Dinas hit 5 to get back to those winning ways (From Penarth Times)

Dinas hit 5 to get back to those winning ways

IT'S FOOTBALL aplenty at Dinas Powys as the First team plays catch up with the fixture list in its Third Division Welsh League campaign.

Last week the team went on a tour of the South Wales Valleys, playing Pontypridd under lights on Tuesday and Pontlottyn on Saturday.

They added four points to their tally and stretched their unbeaten record to 24 games.

The draw was at Pontypridd, the Villagers twice coming from behind to snatch a point with two goals apiece. It was only the third occasion that Dinas had conceded more than one goal since the start of the season.

The Dinas goals were scored by Neil Jeremy and Jamie Dix with notable assists for both coming from Nathan Hosgood.

Dinas were fortunate to get away with the draw, but Pontypridd are right up there with the Villagers challenging for promotion, so it was never going to be easy.

To the squad's credit they dug in, fought hard and scrambled for the point right up to the final whistle.

On Saturday, after a goal-less first half it looked as if the team had lost the habit of winning but then they hit Pontlottyn with five goals without reply, four of them coming in a scintillating 20 minute spell.

Pontlottyn, although near the bottom of the league, had recently earned a draw against Newport, the Villagers' closest rivals, so they were certainly in form.

This was the case in the first 45 minutes as they continually frustrated the Dinas attack, and they also looked dangerous on the breakaway.

Robbie James had come on for the injured Lee Street and made an immediate impact when he evaded two tackles down the right and then sent over an accurate far post cross for Neil Jeremy to head back across goal for Jamie Dix to tap into the empty net.

Three more followed quickly. First a Nathan Hosgood cross was turned into his own goal by a retreating defender under pressure from Dix.

Then Dix did get on to the end of a Hosgood through ball, slotting it calmly past the advancing keeper.

The fourth came after excellent work by Jeremy whose pass set up Rhodri Foote to score coolly.

With still 10 games to play, Manager Paul Giles took off Peter Walker and Geoff Poole to recover from a couple of slight knocks. James O'Neil and Steve Herniman came on and both made valuable contributions.

In fact it was Herniman's cross that was side-footed in on the volley by Robbie James to complete the nap hand.

A good win that was important to achieve after two successive draws.

Captain Lee O'Brien played a major part in getting the three points, continually driving the play forward from midfield, whilst the new centre-back pairing of Walker and David Mann always looked comfortable.

On Saturday the team is home to Caerau and the following Tuesday (April 16) home to Caldicot, ko 6.30pm.

With midweek games being played by all clubs the top of the table is constantly changing, but as at April 7 the positions are as above (with 34 games to play).