THEIR SEASON SO FAR (Cwmbran Town)
Date Competition Opposition Venue Result Scorers 22.08 LoW Barry Town H 0-4 29.08 LoW Carmarthen Town H 2-0 O'Brien, Davies 01.09 FAW - C Newtown A 1-0 Davies 06.09 LoW Rhyl A 4-1 Davies, Parfitt (p), Pike, Lee (og) 12.09 LoW Aberystwyth Town H 0-1 14.09 FAW - C Connah's Quay N. A 2-2 Davies 2 18.09 LoW Afan Lido A 4-0 Pike 2, Summers, Davies 26.09 LoW Inter Cabletel A 1-0 Pike 03.10 LoW Haverfordwest Co. H 4-0 Summers 2, Davies, Moore 07.10 FAW - C Connah's Quay N. H 1-0 Summers (p) 10.10 LoW Conwy United H 3-0 Davies 2, Summers 17.10 WC2 Goytre United H 3-0 31.10 LoW Caernarfon Town H 6-0 Twose 2, Moore 2, Williams (og), Summers 07.11 LoW Caersws A 3-1 Blackie, Powell, Wigley 13.11 LoW Rhayader Town H 3-6 Summers, Davies, Barton (og) 18.11 FAW - C Newtown H 6-0 Davies 2, Hewitt, O'Brien, Watkins, Summers 21.11 WC3 Caersws A 4-3 28.11 LoW Total Network Sol. A 2-2 Summers, Morris (og) 02.12 FAW - C Inter Cabletel H 1-3 Moore 05.12 LoW Newtown A 0-0 12.12 LoW Bangor City A 2-2 Hewitt, Watkins 19.12 LoW Holywell Town H 4-0 Watkins 2, Hewitt, Summers
Whatever the results last weekend, Cwmbran were in second place at the turn of the year. Not playing as a result of Ebbw Vale's expulsion from the League of Wales, the Crows were able to relax for a week and look back on the past four months of League of Wales football.
It all started so badly. Whatever your side, it's not best to meet the reigning champions in the opening match of the new season. Cwmbran had two or three chances to take the lead against Barry, but the Dragons held firm, and eventually ran out 4-0 winners over Cwmbran, everyone's favourite pretenders to the title.
A week later and Cwmbran began to make amends for that defeat. A home game against Carmarthen saw new signing Neil O'Brien score his first goal for the club after 42 minutes, while firm club favourite, Mattie Davies, clinched the game after 84 minutes, as the Crows won 2-0.
The first away game of the season was at Rhyl, where they breezed to a 4-1 victory over the Lilywhites. Mattie Davies set Cwmbran on their way after nine minutes, and Richard Parfitt took them two goals clear with a 13th minute penalty. Former Barry favourite, Chris Pike, hit the target after 58 minutes and the victory was sealed after 82 minutes when Lee scored an own goal for Cwmbran.
However, back at the Cwmbran Stadium, a Gavin Allen goal was the difference between Cwmbran and Aberystwyth, the Black and Greens making off with all three points in a 1-0 win.
Cwmbran returned to form a week later, visiting Afan Lido on a Friday evening. Former Barry player, Chris Summers, scored after 25 minutes, and Cwmbran went in a goal ahead at the break. In the second half, though, Pike scored twice while Mattie Davies finished the scoring with a fourth goal ten minutes from time.
Away at Inter Cabletel the following week, Cwmbran again took all three points, when Chris Pike's 54th minute goal was the only score of the game.
October started well and Cwmbran were back in the goal rush at home to Haverfordwest County. In a 4-0 win over the Bluebirds, Summers scored after 34 minutes, with Mattie Davies adding to it after 56 minutes. Summers scored his second goal of the game after 69 minutes, before Adam Moore rounded off the goals with twelve minutes remaining.
They continued where they left off a week later, when entertaining Conwy at the Cwmbran Stadium. Summers again scored in the first half, with Mattie Davies earning all three points with two more goals in the second half.
