Medd face tough trip to leaders Greenfield
LLANNERCHYMEDD are in for potentially their toughest test of the season this Saturday when they visit Welsh Alliance Division Two leaders Greenfield.
Tomos Jones’ and Medwyn Evans’ side will need more of the spirit they showed in last weekend’s 3-3 draw at Mochdre Sports if they are to trouble the Holywell-based table-toppers.
‘Medd, who trailed 3-1 against midtable Mochdre, returned home with a share of the spoils thanks to a late penalty from the in-form Llion Jones.
As battling conditions go, the players could not have asked for worse. The lush-looking field soon turned to a horrible shade of brown as 23 men galloped about on a sodden surface.
Sports made the breakthrough on the quarter-hour when Jordan Phillips nodded home from a corner.
Llan equalised on 24 minutes after uncertainty in the home defence allowed Gavin Sharpe to head home from a Liam Fallows cross.
Confusion arose from an assistant flagging for a player in the centre in an offside position. But the ball was played out wide to Fallows, who was onside, and by the time the cross came into the box there was no player offside.
The referee waved play on and Llan scored, Mochdre paying the price for not playing to the whistle.
Mochdre soon took the lead again in the 38th minute after another corner was not cleared.
Keeper Peter Finn brilliantly got a hand to the ball, but pushed it into the path of Craig Roberts, whose deflected effort found the net.
With the break looming the hosts made it 3-1.
As a ‘Medd attack was cancelled out, a counter-attack that was as slick as was possible in the conditions saw Kai Davies shoot low past Finn.
In the second half the Anglesey side upped their game, Deion Evans com- ing on for the injured Iwan Williams.
Evans soon made his presence felt with darting runs down the centre.
Like with Mochdre’s third goal, Llan countered with Evans stealing the ball, barging his way down the centre and sending a beautiful chip over the defence into the path of Sharpe, who volleyed past keeper Daniel Miller to make it 3-2 on 64 minutes.
An acrobatic save by Finn kept Llan in the game, but with confidence growing again at the ‘Medd, home attacks were fading out.
Terrier Llion Jones had done a lot of work throughout the match and his turn came as he was brought down in the box.
Despite Sharpe being on a hat-trick, Jones got the nod to take the resulting spot-kick and he converted to level the scores.
Hari Jones’ late header was goalbound, but a quick-reacting Mochdre defender cleared the danger and it finished three-apiece.
Having beaten Mochdre 2-0 at Tan Parc back in October, ‘Medd have now taken four points out of six against Sports this season.