Louis Holbrook
13 Mar 2023
Pontypridd United came out victors once again, the fifth time in a row at home, after a deserved 1-0 win against Caernarfon Town.
It was another strong performance put on by the Dragons as they knocked Caernarfon off the top spot in the JD Cymru Premier Relegation Conference. With a dominant press in attack and a resolute defence, Pontypridd were without doubt the more dominant side on the day.
The first chance of the game went to Ponty through Ben Margetson. Ponty’s number 32 arrived in the box and got on the end of a fantastic cross from Jordan Knott, but his headed effort just went wide of the goal.
Caernarfon seemed rattled by the early pressure put on by The Dragons, and it wasn’t easing anytime soon. Canaries’ goalkeeper Josh Tibbets was called into action as he denied an effort by Danny Williams, after the Ponty forward was played in superbly by Clayton Green.
With multiple chances being produced from in and around the box, it seemed only a matter of time that the deadlock would be broken. Soon enough, Ponty got what they deserved with Margetson taking advantage. From a lofted ball by Eliot Richards, Margetson rose highest in the box once again, but this time guided his header perfectly into the bottom corner of the net. Even with the wind and rain, it did not stop the fans at the ground from cheering at the top of their lungs as the ball hit the net.
For the rest of the first half, Ponty stayed on top of Caernarfon, with no signs of slowing down.
In the second half, Caernarfon came out with a tenacity that wasn’t present in the first, showing that they weren’t going to give up just yet. Ponty’s defence was tested time after time, but the back three of Margetson, Knott and Jarrad Wright stood strong as they looked to preserve their clean sheet.
Caernarfon’s biggest chance of the game fell to Lloyd Marsh-Hughes who latched onto a wicked cross from the left-hand side, but George Ratcliffe, showing his quality once again, made a stunning reaction save to deny him.
Caernarfon would continue to search for an equaliser for the remainder of the second half, but no real cut chances of note were made, allowing Ponty to see out the game. Tom Davies and Kieran Lewis both had chances to extend the Dragons’ lead, but neither came to anything as it remained 1-0 by the full-time whistle.
The win for Pontypridd means they now have 10 points from a possible 12 during Phase 2 which has put them in a position where a European playoff space is not out of reach. With no signs of slowing down, Ponty will be going into next week vs Flint Town United in high confidence.