Division Three side Penydarren Boys & Girls Club beat the freeze as they knocked STM Sports out of the Welsh Football League Cup yesterday.
Alex Long, Joshua Brogden and Sam Gamble all netted on the half-hour mark as the lower league outfit showcased their dominance. Ben Ahmun and Chris Worsley scored in the second half, but couldn’t draw the hosts level.
The game was delayed by forty-five minutes after the hard work of officials of both clubs, referee Kevin Russell and supporters helped clear the pitch, following the snow which hit most of Wales this week.
It is the third consecutive time that the Valleys side have done so, having beaten them in the FAW Trophy and the JD Welsh Cup last season.
Penydarren join Cup holders Trefelin Boys & Girls Club and Ynysygerwn in the next round, as the three sides await the victor of the rearranged fixture between Port Talbot Town and Penybont.
The game started in an intense fashion with both teams looking sharp from the outset but it was Kerry Mullins’ side who dominated the early proceedings and set the tone for the Quarter Final tie in the Nathanial Car Sales League Cup.
In the 25th minute, the visitors Penydarren BGC opened the scoring after a tremendous goal from striker Joshua Brogden who cut inside past his defender to bend his left-footed strike into the far top left-hand corner past the stretching Exauce Dimonekene.
There were a frantic few minutes at the Cardiff University Sports Fields as Penydarren BGC winger Alex Long doubled their lead nine minutes later as he fired home an effort from close range at the 2nd attempt.
Just after the restart, the visitors had the ball in the back of the net again this time through full-back Sam Gamble. Gamble made a phenomenal run down the left-hand side to then fire past the STM keeper at the near post.
Penydarren were value for their lead at the break as their flurry of goals in a ten-minute spell, gave them a comfortable three-goal cushion.
The second period saw the tables turned as STM Sports dominated the play, and pulled a goal back in the last quarter of the game. Some wonderful individual play from Lamin Conteh who squared a great ball across the area to the feet Chris Worsley who was one on one with Stephen Price who showed impressive composure to slot home into the bottom corner.
In a hotly contested fixture, the visitors were reduced to ten men towards the latter stages of the game after Conner Kinsey brought down substitute Michael Hodge just outside the box after he was dismissed for a second bookable offence. From the resulting free-kick, Chris Hajgato whipped in a fierce cross towards the back post where substitute Ben Ah-Mun powered a header past the stretching Stephen Price to reduce the game to a one goal deficit.
Despite a few cagy moments in the last few minutes Penydarren BGC saw out a resounding victory over Welsh League Division 2 Promotion contenders STM Sports to progress into the Semi-Finals of the Welsh Football League Cup.
The two will do battle again next week in the Quarter-Finals of the FAW Trophy, with STM travelling to The Bont Playing Fields this time.
STM Sports: Dimonekene, Yohanes, Gardiner (Lama 74), Biggs, Reed, Hajgato, Graham (Hodge 74), Jones, Bateman (Ahmun 58), Worsley, Conteh.
Penydarren BGC: Price, Pike, Gamble, Al Lloyd (C), Gibbons, Lewis, Kinsey, As Lloyd, Brogden, Long, Colvin.
(Featured Image: Jordan Forster of Y Gem)
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