Cwmbran Celtic Ladies vs Cardiff Met

Match Report

We went into this game full of optimism having held the newly crowned Adran South champions to a draw at their ground 3 days earlier and in the opening 10 minutes we forged two good chances. Cerys Pinchard’s corner was cleared to her and she curled a superb cross back into the 6-yard box where Eloise Meaney’s header at the near post was well saved by keeper Violet Bell. Meaney hit a free kick straight at Bell. Then, in the 10^th minute referee Michal Baniak made a poor decision in sending off Summer Bowen-Quirk for an alleged last player offence in bringing down striker Esme Kilburn-Thompson. The video showed that Summer pushed Esme just outside the 18-yard box and she fell into the box. As for being the last player, we had 3 players in the box and it was highly debatable as to whether Esme would have got a clear shot on goal. For the remainder of the half Celtic’s 10 women held their own. Eloise Meaney was on target with a 40-yard free kick which was well saved low down at the far post by Bell and, for the Met, Megan Gladwyn’s lob went straight to Amie Preston-Roberts.

In the 2^nd half we understandibly tired and in the 53^rd minute the MET went two up. After Anna Houghton’s shot was saved by Preston-Roberts, the keeper’s clearance was met by Emily Bayliss who played the ball down the right flank where Molly Chapman executed a perfect lob into the net. Houghton’s shot was saved by Preston-Roberts and in the 69^th minute Kilburn-Thompson latched onto Summer Kilby’s through pass to round Amie and slot the ball into the empty net for her 12^th league goal of the season which put her at the top of the Adran South scoring chart. Substitute Hollie Channing’s lob was cleared over the bar for a corner and the Met’s last chance fell to 16-year-old former Pontnewydd and Ponthir player Hannah Rayner whose 30 yard lob was saved at head height by Amie in the our goal.