PICTURE by Wynne Evans
WITH the season back in full-swing, the Kon-X Anglesey League teams took to the pitch once again on Saturday afternoon and it was Valley who headed to the top of the table after a hard-fought 5-3 win over Arriva Bangor.
Bryngwran Bulls’ match with Llangoed & District Reserves was cancelled due to there being no referee available to officiate the match, but other than that, all fixtures went ahead.
Here’s how they all panned out …
KON-X ANGLESEY LEAGUE
Valley Athletic 5-3 Arriva Bangor
In the tie of the weekend, Barry Rowlands’ Valley beat Kevin Jones’ Arriva in an eight goal thriller to head to the top of the Anglesey League table.
In a tightly fought contest, the first clear chance came when Valley forward Mike Williams was brought down for a penalty. Unfortunately, the big man was unable to beat Arriva keeper Sammie Williams who saved brilliantly.
Williams didn’t let his head drop though and just minutes later he placed a chipped ball through for winger Konner Druce who made it 1-0. Arriva equalised shortly after through Matty Williams.
It wasn’t long before there was another goal in this exciting encounter. Midfielder Marc Wilson took a touch then played a ball over the top to in-form Ryan Hall (who scored four goals last week) to finish and make it 2-1.
Arriva replied again just moments later as Kyle Jones struck the ball past Jamie Owens to make it 2-2.
There was still time for one last goal before half time with Valley captain Jordie Lees headed a looping in to the back of the net to set up a half time score of 3-2.
The second half turned out to be just as entertaining as the first. A goal mouth scramble saw the ball end up at Mike Williams’ feet, before his shot was deflected into Wilson’s path and his strike was cleared off the line by Japanese full-back Mutsu Oyama.
The fourth goal for Valley came soon after as Jack Peters played a long pass up field to Hall who cut back for Druce to grab his second of the day.
Justin Taylor replaced Justin Hughes on the hour mark, to make his first appearance in over a year for the club. He instantly showed them what they had been missing, putting in some great tackles.
Arriva’s Andy Clarke set up a tense finale and made it 4-3 with a close range header. However, the final and most decisive goal of the game came eight minutes from time as Hall continued his fine form and hit his second goal of the day.
5-3 in the end then and Valley looking in fine form to go ahead and claim the Kon-X Anglesey League title with just six matches left to go.
Llandegfan 1-5 Bodorgan
Llandegfan fell to a loss at home to Bodorgan, but there were MAJOR signs of improvements in several spells of the game for the home side.
Bodorgan raced into the lead in the opening minutes as striker Danny Connolly struck a longe range effort over Hywel Hughes and into the back of the net. Following that, Llandegfan came alive and created a few chances with striker David Lee holding the ball up well for his team mates.
Despite their persistence though, it was the visitors who were given a boost when a handball in the box gave them a chance to score from the spot. Luke Allaway (right) was calm as always and converted to make it 2-0, although Llandeg goalkeeper Hughes had dived the right way.
The home side continued to battle and didn’t let their heads drop and for arguably the first time this season looked very comfortable keeping the ball and working it upfield to create some good chances. Wingers Neil Gillard and Geraint Roberts worked hard down the flanks to try and create some space.
Bodorgan were in a goal scoring mood however and continued to threaten. Captain Darragh Byrne’s long throw-in’s created some difficulty but the third goal came courtesy of the talented Connolly once again as he fired home from a tight angle.
Llandeg then missed a glorious chance to get back into the game – firing a penalty against the bar, before in-form Connolly completed his hat-trick before half time to give the visitors a convincing 4-0 lead at the break.
The second half proved to be Llandegfan’s as they kept their heads held high and tried to find some sort of consolation. It eventually came when the lively Gillard (right) pounced on to an Ashley Jones assist to fire home, much to the delight of those who had come to watch the home team play.
More chances fell to the home team too. Dave Lee went through one on one with the keeper after player-manager Jordan Love had played him in, but was denied by a fine save.
They pushed and pushed for a second and grafted throughout, with new signings Faisal Mbabaali and Craig Childes coming on as substitutes. In the end though tired legs proved to be costly and Bodorgan’s Allaway swooped in to score his side’s fifth and final goal of the match.
In the end, it turned out to be a vital three points for Bodorgan who seem to be improving week after week. Llandegfan however showed much better character and teamwork than they had done in the first half of the season.
The scoreline was a little harsh on the home side, but they can take this as a lesson to learn from and help them improve as a team.
LUCAS OIL CUP
Mynydd Tigers 6-1 Pentraeth Reserves
In the only cup match this weekend, Mynydd Tigers put in a great performance to beat Pentraeth Reserves 6-1.
Six different names were on the score sheet for the home side as they claimed yet another convincing victory against Justin Gallagher’s side who’s squad had been depleted with players missing through injury and illness.
Some bad decision making from the Reserves in the first half saw Mynydd take advantage and control of the match. Goals from Mark Hughes, Tomos Eames, Aaron Roberts, Alex Griffiths, Tom Girffiths and Kieron Bullock eventually handed them the win. Pentraeth Reserves’ goal came through Jon Morton who was assisted by Guto Ifan.
This young squad of talented Tigers are aiming to win some silverware this season and I can see them doing that. They’re very much alive in cup competitions and the league too, so it will be interesting to see where they will end up in their debut season. Pentraeth Reserves on the other hand are struggling to find form and have crucial games coming up, ones they must win if they are to finish where they’re aiming to be.
The following fixtures will take place on Saturday, January 20:
Lucas Oil Cup
Arriva Bangor v Bryngwran Bulls (5.30pm ko)
Huws Grey Megan Cup
Bodorgan v Valley Athletic (2pm ko)
Bwlch Car Boot Trophy
Llandegfan v Mynydd Tigers (Group A, 2pm ko)
Llangoed & Dist. Reserves v Caergybi (Group B, 2pm ko)
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