Lewis Reed returned to haunt his former club with a brace in a 3-1 victory away from home against Pontardawe Town.
After Reed’s 32nd minute penalty was cancelled out by Taylor Aylward’s effort from 12 yards, Reed’s second and a Tristan Jenkins goal in the second half ensured Ammanford won the Battle of the Black and Whites on a wet September afternoon in the Swansea valley.
The opening exchanges between the two sides were very cagey with neither side getting clear sight of the goal. The hosts enjoyed more of the ball but were struggling to find a route past the visiting defence and midfield, marshalled well by Adam Orme and Harry Huddart.
Adam John and Matthew Fisher went closest for Ammanford whilst Craig Davies was the closest to opening the scoring for the hosts.
It took until the half hour for the game to ignite. Euros Griffiths’ header from a beautiful set piece delivery forced Nathaniel Osborne into a good save before Matthew Fisher was brought down in the penalty area, forcing referee Daniel Richardson to point to the spot.
From 12 yards, Reed put the ball to the keeper’s right. Despite the stopper getting a strong hand to the effort, it hit the post and found its way into the back of the net to give the men from Carmarthenshire the lead.
Pontardawe reacted well to going a goal behind and on the stroke of half-time, were level thanks to a spot kick of their own. Richardson adjudged Luke Harris to have committed a foul inside the area. Tyler Aylward sent the ball high beyond Luke Martin in the goal, who had moments earlier saved well with his feet.
After speculative glances at goal from Fisher to open the second period, Ammanford regained the lead just before the hour as Reed bagged his second of the afternoon. Fisher played a beautifully weighted pass through the heart of the Pontardawe defence which found Reed. The striker made no mistake one on one with the keeper, firing the ball home to restore the visitor’s advantage.
As in the first half, Garry Taylor’s men reacted positively to going a goal down and carved opportunities of their own. The superb Ellis Williams had to be alert at the back post to prevent a low cross from being turned in before Martin saved well from a quick freekick which caught everyone in the ground by surprise.
But it was Ammanford that grabbed the important next goal. The visitors in red switched the play from the left wing. With the Pontardawe defence expecting an offside flag for Morgan Clarke, they failed to notice the onrushing and onside Jenkins who fired home between the legs of Osborne to double the lead.
Despite Pontardawe pushing and pressing for a way back into the game, the Town defence, which was solid throughout the game, held firm to earn an away victory for the first time in six matches between these two local rivals.
