ON Saturday, October 4 Dinas Powys FC faced Penybont with Penybont winning 1 (AET) - 0

Today's match ball was kindly sponsored by Matt Benson, Cymraeg Decorating.

After a stern team talk before the game from the management team of Lee Saunders and Richie Garland, Dinas gave their all in this game and proved they can more than match most teams in the Welsh League.

The game commenced with a session of head tennis for the first minute and it was clear that the visitors were very strong in the air.

A fast tempo game then ensued with Dinas battling for every ball in midfield. They had an early scare when Penybont played the ball out to Jack Delve and Dinas keeper Jack Perks came charging off his line but Delve got his shot away which was just wide.

Dinas settled into their passing game Atif Bashir feeding Ryan Garland out wide, he put in a good cross but the visitors' defence cleared the danger.

Another slip from Perks wasn't punished when he dropped an easy catch but Anthony Rawlings skewed his effort wide from five yards. Dinas began to gain the ascendancy and good work by Ben Ah-Mun forced a couple of corners, the second of which saw James Marr head just over the bar. The hosts kept the pressure on and a superb jinking run and cross from their young striker King Junior Mwedzo reached Sam Johnson who hit a glancing header just wide.

This was to be Johnson's last action as a minute later he pulled up with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Carlos Indjai with 25 minutes gone. He soon got into the action playing a ball through the channel to Ah-Mun but he was crowded out before he could shoot. The game was nip and tuck at this stage with entertaining end to end play without many scoring opportunities.

Dinas midfielder Keiron James then found overlapping Nicky Bruce who got a shot away but it was straight at the Penybont keeper Rhys Wilson who gathered easily. The last five minutes of the half was still end to end with the visitors forcing an unproductive corner and in the last minute Dinas forced a corner taken by Bruce which Wilson fumbled and dropped the ball but somehow the Penybont defence scrambled it away and the half ended goalless with Dinas more than matching their Division One opponents.

Dinas started the second half well forcing an early corner which was half cleared to Bashir, he played it square to Garland who hit his effort off target. They continued to keep possession well playing some fine one touch football at times. However Penybont were dangerous when they did have possession and a good cross by Robbie Walters was headed over the bar by Rawlings with eight minutes of the half gone and a free kick reached Walters who headed on target but the Dinas defence cleared the ball before it reached Perks. The visitors did get the ball in the net, Rawlings the marksman but he was adjudged offside.

It was end to end again and a cross by Bruce was met by Ah-Mun with a left foot effort which had Wilson scrambling to save.

Some good link up play down the right with Indjai and King involved forced a corner with no end product and Walters had a half chance for the visitors after a strong run took him wide and his shot missed the target from an acute angle.

Another mazy run by King forced a corner for Dinas which produced a goalmouth melee but the visitors defence eventually got it away.

Perks had to make a smart save at full stretch from Cullen Kinsella but the half ended goalless to bring extra-time into play.

Dinas had the best chance of the tie early in the first period, Ah-Mun playing Garland in, he hit a sweet shot which beat Wilson but cannoned off the left upright and the chance had gone. This proved costly for Dinas as Walters finally got the only goal of the tie, slotting home a pass from the right to beat Perks from six yards just before the end of the first period. To add insult to injury Indjai was then red carded for Dinas for something said to the referee's assistant giving Dinas a mountain to climb in the final 15 minutes.

Dinas then rang the changes, Rhodri Foote and Bashir making way for Steve Provis and Joe Briscombe.

Although they tried their hardest Dinas couldn't get the equaliser as the tie ended but they can hold their heads high in defeat with their best performance of the season.

Dinas squad: 1 Jack Perks, 2 Ben Ah-Mun, 3 Nicky Bruce, 4 Rhodri Foote, 5 James Bloxham (c) 6 James Marr, 7 Ryan Garland, 8 Sam Johnson, 9 King Junior Mwedzo, 10 Atif Bashir, 11 Keiron James, 12 Carlos Indjai, 14 Joe Briscombe, 15 Steve Provis, 16 Mike Lazarou, 17 James Curtin.

It's back to league action on Saturday, October 11 when Dinas travel to play Chepstow Town with a 2.30pm kick off.

Peter King