Porthcawl Town AFC travelled to Maesteg to take on Llangynwyd Rangers in the JD Cup first round on Saturday hoping to continue their perfect start to the 2017/18 season. Facing the Alliance Premier Division side, The Seasiders were forced into a host of changes due to suspension, unavailability and injury.
In came Tom Marlow, Michael Booth, Callum Endicott and Callum Chilcott, with Tom Warren filling in between the posts. The substitutes bench saw a first appearance for youth product Ross Overton and another appearance for Tom Wright hoping to make his debut.
On a fine afternoon, the game started as a cagey affair, the uneven pitch not allowing either side to keep the ball well. Porthcawl threatened through Morgan Thomas and Jorge Crofts, either side of Callum Chilcott making his first appearance of the season up front. They took the lead on the twenty minute mark following a rare phase of quality. Good work in midfield from Tom Davis freed Thomas down the right hand side and he didn't disappoint, curling a perfect low cross behind the defence for Crofts to sidefoot home at the far post.
Llan threatened from a set piece soon after, a stinging free kick palmed out by makeshift keeper Warren and scrambled clear by the covering Mark Brett on the rebound. Despite the scare, Porthcawl went on to double their lead before half time, Thomas and Crofts linking well again. The former scooped a ball over the top and after a defensive blunder, Crofts was free to slot home his second of the afternoon from a few yards out.
The second half saw the home side up their game, causing Porthcawl a few more problems. They reduced the deficit to one goal on the hour mark, a deep set piece not properly cleared allowing Llan's midfielder to nod in at the far post beyond the scrambling Warren.
Despite not being at the races in the second half, The Seasiders grabbed a third - good work from the bright youngster Tom Wright on as a half time substitute found Matt Ellis, who slid striker Chilcott in behind the defence. Chilcott finished with aplomb, passing left footed into the far corner to open his account for the season.
To their credit, Llan continued the fight, and threw caution to the wind by pushing more players up front. They bagged another with five minutes left to set up a grand stand finish - a defensive error on Porthcawl's right allowing the home side to cut the ball back across the box and slot low past Warren.
Despite a nervy final few moments, Porthcawl closed the game out to secure a 3-2 win to the delight of the players and coaches. Not their best display by far, but a win against a side in the league above with a raft of changes made was hard to complain against. Next up for The Seasiders, an away fixture at local rivals Cornelly Utd on Tuesday evening.
Starting XI
Tom Warren
Joe Downes
Mark Brett
Tom Marlow
Michael Booth
Tom Davis
Matthew Ellis
Callum Endicott
Jorge Crofts
Morgan Thomas
Callum Chilcott
Subs
Thomas Wright
Ross Overton
Jon Challis
