Aberystwyth Town vs Caernarfon Town
JD Cymru Premier Tuesday 15th December MATCH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS A busy festive period for Aberystwyth Town gets underway tomorrow night, with the visit of Caernarfon Town to Aberystwyth University Park Avenue Stadium. Gavin Allen and his team face four games in 11 days, with Newtown (H) & Flint Town United (A) to come this side of Christmas, and then the visit of Haverfordwest County to Ceredigion on Boxing Day. Whilst the Black & Greens have not had the best run of results recently, performances have been encouraging and if the team can turn those performances into points over the next couple of weeks then a late challenge for a Top Six place in January is certainly not off the cards. There have been some changes in the squad this week with Adam Davies & Harri Rowe departing the club. Both players have made valid contributions this seasons and everyone at Aberystwyth Town wishes them well for their next move. Tomorrow night’s visitors, Caernarfon Town, come into the match following two successive victories; away to Cefn Druids last Tuesday (2-1) and then an impressive victory at home to Barry Town United on Saturday (2-0). These wins have left them in the all-important 6th place in the league, with 5 wins and 3 draws from their 15 games played, giving them 18 points. Their top scorer is Mike Hayes, who has hit 5 goals so far this season, whilst Cai Llywelyn Jones is just behind on 4. There will be a few familiar faces returning to Ceredigion tomorrow night, none more so than Paulo Mendes, who made the switch from Park Avenue to The Oval during the summer. Paulo originally joined the Seasiders back in 2018 and the dynamic midfielder became an integral part of the squad during his two seasons at the club. Darren Thomas and Jamie Crowther also had brief spells in Black & Green, in 2015 and 2017 respectively. It’s another Tuesday night under the lights at Park Avenue, but unfortunately supporters still cannot be admitted due to Covid-19 guidelines. Our Twitter feed @AberystwythTown will once again provide in depth coverage of the game however, and whilst we await the return of the Black & Green Army to Park Avenue, we can assure you that all at the club do very much appreciate your continued support Aber ended a run of games against last year’s top 3 with defeat against Bala Town.
Despite taking the lead from Rhys Davies’ towering header in the 9th minute, a penalty from Gary Roberts in addition to Lassana Mendes’ header on the half hour mark ensured the three points would go to the men from Gwynedd. There was only one change to the eleven that started the game five days ago at Aberystwyth University Park Avenue. Into the starting line up came Matthew Jones in place of the suspended Owain Jones Bala had a golden opportunity to take lead with the game just four minutes old. Mendes found himself unmarked in the host’s penalty area. However, he found Connor Roberts in his way as the TNS loanee denied him not once, but twice to keep the score at 0-0. Aber suffered an early snag as centre back Jon Foligno limped off and was replaced by Louis Gerrard. Despite the setback, Aber had cause for celebration just seconds later. In the 9th minute, Rhys Davies leapt the highest from a freekick on the left-hand side to give Aber the lead. But the advantage was to last mere minutes. Heartbreak followed when referee Ben Williams adjudged substitute Gerrard to have felled Will Evans inside the area. Roberts made no mistake from the spot despite his namesake going the right way and very nearly getting a paw to it. Gavin Allen’s men felt aggrieved with the decision and were even more incensed when their own penalty appeals were waved away for what they claimed to be a handball inside the area. Aber had to readjust again when this time, Gerrard, who’d only been on the field for 15 minutes, was unable to continue and was replaced by Louis Bradford. The two changes, in addition to the goal, enabled the Lakesiders to grow into the game and they spent more time in the Aberystwyth half of the field as the clock trundled towards the half hour mark. Roberts was again the man to thwart Colin Caton’s men. He brilliantly stopped a Will Evans header that looked for all the world to be nestling into the bottom corner. But Bala took the lead from the resulting corner. Sean Smith delivered a teasing ball in from the left hand side which found Mendes unmarked in the centre of the goal. The former Colwyn Bay man had the simple task of guiding the header goal wards via a kiss off the post. After an electric half hour, the tempo slowed until the interval with both sides looking to utilise the long ball but to no avail. As the rain settled in for the night, the second stanza started in the same manner as the opening period expired. Both sides were bypassing the midfield and looking to get forward at every opportunity but with little in the way of goal mouth action to report on. It took until the hour mark for the first notable chance since the re-emergence of the teams to materialise and it was to the visitors the chance fell. Henry Jones whipped a cross into the box which was met by the head of