Last minute surge as Cadoxton Barry FC equalise with opponents

Cadoxton Barry FC 5 - AFC Whitchurch 5

Scorers: Oaten, Thompson, Jackhontaw, Beattie, Walsh (penalty)

WHILST this was a thoroughly entertaining match to watch, CB will once again be kicking themselves for not taking all three points comfortably against a side whose footballing skills were good, though still inferior to those of their hosts at their best.

Unfortunately they saved their best till last when it was only just enough to scrape a point.

Whitchurch won an early corner which curled straight into the near post side netting and for the opening minutes the visitors continued to have most of the possession. So it was a bit of a surprise to see CB take the lead with their first serious attack of the game.

The ball came forward to Thompson midway down the left flank. His continued run down that side drew the 'keeper forward in his direction, tempting him to cross inside to the incoming Oaten and he powered home with the 'keeper desperately trying to regain position.

Whitchurch continued to see as much of the ball as CB. However, Jackhontaw won a race for a loose ball and, shaking off a challenge, he crossed left to offer Thompson a good opportunity, but he fired wide and at the other end, a through ball for Whitchurch offered the centre forward a golden chance, but he also fired wide.

The Whitchurch 'keeper did well when, in the space of 30 seconds, he tipped an in swinging corner over the bar before repeating the performance from a direct shot.

Gradually Whitchurch were beginning to gain the upper hand. They earned two free kicks in quick succession - both just outside the box. The first was met by a quality diving save from Harker while the second curled around the wall and into the top left of the net.

The only problem for Whitchurch was that it was an indirect free kick - a let off for CB then. But CB had a chance when there was a mix up between the visiting 'keeper and his full back which allowed Steel to fire from distance when the 'keeper was well forward. However, the shot was just too high.

But with Whitchurch doing more of the pressing an equaliser did look to be imminent and it came in the shape of an excellent looping header from a quality in curling corner.

The game continued to be a bit of a scrappy affair and, with Thompson expecting the half-time whistle at any second, when the ball reached him, 35 yards out on the left, his hit-and-hope hook at the ball was caught on the sweet spot to see it whizz home, grazing the inside of the left post as it squeezed in just beyond the reach of the diving 'keeper. Ten seconds later it was half-time.

Whitchurch won a series of corners during the first five minutes of the second half and when one curled out to a forward 12 yards out, a goal from that position seemed most unlikely. But the unlikely happened as his seemingly wishful grubber shot found a channel along the ground, through a melee of a dozen or so legs and into the goal with Harker unsighted until the last second.

Then, following this equaliser, CB had Harker to thank for two excellent saves within the space of 60 seconds to keep them in the match. CB had an opportunity when Oaten headed a throw in on to Jackhontaw who turned his man but fired wide.

A double substitution with half an hour remaining saw Konten and former Welsh Premier League player, Morgan come on to the pitch. But before CB could reshape to accommodate these changes, a goal from nothing saw them go behind for the first time.

It came from a long throw towards the middle of the CB half. There seemed to be no danger even though the ball was struck crisply. However, the CB defence seemed to part like the waters of the Jordan River and it was 3 - 2 to the visitors.

CB did get their shape back for just long enough to pull themselves level once more. From a corner the ball was moved from Morgan onto Konten who, in turn, set Jackhontaw up with a pin point pass that was gratefully converted.

But as quickly as the ball control skills started to show, they disappeared once more. A free kick from the right came to ground in the CB penalty area. To clear seemed a simple task, but as the attempted clearance was being executed, a forward bore down to see the ball rebound off his body and into the CB net from very close range.

The game looked to be up when, two further minutes on, Whitchurch broke down the right, leaving CB's offside trap in tatters. The player cut inside to set up a one-on-one with Harker and a dummy before he finally fired and it was enough to make it 5 - 3 to the visitors.

With just eight minutes of the match remaining the points looked squandered. But what an eight minutes it turned out to be for Cadoxton Barry.

This time the x-factor returned to stay as CB ripped through Whitchurch's defensive lines time and time again. However, the visitors seemed to be dealing well with the heavy pressure - that was until Konten sent in a cross from the right towards the far post where Beattie rose to force the ball home despite being crowded on all sides by Whitchurch defenders.

But they were now deep into added time and CB's urgent long balls were being well dealt with while time was being cleverly wasted by the visitors between plays. But the pressure did eventually yield a corner to CB and the in-curling effort from Morgan set up a scramble for the ball in which the referee spotted an infringement.

Walsh had scored the point winning penalty in the away match just three weeks earlier so the task of rescuing a point from the spot was once more handed to him and he didn't let the side down, placing it low and well to the 'keeper's right to retrieve a further point in the quest for South Wales Alliance League Division One safety. Another ten seconds and the game was over.

Next Saturday Cadoxton Barry are due to entertain Cwmbach Royal Stars in a league match at Bryn-Y-Don, kick-off at 2pm.

Vale of Glamorgan League Division One

Vale United 1 – Cadoxton Barry 2nds 1

Scorer: Christopherato

Cadoxton Barry’s reserves took the trip to Corntown to play Vale United who, six days earlier, had won the Supporters Cup Final at Jenner Park. So CB’s draw against a side populated with big men in many departments was an excellent result – the point being fully deserved.

And at Year 9 level Cadoxton Barry overturned an earlier double figure defeat at the hands of Peterstone-Super-Ely to gain with a 3 – 2 away win. Centre half Jacob Foat, who hardly put a foot wrong throughout the game, was CB’s man-of-the-match. The Cadoxton Barry scorers were Doyle, C Barron and Turner.