The 1st team welcomed Merthyr Saints to a very sunny Cae Gof this afternoon. This was going to be a really tough game for our lads. This Merthyr side are a seasoned Premier Division side who although only beat us 1-0 on the opening day of the season, they gave us a real insight as to what life in this division is all about.
We started the game very well. We had plenty of the ball and were looking very dangerous on the break. We had a great chance to take the lead when following a long clearance from Rhys Fisher the ball fell to Tom Harris and with only the keeper to beat didn’t take a good chance. He made amends soon after though when another long clearance from Rhys that got in behind there defence and Tom this time got his head on the ball to place his header into the net. 2 mins later it was 2 nil. Jinxy was quick to pick up in a loose ball and twisted his marker inside out before smashing a left foot shot into the roof of the net. Merthyr did take control of the rest of the half though. They kept possession well without really creating anything of note. Curtis came close just before halftime with a free kick that just whistled over the bar. Half time 2-0.
We knew that the next goal was going to be crucial in this game. Merthyr certainly had their tails up and were causing us problems. Rhys came up with a couple of great saves to preserve our clean sheet. Our midfield were working hard to contain but Merthyr continued to press us back. We got the vital 3rd goal with 15 mins to go. Another long clearance from Rhys found Rob Symons out wide left and he played a perfect ball across goal into the path of Ioan Clatworthy who finished well to secure us the points. As expected, their heads went as we finally exerted some pressure of our own on them. They were reduced to 10 men late on and that was that. Full time 3-0.
We were nowhere near our best today. Our passing and movement wasn’t great at times but what our boys may of lacked in quality today they more than made up with a desire to win the game. Bodies were put on the line out there this afternoon and ultimately that’s what got us over the line. We dug in when we had to and took our chances when they came. Well done boys ?.
Special thanks today to Mark and TM Galliers who managed to get our pitch in top condition with the aid of a 3 tonne heavy roller (and I don’t mean Jamie Bruno)!! Thanks also to those who came to support the lads today. Your support is most appreciated.