Pontypridd fell to a 7th defeat of the season in the TERV Premier Division, losing narrowly at Cefn Hengoed in a hard-fought contest played in atrocious conditions.
Wind and rain, and a heavy pitch, made any attempt at playing slick football impossible for both sides but still they served up an encounter that was entertaining and end to end from the first to last whistle.
A draw with the hosts at Ynysangharad Park last November sparked Ponty’s recent run of good performances so there was confidence they would certainly improve on their last performance to “The Graveyard” – a 5-0 thrashing two years ago in Division One. but when Cefn Hengoed scored two goals in five minutes within the first quarter there were shades of a repeat of that nightmare.
However, there was more than a touch of misfortune for the visitors in both goals, with a deflection and the bounce of the ball going against them, and enough in their play to suggest Ponty could get back into it. Joe Thomas had a goal chalked off for a mysterious offside before Geraint Lewis finished brilliantly to reduce the deficit before half-time.
The second-half got off to a bad start when Ponty custodian Alex Mitchell-Charman let a tame shot slip through his hands. There was certainly some mitigation in the treacherous state of the six-yard boxes at both goals. Heads did not drop and again Lewis was the inspiration for a comeback, crossing for Daniel Perry to slide home from close-range.
As conditions and the state of the pitch worsened, it became a battle for who could control the bounce of the ball better in the mud and downpour. Both sides had their difficulties and both had opportunities to add to scoresheet. Hywel Patterson and Elis Hughes both had opportunities in the same attack late in the game but the chance passed and so did Ponty’s hopes of completing their resurrection.
FULL-TIME | Cefn Hengoed 3-2 Pontypridd FC
Pontypridd FC: Alex Mitchell-Charman [gk], Rhydian Fitter, Daniel Perry, Connor Bickford, Adam Griffiths, Aled Evans (Elis Hughes 77), Kieron Cook [c], Joe Thomas, Ashley Moyle (Hywel Patterson 77), Geraint Lewis, Cameron Curry (Huw Morgan 58)
Goals: G. Lewis (43), D. Perry (54)
Man of the Match: G. Lewis
Referee: P. Greenway
