Cardiff & Met ‘F’ 1-2 PENARTH HC ‘A’

Having conceded three soft goals and vital points to mid-table rival Whitchurch the previous weekend, Penarth travelled to Cyncoed knowing that they needed to get something out of a similarly close encounter with a Cardiff & Met side that started the day level on points with the Vale club.

Despite again missing some regular members of the squad, the visitors started with a lot more purpose than they had in the Whitchurch match, taking the game to their opponents from the opening whistle.

Concerted pressure in the opening minutes was ultimately rewarded with a rare early goal as Dave Watkins converted from a narrow angle to give Penarth a 1-0 lead and, despite the occasional foray from the home side, it was the Bears that continued to hold the upper hand for much of the opening half. Watkins came close to doubling the lead, only to see his deflection of a fierce James Davies cross ricochet over the bar off the goalkeeper’s facemask!

Penarth also missed a handful of simpler chances to increase their advantage, including a couple that would have been easier to convert than miss, and the wastefulness was eventually punished as increasingly Cardiff pressure led to a penalty corner that found its way into the bottom corner of the Penarth net.

Knowing that they had been pegged back against the run of play, Penarth still went into the interval confident that they could get a result from the game, but it was Cardiff who appeared the stronger for much of the early second period. It took some stout defending from the quartet of Ian Smith, Richard Bromiley, Craig Llewellyn and Graeme Jones, as well as a couple of sharp saves from goalkeeper Calum Grant to ensure that parity remained, before Penarth gradually reclaimed the upper hand.

Able to find space amongst a tiring Cardiff side, Arthur Jones, Rob Harrison and Derek Wooding were able to create more chances as the half wore on, and their efforts were rewarded when Dave Thomas found a decisive touch to make the score 2-1 to the visitors.

There was still time for some nervous moments at both ends, but the final whistle sounded on a deserved Penarth victory, after possibly the best 70-minute performance of the season. The result moves Penarth back into fifth place in the De Cymru 2 division with a month-long break over Christmas and New Year before hostilities resume in Lampeter.