Dinas Powys FC disappointed by draw

This was a game Dinas could and should have won but, again were without a full squad to chose from and they lacked that killer instinct up front.

In continuous rain throughout the game it took Dinas a while to get into their game and Porth started the better, Huw Day driving through to get a shot away which was well wide. The hosts were then awarded a free kick taken by David Matthews which was cleared by Joe Briscombe.

However it was Dinas who won the first corner after five minutes which was cleared and the Villagers began to get on top. Good pressure by Rhys Palmer won a throw in by Mamadu Banguraso, he found Keiron James who hit a snap shot just wide.

Midfielder Joe Hinds was then fouled some 25 yards from goal. Up stepped Briscombe to hit a hard low shot which Porth 'keeper Dale Pritchard just managed to gather. They kept up the pressure and a flowing move between James, Barguraso and Palmer ended with the latter scuffing his shot for an easy take by Pritchard.

Then, against the run of play, the hosts grabbed the opener, a cross from Matthew Jenkins was headed home by Declan Facey with 17 minutes gone.

The visitors upped their game and won two corners in succession but could not get the final touch then, as Adam Johns charged through the Porth defence he was body checked by the Porth 'keeper, the referee pointing to the penalty spot and Pritchard receiving a yellow card. Briscombe took the kick and tucked it in the corner of the net to level the score giving Pritchard no chance.

Things got worse for Porth when, after a nasty two footed tackle, Jenkins was given a straight red card, leaving the hosts to play out the remaining 65 minutes with 10 men.

Dinas began to make the man advantage count and their pressure brought a string of fouls by the 10 men, from one of these Briscombe bagged his brace with a tremendous drive from 30 yards which evaded Pritchard's grasp to give the Villagers a 2-1 lead with 15 minutes of the half remaining.

After another good spell of inter-passing forced yet another corner for Dinas, the ball fell to Nicky Coles who brought a good save from Pritchard. Most of the pressure was coming from Dinas now, Basguraso having two half chances, heading a cross from the left over the bar and a shot deflecting off a defender which Pritchard managed to gather.

From another foul on the edge of the box Briscombe stepped up looking for his hat-trick but he got underneath his effort and it cleared the cross-bar.

Just before the interval Dinas 'keeper James Curtin had a fairly easy shot to save when Aaran Hughes fed Chris Bullock to shoot almost straight at the Dinas 'keeper.

The second half produced wave after wave of Dinas attacks with captain Ben Luck urging his side on but the Porth defence were determined and thwarted most of the pressure by belting the ball anywhere up field or into touch.

Dinas made an early substitution, James Marr being replaced by Luke Swaffield after five minutes.

Porth were still dangerous in spells and a free kick wide on the left was half cleared to Huw Day who hit a tremendous drive just wide of Curtin's left upright.

At the other end a determined run out wide on the left by Palmer ended with his shot hitting the side netting.

Joe Hinds was switching the play from one wing to the other trying to make the 10 men work as hard as possible and Dinas were in almost total control at this stage but the final ball into the box was not good enough.

Dinas then made another change, taking off the hard working Banguraso for young King Junior Mwedzo whose trickery had sometimes produced goals last season and he soon made his presence felt laying off a ball to James who hit his shot just over the bar.

The light was fading fast but Dinas were still mounting wave after wave of attacks but couldn't put the game to bed with a third goal and from a rare Porth corner a goalmouth scramble ensued and the ball was bundled into the net for the equaliser with just 12 minutes remaining.

Ben Luck then curled a free kick just wide for the visitors, followed by a ball from Hinds to Palmer, he drove through the tiring Porth defence but his shot hit a defender and went out for a corner which was unproductive.

Dinas made their final substitution, Matt Trottman replacing Hinds and they laid siege on the Porth goal for the final few minutes but the winner would not come and they had to settle for a point.

