Welsh League Division One - Monmouth Town 2 Aberdare Town 1

AFTER a frustrating 2-2 draw at Caerau Ely, Monmouth Town travelled up the Valleys to Aberaman Park to face fellow strugglers Aberdare Town in the knowledge that if they didn’t win they would be relegated to Welsh League Division Two.  

The Kingfishers sat thirteenth in Welsh League Division One with their opposition eleventh, one point ahead of the Kingfishers. Manager Andrew Smith made two changes to his side that should have beaten Caerau Ely, bringing in Alex O’Leary for Luke Cleaves and ex-Bristol Rovers and Cardiff City player Mitchell Palmer for Jacob Guy.

The Kingfishers started the brighter of the two sides with the Town’s travelling fans adding to the occasion. They nearly took the lead after two minutes when Elliot Ford beat his man and went down the by-line, eventually pulling the ball across goal but no Monmouth player could get on the end of it.

The Town continued to trouble Aberdare in the early stages with the Kingfishers showing a lot more passion and desire than their previous games. The Town should have been rewarded for their hard work in the tenth minute when Kieron Blackburn kicked the ball up the pitch finding Elliot Ford who headed the ball into Richard Greaves’ path. Greaves went one-on-one with Aberdare’s goalkeeper but he lacked any composure and his shot went just wide of the post.

Aberdare came into the game soon after, attacking Monmouth with real intensity and troubling them with their pace out wide. Their first chance of the game came in the fifteenth minute when their player found himself with loads of space and time on the edge of the box and shot, but his shot was aimed straight at Keiron Blackburn.

The home side maintained Aberdare’s pressure and again should have took the lead in the twentieth minute when Ashley Ford played a ball down the channel. Mitchel Palmer ran on to it and went one-on-one with Aberdare’s keeper but the stopper made a magnificent save and tipped Palmer’s shot around the post.

The Kingfishers continued to trouble Aberdare and again should have found themselves ahead. Richard Greaves passed the ball to Dan Macdonald who took a touch and shot but Aberdare’s keeper made a magnificent diving save to tip MacDonald’s shot around the post.

Aberdare managed to weather the storm and looked very dangerous on the counter attack and could have taken advantage of the Town’s missed chances when their centre back played a long ball over Monmouth’s defence. Aberdare’s striker ran on to it and went one-on-one with Blackburn but the striker let the occasion get the better of him and shot wide of the post.

Aberdare continued to trouble Monmouth’s defence on the counter attack and again should have found themselves ahead when their played floated a corner in, finding his teammate at the front post, who headed towards goal but Rob Laurie heroically blocked it off the line.

Monmouth managed to stop the threat of the Aberdare attack and had a good opportunity to break the deadlock. On the half hour mark Dan MacDonald floated a ball into the box finding Nick Harrhy who headed towards goal but Aberdare’s keeper made an acrobatic save and tipped the header onto the bar. A frustrated could have found themselves one down going into half time, when Aberdare floated a corner in, which Rob Laurie managed to clear. It fell to an Aberdare player who shot first time but his shot went narrowly wide of the post.

The Kingfishers started the second half like they ended the first, and perhaps should have had a penalty in the fiftieth minute. Elliot Ford turned his man in the box and was tripped, but the referee waved play on.

Shortly after Monmouth finally made the breakthrough. Dan MacDonald whipped an inviting ball into the box and found Monmouth’s danger man Nick Harrhy who volleyed it into the bottom corner.

The Kingfisher’s lead didn’t last for long though. Aberdare whipped a corner into the box, which the Kingfisher’s failed to clear and the ball eventually landed to an Aberdare player who tapped it in.

Both teams struggled to create any chances in the latter stages of the game, knowing that a point would see them relegated. The Kingfishers could have found the winner in the eightieth minute when Elliot Ford went past his man and ran down the by-line eventually squaring it but there was no Monmouth player there to tap it in.

With time running out, both teams attacked one another with real intensity and both sides struggled to create any chances. But in the 91st minute the Kingfishers found the winner out of nothing, when Ben Evans played a long ball up the pitch. Elliot Ford flicked the ball into a Richard Greaves run and, one-on-one with the keeper, he managed to keep his cool and place his shot into the bottom corner leaving the Kingfisher’s supporters going mad.

With Monmouth sitting back and defending like their lives depended on it, Aberdare could have found the equaliser when Rob Laurie headed the ball away. It fell to an Aberdare player who shot but his shot went just wide of the post.

Manager Andrew Smith said after the game: “I thought it was a great win. I thought we showed great character, which is something which we have lacked all season, and hopefully results will go our way and we can avoid the drop.”

The Kingfishers have finished the season on thirty nine points and will have to wait until all other outstanding fixtures have been played to see whether they will remain a Welsh League Division One club.