LLANSANTFFRAID VILLAGE FC

Saturday 6^th March 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Waterloo Colts 1

Llansantffraid Village 1

This was a game we could have and probably should have won. Apart for one bread and butter save by Rhys we were barely troubled by the home side in the first half. They didn’t look half the side that beat us 4-1 earlier in the season. The Village were struggling for a side with a number of players missing. The problem caused by themselves in the main, through poor discipline. Kieran Evans, Glenn Evans and Wayne Austin were all missing through suspension, while Ian Kynaston has gone on a two week holiday!

Despite this the Village looked the much better side in the first half. Josh Thomas was unlucky not to have given us the lead in the third minute when the home keeper pulled off a good save to deny him. Two minutes later Nathan Prodger got onto a through ball placed between the home defenders, he ran at the advancing keeper, before he calmly rounded him and slotted the ball into the empty net.

An unmarked Paul Marshall should have made it 2-0 in the 17^th minute when he headed a Steve Lalley cross inches wide of the post with the home keeper stranded. That was the final goal mouth action of the first half, the remainder was a midfield stalemate with neither side looking capable of a breakthrough.

The home side looked a bit more threatening at the beginning of the second half when they forced a series of free-kicks and corners. It was from one of these in the 52^nd minute that they got their equaliser. A ball into the middle of the six yard box wasn’t claimed by the keeper and it was headed home. This was hotly disputed by the Village who claimed the ball hadn’t crossed the line, but the ref who was well placed gave the goal.

The Village looked the more likely to score after this, Josh Thomas came the closest when he broke from the left wing to the edge of the box before hit a fierce shot at goal which the keeper managed to just tip onto the post and out for a corner. Two minutes later Nathan Prodger thought he’d got the winner but the home keeper was equal to the shot and did well to save it.

A point away from home is worth a lot and it will hopefully help us attain a top ten position at the end of the season. Kelvin Hughes made his first appearance in the team for months and certainly impressed.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, S Lalley, A Williams, B Oakley, M Davies, A Parkes,

K Hughes, N Prodger, P Marshall (D Hughes), J Thomas.

Saturday 27th February 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Aberystwyth Uni 3

Llansantffraid Village 2

A cracking game for the neutral and another excellent advert for the league, the only thing wrong was the result, but then again you can’t have everything!

Ray was forced to alter the side that played so well on Wednesday night. Ian Kynaston is away on holiday and Josh Thomas was unavailable through work commitments, Alwyn Williams made his come back following suspension and Steve Lalley made his return from the bench to take his place back in the defence whilst Neil Prescott moved forward to play in central midfield.

I said earlier in the season that the Uni. were a good side and they certainly played well again on Saturday. The opening half remained goalless until just before the break when the Village conceded a silly free kick on the edge of the box and were punished for it when the hosts took the lead. Despite the lack of goals up until this point, the match had been very entertaining with some excellent football being played by both sides.

The Village started the brighter in the second half and after hitting the crossbar early on Wayne Austin volleyed in the equaliser within five minutes of the re-start. Ten minutes later the Village took the lead when Ben Oakley headed home a stunning goal. The game continued to go from end to end, and with just ten minutes remaining the home side equalised with an absolutely stunning goal.

The game looked to be heading for a draw, but matters changed dramatically when Glen Evans made a rash challenge with just minutes remaining. What looked to be at the very worst a yellow card, to everyone’s amazement the referee deemed it a straight red The Village played on and looked to have earned a draw when the 90^th minute came. But the Referee somehow found another six minutes from somewhere. It was in the fifth minute of this injury time that the Uni. scored the winner. We did manage to get one more attack in before the ref found his whistle. A golden chance fell to Ben Oakley who somehow managed to blast the ball over the bar from just two yards out!

Some decisions go for you and some against you, and over a season they even themselves out, or so they say. Disappointing to lose, but the performance was good which was the main thing.

Team:- R Jones, M Davies, S Lalley, A Williams (S Henshaw), B Oakley, G Evans,

A Parkes, N Prescott, N Prodger, P Marshall, W Austin. Sub not used L Jones.

Wednesday 24^th February 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 2

Carno 0

This was the third meeting between the clubs this season, the first two ending in a victory each for both sides, in what were very close encounters. The Village have been a little out of sorts in recent weeks whilst visitors Carno had won their previous five league outings. So on paper this had the makings for a very close game with little to separate the sides.

The match itself was played in heavy conditions following the snow the previous night. There was very little to separate the sides only that the Village always looked the more likely to score. Ray dropped Brian Oakley into the centre of defence with Glenn Evans while Mattie Davies went into Steve Lalley’s left back position. The combination seemed to work well and they soaked up almost all the pressure the visitors could throw at them.

Nathan Prodger almost broke the deadlock in the 6^th minute when he broke through the visitors back line to have a one on one with Carno keeper Chris Brown. The keeper did well to come off his line to narrow the angle and managed to get his hand to Prodger’s shot and push the ball wide. Paul Marshall had a half chance two minutes later when he latched onto a cross from Ashley Parkes but his effort hardly tested the keeper who had an easy save. Marshall then volleyed a Neil Prescott free-kick narrowly over the bar on the half hour.

Tomos Rowlands had the best chance for the visitors minutes later, but keeper Rhys Jones dived bravely at his feet to put him under pressure and he blasted his shot way over the bar. The opening goal for the Village came from the penalty spot on the stroke of half time when a Carno player was somewhat harshly adjudged to have handled the ball in the box. Captain Glenn Evans absolutely hammered the ball into the net for the lead.

In the second half Josh Thomas had a good chance to double the lead on the hour; following good work from Nathan Prodger who beat off a number of defenders on the edge of the box before setting Josh up, but with the goal virtually at his mercy, he unluckily thumped the ball into the side netting. The same combination ten minutes later ended with another chance for Josh, but this time he shot narrowly wide.

The second and decisive goal came in the 80^th minute from a free-kick. Glen struck the ball low and hard at goal, and just as the keeper went down to save it the ball hit the ground and somehow managed to squeeze through into the net. The game petered out, and the Village were well worth their three points.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, M Davies, W Austin (E Williams), B Oakley, G Evans,

A Parkes, I Kynaston (S Lalley), N Prodger, P Marshall (A Williams), J Thomas.

Saturday 13^th February 2010

Central Wales Cup

Newquay 2

Llansantffraid Village 4

Following last weeks poor performance the Village faced a break from League action this weekend as they faced the long journey to the coast to take on Newquay in the Central Wales Cup. Not much was known about our hosts, but we expected a tough game. Ray once again had selection problems, with many of our players unavailable through work commitments or going to watch the rugby in Cardiff.

In the absence of Glenn Evans, Ray opted to play Ben Oakley at centre half, Paul Marshall took his place up front and Wayne Austin played instead of Josh Thomas who was on the bench.

Unlike last week the Village started sharply and were all over their hosts from the kick-off. But, against the run of play they found themselves one nil down in the 11^th minute. A long clearance from the home team found their striker who shot at goal, Rhys saved the shot, but hesitancy by the defence ended with the ball only being cleared to the same striker who made no mistakes with his second attempt.

The home sides jubilation was short lived however, within a minute it was 1-1. Wayne Austin broke down the right before crossing into the middle where Kieran Evans headed the ball powerfully home. Kieran made it 2-1 before the break when once again he latched onto a Wayne Austin cross, this time he volleyed the ball low and hard into the corner of the net.

Within a minute of the re-start the home side pulled level. “Man of the Match” Ben Oakley was unfortunate to score an own goal when he tried to divert a cross over the bar. The Village took the lead again on the hour when substitute Josh Thomas headed home another Wayne Austin cross. Despite being on top, the Village were always in danger of conceding a goal. But with the home side pushing hard for an equaliser the Village caught them on the break and got the decisive fourth goal four minutes from the end to make the game safe thanks to top goal scorer Nathan Prodger.

Back to the League again next week when we travel to Newbridge on Wye.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans, B Oakley, M Davies, C Aitken (J Thomas), I Kynaston, N Prodger, P Marshall, W Austin. Sub Not Used M Hall

Saturday 6^th February 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 1

Dyffryn Banw 3

Our first half display in this game can only be described as a shocker. It was awful, there were no positives to be taken from it whatsoever. We looked poor; at the back we looked shaky, the midfield struggled and the lads up front had nothing to work with. Banw didn’t need a keeper first half, we didn’t even have a single effort on goal! It was a truly an abysmal performance. On the footballing side it is very difficult to find anything to write about. Apart from the goals there were very few other chances or events of notable interest by either side.

