Unless otherwise stated all match reports relate to Division One

Saturday 11 August 2007

Ton Pentre 3 - 1 Newport YMCA

from Ton Pentre FC

Jonathan Kift, Alyn Jones and Andrew Hughes provided the goals to lead Ton Pentre towards their first win of the 2007- 2008 MacWhirter Welsh Football League Division One Season on the opening day against Newport YMCA.

The Rhondda Bulldogs started the match in a confident fashion and could have found themselves two goals up in the first five minutes. Dale Price was provided the ball in the Newport box and following a crafty turn he snatched a shot that was on its way in until Gareth Yeoman stretched to punch the ball away.

Moments later Ton Pentre forced a corner and from it the ball crashed directly against the bar and headed towards Scott Hayward. The Bulldogs defender had a clear header but the ball came quickly towards him and he headed his effort over the bar.

Ton justly took the lead in the 20^th minute when they made their hard work and pressure count. Hayward started the move with a pass to Alyn Jones who crossed from the left to pick out a run from Andrew Hughes on the far side. Hughes cleverly headed the ball back to Kift who cleanly stroked the ball into the net.

Newport YMCA equalised eight minutes later when Daniel Heath scored a scorcher from just inside the Ton half. The defender struck the ball so sweetly that he outfoxed the experienced Marty Ellacott in the Ton goals who was left scrambling to try and reach the ball that was hurtling in towards the top right hand corner of the goal.

Ton were sluggish in the second half compared to their first half display with the possession ratio levelling itself out between the two teams. It wasn’t until the 74^th minute that the Rhondda Bulldogs began to stir.

While tracking back Alyn Jones snatched possession in midfield to go on the run up the left side. With Hughes making a forward run through the middle of the park, Jones sent a cross deep into the Newport box. Hughes jumped to head the ball after getting in front of his marker but painstakingly failed to connect.

Ton did take the lead five minutes later when from an under hit back pass Ton’s Jones was alert and ran onto the ball to take it around the goalkeeper for an easy finish.

Following this Newport put Ton under some substantial pressure but they refused to yield and went on to put the match beyond doubt in the 90^th minute when Kift knocked the ball over the top of the defence for Hughes’s tireless run. The Bulldogs midfielder beat the keeper to the ball and bravely scored Ton’s third goal of the match.

Ton Pentre travel to ENTO Aberaman Athletic on Wednesday 15^th August, who beat Garw 10-0 on the opening day of the season. The match kicks off at 6.30pm. The Bulldogs are on the road again the following Saturday, 18^th August, at Bryntirion Athletic. Kick off here is 2.30pm.

Team: 1.Marty Ellacott (Captain); 2.Ryan Shugar (12. Richard Carter, 69mins); 3.Christian Orchard (15.Nicky Hooper, 69mins); 4.Mark Crutch; 5.Scott Hayward; 6.Andrew Hughes; 7.Dale Price (17.Dane Williams, 86); 8.Lee Matthews; 9.Alyn Jones; 10.Ryan Morgan; 11.Jonathan Kift.

Subs not used: 14.Phil Clarke; 16.Phil Allen.

Goals: Kift 20mins; Jones 79mins; Hughes 90mins.

Booked: Hayward 40mins.

Saturday 4 August 2007

Ton Pentre 1 - 3 Merthyr Tydfil

Friendly Match

The Rhondda Bulldogs struggled in their encounter with a Merthyr Tydfil team managed by former Ton Pentre striker Garry Shephard. The Martyrs were dominant, well organised and looked the sharper team at Ynys Park.

This sharpness saw them take an early two goal lead within the first ten minutes of the match. Their first saw them score when Stephen Hall, deputising for the unavailable Marty Ellacott, was indecisively caught off his goal line by Craig Steins.

Merthyr’s second was the result of good team work when they easily dismantled the Ton Pentre defence for an easy score with player/manager Garry Shephard netting the goal.

It could and probably should have got worse for Ton Pentre when in the 21^st minute Merthyr were unlucky not to score. Hall made a superb initial save for Ton with a brave block but was unable to keep the ball in his hands. The Martyrs had several opportunities to hit the back of the net but each strike was denied by a Bulldogs player on the line in the right place at the right time. Merthyr eventually hit the ball high over the bar.

As the half progressed Ton were able to create a few goalscoring opportunities but were misfiring with their shots. In the 29^th minute Jamie Michaels was released on the left but unfortunately he struck his effort wide of the left hand post. 

Merthyr started the second half like the first when after just four minutes of the re-start they forced Hall into making a double point blank save.

Moments later Ton’s visitors did find the back of the net again when the Merthyr attackers linked well with Mike Jones giving Hall no chance of making a save.

Ton Pentre did get on the scoresheet but had to wait until the 74^th minute to do so. Andy Mainwaring was bearing down on goal when a Merthyr defender clipped his legs for a cynical foul to deny the Ton forward an opportunity to score. From the resulting free kick outside the box, Jamie Michaels curled in a fantastic shot leaving the Merthyr goalkeeper to dive in vain.

The goal was to be nothing more than a consolation as Merthyr remained strong enough to curtail any ideas of a Ton Pentre comeback.

The Bulldogs play their final pre-season friendly on Tuesday 7^th August 2007 away to Pontyclun of Welsh Football League Division Two. The kick off for this match is 6.30pm.

Ton Pentre’s season starts with a tricky opener against Newport YMCA on Saturday 11^th August at Ynys Park. This game kicks off at 2.30pm. Following this the Bulldogs are away to hotly tipped ENTO Aberaman Athletic on Wednesday 15^th August at 6.30pm.

Season tickets are available for the 2007/08 Welsh Football League Campaign and are priced as follows: Adults - £50.00 (saving you £18.00); Juniors / Senior Citizens / Students (with a student union card) - £25.00 (saving you £9). Please visit www.tonpentreafc.com for more details or email bryanbees@aol.com to order yours.

Thursday 2 August 2007

Ton Pentre 8 - 1 Rhydyfelin

Friendly Match

This hastily arranged home match in place of the cancelled Ely Rangers friendly provided Ton Pentre with their first pre-season victory. The Rhondda Bulldogs were dominant throughout this match against South Wales Amateur League team Rhydyfelin. Despite the score line the amateur team were a credit to themselves by never giving up and attempting to play attractive football against their superior Welsh League hosts.

Rhydyfelin held out for 16 minutes before former Merthyr Tydfil player Dane Williams fired home following consistent Ton Pentre pressure.

The Bulldogs grabbed their second goal in the 28^th minute after Alyn Jones snatched possession from a Rhydyfelin midfielder to play the ball through for Dale Price. The Ton Pentre dynamo struck from outside the box for a sublime finish.

