On arrival at Pontardawe Town’s Recreation Ground there was a degree of doubt as to whether this game was going to take place due to the amount of surface water on the pitch.
Match Referee Wayne Stephens made a meticulous inspection of the field of play and decided that the ball was running freely and that the surface under foot was firm.
It was a good decision as despite the conditions there was some fine football on display.
The first of two notable incidents in the first half saw the Rhondda Bulldogs come closest to scoring.
In the 9th minute some excellent build up play between Chris Jones and Alyn Jones cut a hole in the middle of defence. Alyn Jones took a useful looking shot at goal but former Wales under-18 goalkeeper Mark Snell was able to block the effort. Ian Jones was unable to find the back of the net on the rebound, scuffing his strike wide of the goal post.
With half time quickly approaching more good movement opened up an opportunity for Ton Pentre to take the lead when Phil Clarke, Ian Jones and Alyn Jones linked up well to create an opening for Chris Jones. After a firm strike of the ball Jones looked on as Snell dived to make a good save and deny the Bulldogs.
Ton continued to create chances during the second half but Pontardawe enjoyed more of the game and as a result put the Bulldogs under pressure on several occasions.
On 53 minutes Vinny Wattleworth found himself one-on-one with Richard Jeffries. He looked odds on to give Pontardawe the lead but he struck the ball wide of Jeffries right post.
Brilliant defending from Ryan Morgan helped to stop Ton Pentre from conceding in the 64th minute after possession was lost in midfield allowing Pontardawe through. Morgan managed to get a last ditch block on the shot before booting the ball to safety.
The Ton Captain was called into action again six minutes later when he cleared the ball off the goal line for a corner after Jeffries was beaten by an opposition player’s strike.
Pressure was mounting and with the resulting corner kick the hosts nearly found the back of the net again. Jeffries missed the ball at his near post leaving several Ton players to frantically block the ball on the line from a barrage of Pontardawe strikes. Somehow the Bulldogs survived this scare, however, there was more to come.
With the match inside the last 10 minutes of play Jeffries was forced into pulling off a heroic save when he denied what appeared to be a certain goal. He pounced across his line to save the ball with his right hand to deny Pontardawe a victory.
At full-time both teams appeared happy with a point apiece knowing that this was a good result, particularly in poor conditions.
History was made in this match as for the first time a Father and Son have represented Ton Pentre on the playing field. Liam Hutchinson is the son of Carl Thomas, who due to injuries and unavailability was in the squad to face Pontardawe Town. Carl, who had retired from playing two seasons ago before providing some much needed back-up since January, was introduced into the match as a substitute in the 62nd minute. Liam’s Uncle Mark Thomas and Grandfather Roy Thomas have also represented the Bulldogs.
Next match: Ton Pentre v Croesyceiliog on Saturday 14th March at 2.30pm.
Wales Internationals visit Ton Pentre
Former Welsh internationals from the world of football and rugby will be appearing at Ton Pentre AFC Social Club on Friday 27th March 2009. The sports dinner features radio and television pundits, Leighton James and Brynmor Williams, who’ll be talking about their time playing at the highest level and taking questions from the floor. The event is kindly sponsored by Alun Jones Family Law Solicitors (www.ajonesfamilylaw.com).
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
