Pontypridd exited the Greyhound Cup at the first round after a narrow defeat in extra time to Taff Ely Rhymney Valley premier division leaders Talbot Green. Liam Dodd’s header settled the match for the visitors after Daniel Perry’s last-gasp equaliser had forced an extra thirty minutes at the Maritime.
There was some rotation with the squad that drew with Rhydyfelin Non Pol FC last week. New signing Gareth Davies made his club debut in the starting XI, as did summer signings Matthew Bennett-Jones and Ryan Jones after their return from travelling. Pontypridd captain Kieron Cook was sidelined with a knee injury sustained last weekend. Talbot Green’s side included Pontypridd’s player’s player of last season, Joe Vellam, in attack.
Pontypridd started well and it was almost a dream start for Davies as he found himself in on goal inside the first two minutes but he dragged his shot wide. The forward showed some good touches in his first appearance for the club, it was unfortunate a knock forced him to withdraw after half an hour.
Throughout the first half hour the uninitiated would not have looked at the game and thought Pontypridd played a division below their visitors. While the pace of Dodd and Vellam was a threat, Pontypridd had the best attacking moments. Daniel Perry and Josh Husband both forced saves, Ryan Jones tested Talbot Green’s goalkeeper with a long-range free kick and Huw Morgan turned well on the edge of the box before flashing a drive wide.
It was somewhat unfortunate for the homesters when they fell behind seven minutes before half-time. Simon Payne’s wide free kick drifted through a crowd of players in the box and beat Tolak to find the bottom corner. Something of a fluke that gave the visitors a half-time lead.
HALF-TIME | Pontypridd 0-1 Talbot Green
The second-half was a little slow to get going in terms of attacking chances. Talbot scorer Payne had the first real effort, driving wide from distance before Lewis Taylor produced a moment of world class quality to draw Pontypridd level. The forward’s 35-yard free kick had power, dip and swerve to deceive Edmunds in the Talbot goal as he watched, rooted to the spot, the ball drop under the crossbar into the top corner.
Payne came close to his second goal of the game when a long-range shot pounded the crossbar and Vellam came as close as he did all afternoon of scoring against his former team-mates when he picked up a second ball from dead ball play and fired wide. At the other end, Taylor turned wonderfully and was unlucky to see his low drive pushed around the post.
A rare lapse then saw Talbot re-take the lead. Dodd drifted in behind the offside line to reach a ball over the top. Tolak did well to race off his line and save the first effort, but Payne was on hand to pick up the rebound and fire low into the net despite Perry’s valiant efforts to get back on the line. Hit by this blow, Pontypridd then suffered their worst period of the game as Talbot Green enjoyed a five-minute spell where a series of counter-attacks carved the home side open. Tolak had to produce one good save, while a poor finish kept Ponty in the game on another break.
Taylor was unlucky with another free-kick effort, this time clipping the outside of the post before Ryan Wheeler made four changes in search of a late equaliser. There were a couple of scrambles in the Talbot penalty area but the bounce of the ball wasn’t quite there and Dodd missed an excellent chance to kill the tie with a free header. It looked like Ponty’s chance had gone when Taylor fired over but an Outing long throw caused mayhem at the back for Talbot and Perry scrambled home his third goal of the season with the final kick of regulation time.
FULL-TIME (90 minutes) | Pontypridd 2-2 Talbot Green
Tom Slater almost completed a remarkable turnaround in the first minute of extra time but his header hit the crossbar and Owain Lewis couldn’t get his follow-up bicycle kick on target. Dodd squandered a chance from six yards before he rose to head home Talbot Green’s third goal of the game at the end of the first period of extra time. Pontypridd continued to push and probe and they were a matter of centimetres away from a third equaliser when Artur Cegielka’s header was cleared off the line in the final five minutes of extra time.
It wasn’t to be on the day though as Talbot held on to progress. Despite the disappointment of defeat, there was some comfort that Pontypridd acquitted themselves well for two hours against a team that will be very much in the mix to win the TERV premier this season. On the day there was very little between the sides, probably just a little more experience and composure in those crucial moments that matter in favour of the victors.
FULL-TIME (extra time) | Pontypridd 2-3 Talbot Green
Pontypridd FC: Piotr Tolak [gk], Bradley Harris, Daniel Perry, Dan Outing, Gareth Kear [c], Aled Evans, Huw Morgan (Owain Lewis 78), Josh Husband (Tom Slater 78), Ryan Jones (Artur Cegielka 78), Matthew Bennett-Jones (Hywel Patterson 78), Gareth Davies (Lewis Taylor 31)
Goals: L. Taylor (52), D. Perry (90)
Man of the Match: Daniel Perry
Referee: Simon White
[featured image: Marie Ward / Muddy Boots Photography]