Goal scorers Williams and Price were involved in setting up the third goal when they beat the defence to square the ball to Jonathan Kift who was left with a simple finish past the visiting goalkeeper in the 41^st minute.

Ton increased their lead further in first half injury time when Lee Matthews ran on to a through pass from Price to thump the ball over the Rhydyfelin keeper who was positioned off his line while attempting to narrow the angle.

The Rhondda Bulldogs were quick to score in the second half when after four minutes Ryan Shugars finished well with a header after connecting to Alyn Jones’ cross.

Price made it 6-0 two minutes later after he shimmied his way through the defence to place the ball in the back of the net to complete an excellent individual effort.

Rhydyfelin had something to cheer about in the 64^th minute when they grabbed a consolation goal through big centre forward Jason Jones who smashed the ball past Marty Ellacott with real venom.

Ton Pentre added two more goals to their tally before the end of the game. The seventh of the match was scored by former TNS academy player Scott Jones, who came off the bench to put in a skilful display. He linked up with the impressive Richard Carter who crossed from the right for Jones to fire his shot high into the net.

Jamie Michaels scored Ton’s eighth when he persevered to create himself a goalscoring opportunity that he did not waste. This capped off a fine Ton Pentre display with some encouraging performances from both new and old players in the squad.

Tuesday 31 July 2007

Barry Town 2  -2 Ton Pentre

Friendly Match

Ton Pentre were left still searching for their first pre-season victory after a Phil Allen own goal within the last ten minutes of the match saw Barry Town draw level.

The Dragons had three former Ton Pentre players in their starting eleven with Gareth Picknell, Rob Blatchford and Jamie Bradford all taking part. If Barry Town can hold onto players of this calibre they may very well feel that they can challenge for promotion in the coming season to get themselves out of division two of the Welsh League.

Meanwhile the Rhondda Bulldogs welcomed back Alyn Jones and Ryan Shugars into the team after both players were unavailable for the defeat against Cinderford Town. Also taking part in the match for Ton was former QPR and Cardiff City professional Leon Jeanne, who impressed after being brought on as a second half substitute.

Ton Pentre were quite fluid in this match playing some lovely football. There was the odd blunder but Kevin Richards and his assistant Mark Evans will look to iron these mistakes out before the start of the 2007/08 campaign.

The Rhondda Bulldogs could have taken the lead in the 15^th minute when following a foul tackle in the box, the referee awarded Ton a penalty. Jonathan Kift stepped up to strike from the spot but sent his kick over the crossbar.

Following this Barry Town grew in confidence and Jamie Bradford rode three Ton challenges to set up a fellow team-mate who put the ball through Marty Ellacott’s legs and into the goal on 32 minutes.

The lead was short lived as Ton drew level five minutes later when Kift made up for his penalty miss by scoring a goal after some lovely build up play from Dane Williams and Alyn Jones.

Barry should have regained the lead almost immediately after this when Blatchford found himself in the box with just Ellacott to beat, however, he blazed his shot high over the bar.

Ton Pentre worked the ball down to the other end of the pitch and Kift scored his second goal of the match to give the Bulldogs the lead. His finish for this goal was sublime as from wide on the right of the box he neatly lobbed the Barry keeper.

Ton remained the more dominant team in the second half but Barry Town were given a 70^th minute chance to draw level when they were awarded a penalty after a mistimed tackle in the Ton box. Marty Ellacott dived to his left and pushed the ball away out to the edge of the box where it was cleared from danger.

From here it looked as though Ton would go on to win the match as they appeared reasonably comfortable, however, during the 81^st minute of play Phil Allen, while attempting to clear the ball up field from inside the box, sliced his clearance into the back of the net.

Despite not getting the win Ton Pentre should feel quite happy following this performance and will now look to their next pre-season friendly against Merthyr Tydfil on Saturday 4^th August 2007.

Saturday 28 July 2007

Ton Pentre 1 - 3 Cinderford Town

Friendly Match

Ton Pentre began their preparation for the new season at Ynys Park against British Gas Business Football League outfit, Cinderford Town. The visitors from Gloucestershire were sharper than the Rhondda Bulldogs, having already played several pre-season friendly matches.

This sharpness was evident in the opening exchanges between the two teams when after just three minutes of play Tim Haddock easily broke through the Ton Pentre defence to shoot across goal and into the inside of the far post.

Cinderford doubled their lead ten minutes later when Jimmy Cox breached the Bulldogs defence a little too easily to put the ball past the helpless Marty Ellacott in the Ton Pentre goals.

It took Ton Pentre 20 minutes before creating anything worthwhile in front of goal when after an initial shot the Cinderford goalkeeper made a fine save but parried the ball into the path of Andrew Mainwaring. His point blank shot unluckily for Ton hit the Cinderford keeper who was still on the ground following his initial save. A goal here could very well have seen Ton Pentre get themselves back in the match. 

The Rhondda Bulldogs were made to pay for that missed effort when rusty defending allowed Cinderford a clear chance on goal for Richard Kear to make the score 3-0 at half time.

Ton manager Kevin Richards made several changes at half time to give his large squad a run out. One of the players brought onto the field of play was Steven Conaty who put in an impressive and dedicated display.

Within the first five minutes of the second half Conaty broke free into the opponents box but just as the busy midfielder was about to take a shot a defender managed to get a block in and clear his lines.

Cinderford created several more opportunities to score but were denied by the post, crossbar or Ellacott.

In the 66^th minute Conaty again found himself clear of the Cinderford defence but while running diagonally into the box at full pace he was unable to get any accuracy on his shot and sent it wide of the far post.

Ton Pentre did find the back of the net however, but when they did it was a little too late for any real chance of a comeback. The goal was scored in the 82^nd minute when Andrew Mainwaring was questionably ruled onside by the referee’s assistant to square a pass to Jonathan Kift who cleanly finished making it 3-1.

Despite the result Kevin Richards will be happy that Ton Pentre received a very useful workout against Cinderford Town while also providing him with an opportunity to take a look at the Rhondda Bulldogs potential new signings for the forthcoming Welsh League campaign.

Up next for Ton Pentre is an away friendly against Welsh League Division Two side Barry Town at the Llanrumney Playing Fields in Cardiff on Tuesday 31^st July 2007. This match kicks off at 6.00pm.

The Rhondda Bulldogs then travel to face Ely Rangers on Thursday 2^nd August with this game kicking off at 6.30pm.

On Saturday 4^th August Merthyr Tydfil visit Ynys Park for what should be a very interesting encounter at 2.30pm.    

Saturday 24 March 2007

Ton Pentre 0 - 0 Pontypridd Town 

FOR the second time this season Ton Pentre and Pontypridd Town fought out a goal-less stalemate with both teams’ quality cancelling each other out. 

