Macwhirter Welsh League Division 3

                       

Goytre 1

 

Cwmamman United 3

 

With Eight teams being relegated from the Division at the end of this season every team are fighting for points and this was a very very important three points for Cwmamman. As early as the opening ten minutes Cwmamman should have had a penalty when Steve Devonald was brought down in the penalty area but to the surprise of everyone at the ground the referee gave a goal kick to the home side. Two minutes later Goytre took the lead when their midfield player shot just inside the penalty area and the ball managed to creep inside the far post. Five Minutes later the referee made up for his earlier error and awarded a penalty for Cwm when Jamie Evans was upended in the area. Anthony James stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to bring the scores level. Cwmamman were now pressing at all times to try and gain the advantage going into the interval but it was Goytre’s poor finishing which left the home side frustrated at being level at the break.

Cwmamman took the lead ten minutes into the second half when an Anthony James 40 yard free kick was left to bounce in the penalty area and manage to elude everyone and somehow find its way passed the somewhat bemused Goytre goalkeeper. Cwm knew that the next goal was an important one and the visitors had several chances to extend their lead with the best one coming from a Steve Devonald run down the right and instead of squaring the ball to Nathan McNeil decided to take the wrong option and shoot straight at the keeper. Twenty minutes into the half the killer goal came via a Nathan McNeil brilliant volley from such an acute angle it was hard to believe it found its way into the net but it did with such pace. Cwmamman should have gone on to win the game comfortably but were unable to add to the three goals and this allowed Goytre to sniff a chance but some poor finishing and good defending kept the hosts at bay. Good performances came from Dean Walsh at centre half and full backs Christian Davies and James Thomas. It has to be said this was a deserved win for Cwm and a good all round team performance.

Macwhirter Welsh League Division 3

Goytre 1 Cwmamman United 3

Reserve West

Cwmamman United 1 West End 3

Neath & District Division 2

Cwmamman United 2 Miners 5 

Cimla 4 Cwmamman 3

 

Cwmamman showed their strength in depth making six changes to the team that disappointingly let a two goal lead slip last week v INCO. In came the experienced ‘voice at the back’ and chairman of the club Eirian Rees at centre half playing along side youngster Keiran ‘ding dong’. Bri Bach and Phil Baxter returned after spells out with positional changes seeing Paul Landek slotting in to midfield with young M.M.A pretender Keiran Twomey eventually getting a starting birth on the left wing.

Cwmamman took the lead after quarter of an hour when some great build up play from Andrew ‘Igor’ Stevens and Keiran Twomey led to Andrew Twomey scissor kicking in superbly for the opening goal.

Cimla were however giving as good as they got and when Igor nipped off the pitch for the toilet, the home side seized their opportunity playing against ten men and scored a great goal to bring the scores back level.

Goal of the game came with Igor still in the toilet and now replaced by the returning Paul Grove when all of the four feet of Keiran Twomey climbed superbly to win a header that fell to Paul Landek who expertly volleyed in from the edge of the Cimla box.

Cwmamman were now well on top with Andrew Twomey playing superbly on his own upfront and was unlucky when he struck the post with a rasping shot. When the visitors were awarded a penalty kick late in the first half, Twomey confidently stepped up and blasted in to the top corner for his deserved second of the match.

Cimla raised their game in the second half and it took a superb ‘picturesque’ save from Rhys Williams to keep his side two goals up. The pressure was building however and with the Cwmamman defence retreating further back toward their own goal, it came as no surprise when a mistake at the back from the otherwise outstanding Bri Bach gifted Cimla their second goal.

With only minutes remaining, Cwmamman looked as if they were going to hold on to their lead but when a tame Cimla effort on goal ran tamely away for a goal kick; both teams were astonished when they turned around to see the referee pointing at the spot, awarding the home team a last minute penalty. A superbly taken penalty brought the scores back level but Cimla weren’t happy with a point and from a last second corner, the home side stole all three points when their impressive striker lost his marker and headed in well from the near post to leave the visitors shell shocked.

This was a great advert for div 2 football in the Neath League with both teams passing the ball round well on a very sticky playing surface. Man of the match Andrew Twomey did a great job upfront on his own with his partner failing to return from the toilet.

Next week Cwm entertain The Miners at Grenig Park. Kick off. 2.30pm.