BOWEN GRABS LATE EQUALISER
LLANELLI TOWN.................1 CARMARTHEN TOWN........1
HONOURS were even in this West Wales derby at Stebonheath on Boxing Day.
After the horror show of their previous game against Bala Town, Llanelli Town finally came up with a display which proves they are more than capable of raising their game when they more than matched Carmarthen Town in their Welsh Premier League encounter.
The Old Gold went into the contest six points above their opponents and with the chance to move even further away from the relegation zone. But they chose this occasion to produce one of their poorest performances of the season.
A number of tactical changes by Reds manager Andy Hill were instrumental in ensuring the home side competed with their opponents in every department. They were on the front foot from the start, with Declan Carroll easily robbed of possession by Joe Clarke. And with two incisive passes the ball was fed to James Loveridge on the left flank, who easily went past Lewis Baldwin and Mael Davies, then from the edge of the penalty area released a crisp drive that went beyond the reach of keeper Lee Idzi but slid narrowly wide of the far post.
Another slick move involving a number of players culminated in Michael George curling his shot at goal, only to be thwarted by Carmarthen keeper Lee Idzi, who diverted it around for a corner.
When the Old Gold countered, Oliver Davies in the home goal was forced off his line to push clear from Liam Thomas when he chased down a ball from Lewis Baldwin.
Town had their best chance of the first period when Carroll fed Davies on the edge of the penalty area. He drove the ball into the goalmouth where Sean Hanbury sliced his shot well wide of the goal.
They threatened again when a Carroll corner was met at the far post by Greg Walters, who in turn found Lee Surman, but he was unable to direct his effort on target.
For the rest of the half Llanelli largely dominated play but were unable to find a way through Town’s defence at the heart of which the experienced Surman was a towering presence.
The Reds were forced into a change during the interval when Ross Jones, making his first appearance since suffering a serious shoulder injury, was forced to give way to academy player Jamie Owen, but despite this disruption Llanelli continued to be very much in the contest.
In fact, they were the first to threaten, with George lofting just over the bar from a Joe Clarke assist.
The Old Gold also made a positive start and they created a genuine chance when Carroll lifted a free-kick into the crowded goalmouth where it was headed clear by a defender. And when the ball was claimed by Greg Walters, he sent his 25-yard effort over the bar.
After 61 minutes a further good chance was squandered when Davies fired an inviting cross into the goalmouth, but Liam Thomas planted his close-range header beyond the near post.
Moments later Walters delivered a fine cross into the goalmouth where Bowen, with a subtle glancing header, directed the ball narrowly over the bar.
At this stage the hosts were coming under some serious pressure, and their goal survived another close call when a ball lofted into the goalmouth led to Davies failing to make a clean catch, and it dropped to the feet of Thomas, but again the chance was skied over the bar.
The visitors were made to pay for these costly lapses when the Reds finally broke the deadlock on 67 min- utes. A break up the left led to Jordan Davies delivering a great cross into the middle, and George was on hand to meet it with a firm header past Idzi.
Buoyed by this success the home side took the game to the Old Gold, and when Jones was played in by Chris Thomas in midfield, his wellstruck shot was fractionally wide.
Yet on 78 minutes Carmarthen drew level thanks to an outstanding piece of clinical finishing.
Thomas, from just inside the Llanelli half, sent a sublime long pass through to Bowen racing into the penalty area and the striker skilfully sidestepped defender Kurtis March and rounded Davies as he advanced from his goal, before sliding the ball into the empty net.
The Reds might well still have snatched all three points but were denied by a great save by Idzi, who turned over a point-blank Clarke header from a Jones cross.
Town went close to snatching an unlikely late winner when Luke Cummings neatly played the ball for- ward to Thomas, whose crisp drive was kept out by Davies with a smart full-length save.
Llanelli entertain the league’s basement side Llandudno this Saturday (2.30pm), while Carmarthen make the trip to Caernarfon Town.