box connected with an attacker and despite Stevens’s best efforts to clear off the line, the ball hit the back of the net.
Pontyclun dominated the opening stages of the second half and in the 55th minute won another penalty when one of their players was bundled over by Stevens. White stepped up for a second time but he kicked the ball against the crossbar and Ryan Betteney punched the ball away.
Pontyclun got the goal they deserved eight minutes later when a Pontyclun midfielder turned Scott Hayward inside the box and the Ton defender tripped him up leaving the Referee no option but to award them a third penalty kick.
Despite missing the previous kick White was still confident enough to step up and take another. This time he scored to make it 3-1.
Ton introduced Andrew Hughes and Leon Jacka for Andrew Pearson and Stevie Edwards. The substitutions turned the match on its head and Ton began their comeback in the 66th minute.
From a Ton freekick Jacka sent the ball into the box for Ryan Morgan to glance his header into the goal.
Jacka set up the equaliser three minutes later with his cross to Hughes who fired his shot in with an excellent finish.
On 74 minutes Jacka put the Bulldogs in the lead with a fantastic angled strike from just inside the 18-yard box after receiving the ball from Hughes.
Ton put the game beyond doubt in the 89th minute when Jacka swung a corner into the box where Ryan Shugar fired in at the far post to make the final score 5-3.
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
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