Banw took the lead in the third minute in spectacular fashion. A free-kick was headed out to the edge of the box by Glenn Evans straight to Chris Roberts who struck ball on the volley straight into the roof of the net, a fantastic goal.

In the seventh minute it was two nil. Confusion between Glenn, Neil and keeper Rhys allowed the ball to break free, and with the Banw player about to shoot, Rhys pulled him down. He was lucky the ref thought that Glenn could have tackled the player or he would have received a red card. Needless to say the penalty was converted.

Nothing exciting happened after this, Banw worked hard to close the game down and we seemed devoid of any ideas. The third goal came in an unbelievable way. On the stroke of half time, with Banw in possession on the edge of our penalty area, Kieran appeared to just kick out at one of the Banw players. It had to be seen to be believed. He picked up a yellow card, which could easily have been a red, and Banw once again converted the spot kick. It really was a poor half, and 3-0 down!

It was a much better second half display, but following the way we played in the first half it didn’t take much doing to be better. We dominated and managed to create some chances. The Banw keeper pulled off a good save to deny Prodger in the 55^th minute and on the hour we forced a couple of corners. Neil Prescott headed the first at goal which beat the keeper but a defender cleared off the line and Ben Oakley headed the next corner at goal but once again it was cleared off the line.

Ben Oakley headed a powerful header narrowly over the bar in the 70^th minute. Our consolation goal came in the 78^th minute Steve Lalley cut in from wide on the right before unleashing a low drive at goal, the keeper did well to save it but Nathan Prodger tapped the loose ball in from close range.

Although we were never troubled by Banw in the second half they deserved the win. They had earned a three goal lead in the first half and it was up to us to break them down . They were well organised and worked hard. Unlike two weeks ago there are no excuses for this result, on the day we were clearly second best and got what we deserved.

It’s up to the team where they go from here, they need to look at where they went wrong. If we play like this again we are in for miserable few months until the season.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans (P Marshall), G Evans, M Davies, C Aitken, I Kynaston, N Prodger, B Oakley, J Thomas (W Austin)

Saturday 30^th January 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 8

Dolgellau 0

Any lingering memories of the weekend before were put to bed when the Village thumped visitors Dolgellau 8-0. Unlike last week, Ray had the benefit of having almost a complete squad at his disposal. Only Ashley and keeper Jimmy Hayns were out injured.

Dolgellau, who lost their manager last week made a bright start despite their problems. They put the Village under pressure in the opening few minutes with keeper Rhys called into action twice, although they were fairly routine saves.

Nathan Prodger nearly opened the scoring in the 12^th minute but for a save by the keepers legs. Three minutes later it was 1-0. Kieran, playing his first game since his horrendous injury set the goal up with a clinical pass which cut through the Dolgellau defence for Prodger to run onto and slide the ball past the keeper into the net.

Dolgellau did not give up, and looked dangerous on the break. A long ball up the middle of the field set up Gareth Lloyd who shook off both Mattie Davies and Glenn Evans before unleashing a dipping volley over keeper Rhys Jones onto the bar and away for a goal kick in the 23^rd minute.

Kieran’s influence made the second goal. He won the ball in midfield before laying off a pass to Prodger who broke into the penalty box and slid a pass through to Ben Oakley who squeezed the ball in from the narrowest of angles to make it 2-0 in the 33^rd minute.

A minute later the Dolgellau keeper saved superbly to deny Prodger, but from the resultant corner Ben Oakley grabbed his second to make 3-0 when he headed the ball home under pressure at the far post.

At this point Dolgellau seemed to lose their discipline, but they somehow held out until half time without conceding another goal.

Nathan Prodger, who worked tirelessly throughout the game, once again set Ben Oakley up for his third goal in the 49^th minute. A pass between defenders allowed Ben to run through and hammer the ball past the keeper. Four minutes later it was 5-0. Prodger broke down the right wing and crossed to the far post where Josh Thomas volleyed the ball into the net off a defender.

The Dolgellau keeper was at fault for the sixth goal. A poor pass to a defender was intercepted by Ben Oakley and he made no mistakes as he blasted the ball under the keeper for his fourth goal on the hour.

Nathan Prodger struck the post in the 77^th minute before he latched onto a good cross from Josh Thomas to hit home the 7^th from close range in the 83^rd minute. Nathan set up the final goal in the final minute when he ran at the defence from the right before finding an unmarked Josh Thomas with as pass and he had a simple tap in for the eighth.

The team looked a better balanced side than last week. They will face far sterner tests than this before the end of the season though, but on this form they should cope well.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, S Lalley, M Davies, G Evans (E Williams), J Thomas,

C Aitken, K Evans (W Austin), N Prodger, B Oakley (P Marshall), I Kynaston

Saturday 23^rd January 2010

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 1

Presteigne St Andrews 7

A nightmare first half resulted in a humiliating defeat to mid table Presteigne. Things went wrong even before the kick off. Regular goal keeper Jimmy Hayns was out after breaking a finger at work, influential defender and captain Glenn Evans had to miss the game through suspension, midfielder Kieran Evans could only make the bench as he slowly recovers from the broken cheekbone he picked up against Penparcau and our top goalscorer Nathan Prodger was at a wedding! On top of that Neil Prescott turned out for the Reserves! Not an ideal start, and to add to this we hadn’t played for six weeks due to the appalling weather.

As for the match itself, we started very poorly. The defence looked decidedly shaky without Glenn’s steadying influence, and added to the fact that the ever present Prescott wasn’t in the team the signs looked ominous from the beginning. Presteigne looked a lot sharper in the opening minutes, and were unlucky not have taken the lead in the third minute when they twice struck the bar.

The real turning point came in the eighth minute and killed the game off as a contest. A rash challenge from stand-in central defender Alwyn Williams resulted in him receiving a straight red card. He went for a 50-50 ball but the Presteigne player got to it just before him and Alwyn unfortunately caught him.

Two minutes later Presteigne took the lead. A corner from the right was caught by stand in keeper Rhys Jones who then dropped the ball at the feet of Gareth Mansell who couldn’t believe his luck and he side footed home from just two yards out. For the remainder of the half it was all one way traffic, Presteigne were attacking at will, with the home defence all over the place. At one stage it looked as though it could have been a cricket score. When the half time whistle went the Village were six nil down and looking totally down and out.

There were obvious concerns for what could happen in the second half, but a few words from Ray at half time seemed to help matters a little. Two minutes after the break the Village pulled a goal back, when Chris Aitken eased past the visitors defence on the right before putting a cross into the far post where Paul Marshall headed the ball into the top corner. Any hopes of an unlikely come back were dashed in the 51^st minute when the Village failed to clear the ball and Presteigne managed to score again.

The introduction of Neil Prescott and Kieran Evans boosted the Village no end, and the game became a more even contest. Despite being down to ten men the Village had the better of the second half, but there was going to be no comeback after the damage done in the first half.

The lads need to pick themselves up after this. Hopefully there will be lessons learned by everyone.

Team:- R Jones, E Williams, S Lalley, J Thomas, A Williams, M Davies, C Aitken,

I Kynaston, P Marshall (K Evans), B Oakley, W Austin (N Prescott) Not used DC Hughes

Saturday 12^th December

SPAR Mid Wales League Cup

Carno FC 1

Llansantffraid Village 1 AET

Llansantffaid won 4 3 on penalties

This was the second meeting between the sides with Carno just about edging the first game 1-0 which meant that this meeting was going to be another close encounter. The Village played down the slope the first half and had the better of the game. Nathan Prodger proved the biggest threat putting one shot narrowly wide while another effort was deflected off a defender over the bar. It was not all one way traffic though, Keeper Jimmy Hayns had to be alert when Tomos Richards found himself in space in the box but Jimmy was equal to his shot. In the 38^th minute he was tested again this time by David Pierce. But it was the Village who took the lead in the 40^th minute. Wayne Austin closed down the home defence before robbing the ball and passing it to Chris Aitken who found Nathan Prodger on the edge of the box, he then waltzed through a number of defenders before putting the ball wide of the keeper for a 1 0 half time lead.

