The senior team travelled up the A470 to Trelewis last night to play their latest pre-season friendly against Merthyr League side Navi Treharris. A poor first half set Pontypridd on their way to a 4-2 defeat, even if the exercise, overall, provided some further learning for the team ahead of their inaugural league campaign.
With a number of players missing due to holidays, Ponty took their strongest possible squad to play a Navi Treharris outfit that had similar problems. With Piotr Tolak in goal, the starting back line consisted of captain Ryan James partnered by Dan Perry at centre back with Dan Outing and Gareth Kear the full backs. In midfield Hywel Patterson and Huw Morgan operated in the middle with Ceri Williams and Geraint Lewis out wide. Up front Lewis Taylor – the scorer of Pontypridd FC’s first ever goal on Saturday – was partnered by Liam Griffiths.
Ponty started quite brightly against their higher level opponents with both Lewis and Williams firing off speculative efforts at goal, although neither tested the Navi keeper. However as mistakes crept into the Ponty game, Navi began to seize control with their combative and pacey forward wearing the number 4 jersey proving influential.
A scramble in the Ponty six-yard box was the first threat at goal just after ten minutes, with Tolak having to work hard to smother the ball safely. A couple of long range efforts tested the Ponty stopper, but he was more than up to them. Unfortunately, the young keeper could do nothing about Navi’s opening goal in the 24th minute.
Ponty, frustratingly, held the territorial advantage, but with the collective press looking less organised than in the early stages, Navi were able to build neatly from the back and quick switched defence into attack down the right flank. A cross found their number four free at the back post; he took one touch to steady himself before blasting powerfully past Tolak.
The disorder continued in the Ponty ranks and few minutes later there was a second goal when the offside trap was broken, a Navi attacker was able to run onto a brilliant back heel by the Navi number 4, round Tolak and slot into the net. There was a let-off soon after when Navi’s number four again found space to shoot, but this time he fired wide.
Ponty did work their way back into the game though, Geraint Lewis often the inspiration with his energy and he presented a good chance for Liam Griffiths, who seemed destined to score but his effort across the Navi keeper was expertly saved. The failure to take that chance was made to seem even worse when within minutes Navi made it 3-0 courtesy of a header from a left wing corner.
It would have been easy for Ponty’s heads to drop at this stage but suddenly there was a lifeline. Huw Morgan’s foraging in midfield put Geraint Lewis through in a good position. Again the Navi keeper denied Ponty, but Lewis remained composed to retrieve the loose ball and square to the unmarked Lewis Taylor who made no mistake with his finish.
Tails up, Ponty went again and dragged themselves back into the game practically on the referee’s half-time whistle. Once more Morgan was influential, winning the ball high up the field. Lewis jinked past a couple of challenges before calming rolling the ball into the corner from outside the box.
Half-time: Navi Treharris 3-2 PONTYPRIDD FC
The second half didn’t produce as many goals, but there was no shortage of chances in an end to end affair. Both sides will argue they had the better chances; in truth, there were excellent chances on both sides and on another day any sort of result might have been possible.
The competitive nature of the contest meant that at times overzealous spilled over into recklessness, with several questionable challenges not really addressed by the official. The man in the middle did enforce the substitutions of Gareth Kear and Ryan James for Pontypridd for perceived dissent, but it wasn’t until late in the game he imposed a similar sanction on the home side, and then only following a very dangerous high tackle on Dan Perry.
The decisive goal came about just before the hour mark. A melee in the Ponty box saw the ball bounce up and hit Dan Outing around the area of his shoulder/upper arm. The referee deemed it handball and Navi Treharris made no mistake from the spot.
Pontypridd kept going in search of the goals that could drag them back into the game and there were opportunities. Only Huw Morgan really tested the Navi keeper though; if there is a criticism of Ponty’s play in the final third it was that the efforts they created didn’t hit the target often enough.
At the final whistle there was understandable frustration among the players and coaching staff about the mistakes in the first-half that put the game out of reach, but this is still very much a learning phase for the newly assembled squad. Keeping the bigger picture in mind, this friendly was another valuable runout against a very competitive, well-established and physical outfit.
Full time: Navi Treharris 4-2 PONTYPRIDD FC
Pontypridd FC Squad: Piotr Tolak, Ryan James (c), Dan Perry, Dan Outing, Gareth Kear, Huw Morgan, Hywel Patterson, Ceri Williams, Geraint Lewis, Liam Griffiths, Lewis Taylor, George Archer, Artur Cegielka, A. Triallist.
Pontypridd Goalscorers: L. Taylor (43), G. Lewis (45)
