PENARTH ‘A’ 1-3 Cardiff & Met ‘F’

Despite the side from the capital fielding an experienced team that would prove equally difficult to break down at the back and dangerous up front, it was Penarth who drew first blood, with Sam Docherty throwing a perfectly-weighted aerial to find Sam Chick behind the Cardiff defence, and the new skipper made no mistake as he collected the pass and squeezed the ball in at the near post.

Buoyed by the early strike, the Bears enjoyed the better of the game for most of the first half and could have added a second, but were guilty of turning over possession too easily, especially in the final third of the pitch, and were made to pay for their profligacy.

Just as the home side were looking good for a half-time lead, Cardiff struck twice late in the period to take the wind out of their sails. The first goal was something of a freak, as a well-placed aerial into the Penarth ‘D’ was volleyed past the hapless Mark Harris, but the second was more rpeventable, as Penarth proved unable to clear their lines following a penalty corner, allowing Cardiff to squeeze the ball over the line.

Unfortunately for the home side, the two late goals gave Cardiff a lot of confidence going into the second half, and their experience showed as they dominated possession. Goalkeeper was called on to produce several acrobatic saves to keep the score at 2-1 and, with only one goal between the sides, the game was still there for the Bears to win. However, they were again guilty of missing some very good chances to equalise, and it was Cardiff who grabbed the decisive goal, catching out the Penarth defence with a cross to the back post, where an unmarked striker again gave Harris no chance.

The Bears travel to face Whitchurch ‘C’ this weekend and will be looking to start putting points on the board in their ambition to push for promotion this season.

Goalscorers: Sam Chick