The Village started the second half brightly and could have extended their lead on the hour after Prodger broke down the right before crossing to Wayne Austin who volleyed the ball goal wards from close range but somehow home keeper Chris Brown pulled off a superb reflex save to deny him. This was Wayne’s last involvement, when he stretched for the ball he pulled something and had to be replaced by Ben Oakley. Worse was to follow when minutes later Chris Aitken who had been ill during the week had to go off as well .

Carno were pushing hard now for the equaliser and Jimmy Hayns pulled off another fine save to keep them at bay in the 67^th minute. Paul Marshall, who was having a good game came close for the Village in the 69^th but his effort on goal was deflected off the legs of a defender wide of the post. Following a lot of pressure from the home side they eventually got their equaliser from a corner. Dan Kenyon headed home after escaping his marker for a free header to score. Both sides pushed hard for a winner but after 90 minutes it was all square so the match went to extra time.

In extra time both sides had their chances to have won the match, Jimmy Hayns came to the Villages rescue twice with good saves, and both Glenn Evans and Nathan Prodger struck the cross bar with the Carno keeper stranded but the extra 30 minutes failed to produce a winner and the match went to penalties. It was a game that neither side deserved to lose, but unfortunately there had to be a winner on the day.

Our normal penalty taker Glenn Evans took the first and missed for the first time since he joined us. Paul Marshall, Nathan Prodger and Steve Lalley scored their’s while Ian Kynaston failed with his. It was 3-3 and went to sudden death, Josh Thomas stepped up for us and coolly dispatched a superb shot into the left hand corner. Jimmy then became the hero then when he saved the Carno spot kick to put the Village into the semi-finals.

Team:- J Hayns, E Williams, S Lalley, I Kynaston, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitken

(N Prescott), W Austin (B Oakley), N Prodger, P Marshall, J Thomas.

Friday 4^th December

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 2

Rhayader Town 1

A top of the table clash with leaders Rhayader Town was something to look forward to on miserable wet Friday night. Ray had selection problems before the kick-off. Kieran Evans is out for two or three months, Ben Oakley was injured but made the bench, Ashley Parkes was unavailable and Neil Prescott wasn’t fit. Ray put Matt Davies in mid-field and Alwyn Williams took his place in defence.

The Village didn’t make the same mistake as last week and were straight into the game. They dominated the proceedings early on and Nathan Prodger was only denied by a stunning save by Rhayader keeper Meirion Price in the 6^th minute. Price came to the rescue of Rhayader in the 12^th minute with another reflex save to deny a fierce strike from Chris Aitken. Nathan should have scored from the resultant corner but couldn’t dig the ball from under his feet when just a yard out. The Village were rocked in the 15^th minute when Mike Collister got the better of injured Neil Prescott before cutting into the box and scoring with a blistering shot to give the visitors the lead on virtually their first venture into our half. Wayne Austin came off the bench for the struggling Prescott after this.

Wayne, playing his first game for a while created our next chance when he struck a shot from the edge of the box but it went straight into Price’s arms. He did create the equaliser however when he sent a looping ball over the defence which Nathan got to first and as the keeper approached he deftly chipped it over his head and into the empty net in the 41^st minute. Nathan nearly had a second before the break but it was scrambled off the line. Steve Lalley and Chris Aitkin both went close in injury time to giving us the lead.

Apart from a couple of set pieces from Rhayader in the second half it was a fairly one sided game. Glenn Evans gave the Village the lead in the 57^th when he hit a 35yard free kick into the roof of the net despite keeper Price getting his hands to it. In the 67^th minute Josh Thomas hit a corner against the foot of the post, a minute later Nathan Prodger went on one of his weaving runs through the defence before hitting a shot past the keeper only to watch it strike the upright . Nathan turned provider three minutes before the end when he broke down the right before sending in a cross to the far post where an unmarked Josh Thomas headed the ball over the stranded keeper but unfortunately the ball hit the cross bar and out for a goal kick.

The match was a good advert for the SPAR Mid-Wales league, it was played in the right spirit with both teams playing good football although the Village posed by far the greater threat. The win puts us two points clear at the top of the table.

Ben Oakley came off the bench for the final five minutes and managed to get through it without any problems so he should be available next week. Wayne shrugged off his long lay off and looked fit after 75 minutes of play.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott (Austin), S Lalley, I Kynaston, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitkin,

A Williams, N Prodger, P Marshall (Oakley), J Thomas. Sub not used B Jones.

Saturday 28^th November

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 3

Penparcau 3

The Village were given a bit of a reality check in this game as the visitors stormed into a well deserved 3-0 lead within the opening 15 minutes. A warning shot came in the 2^nd minute when sloppy defending let in the visitors, and, but for a goal line clearance they could have been 1-0 down. The Village were all over the place in the opening spell, with Penparcau playing some good neat football. They took the lead on 8 minutes when Mattie Davies had a simple tap in following a good cross. Four minutes later the lead was doubled following a foul in the penalty box on Mattie Davies by our own Mat Davies. Mattie Davies converted the spot kick himself. On quarter of an hour it was 3-0. A mix up between Matt Davies and keeper Jimmy Hayns allowed the ball to run free for striker Anthony Folingo to have a free shot at the open goal. At this stage it looked as though the visitors were going to win hands down, as the Village were not in the game, but Ray changed things round and eventually they settled down and got more into it.

The first chance for the Village came in the 33^rd minute when Josh Thomas sent in a cross which Chris Aitken headed straight at the keeper. A long shot a minute later by Chris Aitken was punched clear from under the bar by the visitors keeper. A spectacular own goal by Neil Evans helped the Village get back into the game, when under pressure, he volleyed a Nathan Prodger cross into his own net in the 41^st minute. The Village were very much on top now and were unlucky not to have pulled another goal back in injury time. A corner was headed goal wards by Glenn Evans which the keeper saved well and a follow up shot by Nathan Prodger was scrambled clear.

The game was delayed for five minutes mid-way through the second half following a nasty injury to Kieran Evans after what looked like an innocuous challenge but even so Kieran somehow picked up a serious injury to his face. It was clear to everyone in the ground that when he went down he was in agony but despite this a number of the visitors players continued to call him a cheat, a diver plus many other unpleasant comments. Kieran was eventually helped off the pitch and was later taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a badly broken cheekbone with the prospect of an operation sometime next week to repair the damage, he’ll be off work and out of football for a number of months.

For the remainder of the game the Village were in the driving seat and a goal was pulled back in the 71^st minute when a corner from Josh Thomas struck the post and went straight to Ian Kynaston who hammered the ball home. In the 78^th minute the Village pulled level when substitute Paul Marshall tucked in a cross from Nathan Prodger. The Village had chances to have won the game, both Nathan Prodger and Ashley Parkes had golden opportunities to have won the match but failed. Following that terrible start we should be glad we had the character to keep our heads up and earn a deserved point where some teams would have floundered.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott (P Marshall), S Lalley, A Williams, G Evans, M Davies,

C Aitken, I Kynaston, N Prodger, K Evans (A Parkes),(S Tomkins), J Thomas

Saturday 21^st November

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 6

Newbridge on Wye 2

After a gap of three weeks it was nice to get a game once again. The match was against bottom club Newbridge who have made a disastrous start to the campaign, though in recent weeks they have started to improve. Despite not having a game recently the Village were soon into their stride and took the lead in only the third minute. Nathan Prodger created space for himself before unleashing a shot which struck the post, luckily Chris Aitken reacted quickest to tap the loose ball home. But the home side were rocked after 15 minutes, when the visitors pulled a goal back from only their first venture into the Villages half. A powerful shot from 30 yards somehow seemed to curl away from Jimmy Hayns in goal and the ball sailed into the top corner for unexpected equaliser. Ten minutes later the Village were back in front, when the referee awarded a penalty after a defender went to ground to block a shot and the ball struck his hand and onto the post. The player was booked and Captain Glenn Evans scored from the spot kick. New signing Josh Thomas made his debut in place of the suspended Wayne Austin. He was unlucky no to have scored on the half hour when he put in a shot come cross which the keeper managed to push from under the bar. A weaving run by Prodger made him enough space for a shot but once again he was denied by the post. One minute before the break, Chris Aitken broke down the right once again, beat his marker before putting in a telling cross which the keeper fumbled and Prodger tucked the loose ball home to make 3-1.

Newbridge came out for the second half with renewed enthusiasm and should have pulled at least a goal back. In the 52^nd Mattie Davies was forced to head off the line after a shot beat Jimmy and Glenn Evans had to scramble the ball off the line a minute later as Newbridge pushed hard to get back in the game.

