Seconds suffer league debut defeat

Pontypridd FC Reserves suffered a heavy defeat on their league debut, going down 7-2 away to a well-organised Aber Valley Reserves team in the Taff Ely Rhymney Valley League Division One.

There were several positive individual performances but a disastrous, error-strewn opening 20 minutes in which Ponty conceded four times meant there was never any real chance of taking anything from the match.

There were eleven club debutantes in the matchday 16 and initially the side started well but disorganisation and individual errors were punished in a disastrous opening spell. Gomes over-committed inside the box, allowing an Aber forward to breeze past and fire beyond Sava. Then Sava failed to clear a backpass, striking it against Aber’s centre-forward and giving him a tap-in gift. A third goal was conceded in the 10th minute before Gomes put the ball into his own net after Sava failed to collect a cross, leaving Ponty 4-0 down after 18 minutes. More individual errors led to a fifth before half-time.

HALF-TIME | Aber Valley Reserves 5-0 Pontypridd FC Reserves

After some stern half-time words, Ponty came out fighting in the second-half, determined to play for some pride and try to “win the second-half”. Ryan Mehenni dug out a good cross which Artur Cegielka headed home early in the second-half, then a spectacular 25-yard finish from Rhys May lifted spirits and gave some hope that Ponty might at least make things awkward for the hosts in the second-half.

There were plenty of chances at both ends after that and Aber probably created the best ones, squandering plenty, as well as being frustrated by some good saves from Sava and a few brilliant recovery tackles by Jamie Kendall. Aber did take a couple of those chances though to give the result an emphatic sheen for them.

A harsh lesson for the seconds in what to expect in these competitive games against teams playing with good organisation and discipline. A terrible first-half performance but there were definitely positives in how the players reacted in the second-half and fought for the entire 90 minutes.

FULL-TIME | Aber Valley Reserves 7-2 Pontypridd Reserves

Pontypridd FC Res. (Starting XI): Ciprian Sava [gk], Rafael Gomes (Rhydian Fitter), Jamie Kendall (Brendan Payne), Darren Davies [c], Jake Swainston, Rhys May (Gareth Kear), Artur Cegielka, Ashley Moyle (Jack Watkins), Elis Hughes, Ryan Mehenni, Liam Griffiths (Josh Jones)

Referee: N. Roberts

Photo courtesy of Marie Ward. Copyright. All Rights Reserved.