In front of a good crowd at Ynys Park both teams battled to find a break through but neither were able to find the back of the net despite some very good chances falling to both teams. 

This was a must win game for Ton Pentre and the draw realistically rules the Bulldogs out of the title race. The result also saw Pontypridd slip into second place as Neath Athletic’s 7-0 win over Barry Town allowed them to regain the top spot. 

The Rhondda Bulldogs had their chances to score in this game and one of the best opportunities arose in the 25th minute of play when following a good passage of football Ryan Shugar passed the ball through to Andy Mainwaring in space. The Ton forward twisted and took a quick shot at goal but the ball edged past the left-hand post. 

Despite having a considerable amount of the possession in the first half Pontypridd were unable to create any clear-cut chances, however, the second half did provide a few scares for Ton Pentre. 

Just six minutes of the second half had been played when a cross-field pass was sent to a Pontypridd player on the far side of the Ton box. The player connected with the ball but sent it over Marty Ellacott’s crossbar much to Ton’s relief. 

A 63rd minute pass from Dale Price to Jamie Michaels allowed the latter to cross the ball for Mainwaring who, with the outside of his boot, guided the ball towards goal but saw it loop over the cross bar.  

Ton Pentre survived another scare in the 72nd minute when Pontypridd crossed a low ball from the right but they didn’t have anyone positioned to connect with it at the far post and the ball rolled away for a goal kick. 

Five minutes later Price was presented with the best chance of the game to score. The player was judged to be onside when the ball was played through into his path, despite the calls for offside from the Pontypridd defence. Price had two options open to him, either shoot or square the ball for Kristian Orchard who was making a run on the other side of the box. Price appeared to be caught in two minds and when he did shoot the ball deflected wide for a corner instead of ending up in the back of the net. 

With time running out Price was involved in a move once again as he played a through ball for Dwayne Mardenborough who looked to place a shot past the Pontypridd goalkeeper but was thwarted by a brave save from which the goalkeeper was injured and had to receive treatment. 

In injury time Chris Summers should have secured all three points for Pontypridd as he found himself unchallenged in the box with only Marty Ellacott to beat. However, Ellacott got just enough on the ball at Summers feet to send the striker wide and hit his shot into the side netting.  

The Rhondda Bulldogs visit Croesyceiliog for their next match on Saturday 31 March at 2.30pm. Following that Ton play host to Dinas Powys on Wednesday 4 April at 7.30pm. 

An Extraordinary General Meeting has been arranged for Thursday 5th April in the Ton Pentre AFC Clubhouse at 7.30pm where the future of Ton Pentre will be discussed in an open forum.  

Ton Pentre Match Facts 

Team: 1. Marty Ellacott (Captain), 2. Mark Crutch, 3. Alyn Jones, 4. Paul Evans, 5. Scott Hayward, 6. Lee Matthews, 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Jamie Bradford, 9. Jamie Michaels, 10. Dale Price, 11. Andy Mainwaring.

Substitutes: 12. Ryan Jenkins (Mainwaring, 66), 14. Dwayne Mardenborough (Jones, 78), 15. Kristian Orchard (Bradford, 73)

Goals: None

Cautions: None

Red Cards: None

Wednesday 21 February 2007

Ton Pentre 1 - 1 Goytre United

Despite the terrible conditions both Ton Pentre and Goytre United were credits to the MacWhirter Welsh Football League as they played excellent football with good skill and commitment on a difficult surface at Ynys Park for this mid-week clash. 

The spoils were shared and the result accurately reflects both teams’ performances, although Ton Pentre may feel that they missed an excellent opportunity for three vital league points following a second half penalty miss.

In the first half-hour of this tantalizing encounter the action was shared evenly between the two title rivals. Reigning champions Goytre United forced Ton Pentre to frantically clear the ball from their own goal line and a sustained amount of pressure in the Goytre half culminated in good move between Dale Price and Ryan Jenkins.  

Price had battled hard to win and maintain possession and with the help of fellow team-mate Jenkins forced Goytre into conceding a series of corners. Each ball into the box from the corners heaped tension on the visitor’s defence forcing two desperate clearances from danger. 

The Rhondda Bulldogs made their pressure count in the 33^rd minute when Steven Conaty saw an opportunity to strike at the target from 25 yards. His shot deflected off a Goytre defender and Chris Curtis was unable to stop the ball from crossing his goal line. 

Goytre lifted themselves from the disappointment of conceding by coming close a few minutes later from a free kick on the edge of the Ton box. The deftly hit strike was matched by Marty Ellacott’s splendid save to palm the ball around the post for a corner. 

Ton were unable to effectively clear their lines from this corner and were punished by a goal scored by the prolific Welsh League goal scorer, Richard Ryan, who nestled the ball in the bottom left hand corner of the Ton net.     

In first half injury time Ton Pentre should have reclaimed the lead when Jenkins offloaded the ball into Ryan Shugar’s path. He struck his effort straight at Curtis who could only parry the ball back to the midfielder’s feet but Shugar’s second attempt was booted away by defender in the six-yard box. 

Ton Pentre were presented with another excellent chance of regaining the lead when early second half pressure resulted in a penalty being awarded by the referee when not one, but two defenders attempted to hack Dale Price down in the box with the second attempt making complete contact. 

The referee had to pace out 12-yards from the goal line to find the penalty spot due to the bad conditions as Jenkins stepped up hoping to add a sixth goal to his season's tally. The Ton forward hit a poor penalty shot that was easily saved by Curtis much to Goytre’s relief. 

The action continued to go end-to-end with the game looking very open.  

Good work from Jamie Michaels on the wing saw him able to cross the ball into the Goytre penalty area. Kristian Orchard lightly headed the ball down into Price’s stride for a shot but the Ton favourite couldn’t get enough contact on the ball due to a defender’s challenge from behind. 

The ball was sent down the other end of the pitch where Ellacott was once again called into action to produce a good save by diving low and smothering a shot from a Goytre striker. 

The match ended in a draw which will certainly please fellow title challengers Neath Athletic and Pontypridd Town, however, there is a long way to go and both Ton and Goytre certainly feel they can still achieve this season. 

Next match for Ton Pentre is a re-arranged home tie on Wednesday 28 February 2007 at 7.30pm against Pontardawe Town as the last time the two teams met the match was abandoned at half time due to a waterlogged pitch. 

Following that Ton travel to Tudor Park for a tough test against Maesteg Park Athletic on Saturday 3 March 2007 at 2pm. 

Ton Pentre Match Facts 

Team: 1. Marty Ellacott (Captain), 2. Mark Crutch, 3. Kristian Orchard, 4. Scott Hayward, 5. Paul Evans, 6. Lee Matthews, 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Steven Conaty, 9. Ryan Jenkins, 10. Dale Price, 11. Jamie Michaels.  Subs: 12. Raith Plant (Jenkins, 72), 14. Dwayne Mardenborough (Shugar, 80), 15. Phil Clarke (Orchard, 72). 