All their hard work was undone in the 55^th minute when the lively Chris Aitken broke down the right before crossing a superbly flighted ball which Prodger ran onto and headed straight into the top corner from 10 yards out. Four minutes later Prodger grabbed his hat trick. He latched onto a long throw from Neil Prescott before turning sharply 12 yards out and hammering the ball low to the keepers left to make it 5-1.

The Village were rocked in the 65^th minute when Newbridge scored direct from a free kick. They took the kick quickly and caught the home side napping, keeper Jim was still organizing his wall when the ball went past him. Nathan Prodger turned provider in the 72^nd minute when he pulled the defence wide before setting up substitute Ashley Parkes with a chance which he dispatched with ease. Chances fell to Ben Oakley who blasted the ball over the bar and Prodger who somehow missed an open goal from 3 yards out but the score remained at 6-2 when the final whistle went. A comfortable win which keeps us in third spot. Only worry was the sight of Glenn Evans going off with 20 minutes to go after he picked up an injury. Wayne has to sit out one more match but Kieran is available for our next game.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, A Williams (B Jones), G Evans (E Williams), M Davies, C Aitken (A Parkes), N Prodger, B Oakley, J Thomas.

Friday 28^th October

SPAR Mid Wales League Cup

Llansantffraid Village 4

Caersws Reserves 0

For the second time this season the Village proved to be too strong for Caersws Reserves as they once again ran out comfortable winners, this time 4-0. Manager Ray made a number of changes to the side, he rested Kieran and Glen Evans, brought in Ed Williams at right back and gave Neil Prescott a run in the centre of defence. Paul Marshall started the game in the absence of the injured Ben Oakley.

The defence worked relatively well, although Caersws rarely troubled them. Ed Williams settled in well and managed to make a few runs up the right, as did Steve Lalley on the left. Neil had a good game in the centre of defence alongside the rock solid Matt Davies. Wayne Austin and Chris Aitken worked well down the flanks while Alwyn and Ian worked hard in the midfield to close the visitors down.

The biggest surprise at half time was how the score had remained at 0-0. The Village should have taken the lead, but once again they came up against a keeper in good form. Wayne Austin came closest to opening the scoring. He made room on the edge of the box before hitting a fierce drive at goal, but keeper Williams managed to fingertip the ball onto the post in the 17^th minute, he later put another shot narrowly wide. Williams managed to save a shot with his legs in the 36^th minute to deny Chris Aitken. Paul Marshall played a superbly weighted pass to set up Nathan Prodger just before the break but keeper Williams was once again equal to the shot. From the resultant corner Alwyn Williams had his goal ward bound header cleared off the line. Caersws for their part did manage a few breaks into the Village half, but did little to threaten Jimmy Hayns goal.

Eight minutes into the second half the deadlock was broken. Nathan Prodger, who had been a constant threat to the visitors was pulled down in the box. The ref had no hesitation in awarding the penalty and Wayne Austin stepped up to fire the ball home, even then keeper Williams managed to get his fingertips to the ball. Two minutes later it was 2-0, Ian Kynaston latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the box and struck the ball sweetly on the volley, it flew 25 yards straight into the back of the net. Within a minute it was 3-0, Wayne Austin cut in from the left wing into the box, he shot at goal from a narrow angle, the ball took a slight deflection which wrong footed the keeper and into the net. Three goals in the space of less than four minutes had virtually killed the game off. Following this Ray made sweeping changes, bringing on Glenn, Kieran and Ashley for the final quarter of an hour. Wayne and Paul Marshall both had efforts saved by Williams before Kieran scored the fourth and final goal eight minutes from the end. Wayne Austin broke down the right wing before crossing low and hard to the near post where Kieran ran onto it and volleyed the ball home from 6 yards giving the keeper no chance. A deserved win which puts us into the quarter finals. No game now for two weeks!

Team:- J Hayns, E Williams, S Lalley, I Kynaston, N Prescott, M Davies (G Evans),

C Aitken (A Parkes), A Williams (K Evans), P Marshall, N Prodger, W Austin.

Monday 26th October

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 4

Aberystwyth University 2

Aberystwyth University took a deserved 2-0 lead into the half time break after bossing the first half with some neat passing and a well organised defence. They took the lead after being awarded a penalty in the 7^th minute after Steve Lalley had brought down Adam Thomas in the box. Thomas dusted himself down to score from the spot kick. Spurred on by this the Village did put the Uni. under a little pressure, but when they did manage to break through the defence they struggled to get past the College goalkeeper Matthew Penfold who denied both Wayne Austin and Chris Aitken with good saves

In the 17^th minute The Village were caught out again when the Uni. took a two goal lead following a flowing move down the right wing which ended with a long cross to the far post where the ball was clinically headed home. Following this the Village managed to force a few corners but Penfold commanded his area well and snapped up any crosses that came into the box. By the time the half time whistle went the Uni. were well worth their two goal lead.

In the second half they continued to play well, but Penfold was forced to once again pull off another fine save to deny Ben Oakley in the 50^th minute. The turning point of the match came in the 62^nd minute when Chris Aitken, returning after three weeks out due to illness, broke in from the right wing to the edge of the box before hitting a low drive goal wards, Penfold seemed to have the shot covered but the ball somehow squirmed underneath him and into the net. Five minutes later it was 2-2, a throw in on the right from Neil Prescott found Nathan Prodger, he controlled the ball before turning and beating his marker, he then rounded another defender before blasting the ball from 12 yards into the roof of the net via the bar. In the 69^th minute a high ball up the middle was mis-judged by the central defender which gave Prodger the chance to run at goal, as the keeper closed him down he slotted it past him to make it 3-2. Prodger just failed to get his hat-trick minutes later when he nudged the ball over the bar following a difficult chance.

Substitute Paul Marshall grabbed the fourth goal courtesy of Prodger who broke down the right edge of the box pulling the defenders with him before crossing to the unmarked Marshall to have a simple tap in. Brothers Kelvin and Dan Hughes came on for the last ten minutes, Dan was unlucky not to have scored in the final minutes.

Team:- j Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, I Kynaston, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitken,

A Williams, N Prodger (D Hughes), B Oakley (P Marshall), W Austin (K Hughes).

Friday 23rd October

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village 5

Llanfyllin Town 1

A local derby against rivals Llanfyllin Town ended with another three points in the bag for the Village in their quest for a top half finish in the league. Apart from goalkeeper Jimmy Hayns coming back into the side to replace Rhys, Ray had the advantage of playing an unchanged team which triumphed at Dolgellau last week. The game started slowly enough before springing into life after quarter of an hour. Ben Oakley was the key to the first chance when he won the ball in midfield and slotted it through the visitors defence for Nathan Prodger to run onto. Llanfyllin keeper Wynne Evans read the situation well and was quick off his line to smother the ball at Prodger’s feet at the edge of the box to snuff out the danger. Two minutes later the pace of Ashley Parkes was too much for the visitors defence as he run clear at goal, but keeper Evans managed to save the shot with his legs. One of the best moves of the game almost gave the Village the lead when neat inter play between Wayne Austin and Nathan Prodger ended with a fierce shot from the edge of the box by Wayne which struck the post and over the line for a goal kick.

The opening goal came in the 21^st minute when a cross from the left wing by Wayne Austin was powerfully headed home at the far post by Ben Oakley. Goal number two came in the 33^rd minute, a corner taken on the right by Steve Lalley was headed into the top corner of the net by Alwyn Williams who sneaked into the box unmarked. Llanfyllin were not out of the game though and somehow sneaked a goal following a goalmouth melee in the 40^th minute. The Village thought they had cleared the ball out for a corner, but our linesman Ken Morris awarded a goal to the visitors saying the ball had crossed the goal line.

The second half the Village dominated and scored three more goals. The aerial threat of Alwyn Williams and Ben Oakley caused problems for the visitors defence and in the 50^th minute Gerrallt Francis under pressure from Alwyn headed into his own net for the third goal off a Steve Lalley free-kick from the right touchline. Alwyn grabbed his second on the hour thanks to Nathan Prodger who pulled the defence out of position before crossing into the box for Alwyn to head home unmarked. The final goal came in the 65^th minute when a long clearance from defence was chased by Nathan Prodger who left his marker trailing and as the keeper came out to close him down he delicately chipped the ball over his head and into the empty net.

