Monmouth Town 2 Aberbargoed Buds 2 Monmouth Town's six match unbeaten run came to abrupt end with a below par display against their Gwent rivals Aberbargoed. Town and Aberbargoed started the match level on points and goal difference with both teams looking for win to ease relegation worries and it was Monmouth who started the brightest retaining most of the possession and territory but only threatening occasionally. On a more compact pitch however the Buds looked the physically stronger team getting the better of tackles and ruffling more of the free flowing football from the Kingfishers who went ahead on 22 minutes as Bowen latched on to a through ball form Alderdice and lifted deftly over the advancing Kirkwood in the Aberbargoed goal. Inn a game never destined to be a classic there were chances for both sides as first Bowen steered his shot too close to the keeper and then Davies cleared brilliantly from his own line after Jenkins had been beaten to a cross. Town just about deserved their first half lead but a more motivated Buds team took the game to the Town at the start of the second half and equalised when Duggan's relatively tame shot from distance seemed to deceive Jenkins who could only watch as the ball crept in at his right hand post. The rest of the half was more grit than guile as Aberbargoed kept to their game plan of ruffling Kingfisher feathers and out fighting a in increasingly frustrated midfield. A clear chance did fall to Ford but with the goal at his mercy and just six yards out he somehow managed to take the paint off the Chairman's' car which was foolishly to the side of the goal. As the game neared its end Oxford withdrew Bowen and Cleaves in an attempt to inject a different approach but just minutes later Jenkins failed to deal with a long throw in and the click on allowed Mazurczak to gleefully hook the ball home to put the Buds in the driving seat. With Bowen now withdrawn an increasingly toothless Monmouth failed to penetrate a more determined Aberbargoed back line and the Buds took the points back to the Gwent valleys. Manager Oxford was philosophical after tasting his first defeat as manager "We had much the better of the first half but didn't put any daylight between us. They came out much the stronger in the second half and we looked sluggish in some of our approach. They were much more up for the physical contest and that's something we have to think about. That said I'm disappointed not devastated. We've had a good run and we don't become rubbish again with one defeat. Big game next week and we have to be up for it."
