This was the first time in four home matches that we have scored against Goytre. We’ve suffered three defeats, 5-0, 4-0 and 2-0 so it was nice to finally break our duck. Sean Hanbury played up front in place of the transferred Mark Jones with Shane Williams being restored to left back.

We forced an early corner which we played short but lost the ball, Shane Williams with an excellent tackle regained possession on the half way line. Our first opportunity to take the lead actually came after a Goytre free kick. It sailed harmlessly through to Steve Cann who immediately played the ball forward to the unmarked Sacha Walters. Sacha went down the right and crossed the ball in for Sean Hanbury but somehow he failed to get a touch and the keeper cleared. Goytre then attacked but the defence was solid and it resulted in a shot from outside the area sailing over the bar. Luke Prosser of Goytre was sent off for a foul on Cai Owens on 10 minutes and 3 minutes later we took the lead. Elliot Thomas crossed the ball into the area and the keeper fumbled it and it fell for Liam McCreesh. The keeper tried to retrieve the situation but the ball went to Sean Hanbury and he made no mistake from a couple of yards. In a rare Goytre attack Carlos Indjai chested the ball in the penalty area and then drove forward 20yards before releasing his pass. Lido were allowed to dominate possession by Goytre who packed their defence making it difficult to create any clear-cut openings. Just before the interval Shane Williams again won the ball and found Sacha Walters whose run down the right opened up the defence but a poor pass saw the ball go through to the keeper. Right on half time Goytre finally had a shot on goal when Lewis Sommers found some space but his shot was easily held by Steve Cann.

In the opening minutes of the second half Carl Evans cleared a Goytre attack and found Elliot Thomas but his shot lacked power and didn’t trouble the keeper. We finally scored the second on 49 minutes, we were awarded a free kick which we took quickly and caught out the Goytre defence. The ball was played to the unmarked Liam McCreesh and his low shot across the keeper went just inside the far post. The third goal was scored by Cai Owens on 57 minutes, Sean Hanbury crossed the ball beyond the far post and Cai headed it back across goal high over the keeper giving him no chance. On 64 minutes Liam McCreesh almost had a second, the keeper cleared the ball straight to him 35 yards out. With the keeper well out of his goal Liam shot first time at the empty goal but the ball went just the wrong side of the post. Carlos Indjai almost increased the lead when his far post header from a free kick went just wide. A rare Goytre attack saw Steve Cann make a great save from a powerful shot turning the ball out for a corner. On 75 minutes there was a great moment for youth team player Jack Todd who scored his first senior goal. Liam McCreesh intercepted a Goytre clearance and found Elliot Thomas on the right. Elliot cut into the penalty area and played a square ball for Jack to score. No more goals but a dominant performance against a good side, admittedly struggling due to the sending off.

Lido side

Steve Cann – 2 Cai Owens – 3 Shane Williams – 4 Carl Evans – 5 Carlos Indjai – 6 Josh Doyle – 7 Elliot Thomas – 8 Liam McCreesh – 9 Sean Hanbury – 10 Andre Griffiths – 11 Sacha Walters

Subs - 12 Josh Webber for Sacha Walters 71 - 14 Jack Todd for Sean Hanbury 71 - 
15 Taylor Evans - 16 Jack Fleming for Liam McCreesh 79 -17 Leigh de Vulgt

The Under 19’s maintained their 100% home record with a win over second placed Ely Rangers. All the goals came in an entertaining first half, mainly thanks to the Ely Rangers keeper there was no addition to the score after the break. Jack Hurley made a welcome return while Sean Hanbury had a runout up front with Jack Todd out ill.