One of the downsides of the win was for Kieran Evans, who picked up his fifth booking of the season and now misses our next match on Monday night. A good result and everyone played well.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans (I Kynaston), G Evans, M Davies,

A Parkes (C Aitken), A Williams, N Prodger, B Oakley (P Marshall), W Austin.

Saturday 17th October

SPAR Mid Wales League

Dolgellau 1

Llansantffraid Village 6

After the disappointing display at Carno last week it was a vastly improved performance this week as the Village put Dolgellau to the sword. Nathan Prodger gave warning as early as the 6^th minute, but scored following a corner in the 8^th. Dolgellau cleared the initial threat but Glenn Evans headed the ball back into the home area, Ben Oakley headed it on and Nathan got between the keeper and the defender to slot the ball home.

They suffered a set back in the 15^th minute however when some sloppy defending let in Dave Edwards for the simplest of chances to pull level. The Village didn’t let this set back put them off, Wayne Austin appeared to be brought down in the box by the keeper two minutes later but the ref waved play on, he then went close in the 25^th minute when he cut in from the wing, made room for a shot from the edge of the box which beat keeper Humphreys but struck the bar rebounded to Prodger whose shot was saved by the keeper. Nathan grabbed our second when pounced he on a defensive lapse in the Dolgellau penalty box to win the ball and score.

After going close earlier Wayne got the goal he deserved in the 29^th minute when he once again broke in from the left wing, this time his shot went low to the keepers right and into the net to make it 3-1. What could have been the goal of the game came when Steve Lalley broke down the left to send in a cross to the far edge of the box, where incoming Ben Oakley headed the ball firmly at goal, but he was denied by the woodwork. The final, chance of then half went to Wayne but he struck the ball narrowly over the bar.

Wayne Austin continued to cause havoc for the home side, in the 49^th minute he sent a superb low cross into the box but no-one was able to get to it when a simple touch was all that was needed to send it goal wards. Ben Oakley continued to suffer from bad luck, once again Steve Lalley set him up with another inch perfect pass, but Ben’s header found the woodwork. Rhys Jones stood in for the absent Jimmy Hayns in goal, and although he had little to do, on the few times Dolgellau managed to float the ball into the box he snuffed out the chance by collecting the ball comfortably each time. He was caught out however when a back pass hit a bump just as he went to kick it. Eventually after a bit of a melee Dolgellau were awarded a free kick 10 yards out. Matt Davies saved the day when he headed the chance off the line in the 54^th minute.

A quick break following this a minute later ended with the fourth goal, a long clearance from defence was flicked on by Ben Oakley and Prodger beat the defender and the keeper to the ball for a simple tap in. The Village continued to dominate, the keeper pulled off a couple of fine reflex saves to deny both Wayne and Ben Oakley before Nathan scored his fourth in the 63^rd minute when he once again broke free of the defence to beat the keeper.

Ray made big changes after this, taking off Nathan, Kieran and Glenn. As the team adjusted to the changes Dolgellau had their best spell and Dave Edwards rattled the woodwork in the 65^th minute. Sub Ollie Clarke went close before fellow sub Paul Marshall volleyed home the final goal from the edge of the box in the 87^th minute.

A vastly improved performance, the defence soaked up any pressure well apart from the one lapse, Neil and Ashley combined well on the right and Wayne and Steve did the same on the left. Glenn and Matt stood firm in the centre while Kieran and Alwyn worked tirelessly in the middle. The combination of Ben and Nathan up front looked impressive and on another day Ben would have got a hat-trick.

Team:- R Jones, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans (I Kynaston), G Evans (O Clarke), M Davies, A Parkes, A Williams, N Prodger (P Marshall), B Oakley, W Austin.

Saturday 10th October

SPAR Mid Wales League

Carno 1

Llansantffraid Village 0

A disappointing performance once again ended in defeat, this time at the hands of Carno. Manager Ray was away on holiday so Phil Kynaston deputised. Another big influence on the game was that two of our in-form players of late, Ben White and Chris Aitken were both unavailable. Nathan Prodger played up front alone while Ben Oakley dropped deep into a five man midfield alongside Ian Kynaston, Kieran Evans, Ashley Parkes and Wayne Austin.

The first half was fairly even, Carno should have taken the lead in the 13^th minute when their player blasted the ball well over the bar from just 6 yards out with the goal at his mercy, it would have been easier to score! After that let off the Village edged the match slightly, the best chance fell to Wayne Austin who latched onto a pass along the edge of the box from Kieran, he turned his man before firing a shot goal wards, the shot beat the keeper but unfortunately struck the bar. The only other notable incident from either side came on the half hour when Nathan Prodger beat the offside trap to run at goal but the Carno keeper read the situation well and managed to smother the ball at Nathans feet on the edge of the box before he could shoot. Other than this it was a disappointing half.

The second half wasn’t much better. Play was fairly even, though Carno created the better opportunities, but Jim didn’t have to dive once, the few shots that came at goal were harmless and straight at him. The home side were awarded a generous penalty in the 55^th minute when Glenn was adjudged to have fouled their player in the box. Fortunately Jim was equal to the spot kick and kept the score at 0-0. Both sides went through the motions and as time went by it looked more and more as though the deadlock was not going to be broken. But, in the 77^th minute a rash challenge by Ashley Parkes on the edge of the box led to yet another penalty. This time the home side made no mistakes and the spot kick was converted.

The Village did try to get back in the game, the best chance followed a superb run by Ben Oakley who for once threw off his defensive role to run from deep towards the Carno goal. After working his way to the edge of the box he slotted an inch perfect ball through the defence for Nathan Prodger to run onto. I was in-line and from where I stood he appeared to be well on side and came from behind the defenders to run onto it, but the offside flag was up in a flash and despite the protests offside was given. At speed it can be difficult to tell and unlike televised games you can’t look at a replay! It was close and it could have gone either way.

The Village put the home side under pressure from some late corners, the best chance came when Glenn Evans managed to get a slight touch on the ball with his head but it slid narrowly wide of the post. Carno for their part looked dangerous from the break, and on more than one occasion caught us short at the back as we pushed forward, but never really looked like scoring. A disappointing result to say the least.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, M Davies, G Evans, K Evans, A Parkes,

I Kynaston, N Prodger, B Oakley (P Marshall), W Austin.

Saturday 3^rd October

Welsh Cup Round 2

Llansantffraid Village   1

Coedpoeth United         2

   A disappointing performance put paid to our Welsh Cup run but things could have been so different if we had of taken our first half chances.  From the start we put the visitors under pressure, Chris Aitken broke down the right in the 6^th minute, beat a defender before cutting in to the edge of the box and unleashing a shot at goal which Coedpoeth keeper Neil Griffiths pushed around the post. Ben Oakley went close five minutes later, he seen his headed effort cleared off the line. Both sides had efforts then, Griffiths denying Kieran Evans at one end and Jimmy Hayns had to be switched to deny Matthew Thomas. Chris Aitken continued to cause problems down the right for the Village, on one occasion he broke to the goal line and sent in a tremendous cross between the keeper and the defenders, Ben Oakley was charging into head the ball but defender Andrew Pryde beat him to it and looked on agonisingly as he had headed the ball goal wards only to see it strike the crossbar and out.

   In the 27^th minute the Village were stunned when a small mistake was punished with a superb volley from Matthew Thomas which flew into the top corner from 20 yards out to give the visitors a shock lead. The Village responded well and were back on level terms within a minute thanks to an individual goal by Nathan Prodger as he weaved his was through the defenders to make room for a shot which he hit low past the keeper.

    The visitors re-took the lead in the 37^th minute through some neat football which opened up the Village defence for Nick McCormick to have a free shot at goal which he despatched the ball into the net confidently to send them into the break 2-1 up.

    The second half saw the Village start off the brighter, Nathan Prodger put the ball into the side netting  early on and Kieran Evans sent the ball over the bar from the edge of the box. But it was not all plain sailing, Jimmy Hayns pulled off a fine save to deny Matthew Thomas from close range. On the hour mark the Village were starting to get on top. Chris Aitken was unlucky in the 65^th minute when after another break down the right he broke into the box before shooting at goal, keeper Neil Griffiths charged out to close him down and managed to save the shot with his feet.

    The match was halted for in the 70^th minute following an injury to Coedpoeth defender Andrew Pryde who landed awkwardly after heading the ball and unfortunately broke his leg badly. The game was held up for 25 minutes until the ambulance arrived.

