Ammanford AFC 1 Afan Lido FC 2

If you like late night entertainment and drama then the Recreation Ground in Ammanford is the place to be on Friday evening’s.

This latest JD Cymru South league encounter between Ammanford and Afan Lido certainly delivered on all levels. The game got off to a gentle paced start with Ammanford having the best of the early exchanges.

Ammanford’s midfielders Dale Jones, Leon Britton and Kai Whitmore were creating chances for their front runners Matthew Fisher, Tristan Jenkins and Lee Trundle. Ammanford were very unlucky not to take an early lead in the game as Matthew Fisher broke free of his markers and took a fierce shot at goal from some 18 yards out only to see his effort rebound of off the goal post with equal force back out into open play.

The ball landed into the path of the oncoming Tristan Jenkins who rifled the ball back towards the goal and saw his effort do exactly the same as the ball thumped against the same goal post. The rebound this time was cleared away by the Lido defence. Lido were forced into an early substitution as Sam Harrison limped off the pitch. Ammanford’s Dale Jones picked up the game’s first yellow card and the game became a little more fractious as some strong tackles were being made by both teams. Referee Ben Williams was kept busy and with ten minutes before half time a tackle on Ammanford’s Matthew Fisher who reacted to it sparked off the underlying tensions in the game. The referee having consulted with his assistant showed yellow cards to Lido’s Ioan Evans and then Ammanford’s Matthew Fisher and Osian Dillon.

The action continued and five minutes later Ammanford’s Kai Whitmore broke into the edges of Lido’s penalty area and was tripped over in full view of the referee who pointed towards the penalty spot. Up stepped Ammanford’s Lee Trundle who saw his resulting spot kick saved. This seemed to spark Lido into action and minutes later into first half added on time Lido were awarded a penalty of their own. Lido’s Joshua Edwards placed the ball on the penalty spot and converted the spot kick to give the away side the lead in the game 0-1. Lido pressed forward again deep into first half stoppage time and were unlucky not to double their advantage and a close range header sailed just over the crossbar. Half Time Ammanford AFC 0 Afan Lido FC 1 The second half saw the game go to and fro with Ammanford trying to find their way back into the game. With 68 minutes played, Ammanford finally got an equaliser when from a corner kick Ammanford’s central defender Euros Griffiths rose high above the Lido defence to head the ball powerfully into the back of the Lido goal net. 1-1

It seemed Ammanford were back in the game and seeking a winning goal. However the equaliser seemed to spur Lido on and a forward run from Lido’s pacy winger Ioan Evans saw him take a tumble on the edge of the Ammanford penalty area. Referee Ben Williams brandished a yellow card to the winger and a subsequent red card as it was his second yellow of the game. With twenty plus minutes left in the game Lido were down to ten men and the home crowd were expectant that Ammanford could make the extra man pay dividends in their attacking play.

However the Lido defence had other ideas with Lido’s Captain Jackson Hall leading the way with Lido’s goalkeeper Gareth Couch making some good stops to keep his side in the game. Lido didn’t sit back and continued to threaten and were unlucky to see an effort on goal hit the inside of the Ammanford goalpost and rebound across the six yard area to safety. With ten minutes left in the game Lido’s substitute striker Joshua Webber broke through the defensive lines of Ammanford and this time his shot found the inside of the far post goal net to restore his team’s lead 1-2. Ammanford looked deflated and as much as they tried could not find a way back into the game against a resolute Lido team. Deep into stoppage time referee Ben Williams hadn’t finished his evening’s work as he ended up showing yellow and red cards to Afan Lido’s bench which included head coach Mark Robinson and Trainer Leighton Jones as well as Gary Isaac in a bizarre couple of minutes. A couple of minutes later the referee blew the final whistle and it was joy for Lido as they celebrated their away win.