the ever dangerous Evans but the former Cardiff Met man was denied by a wonderful point blank save from Roberts. At the other end, Jack Thorn was unlucky not to test Alex Ramsey in the Bala goal as Ollie Shannon bravely blocked his goal bound effort. George Harry was introduced for his Aberystwyth Town debut in place of Matthew Jones with fifteen minutes to go and just 120 seconds later, Aber were nearly on level terms. Marc Williams beat the offside trap and fired the ball towards the goal. Unfortunately, a strong hand from Ramsey denied the skipper from adding to his tally for the season and former Town defender, Jonny Spittle, was able to clear before anyone in green could get a telling touch. As the game neared its conclusion, the men from Ceredigion did have the ball in the back of the net but the referee had seen a handball in the build up to the ball’s final destination so he ruled it out with Williams picking up a yellow card for his role in the drama. Aber pressed for a late equaliser but the men in 3rd place in the league hung on to make it ten games unbeaten. Aberystwyth Town vs Bala Town
JD Cymru Premier Wednesday 9th December MATCH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS It is attempt No.2 for this fixture after the original match scheduled for Friday 20th November was postponed over Covid-19 concerns. This will be the Black & Greens fourth fixture in 11 days, with three of those fixtures (including tomorrow night’s encounter) coming against the current top three. Aber haven’t had the points return they would have wanted from those games, however performances at times have been encouraging, including holding league leaders The New Saints at 1-1 for the majority of the match, and repeating that feat against current champions Connah’s Quay Nomads last Friday, before a controversial red card decision meant that the Seasiders had to play the final half hour with 10 men, which allowed Connah’s Quay to take both the numerical advantage and the points. Friday’s meeting is the second of the season with Colin Caton’s side, the reverse fixture being the live game on 10th October which saw Bala take the points with a 5-2 victory. The visitors come into this fixture on a run of two wins and three draws from their last five games, their most recent result being a 1-1 draw at Cardiff Met on Saturday. Bala can also boast two of the league’s top marksmen this season. Former Aberystwyth Town talisman Chris Venables is the Cymru Premier’s joint top goalscorer with 13 goals, whilst Will Evans is in third place on 9. In addition to Venables, there is another familiar face in the visitor’s ranks; Jonny Spittle spent half a season at Park Avenue in 2017/18 and captained the side on a number of occasions. News broke yesterday that Saturday’s match home against Newtown will be postponed due to a positive Covid case within the Robins’ camp and Aberystwyth Town would like to send our best wishes to those concerned. The postponement of this game will provide some slight respite for the Black & Greens from a gruelling December fixture list, with games against Caernarfon Town (Home - 15th Dec), Flint Town United (Away – 19th Dec) and Haverfordwest County (Home – 26th Dec) still to come before 2020 is out. Unfortunately, fans are still not allowed into the ground, but the Black & Green Army can follow proceedings tomorrow night on our Twitter platform @AberystwythTown as usual. A brace from Mike Wilde in the final ten minutes condemned ten-man Aber to defeat in their first game at home in nearly two months.
The legendary marksman broke the Seasiders’ hearts, not for the first time in his career, with two well taken goals after Stephen Hewitt’s spot kick had cancelled out Danny Davies’ fine finish. Gavin Allen’s men had to play over half an hour a man light after striker Owain Jones was given his marching orders just before the sixty-minute mark. Five changes were made to the starting charges from Tuesday night’s defeat away at Haverfordwest County. Into the starting line-up came Jon Foligno, Rhys Davies, Jack Thorn, Jack Rimmer and Jonathan Evans in place of Louis Gerrard, Mathew Jones, Louis Bradford, Jamie Veale and Gwion Owen. Prior to kick off, a minute silence was observed by both sides to honour former reserve team manager and first team player Robbie Jones. The Nomads came into the game in great form having won the previous four in succession. On a cold and wet December evening on the Ceredigion coast, it was easy to see why as they started brightly; dominating the opening exchanges. The imperious Wilde spurned two early chances for Andy Morrison’s men but both headers were comfortably stopped by Connor Roberts. Meanwhile, at the other end, a short back pass from John Disney set up Marc Williams whose first time shot drilled narrowly wide of the far post whilst Stephen Hewitt was inches away from giving the Seasiders the lead with a curling freekick over the bar. Aber were defending well and Roberts was in great form in goal; producing a fine one handed save from a powerful header. Nomads took the lead half way through the first half in some style. A great through pass from Disney found Davies on the left flank. He flicked