CARNO 1, RHAYADER TOWN 4
Rhayader Town celebrated their return to the Spar Mid Wales League with a convincing victory at Carno on Wednesday night, August 20.
Chris Murphy netted twice and Simon Boss-Johnson and Dylan McPhee were also on target as Rhayader bounced back from Saturday’s Welsh Cup defeat.
Rhayader were slow to settle and Carno enjoyed the better of the early exchanges but once Murphy broke the deadlock, in the words of player-manager McPhee: “We bossed the game”.
Murphy struck after Tom Bethell saw his effort blocked and Boss-Johnson added a second with a cross-cum-shot just before half-time.
Carno saw their fair share of possession in the second half but Rhayader were always dangerous on the break and Murphy headed his second and Town’s third from Marc Maunder’s corner.
McPhee applied the coup de grace with a dipping 20-yard volley before Nick Lewis gained a consolation for Carno in the final minute.
NEWBRIDGE 2, NEWTOWN RES 3
Sam Williams scored twice on his Newbridge debut – but it was not enough, as last season’s runners-up hit back to steal the points at Penbont.
The villagers got off to a dream start with Williams converting a fifth minute penalty when Christian Jones was brought down.
Former Knighton striker Williams grabbed his second on the quarter of an hour mark with a superb 25-yard strike when he spotted keeper Ian Havard off his line after picking up a loose pass from Newtown defender Mark Thomas.
Havard then denied Luke Boundford, who had linked with Williams, but Newtown gradually settled and reduced the deficit.
Eifion Price turned over a Damien Daniels free-kick and from the resulting corner taken by Daniels, Richard Astley appeared to be unchallenged as he headed in at the far post.
Two minutes into the second half it was all square, with Steffan Rowlands slipping Barry Bellis through after the hosts conceded possession in midfield.
On 56 minutes, Newbridge were down to ten men, with midfielder Neil Davies dismissed following a challenge on Astley – his second yellow card.
And to rub salt into the wound, Price failed to hold Daniels’s free-kick with Richard Evans nipping in to put Newtown ahead.
Price then produced a fine save from Evans, and Rowlands blazed over from close range.
But Newbridge’s ten men remained in contention and might have salvaged a point, with a goal-line clearance denying Sam Williams his hat-trick.