Ely Rangers made the early running and Aaron Jones was quickly called into action to twice make important clearances outside the area as the speedy Ely forwards caused problems. After 10 minutes we cleared an Ely attack and Jack Hurley found Sean Hanbury down the right. He cut in and shot from outside the box, the Ely keeper saved it but fumbled it and the ball went out for a Lido corner. Ely should have taken the lead on 12 minutes when they attacked down the right crossed the ball in but from 10 yards their player shot over the bar when he should at least have hit the target. Lido responded with an excellent move involving several players before the keeper made a fine save diving to his right. Again, the Ely keeper prevented us from taking the lead with another fine save. Back came Ely and a cross wasn’t dealt with at the back and Aaron Jones made a great save from a powerful from no more than 8 yards. Finally, on 26 minutes we took the lead, Jack Hurley received the ball in the penalty area, beat a player and hit an unstoppable shot from 10 yards. We led for only 3 minutes, Ely attacked down the right and the ball was crossed low into the box with an Ely player arriving late to drill the ball into the net from 12 yards. On 36 minutes we had a chance to retake the lead but put a free header wide then on 41 minutes we got the goal. Following a throw on the left Sean Hanbury hit a powerful shot across the keeper and into the far corner. Two minutes later it was 3-1 and after all his good work this one was down to a mistake by the keeper. We attacked down the right and he came out to the edge of the area to close us down leaving the goal unattended. The ball was crossed to Azeem Arshad who fired it in to give us some breathing space. There was still time for the Ely keeper to again make a fine diving save turning the ball behind for a corner which was played across the area with no-one getting a touch.

In a repeat of the start of the first half Ely attacked and Aaron Jones was forced to clear. His long ball forward saw the Ely keeper race out of his area to clear with a couple of Lido players closing in on him. We forced a couple of corners which came to nothing then on 67 minutes a Sean Hanbury shot took a deflection and once again the Ely keeper dived to his right to make the save. Ely pushed forward and started to again look dangerous with one shot hitting the top of the bar but they lacked the speed and intensity of their first half performance. On 80 minutes they almost had a way back into the game, a 35 yard free kick bounced in front of Aaron Jones who couldn’t hold it but they couldn’t take advantage of it and we cleared the ball. Azeem Arshad should have made it four with five minutes to go when he latched on to a great through ball but the keeper dashed out and closed him down and he wasn’t able to get the ball past the keeper. In the closing stages Aaron Jones made a comfortable save from a long range shot before Ely had a player sent off right on time for a bad challenge out on the touchline.

An important win against on times an impressive Ely Rangers side to put us 9 points ahead with games in hand.

Lido side – Aaron Jones – 2 Jamie Austin – 3 Matthew Andrews – 4 Evan Daley –  5 Luke Evans –

6 Taylor Evans – 7 Jake Simeone – 8 Jack Hurley – 9 Sean Hanbury – 10 Charlie Hamer –

11 Azeem Arshad

Subs – 12 Jamie Karnsang for Taylor Evans 78 – 14 Hakeem Al-Hadi for Charlie Hamer 78 –

15 Jordan Downs – 16 Lewis Clement for Sean Hanbury 90 +2 – 17 Kieran Burridge

Goals Jack Hurley 26, Sean Hanbury 41 and Azeem Arshad 43

A bizarre own goal two minutes from time saw Llanelli suffer their first home defeat of the season. Two Llanelli players were sent off, goalkeeper Scott Coughlan who brought Sacha Walters down 30 yards from goal and Joe Clarke for a foul on Josh Webber. Carlos Indjai and Cai Owens returned after missing last week’s game but Alex Gammond was suspended after being sent off last week.

Llanelli attacked from the kick off but we defended well and cleared the ball however it was then played wide to James Loveridge but his shot hit the side netting. Our first attack saw Cai Owens and Elliot Thomas combine down the right and play it to Sacha Walters, he cut inside and from 25 yards tried to curl the ball inside the far post. The ball went inches the wrong side of the post with Coughlan beaten. Carl Evans did well to head a dangerous cross out for a corner as Llanelli built up the pressure. On 20 minutes a Lido attack broke down and Llanelli attacked but once again we defended well with several crosses and through balls blocked. Cai Owens put in a great cross on 27 minutes which a Llanelli defender just managed to touch away from Mark Jones. Elliot Thomas recovered the ball by the corner flag and he also put in a searching cross which was knocked behind for a corner. Then on 29 minutes a through ball for Sacha Walters saw Scott Coughlan charge out of his area and take Sacha out resulting in a straight red card., defender Lee Bevan took over in goal. We tested him with a few crosses, most of which he held We had our best chance of the half on 35 minutes, Elliot Thomas cut out a through ball, took it forward a couple of yards before playing a great ball for Mark Jones. Mark got into the area but as he went to shoot a great defensive tackle cleared the ball.