the ball over the head of Rimmer and drove the ball low into the bottom corner of the net. To their credit, Gavin Allen’s men didn’t let the goal dampen their spirits as just minutes later, Hewitt’s freekick was again the source of Aber’s attacking endevour with this effort, from the other side of the goal, whistling narrowly over the bar. Much like the first half, Nomads started the session well with Aeron Edwards side footing an effort wide of Roberts’ post early on. However, as the hosts continued to keep their opponents at bay, they grew in confidence and with the clock showing 55 minutes, they were presented with a golden opportunity. The tireless Steff Davies chased down a long ball forward, dispossessed Callum Morris and as he released his cross, was felled inside the area by the aforementioned Morris who was shown a yellow card for his troubles. Hewitt stepped up and made no mistake from 12-yards, firing the ball into the left-hand corner of the goal. Disaster struck just four minutes later when a seemingly innocuous challenge from Owain Jones on the advancing Nomads attacker on the edge of the area garnered the attention of the referee. Despite many in the ground feeling a yellow card would have sufficed, the match official, Dean John, adjudged Jones to have used foul and abusive language towards a match official and was subsequently sent from the field. Aber faced the prospect of half an hour of defending and they sat deeper and deeper as the absorbed wave after wave of attacks from the team currently sitting in second. However, to their immense credit, they battled well and defended resolutely. Substitute Brayden Shaw’s cross came within a whisker of getting a telling touch inside the Aber six yard box, Experienced defender George Horan’s header was stopped at the back post by Roberts and the latter had to be at his acrobatic best to stop a powerful drive from going into the back of the net. But after relentless pressure, Nomads got their second go ahead goal of the evening. From a corner, the ball was spilled in the box and worked over to Wilde who had the easiest of tasks of tapping the ball in from a few feet out to give his side the lead. Shortly afterwards, the points were secured. As Aber looked to be more adventurous, a well worked move down the right-hand side, orchestrated by Aron Williams was deftly finished off by Wilde to the delight of his teammates and management staff. There was still time in the game for a chances apiece for both sides. Aber sub Mathew Jones’ freekick was well stopped by Oliver Byrne whilst at the other end, Louis Gerrard’s clearance off the line prevented Aber from going down to a 4-1 score line for the second time in a week. Aberystwyth Town vs Connah's Quay Nomads
JD Cymru Premier Friday 4th December MATCH BEHIND CLOSED DOORS It’s another huge match for the Black & Greens tomorrow night, as we welcome reigning Cymru Premier Champions Connah's Quay Nomads to Aberystwyth University Park Avenue. As the match against Bala Town was postponed two weeks ago, this will be the first time that Aber have played a home match since October 16th, when The New Saints were the visitors before the firebreak lockdown took effect. The Seasiders come into this game on the back of two defeats on the road; first in the reverse against The New Saints and then at Haverfordwest County, however Saturday’s match in particular showed some real positives, as the league leaders were kept at bay for much of the match. Connah's Quay arrive in Ceredigion with four wins in a row behind them, which has taken them within six points of The New Saints at the top of the league with a game in hand. They are once again putting in a strong bid for the title, having won 10 out of their 13 league games this season, losing only once so far. They have conceded only 8 times, scoring 27 goals in the process with Mike Wilde leading the way with 6 goals. Callum Morris has also contributed 4 and Craig Curran, Aeron Edwards and Priestly Farquharson have 3 each. It is therefore an intimidating task that awaits Gavin Allen and his men, however Aber have already shown this season that they are capable of matching any team in this league at Park Avenue and the Black & Green Army will be hoping that the team can replicate their performance from the New Saints game back in October. Connah's Quay were the victors when the two teams met back in September, triumphing 2-0 at Deeside Stadium despite a resolute performance from Aber, however Park Avenue has not always been a happy hunting ground for the defending Champions in recent years. A 90th minute Mathew Jones penalty secured a point for Aber last year; whilst back in 2018 a Joe Phillips hat-trick secured all three points in a 4-2 Black & Green win. Home fans will be hoping for another favourable result tomorrow night! There will be a familiar face in the Nomads ranks, as Terry McCormick re-signed for the club this week to provide competition to Oliver Byrne, who was recently promoted to being first-choice goalkeeper following the departure of Lewis Brass. Terry spent one season at Park Avenue from 2018-19 and was a popular figure at the club during his time in Ceredigion. It could