Canaries fall short against Robins
CAERNARFON were outgunned by Newtown in an entertaining but ultimately disappointing JD Cymru Premier match for the hosts at The Oval.
The in-form Robins headed north seeking a league double and were good value for their 3-2 triumph that made it three wins in a row after victories over Flint and Airbus UK. Louis Robles opened the scoring for the visitors and then Aaron Williams bagged his 11th goal of the campaign.
Liverpool loanee Fidel O’Rourke’s seventh goal of the season brought the scoreline back to 2-1 at the break but when Nich Rushton made it 3-1 the home side were always playing catch-up.
Noah Edwards set up a thrilling finish with a second Caernarfon goal as the clock went past the hour mark, but despite relentless Caernarfon pressure from then on, Newtown held out to the final whistle and were good value for the double.
The Canaries, who slipped to sixth place, next host runaway leaders The New Saints on Sunday.
Aberystwyth Town goalkeeper Leigh Jenkins must be sick of the sight of The New Saints after conceding 13 goals against them in two league outings in the JD Cymru Premier.
The 2-0 home defeat on August 30 wasn’t too bad, but a record 11-0 trouncing at Park Hall this weekend was no joke.
And the unbeaten league leaders notched their highest home tally of goals without leading scorer Declan McManus.
At the other end, Connor Roberts was able to celebrate his 11th clean sheet of the season to keep his side seven points clear of Connah’s Quay Nomads at the top of the table with a remarkable goal difference of +47.
After a two-week break, Anthony Williams’s Aber side arrived hoping to back up their 2-1 home win over Pontypridd United.
That victory made it five home wins in a row, the club’s best run of form at Park Avenue for eight years.
Their form on the road has been a different story, however, and this defeat made it six in a row since they kicked off the season with a 2-1 win at bottom of the table Airbus UK Broughton.
The victory enabled Craig Harrsion’s side to hold on to their seven-point lead at the top of the table. Connah’s Quay Nomads remain in second thanks to their hard-fought 2-1 derby win at Airbus UK.
Harry Franklin gave the visitors a great start with a goal after only 10 minutes and then a penalty from Callum Morris in the 68th minute made things safe. The Wingmen picked up a consolation goal from 16-year-old substitute Kaiden Cooke in the last minute in his second league game.
Bala Town moved back up to third thanks to their 1-0 win over Flint Town United. George Newell was their saviour with a goal eight minutes from time as he rose to head home a wonderful cross from the right by Ollie Shannon.
The Lakesiders had been forced to play one short from the 28th minute following Nathan Peat’s straight red card.
The Newell goal was made even more priceless when the news came through that Penybont had lost 2-1 at Haverfordwest County.
The two results combined to allow Bala to leapfrog Penybont and move up to third.
It was a third win in a row for the Bluebirds, who went into the interval with a twogoal lead thanks to Elliott Dugan and Jamie Veale.
Penybont, who had taken a point off TNS at home in their previous game, fought hard to get back on terms but had only a 94th-minute goal from Nathan Wood to show for their efforts.
Their frustration was summed up by Mael Davies seeing red in the sixth minute of added time to complete a miserable away trip.
They now find themselves in fourth place, a point ahead of Cardiff Met, who had a Joe Evans own goal to thank for their 1-0 win at Pontypridd United.