Goal: Conaty, 33. 

Cautions: Evans, 15; Hayward, 83.

Saturday 17 February 2007

Ton Pentre 1 - 0 Bryntirion Athletic

The Bulldogs went to the “Orchard” to get a last minute goal that gave Ton Pentre the three points at Ynys Park. Substitute Kristian Orchard scored the winning goal in the 89^th minute, his eighth goal of the season.

It was a lack-luster performance by Ton Pentre in the first 75 minutes, with the visitors having the better of the first half, they worked not allowing Ton any time on the ball and could have taken the lead in the 26^th minute when their striker Jon Cuss got the ball into the net, the “goal” did not stand as he was adjudged to be offside. Bryntirion were denied again in the 35^th, when a shot went straight into the arms of the dependable Marty Ellacott in the Ton goal.

Ton did not have any decent shot at goal in the first session and in the 44^th created a good opportunity when a great run by Clarke down the Ton left found Raith Plant in the box, Plant was unable to get the ball from under his feet to get a shot in on goal. The half finished no score to the relief of the Ton supporters.

Within a minute of the restart the visitors nearly scored, when a shot from Lee Vick went just passed the Ton post. This was a let off for the Merlin Sports sponsored outfit. The home side did start to get into the game in the last half hour as Bryntirion started to tire. A Crutch header scrambled clear by the visitors and this started the Ton improvement.

With 25 minutes to go, Ton started to ring the changes, when defender Gareth Picknell was replaced by attacking midfielder Ryan Shugar. Four minutes later Kristian Orchard replaced the tricky wingback Phil Clarke and then a minute later the third change was made when top scorer Alyn Jones (11 goals) replaced Raith Plant. This signaled the Bulldogs intentions of going for the three points.

It was as though the last 20 minutes was the start of the game for Ton!  They played better football and passed the ball around the field. As old Greavsy says “football is a funny old game”. Ton were getting in behind the Bryntirion defence with Price and Michaels prominent at this time. Then with five minutes to go the pressure mounted on the visitors when they were again forced to clear off their line from a shot by Dale Price. Conaty also forced Ross Nash in the Bryntirion goal to save a minute later.

Then with one minute to go of the 90 came a cruel blow to Bryntirion, when Orchard scored  the winner. It came from a break down the Ton left, Michaels went outside the defender and put over a great cross to the far post, Nash in the Bryntirion goal palmed the ball backwards, it was sent back into the danger area and the ball was shot goalwards, where it was scrambled clear to Conaty at the edge of the area he got another shot on goal and the half clearance fell to Orchard who forced the ball home, much to the relief of the Ton Players and supporters.

The referee played an additional five minutes and Bryntirion tried to get the equaliser. However, Ton did not look like conceding. This was a game Ton won in the last 20 minutes, it was a cruel blow to Bryntirion who deserved something from the game, however it's Ton who got the points.

Although the Rhondda Bulldogs did not play too well they dug in and fought to get the points whilst keeping a clean sheet. This keeps them in third place with a lot of points to be played for.

This week Ton play Goytre at Ynys Park on Wednesday 21^st, 7:30 and then on the 28^th they entertain Pontardawe again a 7:30 kick off. 

Ton Pentre:  1. Marty Ellacott, 2.Mark Crutch, 3. Gareth Picknell, 4.Paul Evans, 5. Scott Hayward, 6.  Jamie Michael, 7. Raith Plant, 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Ryan Jenkins, 10. Dale Price, 11. Phil Clarke.  Subs: 12. Kristian Orchard (89), 14. Ryan Shugar, 15.  Alyn Jones.

Saturday 27 January 2007

Ton Pentre 4 - 1 Caerleon

Ton Pentre made eight changes from the 14 that played against Pontypridd mid week, resting key players for the Welsh Cup tie against Port Talbot the following week. It was a high risk strategy that paid off when the Rhondda Bulldogs sponsored by Merlin Sports of Pontypridd won the game and bagged all the points. The score line flattered Ton and the Caerleon side did not deserve to lose by such a big margin.

Caerleon opened up the scoring in the 16th minute against the run of play. Ton had dominated the first 15 minutes and on their first attack Caerleon scored a disputed goal. The ball was played into the Ton area and it was half cleared, when Crutch Ton’s defender headed back goalwards, Cearleon’s striker headed the ball over Ton keeper Ellacott, although in an offside position the referee deemed the ball had been headed back by a Ton player the goal would count.

This gave Caerleon a lift and they had more possession and attacked the home side, with Ton unable to get any momentum into their game. Then on the 36th minute Caerleon went down to 10 men.

Ton did not use the extra man to any effect as Caerleon were still battling and working to get people behind the ball. However the Ton equaliser came just before half time, when Ryan Jenkins scored from a retaken penalty. The half finished 1-1. 

Whatever was said in the changing room at half time must have been what was required, as the Bulldogs started the brighter and used the extra man to good effect. The half was only seven minutes old when Ton took the lead. What a goal it was, tremendous build up play through midfield created the chance for Jamie Bradford, Conaty ran at the Caerleon defence and slid a pass into the path of Bradford who chipped the ball into the net over the onrushing keeper.

On the hour Blatchford was replaced by Plant. And five minutes later new singing Nicky Jones replaced Orchard. Ton were now in total control and were bossing the game. With a number of chances being created, with Jenkins and Rees unable to convert them. The third substitute was used with 15 minutes to go, Dwayne Mardenborough replaced Tony Rees up front.

With 10 minutes to go Ton lost concentration and allowed Caerleon to get back into the game. Caerleon had four good chances to equalise and squandered them all. If they had taken one of them it would have been a desperate end to the game for the home side. As we know football “is a funny old game”. When Ton against the run of play scored two goals in the dying minutes. Jenkins got onto the end of a keeper's error when he spilled a shot from Conaty, Jenkins reacted quickest and slotted the ball home to bag a brace for the day. Then in stoppage time super sub Mardenborough chased down what looked like a lost cause to get to the ball before the keeper, Mardenborough took the ball past him and slotted the ball home at the near post, giving Ton a 4-1 win.

The risk had paid off, the Merlin sponsored side achieved the win and rested a number of their players for their Welsh Cup tie against Port Talbot.

This cup game is going to be a tough game for the Bulldogs with Port Talbot a Welsh Premier side in fine form at the moment. If Ton can go there with a full squad and they play at their very best the Rhondda outfit may cause an upset, although all the good money is on the Welsh Premier outfit,

Next game Saturday 3 February 2007, Port Talbot away, Welsh Cup 2:30 kick off.           