   After the re-start the Village pushed forward for an equaliser and were caught on the break minutes from the end when Nick McCormick grabbed his second goal to make it 3-1 to the visitors. Kieran was unlucky not to pull a goal back after but on reflection the visitors just about deserved their win, they looked well organised and when they had their chances they took them. Good luck to them in the next round and I hope Andy Pryde makes a quick recovery.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley (A Williams), K Evans, G Evans, M Davies,

C Aitken, I Kynaston (B White), N Prodger, P Marshall (W Austen).

Saturday 26th September

SPAR Mid Wales League

Tywyn Bryncrug            3

Llansantffraid Village   3

    A trip up to the coast where we faced a match against in-form Tywyn Bryncrug who lie second in the table with two games in hand on leaders Aberystwyth Reserves. They had a 100% home record, taking all nine points in their opening three home games and scoring an incredible 17 goals and conceding just 2! A tough game was definitely a prospect.

    Having said that the Village started well and took a deserved lead in the 20^th minute when in-form Paul Marshall broke free down the left wing and as he ran at goal he chipped the ball over the advancing keeper from 20yards out. The second goal came in a controversial manner five minutes before the break when Ben Oakley struck a powerful drive at goal which beat the keeper all ends up, unfortunately the ball struck the crossbar and bounced back to Ian Kynaston who with more than a little suspicion of handball to get control of the ball, then side footed it over the line to make it 2-0 much to the anger of the home side. On the stroke of half time Nathan Prodger made it 3-0 when he broke clear of the defenders and slotted the ball past the keeper. When the half time whistle blew the referee and the linesman were surrounded by the furious home side, who were still complaining about our second goal.

   It was a different story after the break, every decision went against us. Tywyn Bryncrug were on top all throughout the second half and pulled two goals back with ten minutes remaining. It looked as though the Village were going to hold out for a draw, but like another more famous game recently, the home side grabbed an equaliser in the 6^th minute of injury time, where the ref found the six minutes from no knows.

    At the end of the day we can have no complaints, Tywyn Bryncrug deserved a draw, I would say that so far this season they are the best side we have played against. If we had been offered a draw against them before the match we would have taken it. The one point keeps us in the top half of the table.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, I Kynaston (J Jones),

B White (A Williams), B Oakley, N Prodger, P Marshall. Subs not used S Henshaw,        M Hall.

Wednesday 23^rd September

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village   2

Llanrhaeadr                 0

    On paper this looked a very tricky match, after a shaky start Llanrhaeadr had found form over recent weeks and came to the Recreation Ground undefeated in five League games which included three wins, two of which were against pre-season title hopefuls Presteigne and Carno and a draw against in-form Waterloo Rovers. Ray also faced selection problems, Alwyn Williams, Ian Kynaston and Wayne Austin were all suspended.

    Ben Oakley was partnered up front by the impressive Ben Oakley and Ben White dropped into midfield where he had an exceptional game. The Village were the dominant side from the start but it took until the 14^th minute before they had a chance of any note. The chance was made surprisingly by defensive duo Steve Lalley and Neil Prescott. Lalley broke down the left, looked up and seen Neil Prescott wide on the right and sent a cross to the far side of the penalty box which Neil headed powerfully towards goal, the ball had keeper Paul Edwards stranded but unfortunately the ball struck the foot of the post and went out for a goal kick. Glenn Evans had a free kick saved by the legs of struggling keeper Edwards a minute later. The opening goal came in the 23^rd minute when Ben Oakley broke free with ball and crossed to Paul Marshall in the box, he controlled the ball and turned on the spot to rifle the ball into the roof of the net from six yards out. Ben Oakley was denied a goal in the 37^th minute when he blasted the ball at goal but Paul Edwards managed to beat it away. Llanrhaeadr’s only chance came just before the break when Paul Jones hit a sweetly struck shot from the edge of the box which went narrowly wide.

     The Village were well on top second half and were all over Llanrhaeadr, but failed to make any goal scoring chances until on the hour when Nathan Prodger broke away from the defence but hit his shot straight at the keeper. Neil Prescott, who seemed to cover every blade of grass was unlucky in the 73^rd minute when he cut in from wide on the right and blasted a shot at goal from well outside the box, which keeper Paul Edwards did well to keep out.

     At 1-0 you can never be comfortable, you could get caught with a goal from the opposition on the break. Thankfully this never happened. With three minutes remaining we awarded a free kick 25yards out on the left. Kieran and Glenn both stood over the ball before Kieran took the free kick, it was a screamer, the keeper was powerless as the ball went straight into the top right hand corner of the net like a bullet. At last the game was safe and we had another three points in the bag. This was a good team performance, Matt and Glenn were rock solid at the back, Prescott and Lalley were everywhere, the midfield of Ben White, Kieran and Chris Aitken gave Llanrhaeadr no time on the ball and Ben Oakley and Nathan Prodger caused mayhem in the visitors defence, Jim the keeper had a relatively quite night!

TEAM:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitken, B White,

B Oakley, N Prodger (A Parkes), P Marshall (K Hughes). Sub not used A Poole.

Saturday 19^th September

Welsh Trophy Round 2

Llandudno Junction      3

Llansantffraid Village   1

   After a long journey to get there it all ended disastrously as we were dumped out of the Welsh Trophy at the first attempt in the second round. The home side started the better and Jimmy Hayns was called on to make a couple of early saves as the Village struggled to settle down. Once they had settled they were the better side, and took the lead in the 16^th minute courtesy of a Glenn Evans penalty after Chris Aitkin was up ended in the penalty box. The Village dominated  the rest of the half, Nathan Prodger broke down the right and crossed to Kieran Evans on the edge of the box for a shot, but a timely tackle denied him, Liam Ewing the home keeper denied Paul Marshall with a reflex save to push the ball over the bar from close range and on the stroke of half time Chris Aitkin was unlucky with a fierce shot which just clipped the post.

   With the Village looking comfortable and looking as though they had a chance of winning the match, it all went wrong within two minutes of the re-start. The home side were awarded a corner, a defender came in unmarked and headed the ball goal wards and unfortunately Ian Kynaston instinctively put his hand to the ball to deflect it away. Easy decision for the ref, red card for Ian and a penalty for the home side which was converted by Simon King. The Village were at sixes and sevens for the next 10 minutes as the home side piled on the pressure. The inevitable goal came in the 58^th minute, following a flowing move, with more than a hint of offside ended with the ball in the back of the net. Within a minute it was 3-1, when Mike Lindstrum hit a superb shot in off the post. It looked as if it could end up as a land landslide at this stage, with the lads getting more and more annoyed with the referee for not giving offside decisions, on more than one occasion they played the offside trap well only for the ref to turn them down.

   The Village did hit back though, their fitness began to tell in the end, and went close on more than one occasion. Glenn struck the post with a free kick 10 minutes from the end, and Nathan Prodger was unlucky when he shot just wide when well placed in the final minutes.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott,  S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitken, B Oakley,

N Prodger, P Marshall (B Jones). Subs not used L Jones, S Henshaw.

Saturday 12^th September

Welsh Cup Round 1

Llansantffraid Village   3

Llay Welfare                 1

  Our first game in the Welsh Cup, against Llay Welfare from the Welsh National League (Wrexham Area). The previous Llansantffraid Football Club became the Mid Wales Club to win this competition in the 20^th century when they beat Barry Town back in 1996, a feat I must say that we are going to find almost impossible to emulate just yet!

   The game was played in the blazing sunshine of the late summer, and the game started at a blistering pace.  The visitors caught the Village on the hop in the first minute when Daz Jones burst through the home defence and slotted the ball past Jimmy Hayns in goal only to watch it go narrowly past the post when he should have scored!

   This was a wake up call for the Village, and following this they began to dominate the match.  Glenn Evans was unlucky not to have scored in the 21^st minute when he headed a Neil Marsh corner at goal from close range only to watch Llay goalkeeper Mike Platt pull off a stunning reflex save to deny him. A minute later however the Village took the lead, Chris Aitkin picked the ball up on the half way line and ran at the visitors defence, he lost his marker with his pace, beat another defender on the edge of the box before slotting the ball past the out coming keeper for a superb individual goal.

