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Saints Win Derby.

The Saints beat local rivals Presteigne FC 3-1 at Forest Road.

Youngster Matty Tong netted a hat-trick, Jack Brazier scored a late consolation goal for Presteigne in the 88th minute.

Hat-trick man Matty Tong

Match report from Stu Townsend –

 

Forest Road: Spar Mid Wales League First Division

The home team were playing their first match for just over a month, which I was also present at, when the Saints defeated Llanilar 6-0 in the Central Wales Challenge Cup second round. Since then, Hay St Mary’s saw Dolgellau Athletic concede their E R Jenkins Cup quarter-final tie the following week and the local derby at Talgarth Town was a victim of the winter weather. Therefore, the hosts might be a little rusty ahead of this derby clash through a combination of lack of action and indulging over the course of the festive season. The Saints’ last league outing was in mid-November when they enjoyed a 3-1 home victory over Newbridge and they came into this afternoon’s border derby in fifth place in the Second Division table. Presteigne St Andrews have had not had such a big gap since their last outing when they enjoyed a 3-1 success at Aberystwyth University three weeks ago to find themselves one place and one point above today’s hosts in the league standings. The Llanandras Park club were looking to complete a league double over Hay St Mary’s after recording a 2-1 win against the Saints in the reverse fixture back in early October. Despite a morning pitch inspection, the match went ahead as planned and the surface looked in much better condition than during my previous visit at the end of November and also played much better than on that occasion.

Presteigne St Andrews came out of the blocks quickly as they broke forward in the opening minute and a 20 yard thunderbolt thudded back off Jordan Bailey’s crossbar before the hosts responded three minutes later when Matty Tong saw his shot blocked following a corner for the Saints. The visitors looked the better team in the early stages and saw a low 20 yard effort fly narrowly wide of the target in the 11th minute before Bailey had to be at his best five minutes later to make a smart double save. But it was Hay St Mary’s that broke the deadlock in the 20th minute when Tong swept home Darren Horrigan’s low cross from the left and that goal seemed to settle the hosts. Four minutes later, following a good move on the left, former Presteigne St Andrews midfielder Jack Biggs fired a 20 yard effort straight at the visiting custodian before Tong was denied by a full-length save when his 25 yard drive seemed to be heading into the top corner of the visitor’s goal but clipped the crossbar instead in the 26th minute. Biggs drove forward a minute later from the inside-left channel at saw an effort fly across the face of goal before Presteigne St Andrews finished the opening period strongly. A visiting attacker latched on to a cross-field pass and cut inside from the left but shot straight at Bailey. The second-half commenced in relatively even fashion before Biggs saw his 20 yard shot on the turn narrowly clear the visitor’s crossbar before Tom Landon fired just over the target after a good move down the left flank. The East Radnor men saw a hanging cross from the right clip the top of the crossbar in the 71st minute before Biggs shot straight at the goalkeeper from the edge of the Presteigne St Andrews penalty area four minutes later. The visitors fired a strike across the face of goal, after a 77th minute corner was only partially cleared by the home defence, before the Saints doubled their lead three minutes later courtesy of Tong’s shot on the turn from the edge of the penalty area. The young striker completed successive hat-tricks when he latched on to a through ball from Callum Maddy two minutes later and guided it past the advancing custodian. The Llanandras Park club netted an 86th minute consolation strike after cracking the crossbar, in a contest that was much closer than the score suggests to onlookers, when Jack Brazier’s low drive from the left side of the penalty area found the far corner of the net.

Many thanks to match sponsor and loyal supporter Ralph Anderson.

As Stuart said the match was close, it was a good end to end game which could of gone either way.

Matty Tong was picked as Man of the match for his hat-trick, however, I thought Will Goodwin was outstanding at the back. Tom Landon also covered every inch of the park with his non stop running, Darren Horrigan also caused problems on the left wing all afternoon.

16 year old Corey Burke came off the bench to make his first team debut and did well whilst on the pitch.

Midfielder Jack Biggs was presented with his award for the league player of the month for November.

We finish off 2017 with a 6 game unbeaten run in the league.

Happy New Year All.

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