Ton Pentre: 1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch, 3. Kristian Orchard (64th Nicky Jones), 4. Paul Evans, 5. Gareth Picknell, 6. Lee Mathews, 7. Jamie Blatchford (60th Raith Plant), 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Ryan Jenkins (2), 10. Jamie Bradford (1), 11. Tony Rees (75th Mardenborough), Subs: 12. Dwayne Mardenborough (1), 14. Raith Plant, 15. Nicky Jones.

Saturday 9 December 2006 

Newport YMCA 2 - 3 Ton Pentre 

Ton Pentre won the points in a game to be forgotten. Newport were prepared to play a long ball game to their very tall striker and too may Ton players had an off day.

There were five changes in the Rhondda bulldogs 14 from the game against Ely, with the return of the very experienced Ian French included in the starting 11, he was played to counteract the threat of Sommers the 6 foot 7 inch Newport striker. From the kick off the game was very physical and Newport were intent on launching high balls forward from all aspects of play. The Ton defence on the whole coped well.

It took 20 minutes before Ton made the keeper save, Clarke broke out of defence and forced James in the Newport goal to save with his feet. Two minutes later Rees volleyed a shot goalwards, again the YMCA keeper was good enough to make a save.

Ton took the lead in the 26th minute, a free kick on the Ton right was headed on by Jamie Michaels, the ball fell to defender Scott Hayward who calmly side footed the ball home. Within five minutes Newport had two good shots at goal, with Sommers shooting across the goal.

Marty Ellacott kept the Merlin Sponsored Ton Pentre in the game five minutes before half time, a shot was hit fiercely low and to his right, Ellacott dived and got his hand to the ball and saved what looked like a certain goal. Three minutes later Ton extended their lead, it was the best move of the match that created the goal. The ball was played down the right to Dale Price, who with slide rule precision got the ball to Michaels, he beat two defenders and who hit his shot against the post, Tony Rees followed up and put the ball into the net. With half time only a couple of minutes away Ton could have gone further ahead, when top scorer Alyn Jones was one on one with the keeper, Jones’ shot was saved by the Newport James. This was the last real effort of the half, Ton going in 2-0 up.

Within twp minutes of the restart Ton had to make a change, injured Jones was replaced by Plant. The opening period saw the home side putting Ton under great pressure, with Newport having the better of the play, the Bulldogs were not able to play their normal passing game. Newport got their reward in the 73rd minute when Aaron Stewart scored, Ton failed to clear the ball and Stewart took his chance to make the game 1-2.

Ton made another change following the goal, Orchard replaced Mathews who had again covered every part of the pitch. Newport were now very much in the game and were chasing the equaliser. With 15 minutes to go the third substitute was used by Ton, Jamie Bradford replaced Rees.

In the 80th minute super sub, Orchard scored his seventh goal of the season, Michaels got in behind the Newport defence, Orchard was screaming for the ball across the area, Michaels delivered a great pass to Orchard who volleyed the ball home. This restored their two goal lead.

With six minutes to go Newport went down to 10 men, when their substitute was shown a red card after a fracas where about 10 players were involved. A couple of minutes later Sommers scored Newport’s second and final goal, again a mistake allowed Newport to get the ball to Sommers who took his chance.            

The game ended 3-2 to Ton Pentre, this was another inept performance by Ton, too many players had off days. It is fortunate Marty Ellacott is in such good form, he certainly kept the Bulldogs in this game!

Every player will have to at their best for the next two games against Neath and Afan Lido, Neath are top of the league and are in superb form and will be looking to help knock the bulldogs back down the league. Then on the 19th, Ton entertain Afan Lido at Ynys Park, another side who are flying at the moment.

There have been a few changes to the Ton Fixture list over the next few weeks:-

Saturday 16th December, Neath Ath, Away, 2:00;

Tuesday  19th December, Afan Lido, Home, 7:30.             

Ton Pentre: 1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch, 3. Phil Clarke, 4. Scott Hayward (1), 5. Ian French, 6. Lee Mathews (Jamie Bradford), 7. Jamie Michaels, 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Tony Rees (1) (Kristian Orchard), 10. Dale Price, 11. Alyn Jones (Raith Plant). Subs: 12. Kristian Orchard (1), 14. Raith Plant, 15. Jamie Bradford.

Saturday 2 December 2006 

Ton Pentre 3 - 2 Ely Rangers           

A tremendous second half fight back saw Ton Pentre snatch a win from the jaws of defeat. Ely went into half time with a 2-0 lead. Whatever was said at half time in the Merlin sponsored home sides dressing room did the trick.           

The game was played in very difficult conditions, the field was very heavy and the game started with a torrential downpour followed by hail. However, the home side settled quickly and took the game to Ely. And it was Ton who had the ball in the net early on, when a ball from Alyn Jones was flicked into the Ely net by Dwayne Mardenborough, however Mardenborough was offside.           

In the 21st minute the visitors made a quick break and they played their way into the Ton area, the move was only stopped when an Ely player was brought down by a Ton defender, the referee awarded a penalty. Ely’s Graham Cummings took the spot kick, he struck the ball low to his right, the ball went in off the post, giving Ely a 1-0 lead. Marty Ellacott had no chance in the Ton goal.            

This goal gave the visitors a lift, a minute later Ellacott was called into action when Ely’s Matthew Trottman forced Ellacott to pull of a wonderful save. Then in the 26th minute Ely went 2-0 up. Ely were awarded a free kick 22 yards out to left of the Ton goal. Trottman took the kick and he struck a powerful shot to the right of Ellacott, the ball was in the net before the Ton keeper could move.            

The Ely side were now brimming with confidence and were dominant for the rest of the half and in fairness they did not try and defend the lead, they played a high defensive line and tried to get another goal. However, the Rhondda Bulldogs kept the game to 2-0 at half time. Ely’s open play was possibly their down fall in the second half!

Pictured above are Ton's Dwayne Mardenborough (left) and Alyn Jones (right)    

At half time Ton made two changes when Phil Clarke and Gareth Picknell replaced Rob Blatchford and Phil Allen, from the start of the half, Ton took the game to Ely and pressed them back into their half, Alyn Jones was unlucky when his shot hit the crossbar and went over, this was followed by a good effort by Dale Price.           

The last throw of the dice took place in the 65th minute when Ton made their third substitution Raith Plant replaced the hard working Dwayne Mardenborough. The change had an immediate effect on the game and started an eight minute purple patch for the GUS properties sponsored outfit.           

Plant was involved straightaway he took the ball in behind the Ely defence on the right and slipped the ball to Jones, he beat three players and squared the ball to Price who hit an unstoppable shot to score Ton’s opener. This gave the home side a lifeline and within two minutes Jones again hit the crossbar.            

