Baglan Dragons FC
Match Report
We went into this match in a confident frame of mind after one of our better starts to a season, winning two and narrowly losing one of our first three League games. However, newly-promoted Baglan could boast an even better start to their Cymru South campaign and remained unbeaten after 4 games, winning three and drawing one. A difficult encounter was, therefore, anticipated and so it turned out to be.
We made the better start and dominated the first ten minutes and this start was cemented with a superb headed goal from Josh Hinwood after seven minutes. Josh rose brilliantly to power a header past Mathew Stanton in the Home goal from a pinpoint Isaac Powell corner. Stanton was then called upon to make two excellent saves in this period, pushing a powerful volley from Dom Connor on to his crossbar and away to safety and then diving to his right to hold on to a shot from Lewis Iles.
Unfortunately, we then contrived to throw away all our good early work in the space of a couple of minutes. First, Levi Waters out-muscled Josh Hinwood and hit a low shot past Iwan Hooper and a couple of minutes later the same player rose and headed a cross over Iwan into the net to give Baglan a lead which they probably didn’t deserve at that point. However, the goals gave them the impetus and confidence they needed and they went on to dominate the rest of the first half. It was no real surprise when they went further ahead on 34 minutes when a cross from the left found Owen Williams totally unmarked and in acres of space on the right-hand side of the box. He strolled forward and drilled a low shot past Iwan to increase Baglan’s lead.
HALF TIME: Baglan Dragons 3 Cwmbran Celtic 1
Thankfully, we came out in for the second period with a much more positive attitude and, if Baglan had dominated the majority of the first half, we proceeded to do the same in the second period and, in the 56th minute we were back in the game. Tom Meechan, who had come on as a substitute only a minute before, drilled in one of his excellent corner kicks and young Harrison Lewis rose to power a header home leaving Stanton clutching at thin air.
We then threw everything at Baglan in search of an equaliser. It looked like it just wasn’t going to happen but, in the 11th minute of added time, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot after a foul by Stanton and Alex Bonthron stepped up (despite being in pain with a shoulder injury) and hit a low powerful shot past the ‘keeper, who dived the right way, but was unable to make the save.
We held on for the last two minutes of added time to claim a well-deserved share of the points. The second half performance was a credit to the lads after they’d given away three goals in the first period with, what has to be said, was pretty poor defending and surrendered the advantage their early dominance had established. It would have been easy to have felt sorry for themselves but, on the contrary, they stepped up and showed what great team spirit they have.
FULL TIME: Baglan Dragons 3 Cwmbran Celtic 3
MAN OF THE MATCH: Harrison Lewis