Lido started the second half with a couple of corners and Llanelli had some difficulty in clearing the ball but they were helped when Mark Jones was flagged offside. On the hour a James Loveridge shot took a deflection but Steve Cann reacted brilliantly to keep the ball out. On 66 minutes we went behind, Llanelli had a free kick 30 yards out and for once we failed to clear it. The ball rebounded to Rob Thomas who scored with a right footed shot. The lead didn’t last long however as two minutes later Sean Hanbury crossed the ball in and a poor defensive header set the ball up for Mark Jones to power a header past Bevan in the goal. Josh Webber replaced Sacha Walters on 73 minutes and his pace obviously worried the Llanelli defence as almost immediately he was fouled resulting inn Chris Thomas being sent off. From this point Llanelli’s main threat was going to come from dead ball situations and they won several free kicks which we cleared. Shane Williams replaced Andre Griffiths on 86 minutes and two minutes later we were ahead. The ball was played wide to Shane on the half way line, he went on a run down the touchline with three Llanelli players covering him. 15 yards from the goal line he crossed the ball low into the box and substitute Chris Thomas and keeper Lee Bevan got themselves in a tangle with the ball rebounding off Thomas into the empty net. Again, Llanelli won several free kicks in an effort to find an equaliser but the defence held firm with Josh Webber as an outlet to take the ball forward at speed. Deep into added on time Lee Trundle almost found an equaliser, he cut in from the right and on his favoured left foot shoot from just inside the area. Steve Cann did extremely well to dive low to his left to push the ball away, Llanelli picked up the loose ball but again good defending saw us clear and hold on for the three points much to the annoyance of the home support.

Lido side

Steve Cann – 2 Cai Owens – 3 Sean Hanbury – 4 Carl Evans – 5 Carlos Indjai – 6 Josh Doyle – 7 Elliot Thomas – 8 Liam McCreesh – 9 Mark Jones – 10 Andre Griffiths – 11 Sacha Walters

Subs – 12 Josh Webber for Sacha Walters 73 – 14 Taylor Evans – 15 Kieran Parsons – 16 Shane Williams for Andre Griffiths 86 -17 Leigh de Vulgt

A minutes silence was held before the kick off for Mitchell Joseph who died while playing for St. Josephs in Swansea last week. Carlos Indjai and Cai Owens were missing from last week’s side with Alex Gammond and Andre Griffiths returning to the starting line up. Kieran Cullen’s ban is up so he and Shane Williams returned to the bench. Former players Chris Curtis and Chris Allen started for Cwmamman.Cwmamman started the better of the two sides and put us under pressure from the off. On 7 minutes they were awarded a free kick just outside the area, the ball was played to the far post and with great difficulty we cleared the ball. Luckily for us no Cwmamman player managed to get a touch and turn the ball in. We started to get into the game and on 17 minutes took the lead. The ball was played over the defence for Sacha Walters to run on to it and shoot high into the net before Chris Curtis could close him down. Cwmamman broke from a Lido corner and it took a great block from Steve Cann to deny them an equaliser. We went two up on 28 minutes with a piece of magic from Mark Jones. Again the ball was played through the middle for Mark to run on to, he had a defender in tow and Chris Curtis closing him down. He went around Chris but was forced wide but from a couple of yards he back heeled the ball just inside the far post. Three minutes later it should have been 3-0, some great passing and movement put Josh Webber in space, he crossed for Sacha Walters and from no more than 4 yards he blazed his shot out of the ground when it was easier to score. The game turned in the final 10 minutes of the half when Jordan Vickers was sent off for a challenge with Sacha Walters who was booked. We again should have scored a third but Elliot Thomas shot wide after being set up by Josh Webber. Mark Jones had a header cleared as we looked to make our advantage count. However right on half time we lost our man advantage when Alex Gammond saw red for bringing down an attacker just outside the area, he was adjudged to be the last man and had to go.