Plant was again involved in the 71st minute when he took the ball into the Ely penalty area and was brought down, the referee awarded a penalty to the home side. Ton’s top scorer Alyn Jones stepped up and converted the spot kick to make the game all square at 2-2. This was Jones’ 11th goal of the season, the same number as he scored last season to win the top goal scorer.           

Within two minutes Ton took the lead, when a wonderful strike from Phil Clarke proved to be the winning goal, he cut into the penalty area on the corner a hit a curling strike around the Hart in the Ely goal. The Ton players surrounded Clarke and the relief could be felt around Ynys Park.           

It could have been better a few minutes later when Plant side footed the ball towards the goal, it looked like a fourth for Ton, however Hart in the Ely goal made a great save diving low to his left.           

Ely did not give in and they pushed forward to try and get the equaliser, from a corner Ellacott made a desperate save at his front post to maintain the 3-2 lead.

When the final whistle blew there was a big cheer of relief around the ground, Ton got the three points and stay in fourth place. The Rhondda Bulldogs are going to have to play a lot better in future games to get the points, other sides are not going to let slip two goal leads.            

There have been a few changes to the Ton Fixture list over the next few weeks:- 

Saturday 9th December, Newport YMCA, Away, 2:00;

Saturday 16th December, Neath Ath, Away, 2:00;

Tuesday 19th December, Afan Lido, Home, 7:30.             

Ton Pentre:  1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch, 3. Phil Allen (Gareth Picknell), 4. Scott Hayward, 5. Jamie Michaels, 6. Lee Mathews, 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Rob Blatchford (Phil Clarke), 9. Dwayne Mardenborough (Raith Plant), 10. Dale Price (1), 11. Alyn Jones (1).  Subs:  12. Raith Plant, 14. Gareth Picknell, 15. Phil Clarke (1).

Saturday 18 November 2006  

Ton Pentre 0 - 1 Croesyceiliog           

Ton Pentre’s winning run came to an end when a first minute penalty was enough for the visitors to take all three points at a wet Ynys Park. A great display by O’Hagan in the Croesyceiliog goal helped keep a lacklustre Rhondda bulldogs scoreless.           

The visitors opened the scoring in the first minute when Croesyceiliog made a break down the right, they crossed the ball into the penalty area where Ton’s Phil Allen handled the ball and the referee awarded a penalty. Only 45 seconds had been played. Chris Watkins stepped up and slotted the ball past Marty Ellacott in the Ton goal. This proved to be the winning goal.           

Two minutes later Ton did get the ball into the net, the “goal” was ruled out for offside, this was the story of the game. Ton were caught offside more in this game than all the games played this season.            

The first half saw Ton taking the game to the visitors, however there was no penetration and the Merlin Sports of Pontyprodd sponsored side were unable to break down a very well organised defence.           

At half time Ton made a change when Dwayne Mardenborough replaced Kristian Orchard. Within two minutes of the restart Mardenborough was in on goal and O’Hagan pulled off the first of three great saves in the half.  

Ton were dominating the possession and the game without any clear chances. The Bulldogs were being caught offside continually and this was frustrating the Ton faithful. The second Ton substitute was used on the hour when Lee Mathews was replaced by Jamie Bradford. And five minutes later Ton used their last substitute when striker Rob Blatchford replaced centre back Allen. Ton were now playing with four strikers and really pushing for the equalizer.  The pressure was building on the visitors, with Ton winning a number of corners and free kicks but somehow the visitors were getting ball cleared.

Mardenborough was unlucky when he had a shot cleared off the line, Croesyceiliog scrambled a couple of goal bound shots away to safety. However, the visitors were still hitting the long ball into the Ton half and they had a number of free kicks and corners, outstanding in the heart of the Ton defence was Mark Crutch, he did everything he had to do. Croesyceiliog did get one shot on goal and Marty Ellacott was equal to it.            

On 75 minutes Croesyceiliog went down to ten men when Chris Pritchard was shown his second yellow card for foul play, the visitors did not have to change their formation as they had played with ten men behind the ball for most of the game.           

O’Hagan made two superb saves in the last 15 minutes, the first from Dale Price, who struck his shot to the left O’Hagan, he got a hand to it and parried it around for a corner. Then in the dieing minutes Crutch got on the end of a ball from a Ton Corner and again fired the ball goal wards, it looked a goal all the way and the equaliser Ton probably deserved, O’Hagan had other ideas and again pulled off another wonderful save. The game ended with Ton camped in the opposition half. When the referee finally blew up a delighted Croesyceiliog celebrated their hard win.           

This was a game Ton needed to win to maintain their challenge at the top of the table, however it was not to be. 

Next week they travel to an improving Newport YMCA 2:00 kick off, let’s hope they can get back to winning ways!             

Ton Pentre: 1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch , 3. Kristian Orchard (Dwayne Mardenborough), 4. Scott Hayward, 5. Phil Allen (Rob Blatchford), 6. Lee Mathews (Jamie Bradford), 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Raith Plant, 10. Dale Price, 11. Alyn Jones. Subs: 12. Rob Blatchford, 14. Jamie Bradford, 15. Dwayne Mardenborough.

Saturday 11 November 2006 

Barry Town 0 - 3 Ton Pentre 

Ton Pentre continued their great run with an emphatic win against lowly Barry Town at Jenner Park, with goals from top scorer Alyn Jones, Kristian Orchard and substitute Dale Price. This win took Ton up to second in the league three points behind Aberaman with three games in hand.  

The Rhondda Bulldogs should have gone ahead after two minutes when the prolific scorer Alyn Jones missed an easy chance by his standards. Ton dominated the opening encounters and in the 13th minute the referee was at the centre of controversy when Ton’s Dwayne Mardenborough was brought down in the Barry Penalty area, everyone thought it was a penalty, except the official who gave obstruction when Mardenborough had his legs taken from under him. 

The Merlin Sports sponsored team didn’t let this unsettle them and they continued to take the play to Barry. In the 23rd minute came the strangest decision of many a day, a quick Ton break down the right saw the ball crossed to Alyn Jones, who made no mistake and put the ball into the net! However, the assistant and referee decided to wave play on? The assistant did not see the ball cross the line and the referee “thought it was a goal” but did not allow the goal to stand. The Ton players protested, however the game remained no score.  

Barry were working hard however their best player was their young Dan Bradley, a keeper who looks a good prospect for the future.  

The breakthrough came on the stroke of half time, when a flowing move starting with Ryan Shugar who linked with Mardenborough and Jamie Bradford to put Jones into the box, Jones made no mistake this time netting his 10th goal of the season and taking Ton into half time 1-0 up. 

