TOWN DISPLAY REAL PROMISE
CARMARTHEN Town continued their promising start to the Welsh Premier League season with this thrilling performance against Newtown.
Their victory featured three welltaken goals which earned them a deserved victory.
The Old Gold began positively, launching a series of attacks that kept the visitors pinned back deep inside their own half. Several dangerous crosses were fired into the penalty area, but due to a combination of poor finishing, alongside sound defending by the opposition, Robins keeper Dave Jones was never seriously tested.
It was eight minutes before Newtown were able to produce a worthwhile attack and get into Town’s area, only for Ethan Jones to waste a decent chance by heading wide from a good position.
And they went close to taking the lead when Steve Leslie played a neat pass to Jones and his strike defeated keeper Lee Idzi but crashed against the foot of the post before bouncing safely away.
The Robins fashioned another opportunity when Joe Kenton made ground along the right before crossing the ball into the area where Jones fired a volley just over the bar.
But that close escape seemed to galvanize the Old Gold as they began forcing the visitors back into defence, only this time the finishing was of a much higher quality.
Greg Walters produced a sublime lofted pass that sent Liam Thomas racing into the area. His close-range shot was blocked on the goal line by defender Kieran Mills-Evans, and when the ball found him again his header was blocked by Dave Jones.
Carmarthen were finally rewarded for their persistence on 35 minutes when Sean Hanbury lifted a huge cross deep into the goalmouth and Luke Bowen arrived to plant his header into the roof of the net.
After the interval Newtown began brightly as they put the home defence under sustained pressure. And they went close to claiming an equaliser when Alex Fletcher’s shot was blocked by Town substitute Dave Vincent.
But the visitors found themselves two goals adrift when Carmarthen struck following a superb move.
Idzi claimed the ball inside his own area and rolled it out to Jordan Vickers, who embarked on a sensational 90-yard sprint along the right touchline.
He fired the ball invitingly across the goalmouth where Bowen powered it home from eight yards.
This remarkable goal left the visitors shaken and the Old Gold elated.
And soon afterwards the hosts went close to extending their lead when Walters threaded a fine pass to Thomas, who slipped neatly around a defender and from the corner of the area dispatched a rasping drive that flew narrowly wide of the far post.
The tempo of the game quickened as play swung from end to end, with Carmarthen looking to secure an emphatic victory, while the Robins still believed that a point at least was still achievable.
And they looked certain to narrow the deficit when Rushton split the home defence with a fine pass that found Callum Roberts racing free into the area, only for him be denied a scoring opportunity as Lee Surman produced a remarkable recovering tackle to claim the ball and clear the danger.
But the Old Gold put the result beyond doubt with a well-executed third goal. Cummings produced another strong run along the right before delivering a cross deep into the goalmouth where Thomas rose high above defenders and forced his close-range header into the top corner of the net.
Newtown continued to seek some form of consolation and on 89 minutes they created, and squandered, their best chance of the match when Roberts burst into the area and crossed to the unmarked Luke Boundford, but he somehow contrived to slice the ball wide of the goal.
With two successive deserved victories in the bank, both achieved without conceding a goal and by playing a refreshing brand of football, Carmarthen supporters are starting to believe that this season might well be much more enjoyable than the last.
At the very least they can look forward to the next match on Saturday when Town travel to Cefn Druids, who currently lie at the foot of the league table.
The game starts at 2.30pm. TOWN: L Idzi; L Cummings; J Knott (sub D Vincent 46); L Surman; S Hanbury; M Davies (sub J Woodford 84); C Morgan; G Walters; J Vickers (sub C Hanford 77); L Bowen; L Thomas.