    Controversy reigned just after the half hour, when Llay midfielder Richard Cann took exception to a Wayne Austin tackle which resulted in both players being sent off for raising there hands, unfortunate for Wayne as he was protecting himself! Moments later Paul Marshall found himself sensationally booked after going for a 50-50 ball with the goalkeeper.

   Llay best chance of the half fell to Dan Hughes, but his shot from outside of the box was comfortably saved by Jimmy Hayns. Paul Marshall should have doubled the lead on the stroke of half time when he sprung the off side trap. He ran at goal and as the keeper approached him he chipped the bal over his head, it then struck the post and rebounded to him so he blasted the ball goal wards and this time a defender managed to divert over the bar. Bryn Jones and Chris Aitkin both had good chances in injury time, Bryn put his shot just wide while keeper Mike Platt was at full stretch to push a fierce Aitkin shot wide.

    The Village side started the second half well and Paul Marshall went close in the opening few minutes, the keeper denying him with a good save and another effort he put just wide. The visitors had Dan Hughes sent off in the 54^th minute for a late challenge. Two minutes later Bryn Jones got his name on the score sheet when he ran onto a through ball and struck it on the volley, even the keeper Platt managed to get a hand to it, but the power in the shot carried it over the line for 2-0. Goal of the game came in the 62^nd minute when Llay’s Keith Evans struck a superb ball into the top corner of the Village net from all of 30 yards out. Ben Oakley came on for his first game for the first team, and made an instant impression,  keeper Platt continued his good form though to deny him from close range with another good save. Llay lost Dave Griffiths for a 2^nd book able offence with 2 minutes remaining. Ben Oakley eventually got his goal in the 3^rd minute of injury time when he ran from his own half and slotted the ball past the keeper for 3-1. Young Kelvin Hughes managed to score but his effort was ruled out for offside.

   It’s hard to belief that there was four men sent off in the game, there was hardly a bad challenge in the game. Some of the bookings were a bit silly in my opinion, and it spoiled the game. Look forward to the draw for the next round now, let’s hope it’s favourable!

    Cup action again next week when we travel to Llandudno Junction in the Welsh Trophy. Ben White, Nathan Prodger and Ashley Parkes will be back. While Wayne and Alwyn will be missing due to suspensions.

Team:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitkin,

I Kynaston, P Marshall (B Oakley), B Jones (K Hughes), W Austin. Sub not used J Jones.

Saturday 5^th September

SPAR Mid Wales League

Rhayader Town             1

Llansantffraid Village   1

    After the disappointing showing against Waterloo Rovers on the Monday night the team needed to find some of their earlier form. Ray’s biggest headache was up front, regular striker Nathan Prodger was on holiday. On the plus side was the return of Chris Aitkin following his holiday. Paul Marshall stepped up from the reserves to play alongside Ben White up front.

    The first half was an even affair  with both sides creating chances, the first chance for the Village fell to Alwyn Williams whose header  from Neil Prescott’s free kick struck the bar in the 8^th minute. Two minutes later the Village went one down when the home side scored from a shot come cross. Wayne Austin went close in the 20^th minute, but like Alwyn earlier he also struck the bar when he latched onto a free kick off captain Glenn Evans. The Rhayader manager was sent off after falling out with the referee in the 25^th minute. The final action came just before the break when Wayne Austin latched onto a through ball from Ben White which beat the offside trap, he beat the keeper but his shot struck the woodwork again and out for a goal kick.

    In the 53^rd minute this tactic paid off and this time Wayne Austin grabbed the goal he deserved. Paul Marshall was the provider this time, his pass split the defence and Wayne just run onto it and slotted it past the keeper for the equaliser. On the hour the home side were reduced to 10 men following an awful challenge on Ben White who managed to jump clear which helped him avoid a much more serious injury.

    Despite the one man advantage the Village failed to get the winner. Glenn Evans blazed a free kick narrowly over the bar, whilst the keeper pulled off a number of good saves to deny firstly Wayne Austin and then a double save to deny both Ben White and Ian Kynaston.

   The home side almost snatched the points in the last minute when the Village were nearly caught napping following a corner, fortunately Neil Prescott was well placed on the goal line to clear the shot.

   On the whole a much improved performance, and it could have been a win if we had converted our chances.

    A big difference between this league and the amateur league is the fact if you make a mistake at this level you usually get punished where you may have got away with it in the amateur league. Having said that I would imagine that that’s the case whenever you step up a league.

    It was good to see young Jack Jones make an appearance for the first team in the SPAR Mid Wales league, definitely one for the future.

TEAM:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, I Kynaston, G Evans, M Davies, C Aitkin,

A Williams, B White, P Marshall (J Jones), W Austin. Subs not used S Henshaw, M Hall.

Wednesday 31st August

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village   2

Waterloo Rovers           4

    A night to forget. Things went wrong from the start when no officials turned up for kick-off. After finding a stand in the other officials turned up at 7 o’clock having been told it was a 7.30pm kick-off.  On top of that it absolutely poured down almost all night. Having said that it was no excuse for the way we played. We were poor, second to the ball, way ward passing, you name it we failed in most departments, including being reduced to 10 men for the final 10 minutes. Waterloo though played their part, they were excellent and fully deserved the win.

    From the start they looked the more likely to score, hitting the woodwork as early as the fifth minute. Poor marking in midfield gave their player time to find his man in the box and he crossed an inch perfect pass and the ball was in the back of the net. We did get better, defender Steve Lalley broke up from defence and crossed the ball into the box from wide on the left, Nathan Prodger headed the ball firmly towards the bottom right hand corner but the keeper managed to keep it out at full stretch. Three minutes later in the 37^th minute the scores were level, Waterloo failed to properly clear a corner, the ball fell to Ian Kynaston on the edge of the box, he blasted it towards goal, on the way it struck a defenders hand and went in the net, the ref awarded the goal and not the penalty thank goodness. Waterloo created a good chance once again in the 44^th minute only the woodwork denying them once again. Controversy abounded in the final minute when Ben White beat the offside trap and run at goal, he beat the keeper with his shot, but the ref blew for half time before the ball struck the post making it pointless chasing the re-bound.

   After finishing well in the first half, the Village looked as though they were still in the changing room when the second half started. All their hard work went to waste within a minute of the re-start. A speculative long range shot from wide on the left found Jimmy Hayns slightly off his line and the ball curled in over his head to restore the visitors lead.

   Matthew Davies was unlucky on the hour, he mis-judged a long clearance by the visitors and the ball run away from him giving the striker a free run at goal, he took his chance well an d put past Jimmy to make it 3-1.

    We had one of our brief brighter spells after this, Neil Prescott overlapped Kieran before crossing to sub Wayne Austin, he cut into the box and unleashed a low drive at goal, the keeper did well to save it, but the lose ball fell to Ben White who hammered it home in the 70^th minute.

   We were on top for the first time in the game, and it looked as though we might sneak a draw at least, but it all went wrong two minutes later when Kieran was controversially sent off. We still pushed forward looking for an equaliser, Ben White came close, but the keeper managed to save the shot with his legs as he closed him down. Obviously with pushing everyone up looking for a goal we got caught on the break and Waterloo made it 4-2 with two minutes remaining. End of game! In fairness, Waterloo deserved the 3 points.

TEAM:- J Hayns, N Prescott (W Austin), S Lalley, M Davies, G Evans, A Williams,

A Parkes, I Kynaston, N Prodger, B White, K Evans. Subs not used B Jones, K Hughes.

Saturday 29^th August

SPAR Mid Wales League

Bow Street                    2

Llansantffraid Village   1

    With key defenders Ed Williams, Steve Lalley and Neil Prescott missing this was going to be a difficult challenge. Ed’s away on holiday and Neil and Steve had work commitments. Wayne Austin stood in at right back and Bryn Jones at left back.

    We started brightly, playing against a strong wind. Nathan Prodger caused havoc a couple of times early on, making space for a shot on one occasion but sending it narrowly wide. We looked in charge, but the home side broke down the left, beating the defender before cutting in towards goal. Glenn Evans tackled him just inside the box and the ref had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. That was it, 1-0 down after just six minutes, on the home sides first entry into our half. Worse was to follow, they continued to push down the wings, and in the 14^th minute they made it 2-0. Nicky Smith got past Bryn on the right before sending in a telling cross which Dean Evans ran onto to have the simplest of headers into the corner of the goal.

    Despite theses set-backs the Village still looked more in control and pulled a goal back in the 21^st minute. Nathan Prodger outpaced the centre back to the ball and as the keeper closed him down he slotted the ball past him and into the net.