At half time Ton’s Mark Crutch was replaced by Phil Allen due to an injury and the Bulldogs carried on in the second half as they ended the first taking the game to Barry. Then in the 55th minute Alyn Jones took a knock and had to be substituted with Jamie Blatchford replacing him. Ton then made their 3rd change in the 68th minute, when Dale Price replaced the hard working Mardenborough. The Bulldogs made a tactical change when Orchard went up front and Price slotted into the wingback role.           

The change had its rewards seven minutes later when a long ball was headed on by Blatchford to Price who took the ball towards the slowing Barry defence, he returned to Blatchford who squared the ball to Orchard, he calmly slotted the ball home to make it 2-0 with Orchard’s sixth goal of the season.           

Then Price made his mark on the game in the 89th minute, when he intercepted a clearance, he was able to break into the Barry area, he looked up and saw the Barry keeper off his line, Price chipped a sublime ball over Bradley to score the third and final goal.           

This was another well deserved win by a confident GUS Properties sponsored team. Next week Ton Pentre entertain Croesyceiliog at Ynys Park, 18 November, 14:00 kick off.             

Ton Pentre: 1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch, 3.Kristian Orchard (1), 4. Scott Hayward, 5. Gareth Picknell, 6. Lee Mathews, 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Dwayne Mardenborough, 10. Jamie Bradford, 11. Alyn Jones (1).  Subs: 12. Dale Price (1), 14.Jamie Blatchford, 15. Phil Allen.

Saturday 4 November 2006

Ton Pentre 1 - 0 Rhyl

FAW Welsh Cup, Round Three

Ton's Alyn Jones is buried under team-mates celebrating his late winning goal which knocked FAW Welsh Cup holders, Rhyl, out of this season's competition

(Photo courtesy of www.imagevision.co.uk)

Saturday 28 October 2006  

Bridgend 1 - 2 Ton Pentre 

The Rhondda bulldogs made the short journey to play an improving Bridgend Town after three weeks without a league game. Ton had to make a number of changes from the last game, with Phil Allen, Dwayne Mardenborough and Kristian Orchard making the starting line up, due to injuries and suspension. The changes did not make any difference to Ton’s play and they won the game with more ease than the score line suggests. The referee was again at the centre of some controversial decisions, if red and yellow cards were shown to this referee he would not have finished the game!  He was poor for both teams, no wonder players and club officials get frustrated. 

The Coychurch Road pitch was in good condition considering the rain that had fallen, it was however slippery Ton adapted to the conditions very quickly and took the game to Bridgend from the start.  

In he fifth minute a ball was crossed into the Bridgend area by Dwayne Mardenborough, Ton’s Tony Rees jumped to head the ball and was blatantly pushed, there was a “big” shout for a penalty by the players and the Bulldogs faithful around the ground. The referee was well positioned to see the incident, however he waved play on to the dismay of the Ton team.  

Ton kept playing good football considering the very wet conditions, with Ton dominating the play with Conaty prominent. With a great break out of defence Ton’s Shugar shot over in the 15th minute. Alyn Jones was booked in the 18th for something he said. Then Bridgend’s first attempt was a weak shot by Huggins in the 19th minute. Another yellow card was shown to Mainwaring of Bridgend.            

On the half hour Idzy in the Bridgend goal pulled of a superb save from Conaty, he hit the ball from 40 yards and it was going into the top right and corner of post and crossbar, Idzy got a hand to it pushed the ball around for a corner. It was a wonderful shot and save. Following this Ashley of Bridgend was shown a yellow card for a bad challenge.           

The rest of the half was Ton’s and Bridgend offered very little offensive pressure. Jones, Mardenborough and Rees were prominent and got a number of shots towards the Bridgend goal. With the game scoreless at half time the Ton fans were wondering if this would be one of those games that Ton would dominate and not get the three points?  

Pictured (left) Mark Crutch heads clear for Ton; and (right) Kristian Orchard challenges in midfield for Ton.

Then within two minutes of the restart the Merlin sponsored Ton Pentre went 1-0 up, a corner from the Ton right was not cleared by a static Bridgend defence, Tony Rees quickly got onto the ball and scored from two yards. This was a well deserved lead, what followed was controlled football by the visitors. Then in the 52nd minute Ton’s Lee Mathews was shown a Yellow card, for bad challenge.  

Ton’s keeper and Captain Marty Ellacott was called into action for the first time in the 55th minute when a speculative shot from Bridgend’s Mainwaring was easily saved.            

On 56 minute’s Healey of Bridgend was rightly shown a red card for striking Ton’s Mardenborough, the latter was also shown a yellow card for flicking his foot at Healey in retaliation. The Assistant referee saw the incident and helped the referee with his decision.  

Ton were now in control of the game and were awarded a disputed penalty in the 68th minute when the referee saw Ton’s Orchard brought down in the area. He was the only one who saw it, Alyn Jones Ton’s top scorer stepped up and converted the spot kick, with his shot going into the net off the cross bar, 2-0 to Ton and they were cruising until in the 85th minute when a rare lapse at the back a allowed Bridgend to get a shot at Ellacott who made a wonderful save, the ball fell to Fahiya at the edge of the area, the Ton defence were slow to get to him, Fahiya hit the ball into the Ton net giving Ellacott no chance. This gave Bridgend some hope and they pressed forward, during which the not to be forgotten referee booked Ton’s Shugar.           

The remaining eight minutes including stoppage time were a little nervy, however Ton defended their line resolutely and won the game. This was a game the Bulldogs deserved to win, and the win has moved them up to fifth place with games in hand over all the teams above them.           

This Ton side seem to have shaken off the nightmare of last season and look like a side that can have a tremendous season. However, this week it’s back to cup action in the Welsh Cup with a game against Welsh Premier side Rhyl at Ynys Park, 2:30 kick off. Rhyl are the cup holders and are one of the top sides in Welsh football. For Ton to get anything out of the game they are going to have to be at their best in what has been reported to be the tie of the round, so much so S4C are televising their flagship programme Y Clwb Pel Droed from Ynys Park.             

Ton Pentre: 1. Marty Ellacott, 2. Mark Crutch, 3.  Kristian Orchard, 4. Scott Hayward, 5. Phil Allen, 6. Lee Mathews, 7. Ryan Shugar, 8. Steve Conaty, 9. Tony Rees (1) (Blatchford 68), 10. Dwayne Mardenborough (Clarke 88), 11. Alyn Jones  1  (Docherty 83). Subs: 12. Phil Clarke, 14. Jamie Blatchford, 15. Mathew Docherty.

Sunday 8 October 2006 

Pontardawe 0 - 1 Ton Pentre 

Ton Pentre went home to the Rhondda with the three points after wonderful performance by captain Marty Ellacott in the Ton goal. He made four crucial saves in the first half, one of which from a penalty, to keep Ton in the game. 

