PONTYCLUN FC 0 BRECON CORRIES 0
In-form Brecon Corries were the visitors to a glorious Ivor Park on Saturday for a South Wales Alliance League Premier Division fixture.
The visitors got proceedings underway kicking towards the village end of the ground and immediately launched an attack on the Pontyclun goal which was well snuffed out by the Pontyclun defence.
This initiative proved to be very much a false dawn for the match as the next fifteen minutes saw little in the way of chances created by either side. The next real opportunity of the game fell to Pontyclun in the 17th minute. Good work by Jamie Williams down the right resulted in him putting in a firm cross which found the head of the unmarked James Gronow on the left hand corner of the six yard area. However, the Pontyclun wideman could only direct his effort wide of the post.
The game then very much reverted to type with much of the action being confined to midfield. In the 33rd minute the visitors had their best opportunity of the game so far. Chris Bullock was dispossessed ten yards inside his own half on the left by a Brecon player who fed the ball to one of his forwards in a central position on the edge of the area but, fortunately for Pontyclun, he could only send his curling effort over the Pontyclun bar.
Two minutes later Pontyclun had a good chance to open the scoring. Chris Bullock won the ball in a central position before playing in Craig Williams whose shot was deflected by the advancing Brecon goalkeeper into the path of an unmarked Jamie Williams on the right hand edge of the Brecon area but he could only sent his hurried shot high and wide.
With Pontyclun having the slightly better of possession at this stage, in the 43rd minute they again came close to breaking the deadlock. Jamie Williams advanced down the right to the by-line before finding the head of James Gronow at the far post with a sharp cross into the area. However, the latter player could only steer his effort wide.
Pontyclun were nearly made to pay for spurning this chance right at the end of the half. The ball was played into the Pontyclun area. As Kieran Lawrence and a Brecon forward tangled for possession the Brecon player went down and the referee pointed to the spot. Disaster was averted though as for the second time this season keeper James Billington came to his side’s rescue as he dived low to his right to push away the firmly struck spot kick.
This proved to be the last significant action of the half and the interval arrived with the teams locked at 0-0.
Pontyclun got the second half underway and after a quiet opening it was the visitors who had the first opportunity in the 51st minute. After an advance down the right a sharp low cross was played into the Pontyclun area but fortunately for the Clun no visiting player was on hand to turn the ball into the net.
The game then reverted to the tense, nervy affair with very little in the way of chances being created by either side. On the hour mark though Pontyclun once again had the opportunity to open the scoring. Full-back Matthew Trigg won the ball in the middle of the field and advanced goalwards before sliding in a low ball to substitute Tom Tweedy just inside the Brecon area but he could only loft his effort high over the bar.
As the minutes ticked by try as they might Pontyclun could not carve out any real opportunities, much to the increasing frustration of the large home crowd. Despite creating a couple of half-chances at the death The Clun could not capitalise on them and a tense, nervy encounter ended with the teams locked at 0-0