Caption: Gabe Morris
Ammanford bowed out of the Welsh Blood Service League Cup after falling on the wrong end of a penalty shoot‑out against an in‑form Treowen outfit.
Skipper Morgan Clarke’s spot‑kick cannoned off the crossbar after nine perfect efforts had sent the tie into sudden death.
The defeat capped a remarkable cup run for Town, who have exited all three competitions this season from twelve yards.
Buoyed by last weekend’s impressive 3–0 win over Pontypridd United, the Black and Whites began brightly and should have taken the lead after eight minutes. A corner picked out Chris Bell, unmarked inside the six‑yard box, but his header drifted wide.
The breakthrough arrived soon after. Matthew Fisher’s neat footwork in midfield released Luke Sylvester down the right. The full‑back’s shot was blocked into the path of Matt Delaney who, rounding off a memorable week, lashed a low strike into the bottom corner.
Fisher continued to dictate Town’s forward play and almost doubled the advantage minutes later when he broke on the counter, only for Cael Jones to hold his attempted lob.
Treowen, entering the match on a four‑game winning streak, grew into the contest. Reserve goalkeeper Tyler Evans had to be alert, first parrying a powerful strike before acrobatically tipping a header over the bar from the resulting corner.
Seconds before the interval, Ammanford created a glorious chance to extend their lead. Gavin Jones, whose pace troubled the visitors throughout the half, burst from deep and found himself one‑on‑one with the keeper, but Jones produced an outstanding stop with his feet.
The visiting goalkeeper continued to frustrate Town after the restart, denying Delaney and Jones in the early moments of the second period.
Ammanford’s missed chances proved costly. Treowen worked the ball neatly into the box, allowing Corey Jenkins to rifle an unstoppable effort across goal to level the scores.
After parity was restored, both teams traded opportunities. Thomas Meecham struck the post for the visitors, while Owain Davies and Delaney went close before substitutes Dan John and Alex Giardelli each missed agonising opportunities to grab the decisive goal.
With five minutes remaining, the match turned sour. John and Christian Davies were dismissed after a clash inside the area, and Treowen made better use of the extra space. Jenkins thought he had snatched victory with a brilliant header, but Evans produced a superb reaction save to force penalties.
Both sides converted their opening four attempts. Clarke’s effort, which rebounded off the bar, handed Craig McDonnell the chance to seal progress, and he duly delivered, sending his side into the Southern area semi‑finals at the first time of asking.