Dinas squad: 1 James Curtin, 2 James Marr, 3 Joe Briscombe (2), 4 Ben Luck (c), 5 Jamie McClaggon, 6 Mamadu Banguraso, 7 Keiron James, 8 Joe Hinds, 9 Adam Johns, 10 Rhys Palmer, 11 Nicky Coles, 12 James Perrett, 14 James Alloway, 15 King Junior Mwedzo, 16 Luke Swaffield and 17 Matt Trottman.

On Saturday, August 22, Dinas played against Chepstow Town in a game best forgotten for Dinas with manager Lee Saunders fuming afterwards that too many of the team hadn't given anywhere near 100 per cent effort.

In sweltering heat Dinas started brightly for the first five minutes and had the first chance, a flick from Nicky Davison to Nathan Donnelly producing a shot that was just wide. They then forced two consecutive corners with half chances from a Ben Luck header and, from the second one, a Joe Briscombe header which cleared the bar.

This was as good as it got for Dinas when, from a free kick wide on the right, Ian Turner netted for a simple goal on five minutes.

Just four minutes later they doubled their tally from a corner which reached Tom Barry, unmarked at the far post to clip it past Dinas 'keeper James Curtin.

A good run down the left by Davison for Dinas looked promising, he jinked past two defenders and got a shot away but it was blocked by another defender before it could test Chepstow shot stopper Ben Fletcher.

A couple of half chances came Dinas' way via a ball through the channel from Joe Briscombe for King Junior Mwedzo to chase but Fletcher got there first and the second from another through ball from Nicky Bruce, again to Mwedzo but his effort was straight at Fletcher who gathered comfortably. The Villagers did get the ball in the net when Adam Johns fed Davison who drove it into the net but the linesman's flag went up for a tight offside decision.

A good cross from Davison then found Mwedzo at the far post but he couldn't control the ball and it went out for a goal kick.

The hosts virtually ended the game as a contest just before half-time when ex-Dinas player Ben Ah-Mun rounded Nicky Bruce to score from an acute angle for 3-0.

Dinas made a change at the interval bringing on Ryan Garland for Matt Trottman and went to a 4-3-3 formation. They were giving Chepstow far too much space though and just six minutes into the half Ah-Mun controlled a square ball to make it 4-0.

The Villagers were struggling to keep possession and were conceding too many free kicks. From one of these by Simon Prangley, Curtin did well to gather the ball under pressure.

Chepstow kept the pressure on and a powerful run and cross by Leo Ross forced Dinas captain Ben Luck to concede a corner. Then Prangley drove through the middle but again Luck, who was one of a few Dinas players who had good games, cleared the danger.

Dinas then made another change, Nicky Bruce making way for Mamadu Banguraso and the visitors rallied slightly for a while winning two corners, both of which were cleared and a free kick taken by Luck which Fletcher had to be alert to save.

With 20 minutes remaining Dinas brought on Luke Swaffield for Adam Johns and they did mount a few attacks, Mwedzo was tripped on the edge of the box, Garland took the free kick which found the head of Luck but he couldn't direct it on target. Another good link up move involving McClaggon, Mwedzo and Davison eventually came to nothing and they were made to pay when a ball inside from Chepstow sub Ryan Williams reached Prangley who gave Curtin no chance to make it 5-0 and just to rub salt into the wound, in the last minute, a shot by Richard Jago took a big deflection off a defender to increase their tally to six.

Dinas squad: 1 James Curtin, 2 Joe Briscombe, 3 Jamie McClaggon, 4 Ben Luck (c), 5 Matt Trottman, 6 Nicky Bruce, 7 Joe Hinds, 8 Nathan Donnelly, 9 Nicky Davison, 10 King Junior Mwedzo, 11 Adam Johns, 12 Ryan Garland, 14 Mamadu Banguraso, 15 Nicky Coles, 16 James Marr and 17 Luke Swaffield.

Dinas entertain Penrhiwceiber Rangers at The Murch on Saturday, August 22, with a 2.30pm kick off.

Peter King