    The remainder of the half became bogged down in midfield, with neither side making any in-roads towards  each others goals.

    In the second half, the Village played with a strong wind at their backs, and were on top for long periods, Jimmy Hayns in goal was a virtual spectator. Despite continues pressure the Village failed to make the breakthrough. On more than one occasion our players were guilty of going for goal themselves instead of laying the ball off. The home side packed the defence, and trying to work your way through them in the penalty box was nigh on impossible, perhaps we should have had more shots from the edge of the box?

   Bryn Jones, the master of the dead ball (our own Beckham), came closest to making the breakthrough. He took numerous corners, on one of them 20 minutes from time he sent an in swinger into the goal area, which helped by the wind was heading in under the bar, but a superb reflex save by the Bow Street keeper Steve Evans kept it out. To add salt to the wounds the referee gave them a goal kick! Mind you, I’m not knocking the ref, he had an excellent game.

   We huffed and puffed but to no avail, the ref blew for time dead on the 90^th minute and that was that, our first defeat. It wasn’t a bad performance, but with the inclusion of Ed, Neil and Steve back in defence we will look a little stronger.

TEAM:- J Hayns, W Austin, B Jones (K Hughes), K Evans, G Evans, M Davies A Parkes, A Williams, N Prodger, B White, I Kynaston. Subs not used M Hall, S Henshaw.

Wednesday 26^th August

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village   3

Newtown Reserves       0

    Our first mid-week home match of the season, against Newtown Reserves. The first twenty minutes was a master class of poor finishing by both sides, although the Newtown keeper Ian Havard pulled off a number of good saves to deny Ben White and Nathan Prodger, but the same cannot be said of the Newtown strikers who missed at least three sitters Kieran Evans Ian Kynaston and Ben White all put shots wide for the Village.

   The opening goal came in the 43^rd minute, when a clearance from the back was headed on by Ian Kynaston, the ball found it’s way to Ben White on the edge of the box, he turned sharply before hitting the ball low to the keepers right and into the net. A well taken goal by Ben who gets better each match as his fitness improves.

    The second half was dominated by the Village. Kieran Evans, back in the side after missing last weekend s game, had his best match so far this season. He was unlucky on the hour when he volleyed a cross from Ashley Parkes goal wards only to see Ian Havard pull off a good save to deny him. The  roles were switched a minute later when Kieran turned provider, he hit a long cross from the left to the far edge of the box where unmarked Ashley run onto and hit a thunderous shot straight into the net from a narrow angle which gave the keeper absolutely no chance.

   Newtown could make little impression on the Village defence, Neil Prescott and Steve Lalley played well, pushing forward at every opportunity, Prescott was unlucky with shot which went wide, and he put in a superb cross in the 68^th minute, which saw Kieran Evans diving to head the ball narrowly wide of the post with the Newtown keeper stranded. Kieran was to be denied by a good save by the keeper five minutes later.

     Matt Davies and captain Glenn Evans easily mopped up anything that got through the midfield of the hardworking pair of Kynaston and Alwyn Williams.

    Nathan Prodger and Ben White worked hard at the front closing Newtown down early to stop them building from the back, but Prodger picked up a knock and was replaced late on by Wayne Austin.  The fresh legs of Austin caused havoc with the Newtown defence, and a harmless looking through ball in the 87^th  was chased by Austin and he hit the ball on the volley first time from 25 yards out, the ball looped over the keepers head and dropped under the bar for a spectacular third goal. Ashley Parkes had a shot well saved by the keeper in the final minute which proved to be the final action of the match. Another three point towards our top ten aim, and a very good performance.

TEAM:- J Hayns, N Prescott, S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, A Parkes,      

A Williams, N Prodger (W Austin), B White, I Kynaston.

Wednesday 19^th August

SPAR Mid Wales League

Dyffryn Banw               1

Llansantffraid Village   2

   Our first away game and a difficult place to go Dyffryn Banw. A team known to give nothing less than 100% and a pitch which must be the narrowest in the league and not quite as level and even as the Recreation Ground.

      The Village started off where they finished last Saturday, in an attacking mode. Nathan Prodger made an early break through the home defence but he put narrowly wide when one on one with the keeper. Following more pressure the Village took the lead in the 14^th minute when Ed Williams took a long throw from the right  which Ian Kynaston flicked on with his head, Nathan Prodger run onto the ball and headed it into the top right hand corner from 12 yards out to give the keeper no chance.

    The Village lost there way for the rest of the half and were lucky to go in at half time still leading. Chris Roberts missed a golden chance to grab an equaliser in the 20^th minute, when despite hitting a good shot he watched as the Village’s stand in keeper Neil Prescott saved well low down. He  was unlucky yet again in the 34^th minute when his free kick from the edge of the box was brilliantly turned over the bar by Prescott. There was one further scare just before the break following a goalmouth scramble which saw the ball cleared off the Villages goal line.

     Banw pulled level just after the break when Ed Williams brought down Chris Roberts in the box. Mark Griffiths slotted home the spot kick for the equaliser. The game got a bit scrappy after this with neither keeper being called into action until the hour mark when Nathan Prodger broke free to run at goal. Just as he was about to go in the box the Banw keeper fetched him down and was subsequently red carded. The Village only had the one man advantage for five minutes when Alwyn Williams who was booked for dissent in the first half picked up a second yellow and was sent off for holding up a free kick.

    With the game looking as though it would end in a draw, and the Village starting to lose their discipline, sub Chris Aitkin broke down the right wing before crossing the ball, Kieran Evans latched onto it, but got no power in the shot, and it looked like a comfortable save for the stand in keeper, but unfortunately he fumbled the ball and it ran straight to the shocked Wayne Austin and he somehow knocked it into the net with just two minutes remaining. It was a scrappy game, and we were lucky to have won all three points, but they will go nicely towards the tally we need for a top half finish.

TEAM :- N Prescott, E Williams (C Aitken), S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, I  Kynaston, A Williams, N Prodger (P Marshall),B White, W Austin.

Saturday 15^th August

SPAR Mid Wales League

Llansantffraid Village   4

Caersws  Reserves         1

   Our first game in the Spar Mid Wales ended with a deserved victory. The Village started brightly, putting the visitors under pressure from the first minute. Kieran Evans blasted over the bar while Ben White was denied by the keeper. Nathan Prodger then put his shot just wide of the target. The opening goal came in the 4^th minute, when Ed Williams put a long throw from the right into the box, Caersws cleared but only as far as Wayne Austin on the edge of the box, he controlled the ball before volleying it into the bottom corner. For the next 10 minutes the Village stormed all over Caersws, but poor finishing and good goalkeeping kept them at bay.

   They were shocked in the 13^th minute when sloppy play in midfield allowed Caersws to win the ball and break through the Village defence, striker Jamie Smart clinically hit the ball below Jimmy Hayns to give them a surprise equaliser. Six minutes later the Villagers pulled ahead again, Kieran latched onto a through ball and hit a fierce drive from the edge of the box against the underside of he bar and into the net. Caersws “Man of the Match” goalkeeper Chris Williams once again proved to be a thorn in striker Nathan Prodger’s side when he brilliantly pushed his shot over the bar with a reflex save. Nathan was unlucky just before the break when he blasted a golden chance over the bar.

   The second half was barely three minutes old when the Village were awarded a penalty following goalkeeper Chris Williams foul on Kieran Evans. Captain Glenn Evans made no mistakes from the spot to make it 3-1. Goalkeeper Williams once again pulled a brilliant reflex save to deny Prodger, before Prodger went off on the hour injured. Ben White was keeper Williams next victim minutes later when his sweetly struck volley from the edge of the box was well saved. Ashley Parkes made a big impact when he came on for Wayne Austin for the final 15 minutes. His blistering pace got him into the box unmarked but he failed to make contact with the cross with the goal at his mercy. In the 86^th minute he got his goal though, he chased after a through ball form the half way line and as the keeper approached he slotted the ball under Williams to make it 4-1.

   Along way to go yet, but it’s good to start with a win. Caersws were a good side, a mix of Youth and experience, if they play like they did today then I cannot see them struggling like they did last season.

TEAM :- J Hayns, E Williams, S Lalley, K Evans, G Evans, M Davies, I Kynaston, A Williams, N Prodger (C Hughes), B White, W Austin (A Parkes),Sub not used M Hall.

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