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Following a month of atrocious wet weather Ton Pentre finally returned to action at their Ynys Park home against West End, who had dished out a 6-1 hammering to the Bulldogs in the Nathaniel Car Sales League Cup at the beginning of November.
A solid performance saw Ton Pentre reap sweet revenge on their Swansea based opponents with an exact reversal of the cup match score line between the two Welsh Football League Division One clubs.
Despite a bright start by the Bulldogs such a victory did not appear to be in the pipeline as exchanges were reasonably equal for the majority of the first half.
On 21 minutes Ton goalkeeper Leighton James was forced into making a splendid one-on-one save which denied West End what appeared to be a certain goal.
With ten minutes of the first half remaining Ton Pentre were beginning to get the upper hand on their adversaries and when debutante midfielder Wayne Antoniazzi dinked a lovely ball over the defence it allowed Alyn Jones to run into the box. Jones applied a cool finish to give the Bulldogs the lead.
Three minutes later Antoniazzi was involved once again when a wayward arm of a West End defender made contact with the ball as the Ton midfielder entered the box. The Referee awarded a penalty for handball. Liam Hutchinson, who has re-signed for Ton from local rivals Cambrian & Clydach Vale, took the spot kick but despite hitting it well Nicky Pritchard guessed correctly to make a fine save.
Ton did grab a second goal before break when in first half injury time the Rhondda team were awarded a free kick out wide on the right deep inside the West End half. Hutchinson swung an excellent ball into the box from which Chris Jones took a swipe at goal. As the ball passed through the crowded box it was turned over the line by Andrew Hughes via his knee.
The Bulldogs were quick to add a third within a minute of the second half when Alyn Jones slotted the ball into the net after Sam Baker’s effort had been blocked in the six-yard box.
With West End’s confidence waning Ton Pentre looked to take full advantage and soon made it 4-0 when Hutchinson back flicked the ball to open up play in midfield. As a result Chris Jones was able to gather possession on the left from where he squared a pass into Baker who netted from the edge of the six-yard area.
Alyn Jones was on top form and looking hungry to add to his two goal tally. On 68 minutes Jones did just that when he won possession after tackling a West End defender on the edge of the box.
As he ran into the box the defender attempted to trip him up. As he was losing his balance he managed to shoot but only into the goalkeeper’s arms. However, the Referee decided to bring play back and award a penalty as he must have felt there was not sufficient advantage.
Alyn Jones was quick to grab the ball and take responsibility for the kick. From the spot he sent the keeper the wrong way and notched up a well deserved hat-trick.
Intelligent build-up play helped Ton to their sixth goal as a silky passage of play up the pitch was finished off by Chris Jones who took on a defender before scoring a well placed effort on 74 minutes.
Darren Griffiths grabbed West End’s consolation goal when he was played clean through four minutes later. Despite Leighton James’ best efforts at narrowing the angle he was unable to stop the player for scoring.
The enforced break appeared to revitalise the Bulldogs after getting thrashed in their previous two matches at the beginning of November. Former Aberbargoed Buds player, Wayne Atoniazzi, made an encouraging start to his Ton Pentre career with a fine debut performance and it was an excellent return to Ynys Park for Liam Hutchinson who added an extra dimension to Ton’s play. Most pleasing, however, was Alyn Jones’ hunger which helped him to a well deserved hat-trick.
Ton will look to take the confidence gained from this performance into their match at Bryntirion Athletic on Saturday, 12th December. Kick off is at 2pm.
Ton Pentre: 1. Leighton James; 2. Adam Lewis; 3. Phil Clarke; 4. Martyn Phillips; 5. Ryan Morgan (Captain); 6. Andrew Hughes; 7. Wayne Antoniazzi; 8. Liam Hutchinson; 9. Sam Baker; 10. Chris Jones; 11. Alyn Jones.
Substitutes: 12. Caio Iwan (for 7 on 61mins); 14. Jamie Thomas (for 2 on 73mins); 15. Dominic Broad.
Goals: A.Jones 35, 46, 68 (Pen); Hughes 45+1; Baker 51; C.Jones 74
Booking: Antoniazzi 34
Referee: Mike Davies (Risca)
Match report © Ton Pentre AFC Press
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