Sloppy defending by Ton Pentre helped Ento Aberaman Athletic gain the win that they needed to elevate themselves into the Welsh Premier League.
However, their search for the Welsh League Division One title continues as they only required a top two finish for promotion and with Barry Town losing 2-0 to Newport YMCA the night before this was achieved with the three points won against the Rhondda Bulldogs.
Aberaman made a jittery start to this match allowing Ton Pentre to get their noses in front with early first half chances, none of which the Bulldogs were able to convert.
On the half hour mark the Ton defence collapsed as Aberaman were allowed too much time on the ball, the result of which saw former Goytre United marksman Richard Ryan strike the back of the net from inside the box.
The goal dispersed any lingering nerves and the home team looked more settled on the ball.
Five minutes before half time Ryan found himself bearing down on goal once again when he was released by a lovely reverse pass by a team mate but the hotshot fired the ball straight at Ton goalkeeper Richard Jeffries, who held on well to the effort.
Moments later both Andrew Hughes and Alyn Jones showed fantastic spirit to battle for the ball near the Aberaman corner flag which led to Shane Brewer being presented with a chance to strike from outside of the box. His powerful shot was fumbled by Neil Collins but the Aberaman goalkeeper was able to gather the ball before any Ton player managed to get near it.
With just three minutes of the second half played, Richard Ryan got himself goal side of Jamie Thomas to run inside the 18-yard box. The young Ton defender made a superb recovery to catch Ryan and make a well timed sliding tackle to stop the player from having an opportunity to score.
Soon after Jamie Thomas was sacrificed as Manager Kevin Richards decided to add another striker to his front line in search of an equaliser. Veteran Carl Thomas took the field and looked quite sharp.
Aberaman won a 59th minute corner kick from which Dean Morris was left unmarked in the box leaving the former Bulldog player to easily head in his team’s second goal of the match.
Ton’s heads dropped and were guilty of wasting possession, however, Carl Thomas provided a glimmer of hope in the 73rd minute when he received a pass from Chris Jones on the right. Thomas suddenly found himself in space to shoot but he wasn’t able to get enough power into his shot providing Collins with a simpler save than what he was expecting.
Just over ten minutes later the Bulldogs were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Aberaman box when one of the opposition’s defenders handled it on the ground whilst under pressure.
Ian Jones saw his strike rifle into the net after getting a slight deflection on the way past the Aberaman wall.
Aberaman suddenly looked nervous again but they coped well under pressure and were looking to kill time by running into the corners.
Mattie Davies came within inches of adding a third Aberaman goal deep inside injury time when he ran onto a long ball but Jeffries was equal to his well hit shot to parry it and Phil Clarke swept the ball away to safety.
At the final whistle the joy around Aberaman Park was evident as the Cynon Valley outfit can now look forward to Welsh Premier League football next season.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will look to finish the 2008/2009 season with a win at Cold Bath Road on Saturday 9th May as they travel to relegation threatened Caerleon. Kick off is at 2.30pm.
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
VACANCIES
At the end of this current season our Chairman, Bryan Bees and Secretary, Stuart Jones will be stepping down from their positions.
Therefore, Ton Pentre AFC are looking for an ambitious duo to fill these very important roles and to take the club forward.
We are looking for interested and capable individuals to come forward and fill the following vacancies:
Football Club Chairman
Football Club Secretary
If you are not interested in one of the above posts we also require people to step forward and offer their services to boost the Football Committee in order to make Ton Pentre AFC as strong as possible.
We need your skills, input and ideas to ensure the future of our club and build upon our already rich and distinguished history.
It doesn’t matter how small a job it is that you can do, Ton Pentre AFC needs you.
Contact via email
tonpentresec@aol.com
tonpentreafc@aol.com
bryanbees@aol.com
tonmatchmag@aol.com
Postal Addresses
Mr S Jones, 29 Lloyd Street, Gelli, Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF41 7NQ
Ton Pentre AFC Clubhouse, Ynys Park, Llanfoist Road, Ton Pentre, Pentre, Rhondda Cynon Taf, CF41 7AF
Telephone
Bryan Bees: 01443 434860; Stuart Jones: 07772 313563; Clubhouse: 01443 432813
