THERE was huge disappointment as an under-par Kingfishers crashed out of the FAW Trophy 2-0 to 10-man Albions.

Both teams held a minute’s applause before the match for Monmouth Town’s treasurer and ex-chairman David Uttley who sadly passed away last week due to cancer, with the visitors’ staff and players all wearing a black armband in honour of their clubman.

This was then followed by a minute’s silence for FAW past president Brian Fear.

On a very sandy, soft and muddy pitch it was Albions who started loud, energetic and looking to take the game to their visitors.

And it took just six minutes for Buds’ top scorer Liam Eason to score his 29th of the season after a mistake at the back, placing the ball wide of the keeper when free in the box.

The hosts were dominating the game, only to see Cory Morgan sent off for a kick off the ball on the 24th minute.

That should have seen Monmouth force their way back into the game, but they struggled to get to grips with the conditions and Buds comfortably saw out the game to half-time.

After a heated team talk by the away team coaches, everything that was said about starting the second half was thrown out of the window within two minutes of the restart, when defender Billy Wheeler failed to clear and Eason nipped in to grab his 30th of the season and a priceless 2-0 lead.

The away team huffed and puffed, but the second goal seemed to take the stuffing out of the Kingfishers.

Despite making changes and looking to find a way back into the game Monmouth just didn’t look like they would score.

And things went from bad to worse for Wheeler as a pull back on Eason gave the referee no option but to show him the red card as he was the last man on the 80th minute.

The away team looked to take more risks, but Buds continued to dominate and saw the game out to reach the semi-finals.

Manager Scott Russell was forthright in his views of the Kingfishers’ performance, calling it: “Lacklustre, heartless, uninspiring, disappointing and embarrassing.

“To get to the last eight of a national competition and go out without a fight is such a kick in the gut for me personally,” he said.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Ynyshir they were brilliant from minute one to 90 and wanted it more.

“Our players need to take a hard look at themselves; if I could put 11 new players out next weekend I would.

“We are at the time of the season where you aren’t going to win pretty most of the time and you will have to fight for everything, something we didn’t do at all today.

“But I would like to thank all of Ynyshir who were great for the minute’s applause for Dave, they obviously had a good turn-out for the match and they were all very respectful.”

It’s back to Ardal South East League action for Monmouth this Saturday (March 5, kick-off 2pm), with a derby match at Chepstow Town, who were buoyed at the weekend with a 1-0 win at Llandrindod Wells, courtesy of a Ben Thompson strike early in the second half.

*Tribute to ex-club chairman Dave Uttley see page 39