OLD GOLD EASE INTO TOP HALF
CARMARTHEN Town extended their unbeaten run in JD Cymru South to eight matches with this comfortable victory against Afan Lido.
Of equal importance, these three points lifted the Old Gold into the top half of the table for the first time this season.
However, for much of the first half the teams were evenly balanced and the opening few minutes provided scoring opportunities for both teams.
Right from the start the hosts swarmed forward and won a freekick. The ball was fired into the packed goalmouth where Liam Griffiths connected with a close-range header, but goalkeeper Scott James produced a stunning reaction save to turn the ball aside.
Straightaway Town responded. Adam John surged upfield, then delivered a fine cross to the edge of the penalty area only for Noah Daley’s shot to be comfortably claimed by Lido keeper Gareth Couch.
Then on 15 minutes Tom Dyson set Daley racing forward along the left touchline. From the edge of the area he crossed the ball to Liam Thomas, but his 15-yard drive was smothered by Couch.
The hectic end-to-end pattern of the game continued and after 22 minutes Griffiths played the ball to Harry Davies, whose shot was superbly turned around the post by James.
Town hit back as John sent a fine pass to Jamie Rickard, who sprinted to the corner of the area and fired an angled drive across the goalmouth but just outside the far post.
And Dyson’s corner reached Daley, only for his header to go over the bar.
Yet in the 39th minute, the Old Gold were rewarded for their pressure.
Matthew Delaney fired a longrange free-kick deep into the area which was blocked by Couch, allowing Town’s all-time top scorer Thomas to pounce on the loose ball and drive it into the back of the net.
And if that was not enough of a setback for the home side, worse quickly followed when defender John Hall was sent off by the referee following a fierce tackle on Jordan Vickers.
From the ensuing free-kick Scott Tancock sent the ball to John, and his cross found Thomas, but his closerange header flew narrowly over.
After the interval Town immediately put the Lido defence under pressure with a series of rapid raids and in the 54th minute they extended their lead.
Vickers embarked on a typical surging sprint along the right flank before sending the ball on to Rickard. He crossed it into the goalmouth where Thomas timed his arrival perfectly to plant his close-range header into the back of the net.
Spurred by that success the Old Gold pressed forward with even greater urgency and on 63 minutes they increased their lead. Dyson took the ball into the area and struck a fierce drive that was blocked by a defender, only for the rebound to land nicely for Town’s influential midfielder who volleyed the ball past Couch and into the net.
Despite the comfortable threegoal advantage Carmarthen continued to press for yet more success. Thomas raced along the left touchline and moved infield to the corner of the area before his strike slid narrowly beyond the far post.
However, they were successful soon afterwards when substitute defender Lewis Rocke crossed the ball
into the goalmouth where Daley had the fairly simple task of directing his header into the empty net.
Carmarthen’s next fixture is at Port Talbot on Saturday (2.30pm) in JD Cymru South.
TEAM: S James; J Vickers (sub L Rocke 83); S Tancock; L Surman; T Jones; J Rickard; T Dyson; M Delaney (sub C Berry 66); A John (sub J Walters 79); N Daley; L Thomas. Unused subs: I Knott; D Phillips.