In comparison to an eventful first half the second appeared to have been affected by Alex Gammond’s red card. For much of the half it seemed as though the sides were going through the motions and the competitive element was missing for long periods. Shane Williams had replaced Sacha Walters at half time and his attacking down the left caused problems for Cwmamman. For much of the half there was little goalmouth action but on 68 minutes Josh Webber was fouled, it looked inside the area but we were awarded a free kick just outside. In the latter part of the game Cwmamman attacked but they didn’t create a goal scoring opportunity. Liam McCreesh tried to catch Chris Curtis out with 5 minutes to go, we were awarded a free kick just outside the area and he hit the free kick just under the crossbar. Chris managed to punch the ball clear and Cwmamman attacked again but shooting wide when well placed. Finally they got a goal 2 minutes into added on time but they ran out of time in looking for an equaliser.

Lido side

Steve Cann – 2 Josh Doyle – 3 Sean Hanbury – 4 Carl Evans – 5 Alex Gammond – 6 Sacha Walters – 7 Elliot Thomas –

8 Liam McCreesh – 9 Mark Jones – 10 Andre Griffiths – 11 Josh Webber

Subs – 12 Shane Williams for Sacha Walters 45 – 14 Kieran Cullen for Josh Webber 81 – 15 Jack Todd for Mark Jones 86 – 16 Jack Fleming – 17 Leigh de Vulgt

A good performance on a poor pitch, once we scored the second there was no doubt that we’d come home with the three points. Cai Owens and Carl Evans returned after their one match ban while Alex Gammond was on the bench.

We should have gone behind inside the first 45 seconds when a long ball caught us out at the back and Gareth Cullimore ran through but Steve Cann dived to his right to push away the goalbound shot, Carlos Indjai got back to complete the clearance. Our midfield controlled the early part of the game almost setting up several chances but for some last ditch defending and over hit passes. On 27 minutes Liam McCreesh played Mark Jones in on goal but James Smallcombe turned Mark’s shot behind for a corner. Carl Evans met the corner perfectly and powered a header in from 8 yards to give us a deserved lead. Josh Doyle on his fiftieth Welsh League start won a couple of challenges in midfield and tried a long range shot which went over the bar. Josh then played a great ball wide to Sacha Walters who found Liam McCreesh but Liam was adjudged to have fouled the defender and Undy were awarded a free kick. We continued to attack and Mark Jones was just wide with a header as was Josh Webber with a volley. Right on half time Elliot Thomas found Sacha Walters out wide but his cross was too close to the keeper and was out to gather and another chance was lost.

In the first minutes of the second half Mark Jones and Josh Webber combined well to almost set up a chance, the ball was cleared to Elliot Thomas who played it back into the area and Sacha Walters shot first time from just inside the area but the ball went narrowly wide. We continued to be on top but needed a second goal, Undy’s attacks tended to peter out near our area and other than a Dan Jarman long range effort that went over the bar they failed to trouble Steve Cann. Mark Jones made space for himself in the Undy area but just as he was shooting a defender made a block, the ball going out for a corner. Smallcombe in goal just got a fingertip on the cross to knock the ball off Carl Evans’ head as he looked for a second. Undy broke quickly but Cai Owens made a tremendous tackle on the edge of our area knocking the ball out for an Undy corner. Mark Jones appeared to be brought down in the area on 73 minutes but the ref waved play on. However within minutes we got the second goal. Sacha Walters, Liam McCreesh and Josh Webber were involved in the build up. The ball was passed to Mark Jones on the edge of the area and as the defender closed him down he laid the ball off for Elliot Thomas who despite the attentions of the keeper slotted in his sixth goal of the season. The last twenty minutes saw Undy trying to get back into the game without being able to breach our defence.

Lido side

Steve Cann – 2 Cai Owens – 3 Sean Hanbury – 4 Carl Evans – 5 Carlos Indjai – 6 Josh Doyle –

7 Elliot Thomas – 8 Liam McCreesh – 9 Mark Jones – 10 Sacha Walters – 11 Josh Webber

Subs – 12 Andre Griffiths for Josh Webber 65 – 14 Alex Gammond for Carlos Indjai 71 – 15 Jack Todd

– 16 Jack Fleming for Sacha Walters 88 – 17 Leigh de Vulgt