The playing surface was in good condition and the home side had a strong wind at their backs in the first half. However it was the Rhondda side that started the stronger, with the opening shots from Price and Rees. Then in the 10th minute Pontardawe started to get better possession and the game was evenly balanced.  

In the 22nd minute a flowing move by the Rhondda Bulldogs saw Pontardawe clear the ball off the goal line. The move started when Dale Price played in Lee Mathews, who in turn squared the ball to Tony Rees, he got around the keeper and hit a good shot towards the net, however there were enough Pontardawe cover on the line to clear the ball. two minutes later Tons’ Jamie Bradford fired wide of the upright.  

In the 25th minute Marty Ellacott kept the Merlin Sponsored Rhondda Bulldogs in the game. A poor clearance from the Ton defence allowed Davies to get the ball and hit a powerful shot goal wards, Ellacott pulled off a wonderful save on the line and parried the ball out, the ball was played back in and Hayward handled the ball in the area trying to clear. The referee gave a penalty and showed Hayward a yellow card. Darren Griffiths placed the ball on the spot and hit a low drive just inside Ellacott’s right hand post, he was at full stretch and got both hands to the ball to save and push it away from the line, he then collected the ball at the second attempt with Griffiths following up his attempt. After this Ellacott pulled off another two great saves as the Ton defence was a unusually shaky. 

It was not all Pontardawe Ton also had chances to score when Conaty broke through and Jones made Snell in the home side goal pull of a couple of good saves. The game could have been 3-3 at half time however good goal keeping from Ellacott and Snell kept the game 0-0 at half time. 

The second half saw a different Ton side! The defence settled quickly and the visitors controlled the game in the second period. Prominent throughout was Jamie Bradford who with Shugar, Price and Conaty taking the game to Pontardawe. On the hour Ton’s manager Richards made two substitutions, Blatchford and last week’s cup hero Orchard replaced Rees and Jones up front. This change of tactic was the turning point with the two big substitutes pressurising the home defence in the air and their speed and endeavour closing down the home side, forcing them deeper into their half. This period had Shugar and Price going close. 

The break through came in the 70th minute when Price and Blatchford combined to play in Bradford, he beat the defender and got his low shot on target, the keeper got down and half stopped the ball but there was enough power in the shot for the ball to go over his body and roll agonisingly over the line to give Ton the lead and the eventual winner. 

From the goal it was then a professional display by an improving Rhondda side, in the 85th minute Doherty replaced Mathews. Ton defended from the front, keeping the ball in the home side’s final third with Orchard and Blatchford chasing everything down. Bradford was everywhere and had another half chance before the end. With five minutes of stoppage time played the referee blew his whistle to end the game. 

This was a great team performance and a hard won three points for Ton, not many teams will go to Pontardawe and win. The performance in the second half demonstrated that the GUS sponsored side are capable of pushing hard for the title this year if they can play to their full potential.

The Welsh Cup third round draw has paired Ton with Rhyl the current cup holders at Ynys Park on the 4th November, many people are stating this is the tie of the round. S4C are going to be at the game televising the fourth round draw live from the Ton Pentre social club after the game on Pel Droed.         

Ton are without a game this week.            

Ton Pentre: 1 Marty Ellacott, 2 Mark Crutch, 3 Scott Hayward, 4 Dale Price, 5 Gareth Picknell, 6 Jamie Bradford (1), 7 Ryan Shugar, 8 Steve Conaty, 9 Tony Rees (Blatchford), 10 Lee Mathews (Mathew Doherty), 11 Alyn Jones (Orchard), Subs: 12 Mathew Doherty, 14 Jamie Blatchford, 15 Kristian Orchard

Saturday 23 September 2006

Dinas Powys 2 - 2 Ton Pentre 

THE nine men of Ton Pentre gave a battling and gutsy performance to get a point at Dinas Powys. The game was expected to be difficult and that's how it turned out, with the Rhondda Bulldogs going down to nine men when they had two players sent off, one in each half. The Merlin Sports sponsored side took the lead and only got one point from a game they more than deserved to win. The game was spoiled by the inconsistency of the referee, something that is becoming a trend in the Welsh League again this season.

Ton welcomed back team captain Andrew Seburn from injury and new stand in keeper Andrew Koweleski. It took Ton only five minutes to create their first chance when Top scorer Alyn Jones got in behind the Dinas Powys defence. However, he could not keep is shot down and it flew over the bar.

The first blow to Ton came in the eighth minute when Seburn pulled up with a recurring injury and had to be replaced by Jamie Bradford. His loss made the Ton midfield a little lightweight. However, all the football was played throughout by the visitors. They forced Dinas back during the first quarter of the game and the home side were lucky to keep the game at 0-0 with Crutch and Jones going close, and Conaty hitting the post.

Dinas were becoming dangerous on the break, and in the 23rd minute Koweleski pulled off a great save when he dived bravely in front of the onrushing Dinas forwards to parry the ball away.

In the 24th minute Alyn Jones was shown a yellow card for dissent, a couple of minutes later he was on the score sheet. A mistake by Blackwell in the Dinas defence presented the ball to Jones just outside the area, Ton's player of the month for August chipped the ball over Cusheri in the Dinas goal to score his seventh goal in eight games.

Ton could only keep the lead for five minutes when Dinas' right-sided defender, Probis, a superb looping shot from 20 yards over a helpless Koweleski.

With game at 1-1, the referee started to make his mark. When Ton’s Lee Mathews was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle, Dinas' Cowan, who had been fouled, took the law into his own hands and hit out at Mathews. The referee, inexplicably showed Cowen a yellow.

A few minutes later Mathews made a rash challenge and was given his second yellow card followed by a red. Ton were down to ten men. The last seven minutes of the half was edgy but the Bulldogs got in at half time 1-1.

Six minutes into the second half the game took another bad turn for Ton, when Jones was shown his second yellow for dissent and was then asked to leave the field. So the visitors were down to nine men. Then there was another hotly contested decision, as big Dinas defender Kinsey brought down Blatchford it appeared to be at least two yards inside the penalty area. The referee gave the free kick outside the box, another decision going against the visitors.

The Ton players dug in and then out performed Dinas from this moment on, playing the better football and making the better of the chances with Ryan Shugar firing over.

Then midway through the half with Ton needing fresh legs, manager Richards used his last two substitutes. With Blatchford and Doherty replacing Rees and Bradford, it certainly did the trick. Blatchford was a thorn in the home side from the outset. He then went on and scored Ton’s second goal through pure endeavour. With five players around him in the penalty area, he somehow got the ball past them and then slotted the ball through legs off Cusheri in the Dinas goal.

Dinas tried to break Ton down, but the Bulldogs were not giving anything away with Hayward, Crutch and Picknell prominent at the back for Ton. Then Dinas were awarded a free kick to the left of the Ton area. Round