Adroddiad Gêm / Match Report
Principality Building Society, Welsh Premier – Saturday, April 19th 2008
CPD PORTHMADOG 1 (Richard Hughes 53′) – RHYL 0
What a perfect day. Viv asked for three wishes when he got up this morning and the good fairy granted them all. So generous was she that when referee Kerry Morgan blew his whistle to declare that Port were staying up there was no one around the Traeth who would have denied that the good fairy exists and that dreams come true. God’s in his heaven and all’s well with the world.
The game? Who care’s about the game? This was all about survival. It would have been great to end with a flourish of quality football but it was never going to be like that. It was more a case of being in free fall through the trap door marked ‘Cymru Alliance’ and then, when all seemed lost, being yanked upward to safety by the seat of your pants. This was one of the most tense afternoons ever at the Traeth – for the board, management, players and supporters and it was settled by a goal which will definitely not be a candidate for S4C goal of the season but measured in importance to the club Richard Hughes’s goal must qualify for goal of the decade at the very least, ‘Boskin’ just back from his ‘honeymoon’, a few hours, was ‘over the moon’ in the 53rd minute when he applied the finishing touch to Aled Rowlands’ free kick from the right touchline and put the home side a vital goal ahead.
A stiff breeze was bound to influence the game so it became vitally important for Port to reach the interval without conceding a goal if they were to take advantage of the wind in the second period. Rhyl had a couple of early shooting chances for Hunt and Connolly without causing Richard Harvey a problem. But when free kick specialist Connolly had a chance from just outside the box Harvey needed to go down well to his left to save. But soon after Aled Rowlands’ corner provided Carl Owen with a shooting chance but he fired over the bar. A good build up by Port then threatened but neither Carl Owen nor Matthew Hughes were able to get a real shot in. Several times Lee Hunt used his pace to get behind the Port defence but was unable to punish the home side. Towards the end of the half Rhyl applied increasing pressure on the Port goal but the home side defended in depth leaving only Matthew Hughes, who has been such a prolific scorer for the reserves, as a lone front man. Port survived to the interval with another Connolly free kick being deflected away and a powerful effort by Wilson being well blocked.
Straight from the start of the second period Port showed their intention to shoot on sight. Paul Roberts fired from 25 yards just above the angle and Marcus Orlik also tested keeper Gann with shots from distance. Then came the all important Richard Hughes goal after 8 minutes of the second period which gave them something to hold on to. They defended in depth getting bodies behind the ball to grind out the all important win. The best Rhyl chance came just after the hour mark and once again it was Connolly. He let fly from 20 yards but Harvey threw himself to his right to turn the powerful shot round the post. There were still one or two hairy moments for Port to overcome and none more than in the 90th minute when Richard Harvey pulled off a remarkable save with his trailing leg when it seemed that Lee Hunt must score. It was all about character in the second half a real team effort and it would be wrong to single out players in what was essentially a magnificent team effort.
For the first time since about November Port are out of the bottom three. Now that’s perfect timing! Mention needs to be made of the sporting post match response of the Rhyl fans. They joined in the post match celebrations with a presentation of their own to manager John Hulse on his 200th game in charge. Port are staying up, we are staying up!!!!!
Port;(4-4-2) Richard Harvey, John G Jones, Ryan Davies, Richard Hughes, Mike Foster: Marcus Orlik, Gareth Parry (Mark Thomas 73′), Paul Roberts, Aled Rowlands (Barry Evans 82′); Matthew Hughes (Carl Jones 76′), Carl Owen.
Yellow: Ryan Davies 31′, Mike Foster 66′, John G Jones 88′
Rhyl: Gann, Holt (Brewerton 74′), Graves (White 38′), Connolly, Horan, O’Neill, Craig Jones (M Lloyd Williams 70′), Wilson, Hunt, Sharp, Chris Roberts
Yellow: Horan 62′, Connolly 84′
Referee; Kerry Morgan
Attendance: 357
Gareth Williams
