Monmouth Town 3-3 AFC Porth

A second-half Elliot Ford hat-trick, the third goal just two minutes from time, secured a point for the Kingfishers in their first home game of the season.

The game against early Welsh League pace setters AFC Porth was a dramatic, pulsating, high quality one at the Sports Ground as the Kingfishers came back from 3-0 down in a stunning fightback.

Starting a home game in the second tier of Welsh Football for the first time in their 136-year history after a decent enough start to the season on the road, the high scoring Kingfishers were looking to pierce a miserly Porth defence who had yet to concede in their first five games.

The Kingfishers' number 9 shirt had looked difficult to fill of late but Craig Lewis's midweek hat trick in a five-one win at Croesyceiliog, which had secured the Town's passage to the semi final of the Gwent Senior Cup, had earned him the right to have the latest attempt.

The back four was also reshuffled in the continued search for some defensive solidity, with the unlucky Dean Palmer replaced at right back by Aaron Davies as last season's supporters' player of the season Jacob Guy reclaimed his place in the centre of defence alongside Ben Evans.   

That strategy lay in tatters after just 12 minutes as a raid down Porth's right resulted in an unchallenged cross which was easily turned home by Williams.

Just five minutes later Wright was left to meander unmarked into the Town's six yard box from a simple free kick to head down and past Blackburn.

The simplicity of the two goals barely reflected the complexity of the Porth's play until then as, although in open play the Town had defended reasonably well, they did have to cope with a top-of-the-table team brimming with energy, ideas and movement which made the Kingfishers look distinctly second rate.

Indeed for most of the first half the Kingfisher were simply outclassed and out passed and struggled to get any ball or rhythm into their play.

When Edwards scored the Porth third within a minute of the restart it really should have been all over other than a case of damage limitation for the home team.

But the shoots of a recovery has been evident in the latter stage of the first half as Porth looked to tire after their blistering start. Elliot Ford got one back after 48 minutes with a header from a corner which looped in and from there the Town grew in confidence and self belief.

For full story see Beacon 12/09/12