LOCAL FOOTBALL

ENYBONT continue a quest to secure a second term in the J D Welsh Premiership this Friday night against Aberystwyth Town under the Park Avenue floodlights (7.45pm), writes Tony Poole.

Last Saturday Storm Dennis prevented Bont heading north to face Cefn Druids while fellow strugglers Carmarthen Town suffered a similar fate against visiting Cardiff Metropolitan University.

However, Bont will be looking to do much better at Aber in their second match in the Play Off Conference section of the J D Welsh Premiership.

They opened up with a damaging 2-1 home defeat against Carmarthen Town that dropped Rhys Griffiths’s side back into the relegation zone albeit on goal-difference.

However, the two previous encounters with Aber have been close run affairs, and there’s every reason to believe they could get something out of a second trip to Park Avenue.

The sides played out a 1-1 draw at the SDM Glass Stadium back in October and then last month, during the final round of fixtures ahead of the midwinter split, Bont only suffered a 1-0 loss in the reverse match.

Aber last Friday night consolidated a mid-table position in the six-strong Play Off Conference with an eventful 5-3 home win over bottom club Airbus UK Broughton.

Though the Airmen seemed to be crashing towards a heavy defeat when the score stood on 5-1 after 80 minutes, they then scored twice in as many minutes, and saw wide man Brady McGilloway get a straight red card for a poor challenge.

The defeat left Airbus rooted to the bottom on 13 points from 24 games while Bont and Carmarthen Town have both collected 15 points from 23 completed fixtures.

However, Penybont will have to fire on all cylinders from the outset in order to get anything out of the trip to Aberystwyth.

It remains to be seen whether Bont boss Rhys Griffiths once more prefers Barry Town United loanee Eli Phipps up top to Cardiff City equivalent Daniel Griffiths.

Phipps, aged 21, hails from Weston-Super-Mare, and is a Cardiff City product who has also had a spell on the books of EFL League Two club Colchester United.

Barry Town boss Gavin Chesterfield felt that though Phipps was a valued squad member, he was suffering from a lack of playing opportunities.

And it was the reason for him letting him go out on loan to Bont for the remainder of the season.