Don’t rule out a Mission impossible for the Street

BRIDGEND Street travel to Briton Ferry aiming to do what many a Welsh League defence hasn’t done this season – stop Lee Trundle.

The Splott club take on Llanelli in the Nathaniel Car Sales League Cup final knowing 48-goal former Swansea man is the main obstacle between them and historic silverware.

But Craig Dale’s team have magical memories of a nine-man penalty shoot-out victory over Haverfordwest in the semi-finals to drive them on and know anything is possible.

Llanelli have won the second division of the Welsh League at a canter and will be looking to complete a league and cup double, with Trundle’s goals – including nine hat-tricks – one of the main reasons the Reds are forging their way back up to the Welsh Premier.

Andy Hill is in charge at Stebonheath and has a squad full of potential match winners like Jordan Follows, who scored two when Andy Legg’s Llanelli defeated Dynamo Tbilisi in a 3-2 victory at Parc y Scarlets in the Europa League.

Llanelli have gone all season undefeated, apart from a Welsh Cup defeat at The New Saints, and are 4/7 on favourites with the bookmakers, who make Bridgend Street as big as 7/1 outsiders. Paul Fowler will be the lynchpin in Dale’s team. The midfielder has experience of a Welsh Cup final win and European football and has played alongside a few of the Llanelli team during his time at Carmarthen and Neath.

Mike Lewis has been excellent all season at left-back for the underdogs, but will miss out after suffering a double fracture of his leg last week. Jeff White and Nick Davison have been among the goals all season and will surely have to bulge the net once or twice for their team to have any chance of creating a upset.

Bridgend Street were originally formed in 1899 as a church team and earned its nickname ‘The Mission.’ They had many great days in the Cardiff and District League before joining the South Wales Senior League in 1994 and won that title five times before gaining promotion to the Welsh League in 2011.

They are a tight-knit community club where no finance is involved for playing, so to reach this final which accommodates every Welsh League club is an achievement in itself.

Dale and his assistant Lee Moore have worked wonders to get Bridgend Street to their biggest game ever and they won’t be let down on the supporters front, as 250 spectators from the underdogs will be making their way down the M4 to the Ferry.

The smart money says Trundle and company will have too much for the Division Three club, but after their semi-final exploits don’t count out a Mission impossible win for The Street.