Penarth’s 1st XI succumbed to their biggest defeat in recent history, thrashed 11-0 by a very good Hereford side in a top-of-the-table clash in De Cymru & The Marches 1.

The omens did not look good for Penarth even before the game, as Hereford led the league and had scored 17 goals in their first three games. On top of that, however, the Vale side were travelling to the borders with a weakened team, fielding a bare eleven instead of the usual squad and had to request a delayed start to allow James Davies to arrive and ensure the visitors didn’t start short-handed.

Any faint glimmer of hope that may have been held by the optimists in the Scafftag-sponsored Penarth team were probably wiped out in the first ten seconds, as Hereford scoring an excellent passing goal straight from the off - before any Penarth player had even touched the ball.

The Bears looked shaky throughout, but had a chance to equalise early on as Chris Baker tested the Hereford ‘keeper following a trademark run. That moment aside, it was largely a case of weathering the storm, as the opening 20 minutes saw Hereford take a 3-0 lead. Penarth’s only other chance came as Matt Birch played a perfect ball into the ‘D’, only to be harshly penalised for not travelling the necessary five yards in the build-up.

From then on, any noteworthy Penarth attacks could be counted on one hand as they saw goal after goal go the way of their hosts. The second half produced more of the same, as some superb hockey from Hereford increased Penarth frustrations as the goals and fouls mounted up. The visitors were lucky not be reduced to ten men on a number of occasions as Hereford, clearly big Spinal Tap fans, ‘turned it up to 11’ late on.

But for some excellent saves by goalkeeper Mark Harris, the margin could have been far greater and, to their credit, the Vale side never let their heads drop and battled until the final whistle. The result drops Penarth to sixth in the division but, given the circumstances, they could at least take some solace from stand-out performances from Davies and Rory Vizard, the latter making his 1st XI debut.

Whitchurch ‘G’ 1-6 PENARTH ‘A’

While the 1st XI struggled with availability issues, the Seconds had no such worries as they travelled to Treforest to take on another of the four Whitchurch sides in De Cymru 2.

After the frustrating defeat of a week before, the Vale side were determined to right the ship, but initially made hard work of what should have been a relatively straightforward fixture. A goal-less opening period allowed Whitchurch’s blend of youth and experience to gain confidence and Penarth ‘keeper Jason Harris was called into action to keep the scores level before Penarth finally broke the deadlock via Phil Lane.

Spurred on by the goal, Penarth doubled their lead as Dave Thomas finished a breakaway move by sliding in to convert a cross from the right, but the visitors were then shaken by the loss of captain Nick Pratt, who sustained a nasty facial injury while defending a rare Whitchurch penalty corner.

Despite turning around two goals to the good, Penarth knew they could not afford to relax and eased tensions somewhat as right half Ian Smith broke into the home ‘D’ to fire home a third. The lead was further extended by the goal of the game as Tom Parkinson’s left wing cross was met by rising star Sam Salisbury, the youngster unfazed by the advancing goalkeeper to slot home his first senior goal.

Despite some resolute defending from Zbig Sobierserski and the returning Richard Bromiley, Whitchurch refused to go quietly and broke away to find Harris and Paul Roberts outnumbered in defence. However, reducing the deficit only served to revive Penarth efforts, with Dave Kidby and Lane adding further goals before the final whistle to leave the final score 6-1 in the visitors’ favour.

The victory not only halved Penarth’s goal difference deficit but also boosted the Vale club to fifth in their division, now at the head of a closely-packed mid-table group.

League games continue this weekend, (Saturday 25 October), with the 1st XI facing a very different test as second from bottom Cheltenham visit Barry Sports Centre. The 2nd XI, meanwhile, have a rare Sunday fixture, with Gwent ‘B’ the visitors to the Vale.