Afan Lido 1 Llantwit Major 2

This was our sixth home defeat of the season with neither side playing any good football in a match spoilt by the strong wind blowing in off the sea. Once again, we failed to make use of it in a first half in which we didn’t manage a shot on target. The nearest was a long-range effort by Noah Daley which hit the crossbar with the keeper way off his line. Our second half performance again lacked any sort of continuity and we fell to two similar goals. Both were played in behind our back four for Anthony Rawlings to run on to.

Major attacked from the kick off and got in behind our back four and should have taken the lead but from a good position they shot over the bar. There were few chances in the first half with an Anthony Rawlings header on 28 minutes which went just wide was one of the few in a half easily forgotten.

We kicked off the second half and Chris Hartland found space on the right of the penalty area but like Major in the first half he couldn’t keep his shot down and it sailed over the bar. On 48 minutes following a Lido free kick Cai Owens from 15 yards shot over the bar. Any hopes that we’d get on top in the second half following this early pressure were soon shattered when a simple ball over the top of the back four saw Anthony Rawlings beat Rory McCreesh to the ball and he had the simple task of slotting the ball into the empty net. Straight from the kick off the visitors again attacked and from a good position shot wide. Around the hour mark we started to put pressure on the Major defence and we equalised on 64 minutes. Chris Hartland tried to play the ball through and there were appeals for a penalty, the ball broke loose and in the confusion Noah Daley netted his sixth goal of the season. In a repeat of their opening goal Major played the ball through the back four for Anthony Rawlings to shoot past Rory McCreesh for the winner on 73 minutes. McCreesh then made a fine save to prevent Kris Evans making it three. At no point in the final fifteen minutes did we look as though we’d salvage a point.

Rory McCreesh  2 Craig Jones  3 James Parry  4 Alex Gammond  5 Cai Owens  6 Ben Thomas  7 Chris Hartland  8 Jack Hurley 9 Mark Jones 10 Noah Daley 11 Jack Fleming

Subs  12 Jack Underwood  for Craig Jones 85 – 14 Patrick Finneral for Jack Fleming 79 – 15 Carlos Indjai for Jack Fleming 68 16 Taylor Evans