Ammanford AFC were well supported at Latham Park , the home of Newtown AFC this afternoon, as they fell to a 2-0 defeat in the 2nd Round of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
The travelling Black and White army certainly made themselves heard throughout the entire game orchestrated by the drumming of Richie Phillips.
Newtown AFC who compete in the JD Cymru Premier League were wary of their opponents and knew their passage into the next round of the Cup wasn’t going to be an easy ride.
As the game commenced it was Newtown who started the game on the front foot. As early as the third minute it was Newtown’s Nicholas Rushton who saw his rasping shot shake the Ammanford crossbar and eventually cleared to safety.
A lot of Newtown’s best moves were being created by the midfield play of Sean McAllister who was threading his passes to his front men.
However the deadlock was broken after twenty one minutes when Ammanford Goalkeeper Craig Morris palmed a cross onto his crossbar, but the ball rebounded and fell kindly to Newtown paceman Lifumpa Mwandwe who poked the ball into the net from close range 1-0.
Newtown almost doubled their lead five minutes later but wasted the opportunity when the ball was flashed over the crossbar from two yards out when it seemed easier to convert the chance.
Ammanford responded and probably had their best chance of the first half when the hard working Gavin Jones raced away down the line and rifled a shot which seemed destined to burst the Newtown net but was tipped away by Newtown Goalkeeper David Jones.
The game ebb and flowed but at the interval it was the home team who held the slender 1-0 lead.
The Second Half saw both sides continue to move the ball around and Newtown saw efforts saved by Morris. On the hour mark , a Newtown header rattled the Ammanford goal frame from close range and three minutes later the home Supporters were cheering as a fine passing move was tucked away into the Ammanford net only for it to be chalked off for offside.
As the game moved into the last quarter of an hour it was Ammanford who were pushing the home side onto the back foot.
Ammanford ‘s Lee Trundle won himself a free kick on the edge of the Newtown penalty area. Trundle took the free kick but his effort sailed well over the crossbar.
Gavin Jones broke away and fired in a cross come shot that was met by Ammanford substitute Bruno Forkouh who could only manage at full stretch to poke the ball over the Newtown crossbar.
Ammanford’s Ricky Martin must have thought he had got Ammanford back in the game with a powerfully driven low shot that flashed narrowly wide of the Newtown goal.
Then in the 90th minute Ammanford goalkeeper Craig Morris came out of his area trying to make a clearance but the ball fell nicely to Newtown’s McCallister who cleverly chipped the ball from 30 yards out into the unguarded Ammanford goal to effectively seal the victory.
Ammanford did have time for one last attempt at the Newtown goal when Ammanford’s Craig Frater struck a powerful free kick from outside the box that hit the post and deflected onto the opposite post without crossing the Newtown goal line.
The final whistle went and it was the home team that celebrated the Cup win.
Ammanford can take heart and pride from this performance against their Premier League opposition. So it’s Newtown into Round 3 of the Nathaniel MG Cup and for Ammanford it’s JD Cymru South League action away to Taffs Well next Saturday.
