Port pay a penalty in stalemate

PORTHMADOG close their season at home to Holywell Town this Saturday knowing they must settle for seventh place in the Huws Gray Alliance following Monday’s 1-1 home draw with Flint Town United.

It looked like the three points were destined for Craig Papirnyk’s side before the Silkmen struck with an addedtime penalty.

Port pushed forward from the start and, after just three minutes, Sion Bradley tested goalkeeper Elliot Quinlan with a low shot.

Julian Williams had a strike deflected wide and, when the ball came to Josh Banks following a Sion Edwards corner, the defender’s effort flew only inches above the angle of bar and far post.

Eventually the goal came on 21 minutes from a piece of opportunism by leading scorer Joe Chaplin.

When keeper Quinlan failed to hold Tomos Emlyn’s right wing cross into the goalmouth, Chaplin pounced to net from close range for his 26th goal of the season, bettering the 25 by Carl Owen in 2002-03.

Flint might well have equalised just two minutes later but for the alertness of Richard Harvey back-pedalling quickly to gather Richie Foulkes’s header.

The visitors came more into the game towards the end of the half, with Rob Jones’s corner cleared off the line.

In the closing stages, when Bradley crossed from the left, Carl Rodgers was fortunate to see his sliced attempted clearance drop into the hands of his goalkeeper.

Flint came out strongly in the second half and within two minutes Harvey had to be out quickly to block a Kyle Smith effort down at his feet.

Port responded as an Edwards free kick was pushed away for a corner by Quinlan.

As the half wore on, Port were being pushed back increasingly and out-muscled by a physically strong Flint side. Harvey was in the action again, going down to halt a threat from Shaun Beck.

In the first minute of added time, referee Tom Owen spotted a handball offence in the box and awarded a penalty, which Foulkes drove into the corner of the net.

Port could have won the game in the opening half but, overall, a draw was a result difficult to quibble with.