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Afan Lido 1-1 Port Talbot

Carl Payne scored a late equaliser to keep us on target for the runners up spot in Group D.  Port Talbot for 25 minutes hardly came out of their half as they seemed intent on protecting their goal. The first chance of the game fell to Sean Sullivan who picked up a loose ball on the edge of the area but shot over the bar. A rare Port Talbot attack saw a shot dragged wide.  We should have taken the lead on 14 minutes when Darren Franks knocked the ball forward to Steve Hughes in the area but he shot straight at the keeper. After 26 minutes Port Talbot had a free kick 35 yards out which we struggled to clear, each clearance by us found a Port Talbot player and we had to withstand several crosses before we finally cleared the danger. Three minutes later Remi Whitelock knocked in a free kick to Steve Hughes who again shot at the keeper. The visitors now playing with more confidence attacked again and it needed an alert Rory McCreesh to make a full length save from a close range shot. Steve Hughes had his third miss of the half when from a Rory McCreesh free kick he headed at the keeper.

6 minutes into the second half and a 35 yard shot from a Port Talbot player scraped the crossbar, after a moments hesitation the ref gave a corner, if Rory McCreesh did tip it over it was yet another crucial save by the keeper. On 54 minutes Sean Sullivan picked up the ball in midfield and played it through to Steve Hughes but he shot over the bar. Following a right wing corner Carl Payne headed over the bar. Then Jonathan Hood made ground down the left but his cross inside the six yard box was just ahead of Carl Payne and the ball was cleared.  Port Talbot then made ground and we lost the ball in the back four, again Rory McCreesh made a terrific save to keep out the shot and with a gaping goal a Port Talbot player headed against the top of the crossbar with the ball going for a goal kick. Sean Sullivan then made ground down the right and crossed to Luke Borrelli on the edge of the area but his first time shot went just wide. 

Somehow on 77 minutes we failed to take the lead, we won a couple of corners and Sean Sullivan from a couple of yards out failed to get the touch to put the ball in the net.  With 6 minutes to go Port Talbot took the lead, they had the ball wide left and crossed it in to an unmarked player and not even Rory McCreesh could save us this time. We were awarded a free kick on the right which Luke Borrelli knocked low across goal, no one got a touch and the chance of the equaliser went. However within a minute we were level, a long ball into the box saw Carl Payne and the keeper compete for it, the keeper failed to hold the ball, Carl got up off the floor to steer the ball into the empty net. We surged forward looking for a winner and we felt we were denied a penalty, Sam Wade was in possession in the area and from our angle the defender was all over him, the ref might have been unsighted but the linesman should have had a good view of it. Port Talbot went down the other end and Rory made yet another save to make our point safe. We now have to play Carmarthen away, a win or a draw guarantees us second spot and a home tie against Merthyr in the quarter final.

Lido side:
Rory McCreesh  Darren Franks  Luke Evans  Matthew Doyle  Josh Cockings  Jonathan Hood  Luke Borrelli  Sean Sullivan  Steve Hughes  Carl Payne  Remi Whitelock

Subs
12 Sam Wade for Steve Hughes 59
14 Andrew Collins for Luke Evans 46
15 Joel Kabia
16 Corey Thomas
17 Damon Thomas for Josh Cockings 67

One booking Matthew Doyle 41

Report by Peter Reynolds