Gareth Davies’ second-half penalty was enough to give Pontypridd a well-earned and valuable point away to a strong Aber Valley 2nds team, who sat top of Taff Ely Rhymney Valley League division one at the start of the day. Davies’ 6th goal in 7 league appearances this season came after Ponty had fallen behind early in the second-half.
Pontypridd travelled to Abertridwr Welfare buoyed by two wins on the bounce and in good form having won three of their last four matches. However, Aber showed their quality when they inflicted defeat on Ponty at the Maritime last month. The challenge was made stiffer by the presence of several members of Aber Valley’s South Wales Alliance League side in the matchday squad, including top scorer Jake Fletcher on the bench.
The strength of the Aber side was reflected in the balance of play, especially the first half, with the home side dominating possession and imposing relentless pressure on the Ponty defence. However, the backline led by an heroic and gutsy performances from centre backs Daniel Perry and Dan Outing kept things tight in the tough early going, restricting the hosts’ opportunities to half chances. It wasn’t until the 24th minute that Piotr Tolak had to make a save and that came from a dead ball strike. Kieron Cook had Ponty’s only sights of goal in the opening half hour, both from free kicks, as the visitors struggled to get any continuity of play in the Aber half.
Aber Valley should have taken the lead in the 40th minute after a fumble by Tolak presented an Aber forward with a simple tap-in from three yards but somehow he lifted the ball over the bar with an open goal begging. Liam Griffiths felt he should have been awarded a penalty when he was awarded a free kick for a push. The forward felt the contact had been inside the box.
There was a moment of concern before the break when Dan Outing was caught flush in the face by a raised boot, requiring treatment. Three facial lacerations were evidence of the impact, yet the Aber culprit wasn’t punished with anything more than a foul by referee Andrew Harries. Fortunately, Outing was able to soldier on without anything more than cosmetic injury.
HALF-TIME | Aber Valley 2nds 0-0 Pontypridd
After holding off the wall of pressure in the first half, it was disappointing for Pontypridd to fall behind early in the second-half. A quickly taken free kick, when the Pontypridd defence were organising a wall, caught out Tolak and nestled in the far corner.
David Watts had a good chance for Aber but fired wide before Artur Cegielka was felled in the homester’s penalty area, the appeals by Ponty waved away. Growing into the game though, Pontypridd started to create some opportunities. Bradley Harris – playing as a makeshift striker in the second half – had a chance on the counter but dragged his effort wide and Outing could have done better with a free header from a Cook corner. Substitute Gareth Davies made an instant impact, his pass finding Daniel Perry but the centre-half, despite an accomplished first touch, saw his shooting opportunity denied.
If Pontypridd had felt they had been hard done by some of the decisions from Harries, Aber became the aggrieved when a penalty for handball was awarded. Davies stepped up and fired home with authority from 12 yards.
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— Pontypridd FC (@PontypriddFC) February 8, 2020
Davies might have won it for Ponty but his long-range drive was well saved by Aber’s goalkeeper before Ponty got away with some sloppy marking from a free kick and were relieved to see a head chance fly wide of the goal. With some resolute defending in the last 10 minutes, Pontypridd held on to secure a positive result against a good side and earn a point that could be extremely valuable at the end of the season.
FULL-TIME | Aber Valley 2nds 1-1 Pontypridd
Pontypridd FC: Piotr Tolak, Bradley Harris (Tom Sheppeard 90), Daniel Perry, Dan Outing, Owain Lewis, Aled Evans, Huw Morgan, Kieron Cook [c], Aron Barnes (Gareth Davies 65), Artur Cegielka (Hywel Patterson 90+1), Liam Griffiths (Adam Davies 56)
Sub not used: Ryan Wheeler
Goal: G. Davies (68 pen)
Yellow card: Bradley Harris
Man of the Match: Daniel Perry
Referee: Andrew Harries
