The Saints had to dig deep tonight in defeating Rhayader Town FC 2-1.
The result means we go top which is a good response after losing our opening game of the season.
Goal scorers were Jack Biggs and Chris Preece.
Rhayader scorer Jamie Evans.
Hay St Mary’s goalkeeper Ton Lewis made a couple of key saves in the opening stages to keep the scoreline goalless including keeping a header out from an 11th minute corner.
The Saints responded five minute later when Jack Biggs saw a close range effort saved after Brendan Hackett had played a free-kick into the Rhayader Town penalty area. Biggs was on target shortly afterwards when he forced the ball home from close range, after Hackett had played the ball back into the danger area, when the visitor’s defence failed to clear an 18th minute corner properly.
Darren Horrigan nearly doubled the lead for the hosts but he was unable to keep his effort on target from a 20th minute cross as he stretched to meet the ball. A second goal arrived for the Saints in the 24th minute when central defender Chris Preece emphatically headed home from a corner.
Lewis made a smart save two minutes latter, to preserve the two-goal advantage, after a Rhayader Town forward had latched on to a through ball. The home custodian saved a header from a cross out on the right flank in the 31st minute to maintain Hay St Mary’s 2-0 advantage at the interval.
Ht 2-0
The Thin Red Line came close too halving the deficit in the opening minute of the second-half but the ball fitted wide of the near post following an early corner on the right. Rhayader Town saw a 25 yard drive flash across goal in the 53rd minute before Biggs saw a effort from a similar distance fly over the crossbar some 11 minutes later.
The visitors halved the deficit in the 71st minute when young striker Jamie Evans headed a cross from the right past goalkeeper Lewis.
Lewis was then forced to turn away a shot from outside the penalty area in the 82nd minute. Hay St Mary’s did not test the Rhayader Town custodian as much during the second-half as substitute Jamie Howard saw a header saved from a Hackett free-kick with three minute remaining. The Mid Wales League (South) champions piled on the pressure in the closing stages and they came close to netting an equaliser deep in stoppage time, after pouncing on a defensive error, but Lewis made another fine save to send his team to the summit of the early table.
Match report Stu Townsend.
Ft 2-1
We didn’t play well last night but picked up three points so that can’t be bad. The team is doing well at present, due to holidays etc manager Gareth Jenkins hasn’t had a full squad to pick from and it looks like it will be another two weeks before he does. If we can keep picking points up until we are at full strength we could be in with a chance of challenging at the top.
I thought once again our two centre backs had very good games, Tom James put in a good performance but goalkeeper Tom Lewis was man of the match for pulling off several top saves.
