Sport

Ref steals the show

Published

5 years ago

February 1, 2016

‘Keeper Gwilt: Spill led to Goodwick own goal

Goodwick United 5

Carew 1

GOODWICK UNITED took advantage of their league rivals not playing to move top of the Pembrokeshire League Division One, largely thanks to some questionable decisions that went in their favour in a tight contest, in which a draw would’ve been slightly unfair on the visitors, but a 5-1 defeat was bordering on cruel.

The game started off with a real ebb and flow, with Carew enjoying the better of the battles in the middle of the park, but with the hosts getting some joy down the flanks, particularly through the livewire Jonny Horgan.

A tight contest produced no real efforts of note until the 40th minute, when Carew deservedly took the lead, with Dean Morris latching onto a through ball and producing a thunderous effort which keeper James Gwilt could only spill, and with Grant James following up, Goodwick put through their own net.

The goal seemed to force Carew into a retreat, and the visitors invited pressure onto themselves, and with the 45 minutes played, Goodwick equalised to draw level at the interval, as Adam Raymond’s speculative effort deflected over the right hand of Dan James to leave the sides at one apiece.

Carew emerged for the second half unaffected by the setback and went at the hosts from the first whistle, with Gwilt forced into action on several occasions, with the only outlet for the red and blacks being the irrepressible Horgan, who also drew a fine stop from James.

With 65 minutes played the turning point of the game occurred, with the referee ensuring that he took centre stage.

Carew worked an opening for Dean Morris, but when he was about to side foot home from the penalty spot, a horrendously mistimed tackle from Goodwick’s last man wiped him out.

The referee pointed to the spot, and with a red card imminent, he was surrounded by the home sides players, who somehow managed to get the decision downgraded to a free kick and incredibly, they even persuaded the official not to produce a card of any colour.

This flabbergasted even the Goodwick linesman and supporters, and it was now apparent that the game was being officiated by the home team with the resulting free kick being taken from bang on the line.

Shaun Whitfield stepped up to take the kick and produced a brilliant full length stop from Gwilt, but the keeper could only tip it onto the bar, and with the goal at their mercy, Carew’s Morris and midfielder Alex Bayley got in each other’s way and conspired to put the ball over the bar.

The decision spurred Goodwick on, and with the game ticking into the last fifteen minutes, it was won by a moment of true brilliance from man of the match Horgan.

The winger picked the ball up 30 yards from goal on the left hand side, and turned inside, then out, before coming back inside one last time to produce a thunderous shot across James, which flew in off the inside of the post, sparking scenes of mass celebration among the home players, with both players and management racing to congratulate the home hero.

With Carew now firmly disheartened, Goodwick ran away with the game, scoring a further three goals in the last five minutes.

Horgan grabbed his second and Kieran O’Brien a brace of well taken finishes to move the Phoenix Park side top of the league.

Sport

Haverfordwest County ask fans to stay away as football returns to Bridge Meadow

Published

1 day ago

March 6, 2021

James Hemingray

HAVERFORDWEST COUNTY has asked fans not to attend the Bridge Meadow Stadium today, March 6, as the club restarts its JD Cymru Premier campaign.

The Bluebirds take on Cardiff Met in a game that kicks off at 2:30pm but, like all fixtures in the Cymru Premier, the game is being played behind closed doors.

A club statement asks fans not to congregate outside the stadium and adds that there are ‘rigorous protocols’ for those who must attend.

A spokesperson said: “Haverfordwest County AFC would like to urge all fans to stay at home for (the) fixture against Cardiff Met. For the foreseeable future, all matches will remain behind closed doors.

“The club, along with Welsh Government guidelines, explicitly forbids the congregation of fans outside the stadium to watch the game. There are numerous precautions in place to ensure that those who must attend the game, stick to rigorous protocols to remain safe.

“All match highlights will be available post-match, via Sgorio. We look forward to welcoming fans back to the Bridge Meadow, when it is safe to do so.”

The Club says that this will apply to all future home matches.

Sport

Signed Wales shirts gifted to RNLI go up for auction

Published

1 week ago

February 25, 2021

James Hemingray

FOLLOWING a winning start to the Six Nations Tournament, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) have scored a winning try for the RNLI, gifting six signed rugby shirts to help save lives at sea.

Each rugby shirt has been signed by the full WRU squad and are accompanied by a certificate of authentication – a winning prize for any Welsh rugby fan.

To avoid a ruck for the WRU shirts the charity has placed all six signed shirts on an online auction, ensuring a fair game for all who wish to win the golden prize. The auction will be live until Wednesday, March 31, which allows plenty of time for supporters to bid for the team in red.

Each signed shirt includes Wales Captain, Mumbles RNLI supporter and the most capped international player of all time Alun Wyn Jones; as well as Louis Rees-Zammit, the Man of the Match in the nail-biting Scotland v Wales game.

Nick Evans, RNLI Fundraising and Partnership Lead said: ‘On behalf of the charity I would like to say a big thank you to the Welsh Rugby Union for donating these fantastic prizes to the RNLI. RNLI volunteers are on call 24-7 and are often called away from important events such as family celebrations – or international rugby tournaments – to respond to the pager if someone is in trouble at sea.

‘Like all charities, 2020 was a challenging year for the RNLI when all traditional fundraising had to stop – all our shops were closed, there were no collections and all events had to be cancelled. This is why we at the RNLI are so grateful to all the team at WRU for their ongoing support. The auction is now live and we would like to encourage all Wales rugby supporters to throw the RNLI a lifeline and place their bid for the winning prize.’

To place a bid or find out more about the charity auction please visit https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/rnliwru.

Sport

Five subs to be allowed for JD Cymru Premier clubs

Published

1 week ago

February 25, 2021

James Hemingray

THE FAW’s National Leagues Board has confirmed that JD Cymru Premier clubs will be permitted to make five substitutions in matches, in accordance with the Laws of the Game, until the end of the 2020-21 top-flight season.

FIFA extended the use of the rule, which was first introduced following the COVID-19 outbreak, citing “player welfare” as part of the reason for the temporary amendment to Law 3 of the Laws of the Game.

FIFA stated that “Some competitions which resumed in 2020 may have a shorter-than-usual recovery/preparation period before the start of their next season.”

“For many competitions, the 2020/21 season will involve matches being played in a condensed period due to a delayed start and the inability to end later than usual because of major international tournaments.”

With the JD Cymru Premier set to restart on March 2, the National Leagues Board has approved the use of the rule in the JD Cymru Premier until the end of the current campaign.