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Ton Pentre played out a drab goalless draw at Stafford Common where Garden Village were hoping to upset the Rhondda Bulldogs in their quest for Welsh League Division One survival. However, with both teams ineffective in front of goals the West Wales outfit remain in the relegation zone while Ton Pentre are forced keep an eye on those below them until they are mathematically safe.
The Bulldogs were certainly the more creative of the two teams but Garden Village on the whole defended well to keep this fixture at a stalemate.
Ton came close from a ninth minute corner kick when Liam Hutchinson swerved a well executed ball to the far post where defender Tom Davies got an attempt on target with a sound header, but his effort was dived on by Village goalkeeper Norman Ward.
As the half progressed the Bulldogs were not turning their possession into goal scoring opportunities but there was respite from this frustrating play in the 27th minute when Fraser Williams ran straight through the middle of the pitch avoiding several challenges before going one-on-one with the goalkeeper. As he broke free of the last defender he unfortunately saw the ball roll out of his stride which allowed Ward to get to it and desperately kick up field.
The ball, however, immediately ended up in Ton’s control again but Andrew Hughes, Lloyd Toghill and Alyn Jones saw their intentions blocked by the defence before Ward punched the ball clear of the box.
Ton continued to apply pressure as the first half drew to a close when Toghill played a ball over the top of the defence for Hughes to run on to. With a defender applying physical pressure on the Bulldogs player/manager, and a keeper narrowing the angle, Hughes attempted to chip Ward. It nearly worked but the goalie managed to change the ball’s direction with the tips of his fingers.
Although Ton were very much in control of the second half, Garden Village did at least conjure up some opportunities as they hit the post and crossbar on two separate occasions.
Garden Village could have snatched all three points with just a minute left on the clock when the ball was sent to the far post from a corner kick. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, goalkeeper Leighton James got under the ball to tip away for another corner, from which the Bulldogs cleared up field.
Ton Pentre now have three remaining fixtures this season: Wednesday, 5th May at home to Garden Village, kick off 7.30pm. Friday, 14th May at home to Bridgend Town, kick off 7.30pm. Monday, 17th May away to Pontardawe Town at Afan Lido FC, kick off to be confirmed.
Ton Pentre: 1. Leighton James, 2. Adam Lewis, 3. Phil Clarke, 4. Jamie Thomas, 5. Tom Davies, 6. Liam Hutchinson (66mins), 7. Fraser Williams (87mins), 8. Andrew Hughes, 9. Chris Jones (87mins), 10. Lloyd Toghill, 11. Alyn Jones (Captain).
Substitutes: 12. Wayne Antionazzi (66mins), 14. Calvin Mclaggon (87mins), 15. Caio Iwan (87mins)
Goals: None
Bookings: None
Referee: Phil Walters (Merthyr Tydfil)
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
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