be another memorable Friday night under the Park Avenue lights ahead, and although supporters cannot be admitted into the ground once again, the Black & Green Army will be able to listen to live commentary of the game on BBC Radio Wales. You can also follow all of the action on our Twitter page @AberystwythTown. Thank you for your continued support! Haverfordwest County earned the West Wales bragging rights and the crucial three points in the hunt for a Top 6 berth as two first half goals sunk Aberystwyth Town in Pembrokeshire. Jack Wilson and Danny Williams’ goals, either side of a twenty-minute delay due to floodlight failure, compounded Aber to their second defeat since the resumption of football following the Welsh firebreak lockdown. On a bitterly cold evening in Pembrokeshire, Gavin Allen again shuffled his pack with eight changes from Saturday’s defeat away to The New Saints to cope with the busy schedule over the coming weeks. There was a first start for Louis Gerrard in a back four as well as recalls for Connor Roberts, Louis Bradford, Mathew Jones, Gwion Owen, Steff Davies, Owain Jones and Marc Williams. The hosts started the brighter and could have been ahead with just thirty seconds on the clock. Wilson, a constant danger to the Aber defence, cut inside from the left flank and curled a shot narrowly wide of Roberts’ post. Wilson continued to trouble the Seasiders’ defence and had two further opportunities in the opening ten minutes. Firstly, curling a shot wide of the far post then firing a half volley into the side stanchion of the goal. Meanwhile, Aber did create chances of their own. Hewitt was unable to add to the goal he scored on Saturday as he fired wide following good play from the lively Owain Jones. Jamie Veale’s free kick from 25 yards was well saved by Wojciech Gajda in the home goal and Jones was again a danger man for Aber as he fired over after a good spell of possession for Gavin Allen’s side. But in the 17th minutes, it was the home side who capitalised on their early dominance. Williams won a flick on in midfield to set up Wilson. Despite the tackle of the covering Bradford, the man from Milford Haven coolly curled the ball low past Roberts and into the back of the net to give Haverfordwest County the lead. The setback settled Aber and they enjoyed a spell of possession and territory. In fact, they had the ball in the back of the net on the 24th minute although referee David Morgan adjudged there to have been a foul on the keeper before Steff Davies met the ball with his head. With Aber in the ascendancy, disaster struck as one half of the pitch was eclipsed in darkness thanks to a floodlight failure on one side. The game was stopped for some twenty minutes to allow local electrician Simon Morgan to fix the problem. With the resumption of the game, the men from Ceredigion continued to press for an equaliser and could have been level almost instantly. A sumptuous ball was played over the top of the defence by Owen which found Marc Williams in the box however, his goal bound effort beat Gajda but not the block of Kurtis Rees on the line. Against the run of play, County grabbed their second. A corner from the left hand side was flicked on at the front post by Sean Pemberton. The flick caught out the Town’s defence and Williams was left with the simple task of nodding the ball home to double their advantage. At the half time interval, Jonathan Evans and Jack Rimmer were introduced to proceedings replacing Bradford and Owain Jones who’d been the victim of a strong tackle during the first half. Despite the changes, it was County who started the brighter and has three glorious opportunities to increase their lead within the first ten minutes of the half. Ben Fawcett was unable to direct a dangerous cross across the six-yard box goal wards, Wilson saw his header cannon off the post and the latter was put through one on one with the keeper but saw his attempts smothered well by Roberts. It took until near the hour mark for the visitors to muster their first opportunity of the second stanza. Stephen Hewitt latched onto a flick on from a throw in but his volley was well stopped by Gajda. But in an evening of delays, there came another on half way through the second half as the twenty third man on the field, Morgan, had to be replaced by fourth official Alex McInch following a leg injury. As time progressed, Aber spent more time in the Haverfordwest’s half but could not work the all important breakthrough. Substitute Rimmer forced a superb acrobatic stop from a rasping 25-yard thunderbolt and debutant Gerrard’s hooked volley was gratefully caught but a grateful Gadja. Despite seven additional minutes, the hosts defensive unit maintained their shape and solidity to gain the clean sheet and the all-important three points. A disappointing evening for Aber who’ll look at this as a golden opportunity missed to maintain the pressure on the top 6. However, Aber can look towards home comforts for the next four games starting with Connahs Quay on Friday evening. |
Gem Nesaf
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Ebost / Email: AberTownFC@live.co.uk
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