HIT THE BAR!
PONTYCLUN 0 PENCOED ATHLETIC 0
Pencoed were the visitors to a pleasant Ivor Park on Thursday evening for a South Wales Alliance League fixture. The visitors got proceedings underway kicking towards the village end of the ground. However the opening portion of the match was a very sterile encounter with little in the way of chances being created by either side. Indeed the first real opportunity of the match did not occur until the 28th minute when a shot from the visitors on the edge of the Pontyclun area when just wide of the post.
Four minutes later though Pontyclun came close to taking the lead. Good battling By James Gronow near the by-line on the right saw him outwit a visiting defender before getting in a cross cum shot which was tipped over the bar by the Pencoed keeper. Two minutes later the home team had another chance to open the scoring when Chris Bullock picked up the ball just inside the Pencoed half. The Pontyclun forward advanced on goal holding off the challenges of several Pencoed players. However, his shot from just outside the area sailed high over the bar.
Two minutes before half time Pontyclun came the closest yet to opening the scoring. A run down the left by Shaun Moss resulted in him crossing the ball into the Pencoed area towards the onrushing Chris Bullock. However the Pontyclun player mis-timed his header with the result that the ball went just wide of the post. The proved to be the last action of the half and the interval arrived with the score goalless.
Pontyclun got proceedings underway after the interval and the opening phases of this half mirrored that of the first with very little being created by either side. Indeed the first chance did not arise until the 58th minute when the ball was played into the Pontyclun area to an unmarked Pencoed player on the penalty spot who could only send his effort wide of the left hand post.
Despite Manager Barry Quinn ringing the changes Pontyclun had to wait until the 74th minute for their first opportunity of the half. From a corner played in from the left the home team managed to hit the bar twice in quick succession before the ball eventually found its way into the hands of the grateful Pencoed keeper.
Three minutes later Pontyclun again came close to taking the lead when Richie Veale’s goal-bound effort was deflected wide for a fruitless corner. Right at the death the visitors had a chance to claim all three points. A slip by Matthew Trigg on the edge of his own area let in a Pencoed player but he could only send his effort high over the bar.
This proved to be the last effort of the match and a very tame game ended with the sides locked at 0-0.