TOWN SPURN A GOLDEN CHANCE
CARMARTHEN Town missed the chance to keep the pressure on at the top of JD Cymru South as they slumped to a home defeat against Afan Lido.
After the impressive performance last week against Ynyshir Albions, Carmarthen supporters might reasonably have been entitled to anticipate a similarly agreeable display in this match against mid-table opposition.
Sadly, that did not happen.
In the early the stages the match quickly developed into a rapid endto-end affair although the visitors were more creative and penetrative in their movement.
On seven minutes Ioan Evans cut inside from the left touchline and from the corner of the penalty area struck a low drive that goalkeeper Ifan Knott turned around the post at full stretch.
Just two minutes later Lido took the lead. A corner was fired into the packed goalmouth, Ben Keen reacted quicker than any Town defender and from close range he drove the ball beyond Knott’s reach and into the far corner of the net.
The Old Gold responded positively to that setback with industrious midfielders Will Rikard, Greg Walters, Bradley Gibbings and Mathew Delaney creating opportunities for strikers Liam Thomas and Noah Daley to exploit.
And on 15 minutes they should have drawn level when Gibbings made a strong run along the right before sending an inviting cross into the goalmouth, only to see Daley contrive to miss the ball entirely and allow goalkeeper Steve Cann to claim it.
Then Gibbings, from wide on the right, crossed the ball into the area where Daley sent his looping header over the bar.
Town, in this period of play, continued to search for an equaliser. In the 29th minute Sam Parsons, from near the touchline, delivered a freekick deep into the packed goalmouth, only to see Scott Tancock plant his close-range header narrowly over the bar.
During that spell the visitors continued to enjoy periods of possession, albeit without managing to threaten the Carmarthen goal in any serious way.
However, that all changed in the 46th minute.
A huge clearance upfield out of the visiting half was pursued by two Town defenders and Lido striker Liam Griffiths, while Knott also chose to race way out of his area.
Almost inevitably, Griffiths reached the ball first and, with impressive precision, from just outside the centre circle he fired it into the empty net.
After the interval the Old Gold were quick to put pressure on the Lido defence and in the 48th minute a slick crossfield move involving Gibbings and Walters led to Delaney firing the ball over the bar from 25 yards.
But any optimism Town supporters might have held of taking any points from the match evaporated in the 60th minute when a sequence of defensive errors inside the area culminated in Lido striker Ioan Evans left with the ball at his feet and an invitingly empty net in front of him.
He duly netted and Town, now three goals down, were facing defeat.
And to further compound the misery for the home crowd, Carmarthen were awarded a penalty in the 77th minute. Normally this would be a formality to for all-time top scorer Liam Thomas, but not on this occasion as he missed.
That typified so much of Town’s performance in this match, in which they were outplayed for the majority of the time.
Carmarthen’s next fixture is a Welsh Cup second-round tie at Newport City on Saturday.
TOWN: I Knott; A John, S Tancock, L
Surman, S Parsons (sub T Jones 65), W Rikard (sub L James 63), G Walters, M Delaney (sub T Harvey 65), B Gibbings, L Thomas, N Daley (sub J Walters 63).