Cwmbran swept to victory over CaernarfonTown at the beginning of November, with a few unfamiliar names on the scoresheet. Geraint Twose 39th minute goal was the first of Cwmbran's six, although it wasn't until the second half that the rout began. Twose scored again within a minute of the restart, while Davies struck twice in three minutes, either side of the hour mark. An own goal from Caernarfon's Emrys Williams made it five to Cwmbran before Summers' 85th minute strike signified the end of the scoring.
Away at Caersws, it took three late goals to take all three points. Another former Barry favourite, Jimmy Blackie, scored just after the hour mark, before John Powell scored the second with six minutes left, and another ex-Barry player, Russell Wigley, scored the last goal in the 3-1 win.
With such a record of success behind them, a home defeat to Rhayader Town, who were bottom of the LoW table, was rather unexpected. The mid-Walians were two goals ahead, before Chris Summers scored after 29 minutes. Mattie Davies levelled at 2-2 after 34 minutes, and when Rhayader keeper, Michael Barton, threw the ball into his own net five minutes before the break, it appeared that normal service had been resumed. However, four goals from Rhayader were unanswered by the home side, leading to an incredible 6-3 defeat for the Crows.
In the weeks following that defeat, Cwmbran's form was patchy. Away to Total Network Solutions, Chris Summers gave them a goal after 38 minutes, having been 2-0 down to the Llansantffraid-based side. An own goal from Morris in the 52nd minute saw Cwmbran take a point where they might have gained nothing. Remarkably, Cwmbran have seen the opposition score for them four times this season!
Away at Newtown, neither side were unable to find the net, a difficulty they didn't experience at Bangor City a week later. Wayne Hewitt put Cwmbran ahead after only 8 minutes, and they were two clear at the break, when Chris Watkins scored. However, Bangor, pulled back to two apiece, with a late goal from Danny Shepherd.
A fortnight ago, though, Cwmbran returned to winning ways hammering Holywell Town 4-0 at the Cwmbran Stadium. Chris Watkins opened the scoring after ten minutes and Wayne Hewitt joined him on the scoresheet eight minutes later. Chris Summers scored after 63 minutes to make it 3-0, before Watkins scored his second of the game to make the final score 4-0.
Cwmbran have also been successful in the various cup competitions. Given a bye through the first round of the Gilbert League of Wales Cup, they drew 0-0 with Inter Cabletel in the quarter-final. The replay of that match is this coming Wednesday, with the winner meeting Barry in the semi-finals. Cwmbran are still in the Welsh Cup as well. In the second round, they met Goytre United at home, beating the CC Sports Welsh League side 3-0. That gave them a tie with Caersws. Defeating them, 4-3, the Crows meet another CC Sports Welsh League side, Llanelli, away, in the fourth round.
Meanwhile, Cwmbran have also qualified for the final eight of the F.A.W Premier Cup. Playing in Group C of the tournament, the Crows qualify for the quarter-finals as one of the 'best third placed' clubs, having accrued ten points from their six matches.
The tournament started well for the Crows, as they traveled to Newtown and beat the mid-Walians 1-0. Mattie Davies scored that goal. However, they were lucky to earn a point at Connah's Quay Nomads, where another two goals from Mattie Davies saved their blushes. In the return game at theCwmbran Stadium, a penalty from Chris Summers was the decider between the two teams in a 1-0 win, while Cwmbran suffered their first defeat of the group away at Inter Cabletel, where the Cardiff side won 2-0.
However, that spurred Cwmbran on to a 6-0 home win over Newtown. Mattie Davies scored another two goals, taking his tally to five and top of the goalscoring charts. Meanwhile, Wayne Hewitt, Neil O'Brien, Chris Watkins and Chris Summers all got in on the act with goals. However, with their position secured, Cwmbran lost 3-1 at home to Inter Cabletel. Adam Moore scored their consolation goal.
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League of Wales results 1998-99
This page edited by the Yellow Dragon, 1998.
This article first published in the Barry Town matchday magazine, v Cwmbran Town, 02.01.1999
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